ArchiCAD is excellent for creating construction documents. Probably my favorite of all softwares for this. The exception would be if your firm is doing complexly curved forms as a matter of course AND does not have other 3D modeling software in which to generate these forms before importing to ArchiCAD. It's not impossible to create any form within ArchiCAD, but there are certain types of forms for which it is not ideal.

Working in an office that uses different software doesn't have to be a recipe for frustration. Generally if the firm has been using the software awhile they'll have developed an efficient way of using it that works for their firm. There may still be improvements that can be made. But when joining a firm it's usually best to take the time to not only thoroughly learn the software but also to thoroughly learn that firm's way of using it before making any decisions about whether it is "not the best."

I don't buy the "industry standard" thing because there are a LOT of firms that don't use AutoCAD. MicroStation actually sells the most packages to US architectural firms (this is because some of the largest firms use it. AutoCAD is in more firms, but more architects are using MicroStation...) AutoCAD was designed for engineers. If there ever is an "industry standard" I'd vote for one closer to ArchiCAD or VectorWorks - not AutoCAD.
I've worked in firms using Arris, VectorWorks, AutoCAD, ArchiCAD, MicroStation, and Chief Architect. The last of those is "not the best" - unless you're doing extremely simple residential projects.
All the rest are perfectly good software for the firms that use them and should not cause undue frustration once a person learns them and learns the firms' working methods.

Archicad was a terrible, terrible experience for me. I dont know if it was because of the mac platform we ran or the software but it just hindered drafting. Its more intuitive than desktop for sure, but its not auto cad. The simple tasks of zooming and panning with the multibuttoned mouse do not work. With archicad I'd wait for my screen to regen after every zoom and pan. The files are enormous and it just plain was frustrating the entire day.

is archicad exclusively mac?

No-it runs better on PC I hear. But unless your needing to do parametric modeling, stick with flat drawings. Cad out of the box. The rest is like putting a spoiler on a Honda as far as Im concerned.

I use it in the office that i work when im home from school. We run the PC version. I have to say it's alright, it's especially good with working drawings. However, I prefer to use AutoCad, I find it to be an easier interface to use and I think there are more capabilities with AutoCAD.

I use it in the office that i work when im home from school. We run the PC version. I have to say it's alright, it's especially good with working drawings. However, I prefer to use AutoCad, I find it to be an easier interface to use and I think there are more capabilities with AutoCAD.

I tried Archicad one semester in school but it seemed to be lacking any complex modeling capability. If your intrested in a BIM solution give Revit a try. More intuative and a big enough threat that Autodesk bought the company out. Everyone says it the rogram that Archicad wants to be. The interface and learning curves are also much freindlier than ADT. The accurender renderings arnt the prettiest but the models import gorgeously to 3d viz/max.

Way back I originally learned CAD on ArchiCAD with a mac. Those were the days... I'm sure the software has improved since then but I wouldn't say it's nearly as good as AutoCad or Microstation.

As for AutoCad not being industry standard... Sure, nobody can claim to be an industry standard yet if you count the entire construction field - including engineers, interior designers, landscape arch, everyone - AutoCad is by far the most popular software. If Microstation does in fact sell more licenses to architects than AutoDesk I would guess it's only because I know of several major big box retailers that demand all their buildings be drawn in Microstation. Which begs the question - did Bently pay off those people?

I like ArchiCAD a lot. I've used it on macs and pcs and haven't experienced any speed problems with it. The files can get very large and sometimes it's better to start to subdivide them, but that depends on the type of project and on how the firm is using the software. A lot of firms that use ArchiCAD tend to use it in a mostly 2D method, and this can be prettty effective even though it isn't the way the company markets it.
Things I like about ArchiCAD are the ability to have multiple people work in one file at the same time (this is a capability that MicroStation also has), layer configurations, good viewporting, and I also think the 3D capabilities are really pretty good - but for full utilization of all the 3D potential there is a pretty steep learning curve because it involves understanding the language of the "library" application inside of the ArchiCAD application. The ability to make your own parametric symbols is very useful. If you're going to be doing anything very irregular or complex it can work better to import from a 3D application like FormZ or 3DStudio.

As far as the whole industry standard issue: MicroStation is selling the most stations mainly because NBBJ uses it and they're one of the biggest firms. The US military also uses mainly MicroStation for architectural projects and building documentation. But there are "designy" firms using it that are certainly doing things other than big-box retail. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson would be one example that comes to mind.
I've had that experience of working in many firms and having each one use something different. I haven't worked in a firm that uses AutoCAD since the early 90s. This is not to say that AutoCAD is fading away, but it does seem that there are enough firms using non-AutoCAD alternatives out there that one should be prepared for that possibility when job searching and not necessarily weed out firms just because of it. Small "boutique-y" firms in the east tend in particular to use vectorworks or archicad on macs. I wouldn't rule out a firm based on software alone.

it was brilliant and intuitive to draw with, probably the closest thing to hand drawing...but the version i had did not have a way of referencing other files in to the live drawing. i was constantly copying and pasting huge chunks of data back and forth to coordinate a detail.

archicad sucks balls.
its built for making architecture and the tools are narrowly defined.
the line tool is a wall tool and it suffers from that.
functions that are simple in most 3d apps are difficult in archicad.
such as rotation... you can only rotate around the z axis.
you cant build things that tilt.

but very easy to learn.
and i love the way it builds the 3d model while drawing 2d.

