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You CAN judge an arch. firm by its software

Pete

If you're looking for a new job and want to get a quick first impression without digging into the firm's portfolio, you can judge a firm buy the use of software.

Firms that use Archicad, Revit, ADT or Microstation, only do standard mcmansions, stripmalls and an occasional Trump-like-skyscraper. However, they tend be a large firms and efficiency is their main priority.

Firms that use Formz, Autocad and Max/Viz for rendering, chances are they may be trying to do more that standard work. An occasional competition is very likely to be done

Firms that use Maya, Formz and VW on Macs have probably been in an arch magazine. These firms tend to push the envelope even though they may be small

Firms that use Rhino, Catia, pro/engineering, Solid works, Maya, Autocad all at once are the blobbers and are regularly in arch magazines. They tend to be big firms as they can pay for all those licenses.

A firms that uses max/viz primarily for modeling as rendering and Autocad for 2d tend to be all round. You can't categorized them as standard nor blobbers.

Firms that only use Autocad have about 10 years more of existence.

 
Nov 3, 05 8:20 am
4arch

this is the biggest pile of bs i've ever read on this board.

Nov 3, 05 8:29 am  · 
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a-f

How about judging a firm from the projects they make?

Nov 3, 05 8:50 am  · 
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weave

bryan4arch:
well said.

Nov 3, 05 8:56 am  · 
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BOTS

..... and the Practices who still have drawing boards are to be placed in glass cases and shipped to the nearest museum as historical reference.

Pete, I'd like to see the single stereotype for pre software design before 1970's draughted with pens on paper?

Nov 3, 05 9:09 am  · 
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Barrett

yeah, we're all dumber for having read this. Thanks a lot, now I can't remember any of my ACAD commands

Nov 3, 05 9:14 am  · 
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liberty bell

I often use hand sketching and markers for color - so I guess I'm already dead.

Nov 3, 05 9:17 am  · 
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BlueGoose

i think we need to judge firms by the degree to which they employ small-minded, elistist, myopic, little-brained pip-squeaks like Pete.

why would anybody with half-a-functioning brain even consider making a preliminary judgement like this by focusing on a "tool" instead of the "result" ?

idiot !

Nov 3, 05 9:20 am  · 
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ochona

my ex-firm used vectorworks on macs

they certainly hadn't been in any "architecture" magazines although my boss did pay $5,000 to be placed in a "coffee-table book"

the only envelope that was pushed was how badly my boss could piss off his clients with his passive-aggression and suck-ass design skills (not to mention his very conscientious invoicing) before they got lawyers to talk with us

Nov 3, 05 9:27 am  · 
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dolemite

i always judged a firm's work by the size of shoes the partners wore...

Nov 3, 05 9:31 am  · 
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weave

and as we all know, being in an architecture magazine should be priority #1 for all architects.

Nov 3, 05 9:43 am  · 
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SeanNOLA

My firm uses Revit, AutoCAD and Sketchup on PC. We've been very well published, we have a vendetta against mcmansions and ranchburgers, and have never built a skyscraper. And we are only a 20 person firm (that includes interiors, construction management and administration). But I guess you were right that about the fact that we...um....are a firm?

www.wesketch.com

Nov 3, 05 10:26 am  · 
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e

uh, okay pete. whatever.

Nov 3, 05 11:42 am  · 
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garpike

"Firms that use Rhino, Catia, pro/engineering, Solid works, Maya, Autocad all at once are the blobbers and are regularly in arch magazines. They tend to be big firms as they can pay for all those licenses."

So much wrong in this quote. So much wrong...

1. Pay for licenses??? How about the software companies proudly gives them the licenses (If the flaunt it).
2. Tend to be big? (Are we only thinking of the one and only large blobby firm?)

This post has to be the biggest pile of BS! Ha ha that was already said, but I reiterate.

Nov 3, 05 12:00 pm  · 
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strlt_typ

we still have a blueprint machine in our office...and use it often to make quick prints for bidding...that means our office is cool

Nov 3, 05 12:21 pm  · 
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FrankLloydMike

Pete, you're retarded. I interned at an office of eight people (including myself and the business/office manager) this summer. They used ArchiCAD because it allowed them as a small office to do take on many projects. However, they never built strip malls or McMansions. In fact, they just completed a beautiful third floor addition to an existing building at the NH Institute of Art that is probably the boldest new or renovated building in downtown Manchester, NH in at least the past decade. Judging a firm by the software they use is the stupidest thing I've seen posted on here. I love what the architecture department head here at school always says--if you're concerned about what type of software a school or office uses, they have a great program for you at ITT, but if you're interested in architecture get over it.

