Announcing version 2.0! 🚀

We are thrilled to announce the release of Arkio 2.0. Our goal with 2.0 is to simplify key workflows while empowering you to do more with Arkio with new features like generative AI rendering, layers, Archicad support, collaborative frames, issue export and much more.

Breakthrough new capabilities and improved workflows

With Arkio 2.0, we are taking design collaboration to a whole new level whether you’re doing design ideation, design reviews or immersive client presentations. Many areas of Arkio have been totally re-imagined, whether you’re using Arkio on your XR headset, PC, Mac, tablet or phone. Let’s dive into what’s new!

Visualize your designs with generative AI renders

With Arkio 2.0 you can instantly create beautiful AI renders of your scene inside Arkio - on any device. Just open the new AI camera on e.g. your Meta Quest or iPad, turn on the AI render feature, speak or write your prompt, choose a render style and take a snapshot. In Arkio, AI rendering feels like magic, enabling you to easily brainstorm and visualize designs. Using anything from a simple massing model sketched inside Arkio to a complex imported 3D model you can create endless variations of your design in any style you want which can then be exported from Arkio using Arkio Cloud.

The ability to generate AI renders is included in our paid plans with each AI render costing one AI credit. If you want to try out the AI render capability the free trial includes 10 AI renders. The Plus plan includes 100 monthly AI renders, Pro 500 monthly AI renders and Enterprise 1000 monthly AI renders per floating license. Check out the pricing page for plan details. Seeing is believing so give it a try!

Create collaborative image frames

Any image or AI render can now be converted into a frame that will be placed inside the 3D scene itself. Once in the scene, you can manipulate the frame just like any Arkio object as well as add notes to it or sketch on top of it. The best thing is that the frame will be seen by anyone that joins you in a meeting or that you share the scene with.

Frames can be used as a presentation tool, to markup issues, explain design options or to present several different AI renders with different styles inside a scene. You can add as many frames as you like and at any scale. Any time you add a frame it gets added to the list of views on the Review panel, so jumping to a frame or gathering other people to view the frame with you is super easy. Frames work across any device so you can create a frame on your PC or add a sketch on a frame using your iPad.

Use voice transcription to add notes

Adding notes in Arkio is now easier than ever. Just select the voice transcription button on a note, speak in any language and see the transcribed text appear on the note. Notes now also include an “owner” field where you can type who’s responsible for an issue or an idea. This information will be exported together with the text and priority when exporting issues via Arkio Cloud. Auto-generated views make it easy to jump between notes and frames.

Explore design options with layers

With 2.0 we’re adding a much-requested feature, the ability to toggle layers on and off in models imported from Revit, Rhino, Sketchup and Archicad. Being able to manage layers opens up new workflows in Arkio, allowing you to focus on any detail in your model, explore design options and present exactly what you want to be visible. You can expand or collapse individual categories, layers or tags and these will be shared with anyone joining you in a meeting and also saved in your Arkio scene. Layers can be found in the Reviews panel.

Manage your files with ease

The new file manager now shows you a preview of all your files, whether they include Arkio geometry or imported 3D files. We have also made it easier to work with a large number of files with a new grid layout as well as new search and sorting options. The history function can now browse through the history of any single file, giving you peace of mind when trying out new design options or adding issues.

Experience your Archicad models in Arkio

Arkio now supports Archicad 27 and 28 on both Windows and Mac with the new Arkio plugin for Archicad. Just head over to our download page and grab the latest Arkio Windows application which comes with all the Arkio plugins, or download the Mac plugin for Archicad here. The Archicad plugin features the same simple workflow to export your 3D model to Arkio as our Revit, Rhino and SketchUp plugins, and you can easily toggle layers on and off and view BIM information in your Archicad model as well.

Host more effective presentations

With the new presentation mode you can more easily control meetings. Toggling this mode turns everyone else in the meeting into a viewer, mutes their audio and turns on auto-gathering so everyone will follow you as you move around. You can also turn on view-only mode easily if presenting with a single device. Just open the extras drawer under the Arkio circle menu in VR or open the review settings UI in non-VR devices and switch to view-only mode.

Improved wall drawing plus new shapes & components

Wall drawing has been improved greatly in Arkio 2.0, allowing you to draw more complex wall layouts and chains than before. New shapes and components have been added to Arkio, giving you even more options to brainstorm new designs of any shape and form - and of course you can instantly create an AI render of your design using the new AI camera.

Easily share your Arkio scenes

With Arkio 2.0 we’re making it super easy to share your work. Simply export your scene to Arkio Cloud and then from the Arkio Cloud portal share a URL by email or chat with anyone. The URL will open a web page with a short code to access the scene in Arkio on any device. Pro users can also choose whether scenes are shared as editable or view-only.

Usability improvements

Arkio 2.0 includes a new table menu accessible in VR. From this menu you can control the environment of your Arkio scene, access the new file browser and open the Arkio Start menu. The Arkio main menu also has an improved extras menu where the AI camera, files and review options are always accessible. For non-VR devices we’ve simplified the tool ribbon and improved the layout of the various UI elements when doing design reviews, presentations and design ideation.

And there’s more…

The list just goes on. Arkio 2.0 adds many other improvements like updated Meta avatars, ambient occlusion on Meta Quest, toggling between months in the VR sun study tool, multimodal hand and controller mode, supporting additional languages in input fields and more. You can find the 2.0 release notes here.

Pricing changes

We haven’t updated our price and plans since we went live with Arkio 1.0 four years ago. With 2.0 and all the new features and updates we’re adjusting our plans and pricing while staying true to our mission of democratizing design collaboration. Arkio will remain affordable and accessible to consumers and professionals alike as we want to see Arkio in the hands of as many people as possible. You can check out the updated pricing page here. The new prices only apply to new subscriptions so if you already have an Arkio subscription your subscription price will remain the same as before. You can read more about the updates to our subscription plans and pricing here.

We’re just getting started

We have been updating Arkio at a rapid pace ever since we launched 1.0, always striving to improve the user experience and simplify workflows while making Arkio a more powerful design collaboration tool. Arkio 2.0 is a massive update and we hope that you’ll enjoy exploring all the new features and usability improvements. We’d love to hear from you in the forums if you have any feedback for us. After all, you, our users, are the reason why we’re doing this. We look forward to continuing on this journey with you!