My biggest gripe with ArchiCad is the user interface. Learning ArchiCad was a snap but getting proficient and fast was painful.. (I haven't used it in a couple of years so some things may have changed)

AutoCAD has that convenient little text prompt where you can type in short commands, while ArchiCad's short commands are a series of keys (at one time) that require your hand to do twister style maneuvering around the keyboard (a combination of open apple, command or alt and usually a letter, number or symbol – for the left hand side of the keyboard this isn’t so bad but for binding keys on the right hand side proves a little more tricky – leaving you with only half of the keyboard to optimize – btw I’m right handed so I’m sure this will vary for you lefties..)

I loved ArchiCad for its ability simultaneously draw 2d and 3d, the layering system and hatching is a dream compared to AutoCAD. I always thought if it had the same commands type interface as AutoCAD it could be the “perfect” program.

Can anyone (with experience in ArchiCAD) comment on how ArchiCAD is used in a multi-user environment? How can you divide work up among several draftspeople if everything is in one file? AutoCAD is easy enough to have someone working on RCP's another on elevations, etc. etc.

it's all in the layering system. one person can have elevation layers, another architectural plans, another electrical.. on and on..

ether- some mac fanatic told me you can create a command line in archibad if you know unix - i think he said unix. I agree it sucks balls.
If only acad's hatches worked as well as the archibad fill command - oh well, its still not enough to make me a convert.

As for the "teamwork" multiperson part of archicad - just wait and see how slow your drawings are when doing it.

i've worked on projects with multiple users in archiCAD and it worked out fine. but it was also in a small office and i was sitting right next to the other people who had the other layers.

i liked using archiCAD a lot, but i really do think it is best for smaller projects. although the 3-D quality isn't great we used the models to trace over for perspective renderings and hand drawn elevations.

We used the Teamwork function and didn't have problems with slow drawings, even on very large projects. I would think this is more of an equipment issue than software problem.

As was mentioned, layers are one criteria by which you can divide the project among users. It's not the only one though - there are also options to divide the project up by area (for instance 4 people can each have a quadrant) or even by object types (someone can have control of all the walls, regardless of which layer they're on, if you want to set it up that way.) Other users can see all the other parts if they want to - they just can't work on the other parts.

You can have a command line in ArchiCAD if you really want to (it's an option in the preferences - you don't need to program it.) But it is uneccesary if you use key commands efficiently. You can also customize the key commands if they're not convenient on your keyboard!
You can also create macros to do series of operations (for instance if you have a number of objects you're planning to trim, rotate, and scale then you can make a command that does all 3 steps to any object you select.)

Also, if you really want to use ArchiCAD in an AutoCAD-like way it is easy enough to put the various info in multiple files. There's a referencing system similar to AutoCAD's that makes it easy to deal with multiple files and scales - both for creating sheets and for working with multiple files and users on the same project.

I found it to be very flexible, but it did take a long time to learn the extent of all features.

but did you like them better eeyaieeyio - for example, did you perfer linked drawings over xref's? Or mod files I think they were called? And what about plotmaker?

I think your right about my old firm's slowness with teamwork - all mac file share network set up by people out of college - not very profesional for 70 person firm. Couldnt tell if it was software or hardware.

plotmaker was sort of bitchy sometimes, but one thing that i do really appreciate with the graphisoft products are that they are constantly updating. which can be a downfall because it is expensive, and it seems like they are constantly coming out with a new version, but it is a developing software, and they do what they can.

platypus: I prefer ArchiCAD's referencing features to those in AutoCAD.

In the firms where I used ArchiCAD we did have a hybrid 2D/3D process - not usually one huge 3D file for the whole project. I like having the option to easily put the effort into the accurate 3D model and then be able to generate other info from it - in particular automatic interior elevations. But I also like using it in more of a "flat" way to create sections and details rather than bringing the 3D model up to the level that we could take all of that info from it all the time.
Plotmaker worked fine for us, though one feature that I like about VectorWorks a little bit better than ArchiCAD is its ability to arrange sheets within the project itself, without needing a PlotMaker-type set-up, or a "Paper Space" vs. "Real Space" method.

Most of the arguments here against ArchiCAD seem to be either based on past equipment/speed issues or on a feeling that it takes too long to learn - nothing is being mentioned that seems to be a real advantage of AutoCAD over anything else (or, they're things that would just take a little customization to make more like AutoCAD - for instance the key command thing). The other issue that usually comes up in these threads is compatibiity with consultants' drawings - and this too is something that has never been much of an issue with other applications I've used, but seems to be a big scary belief of a lot of AutoCAD users. Beyond a little initial coordination to get fonts and fills to cooperate there is not much of a problem with coordination.

