sounds like you have been out of the loop for a while...Cheif is never discussed...CAD still does it the same stuff since R14....there are too many softwares to even mention unless you know what you are looking for : it ranges from BIM to animation...good luck with the re-tooling.....I am surpised your user name has the word hacker in it..and you don;t know this stuff...?! Maybe your a scripter?

As a retired architect who occasionally does houses for friends, I have been out of the commercial/professional loop for many years. What I would appreciate, is a tool that allows me to go back and forth interactively from loose sketches to finished 3d renderings through measured floor plans and elevations without switching suites and transporting data. Chief Architect actually allows me to do this quite smoothly; but it has its quirks and limitations. So I am wondering what other people are using.
I now live in South America, and spent many years writing models for simulating environmental dynamics; so I don't talk with colleagues who use anything but AutoCad. There is Hacker in my handle because I was at MIT in the early years of hacking, when there was a strict ethic associated with the culture. "Get into anything that's locked, do no damage and point out the weaknesses". I used to appreciate those guys a great deal. They contributed a lot to bringing down the MIS gurus from their pedestals and opening up the technology to the lay user.

We use ArchiCAD. Its a pretty solid program. You can work back and forth between floor plans, elevations, sections and rendered 3D seemlessly. Its all connected from the very beginning. Its one of the better programs around that does eveything you need all in one package.

Chiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiip-board...

Hi CP

Thank you for your reply.
Is there more you can tell me about ArchCAD? Can it model landforms? Can it track sunlight according to latitude, hour and month etc? Can you create libraries of objects, such as fire-places, garden furniture and such? How about outdoors; retention walls, garden stairs etc... What are the limitations on the architecture side. What do you wish were better, or less limiting. Why do you think it's the better alternative? I appreciate your taking the time.

Hacker, sounds like you were hacking when I was in diapers :-)

I use REVIT religously...it is essentially the same as ArchiCAD...I try and recommend it over archicad, but honestly, anymore, ArchiCAD is just as Viable...I think the folds at Archicad are more willing to work with you @ startup, as REVIT is owned by AutoSATAN(desk)


You can take points files form surveyeors directly into ArchiCAD...and it will create 3d topos...Fun! Thing about BIM is the parametric stuff. Most people think they are hot shit when they start because it automates Architectural Forms, so a monkey could make a building......yet...the real skill is in making families...(or parametric blocks)...

You would probably love Archichad..since your production time is exponential and rendering is fun...I think Archicad has a fee download....(if your a student)...Revit gives you a download demo, but no saves..

Be prepared to pay a chunk of chanege to start, but if you are busy..it pays for itself quickly..got o REVITCITY.com and check stuff out... Most people are giddy and downright goofy when they talk abotu starting because it makes you look really good, even if you suck a designer.


Also, if you are detail fanatic...BIM will be mildly disappointing,..you might prefer to do detailing in CAD or even hand drawing in your case.

p.s. I am applying to you your Alma Mater, wish me luck.

Hi form

It sounds like Revit and ArchiCad are effectively the leading contenders from what I have gathered in other forums.

I do most of my basic conceptual work in pencil and paper. The ease of going back and forth between concept and expression and the flexibility are hard to beat. And the perspectives don't come out too bad either. They have a warmth to them. Lightning fast also. But it requires more training than any CAD tool.

Good luck on your application to the Institute.

I agree with formfunction that ArchiCAD and Revit are essentially the same. I have never used Revit but from what I have seen of it it works the same and has the same idea. ArchiCAD isn't used too much in America, as Autodesk owns about 90% of the market, but it is huge in Europe.

Revit is a very new program made by the assholes at AutoDesk so if you go that route you can expect it to cost a ton of money and they will probably make a new release every 6 months like they do with everything else. I know ArchiCAD runs about $4K and Revit is $5K. ArchiCAD comes with a huge library of parts which includes, doors, windows, vegetation, people, kitchen appliances, bathroom appliances, furniture, etc. There are also a ton of third party libraries you can purchase or you can make your own library parts.