Nov 3, 05 2:42 pm  · 
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FrankLloydMike

i should have said, "Pete, that's retarded." that's unfair and ass holic of me. sorry, Pete. now I'm the retarded one

Nov 3, 05 2:44 pm  · 
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sparch

pete's screen name: frank lloyd mike speaks for himself.
frank lloyd wright was the bull s*** talker of architectural history

Nov 3, 05 2:51 pm  · 
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architecturegeek

SeanNOLA - if you work for wesketch then you do mcMansions.

Nov 3, 05 3:52 pm  · 
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architecturegeek

by the way we use stanley hammers on our job-site... good architecture or bad?

Nov 3, 05 4:11 pm  · 
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garpike

S.Park, you are confused.

Nov 3, 05 4:29 pm  · 
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adso

Lighten up, I think that was a pretty funny post.

Nov 3, 05 4:36 pm  · 
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nathaniel

My office has single-ply toilet paper, a leaking watercooler, a screaming server (failed harddrive), a storage room filled with decaying garbage (the office 'minister of trash' resigned), and the fridge (taped shut) is a shrine to past employees containing an ecosystem founded on their abandoned lunches.

We regularly win awards and are often published.

Nov 3, 05 5:00 pm  · 
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TSCOMG

I like this post, although I disagree with most of Pete’s conclusions. I think that you probably could use the type of software a firm uses as a general kind of barometer for the work it does, if you were so inclined. The question is, why stop there?

One could flesh out one’s matrix of office characteristics/work corollaries with:

Accommodations (suite, storefront, back room, home office, warehouse)
Average age of employees
Compensation/benefits package offered
Dietary preferences (ratio of vegetarians?)
Educational background of employees
Ethnic make up (Europeans working in office in large west-coast city outnumber native-born?)
Gender (ratio of M/F, sexual preference)
Mode of transportation (cyclist, or second-hand Saab)
Standard Attire/ fashion sense (all black?)
Turn-over rate
Work hours (9-6, or 7am meetings scheduled on Saturdays?)

I mean, I’m sure I could come up with several dozen more, but Tolerance of Employee Internet Use- well, it could be up there too.

Nov 3, 05 6:14 pm  · 
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A Center for Ants?

So you ask AutoCad, "What do you like, AutoCad?" and AutoCad says "I like sustainable buildings"

Nov 3, 05 6:55 pm  · 
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Ms Beary

But can you look at the building/project and tell what software was used to design it?

Nov 3, 05 7:37 pm  · 
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SpringFresh

i do all my drawing in paint and i have built sandcastles, which were very well received at the time, though not widely published.

Nov 3, 05 7:43 pm  · 
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e

but chairman, do you finger paint?

Nov 3, 05 7:53 pm  · 
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upside

autocad says, "i like an xref", and you say, "but you allways lose them and its a bitch to send them to consultants", and autocad says, "and whose fault is that? i like an xref".

around here there are a lot of project homes that look like archicad renderings, kinda flat and lifeless, with no materiality, and strange pastel colours.

Nov 3, 05 8:09 pm  · 
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SpringFresh

no generally i potato print my construction drawings for a greater level of accuracy and controll. I have also found a great new cladding material called pasta and glitter. It's very cheap, and can be simply applied to the exterior face with pva glue.

I make model with felt and pipe cleaners, sometimes with toilet rolls for the round bits, and some foil if there is any in the office.

How about you?

Nov 3, 05 8:10 pm  · 
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e

i like to execute my ideas by peeing them in the snow. obviously designing happens best after a few pots of coffee or a six pack of beer, and of course i only design in the winter time.

Nov 3, 05 8:23 pm  · 
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manamana

I build all my structural models out of lego's techniques line of "engineer-esque" parts. they look so much more scientific that way.

and as far as construction documents go, it's the 1" diameter baby crayons or nothing. it's just that simple.

Nov 3, 05 9:05 pm  · 
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ryanj

thats the funniest shit ive heard in a while 'e'

Nov 3, 05 10:34 pm  · 
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vado retro

when is the new version of yellow snow coming out e?

Nov 3, 05 11:09 pm  · 
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e

v2.0 will be out for christmas. let's all hope it's a white one.

Nov 3, 05 11:17 pm  · 
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SpringFresh

Its got a new plug in called slush puppy apparently - great for all those free form blobs, and revolutionises the colour settings for yellow snow

Nov 4, 05 3:08 am  · 
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BOTS

you amateurs, you know that the architecture design using snow is far from permanent. We prefer to design all our buildings using paper nets and then fold our way to the pritzer prize for original origami design.

One of our top modellers is some guy called Gaff, he insists on leaving these unicorns around the model to give it scale.

Nov 4, 05 4:02 am  · 
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