The strangest thing to me is when we interview people and they roll their eyes and groan when we tell them we use something other than AutoCAD. I just can't imagine ruling out a job based on software.

i just wanted to say "spot on" eeayeeayo

However- I've watched plenty of people leave our old firm because of archicad. It simply does not perform as well as acad. Yes its a strong second place, but not the perfered program of choice. As for spending all that time to master archicad - what do you do when its time to find another job? Relearn another program? Most people dont keep up with the programs theyre not using. And your arguments sound like the same lies my old coworkers told me when I first started on it. Good Luck archicad, you need it.

cad skills are like bike riding, once you learn them, it takes a while to forget.

i don't feel like i "mastered" archicad, but in the 10 months that i was using it, i felt fairly proficient in it.

i was less than enthused to be going back to autocad when i started my new job, but picking it up didn't set me back hardly at all.

basically, evilplatypus, i dont think your arguments are very strong. yes, autocad is the "preferred program of choice" but that doesn't make it superior.

i've taken a course in archicad, but i wasn't very impressed with it. they were really pushing my old office to switch over. it just seemed like it was trying to do too much or trying too hard.

i'm sure in the right hands, it's pretty rad.

Each time I got a new job I just learned whatever software they were using to the best of my ability. I have some preferences (obviously) but all software I used seemed to work for the firm that was using it. There was quite a long list, because most of the firms I ever interviewed with just were not using AutoCAD - and this was a long list of firms of all sizes.
It's not been apparent to me that AutoCAD is the "preferred program of choice." In the few AutoCAD firms that I worked in it seemed to have become those firms' choice only because they either weren't aware of alternatives or because the decision was in the hands of CAD-school-trained people who didn't know any other CAD software and felt most comfortable implementing and managing AutoCAD. I'm not faulting them for going in that direction - but of the firms I've ever known who did any serious study/comparison BEFORE choosing or changing their CAD platform not one picked AutoCAD.
These days, having settled down in one place and being in a position to make the decisions, I chose the software for the firm - and it isn't AutoCAD OR ArchiCAD. But given those two I very much prefer ArchiCAD. Platypus I don't know what was wrong with ArchiCAD or the firm where you used it, but if everyone was leaving based on the software then I'm sure there were problems with how it was being used and/or on what it was being used. Still, if people there were telling you what you called the same "lies" I'm telling you, then it sounds as though perhaps some people in the firm were having an ok experience with it.

Ah well, perhaps I've been lucky that some people have eliminated us from their job search because of our software choices. Those people seem like they might be inflexible and hard to work with. I still think software is easily learnable and not a major concern in a career choice - but to each his own.

can you model this in archicad?
(its a house)

http://www.robertbruno.com/

:) I want to see that house modeled in archicad too.

eeayeeayo - what cad package are you using? just curious, thats all.

Yes, it would be possible to model that house in ArchiCAD - if that's the only modeler you had, you desperately needed a 3D model, and you were very skilled. Would I advise it? No, and I wouldn't advise modeling it in AutoCAD either. I think I mentioned above somewhere that ArchiCAD is fully compatible with other 3D models. Should one want to take the full 3D approach with this house I'd probably advise using Rhino and/or FormZ and then importing it to generate plans, sections, elevations. Alternately, this could be one of those projects for which a more hybrid, partially "flat" approach might work for generating construction drawings.

Your right eeayeeayo, didnt mean to start a sh-t flinging contest. There are fundemental dif between the way people draft or are taught to draft. I myself didnt care for it but was very impressed by some of its features, though not enough to convert. Like you say, to each there own. At least theres a choice out there.

If you know anything about architecture you'll know ardchicad is by far the best program in the field.

I do get a good impression of it from friends, especially for orthagonal buildings (why would you build anything else) - making the model and then having most of your drawings ready is amazing, it's tedious in autocad, though I think maybe one has to put more thought into the drawings, and hence you learn more perhaps. I like autocad for 3d, it's nice, simple and accurate, unlike Max or Viz, which for modelling I just can't do.

Archicad is easy to use and easy to learn. It may take a while to learn how to transfer the documents into 3d studio max, autocad and photoshop, but once you get the hang of it all is well.

If you are interested in BUYING ARCHICAD go to Academic superstore.com They have the best prices! If you want classes you and you live in the LOS ANGELES AREA there is a support group out of Irvine that teaches classes once a month for FREE.

There are a lot of offices that are beginning to use it because it works in both MAC and Windows interfaces. What could be better right? It took me about 3 months to get the hang of it and really become proficient with the program.

In Canada, McGill is teaching all their architecture students ARCHICAD. For those of you that are unfamiliar with canadian architecture schools. Mcgill is basically the Harvard or MIT of Canada. So. that in itself kind of tells you something.

archicad is definitely not for blobitecture, neither is autocad..

I think gehry is developing a program specifically for blobitecture.

i use autocad because i am lazy and comfortable with it. but i want to get started on archicad because its as close to BIM as any program out there gets. and the $99 student version is not bad either.