It has everything that any other modeling program has like realistic sun paths, modeling landforms....pretty much whatever you want to do, it will do. The thing with programs such as Revit and ArchiCAD or any architecture software is that they all do the same thing, its just a matter of what you are more comfortable with using and what you will be most efficient with.

There are gonna be negatives with any program you buy and a lot of those negatives stem from not using the program to its full potential, so no matter what you get it would be beneficial to take a class from a rep. I like ArchiCAD cause it is pretty solid modeler and allows you to draft as well, so it can do everything an architect needs all in one package. You can also export models in even better renderers like Artlantis which will add even more realism to any model.

Check out this website: http://www.rojkindarquitectos.com/

This is the website of Michel Rojkind, an architect based out of Mexico City and is basically the poster boy for ArchiCAD 10. He is a very progressive architect and everything he does is in ArchiCAD so it will give you a good idea of the possibilities of the program.

I use revit and it works like a charm... updates are costing a ton-o-money though...
does the job fine and a (free) subscribtion to CAAA in belgium keeps my localiser up to date

I am using revit also. I have found that the subscription is two edged sword, it means annual dues to use the software, but comes out about equal to what I would pay to upgrade every so many years anyway. Since the software isn't perfect, it is nice to get the latest version all of the time.
I tried ArchiCAD, it doesn't fit my flow. Make sure you try both out, since they interact with you differently, neither is the best bet for everyone.
j

How do you try them out without doling out a ton of money? Is that a free trial period kind of deal?

You guys input seems to agree that they are about equivalent in functionality; with Revit being more expensive and more extensively used. But as ArchiCAD like everybody else can read and write DXF, IGES and DWG files, does it matter who dominates the market?

Funny thing about this super detailed furniture thing, I guess a decorator might care, but as an architect, it is important to me that furniture be as generic and as plain schematic as possible. Leave it up to the user which bed or cooking renge he chooses to install. So I like to design my own symbols and 3d block models. Ideal would be to be able to import Sketchup generated libraries of plain jane furnishings. Think of Corbu's gnomon. You don't want it to be a realistic portrait of the owner.

Other things that matter to me are for instance for the topographic modelling, I don't care about elevation points, because in the countries where I practice, and in the case of larger residential developments, what we use are contour curves.

Another detail that counts is whether you may choose your units. In Australia and New Zealand they seem to insist on measurements in millimeters (1/25th "). In France they think you are raving mad if you come up with anything less than a centimeter. In South America they laugh if you insist on their placing the walls within a couple of inches of what the plans say (for regular residential sites at least).

So if you guys know if in either or both of the contenders you can do the following: design 2d and 3d CAD blocks, generate landforms from contour curves and select your units and decimal points of precision; please let me know.

CP

Thank you for the Rojkind link. quite informative.
My previous posting way mainly in response to some of your comments.

Madhacker,
After using both, I found Revit easier to create custom stuff. period. You can do in ArchiCAd. The Revit trial is free fully functional for 30 days. Your best bet for ArchiCAD is to try and find someone near you who finds it. For us, because we already used autoCAD, we could upgrade to Revit for less than it cost to buy seats in ArchiCAD. Even if we hadn't it only would have cost us $3200 us to buy Revit brand new. So even generically saying one costs more than the other can be misleading. Comparing local resellers here in NorCal, Revit was cheaper.
You can set your units, make blocks either 2d or 3d and other.
To generate topography from contours is simple as well, but differs dependent on what your consultant is using. Manually entering elevation points will generate the 3d topography, as well as the contour lines associated with it. You can then grade the existing to create new contour lines as well as add level pads for constructing your model on. Then it will calculate your cut/fill for you, if you find that useful.
Topography in ArchiCAD is less functional without buying an additional add on ArchiTerra. Otherwise it is just a mass with little to no intelligence.

j

Josh
Thank you for the info. I get to test ArchiCAD for free because I am affiliated with a university. But what you said about creating 3d blocks and entering and modifying contours would be a decisive factor. So I guess I'll go and check Revit out at a friend's place. His son works with him and uses it. Then maybe sign up for the trial and consider upgrading an old AutCAD I still have.

im learnin microstation right now with a heavy background in acad/rhino and it's pretty powerful, however for 'design' im not sure if it'd be considered the best .. for production, yes