topic Re: ArchiRotate for all of you... in Collaboration with other software

ArchiRotate for all of you...

Fabrizio Diodati — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 09:43:09 GMT

ArchiRotate

Did you ever need to freely rotate an ArchiCAD library part in 3D space?

With the release of ArchiRotate, any ArchiCAD object can be rotated freely in 3D space - no GDL scripting required! Now, all ArchiCAD users can easily position objects the way they want, quickly achieving their vision.

FREE OF CHARGE from Cigraph Factory!

http://www.cigraph.it/cigraph/pagetrans.do?action=current_product&prodotti_id=26&lang=en

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Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Rod Jurich — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 12:34:17 GMT

Fabrizio wrote:
ArchiRotate

Many thanks Fabrizio.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Fabrizio Diodati — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 13:24:44 GMT

You're welcome Rod.

I just want to take the opportunity to say that, as usual, I decided to keep this first release at a really "low level".
I mean, ArchiRotate is really simple and it doesn't provide the user with a lot of features (just convert the object and let you rotate them).
That means it can be improved but... I preferred to wait for the users input.

Play with it and then send me (privately because this is not the ArchiRotate forum!) any comment, suggestion or wish you think could be important to get a good tool for any ArchiCAD user.

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Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Dwight — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 15:53:54 GMT

Thank you, Fabrizio.

Your company has contributed a useful function to Archicad: a basic function we have needed for ever. And for free. Thanks.

Might I suggest that you take on some of the other basic deficiencies in Archicad:

Here are their names:

ArchiDRAFT - okay - done that: ArchiRULER.

ArchiCALCULATE

ArchiRENDER

We often suffer deficiencies believing that they would take lots of Graphisoft resources to remedy. But in many cases, it is not true. Like with your rotate tool. Perhaps Cigraph could redo Archicad entirely, eliminating its deficiencies with one amalgamated utility:

ArchiArchiCAD

That would be worth something - say around the price of an Archicad licensing fee.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Fabrizio Diodati — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:15:20 GMT

Dear Dwight,

first of all, do you remember me?
We met each other in Budapest HQ so maybe you think I'm working for Graphisoft!
Please I didn't want to offend you, I was just joking.

ArchiRotate is a very simple add-on so we decided to release it free of charge: who could spend 86 Euro for buying such kind of software?

About the other suggestion, missing function to address, I agree with you but the API environment is not so powerful and it's not so simple to develop anything the users need (and let me say this is a GS task... or it should be!).

On the other hand, I hope nobody misunderstood this "event": we are not going to develop software free of charge.

In any case, I have a good news for you (and the other ArchiCAD users), at least I hope:

ArchiCALCULATE ... already done!
The name will be ArchiQuant (thanks to Karl for the name suggestion!).

But in this case... it won't be free of charge.

Friendly
Fabrizio

P.S. BTW, the same suggestion could also fit to your wonderful LightWork in ArchiCAD manual ... doesn't it should be included as standard manual in the AC manual set? It's the best AC manual I read in the last 15 years.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Dwight — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 16:29:10 GMT

Of course i remember you with fondness.

I was joking, too.

The fact that Cigraph can solve a long-term Archicad gripe [rotating an object] makes me cynically joke that perhaps many of the other things users complain about can also be simply fixed, if only Graphisoft would allocate the resources to fix them.

I also do believe that my book exists partly because of deficient Graphisoft rendering documentation - once i saw black soffit disease in user guide images, it was vital to bring better solutions to the users.

But Graphisoft has never [see the GDL reference manual for example] been interested in teaching its product with its manuals. These are separate functions. "What" versus "How."

Best wishes.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Nuge — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 23:55:08 GMT

Fabrizio,

ArchiRotate is great, the best ideas are always the simple ones.

Can you please give us some more information on "ArchiQuant"

What is it?
How does it work?
Can you show some samples?

Regards Nuge

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Dwight — Sat, 15 Sep 2007 00:20:10 GMT

I misread that.

I read "ArchiQuaint."

That utility would add diamond pane mullions, scrollwork and bric-a-brac to an otherwise plain structure. It would need a large ArchiDog and a rocking chair for the porch.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Fabrizio Diodati — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 08:24:47 GMT

Hi Nuge,

here is a very short ArchiQuant description.

ArchiQuant is a simple add-on that let’s you get quantity take-offs together with costs estimation.
ArchiCAD already let’s you get something similar (I suggest to every ArchiCAD user to buy the wonderful handbook “ArchiCAD, From CAD to Quantity Survey” by Eric Wilk) but the user has to do a lot of job and he also needs to have some familiarity with GDL commands.
For using the “standard” ArchiCAD quantity calculation procedure you have to do several steps:
1. Built your components database (quite annoying because you cannot import existing external databases)
2. Built your Attribute objects: this needs some GDL expertise because if you need to calculate specific quantities from a construction element you have to use some GDL statement to refer to the right quantity
3. Link the Attribute object to your construction elements
4. Built up your list scheme in order to display these info

The main limitation of all this job, from my point of view, is that isn’t so easy to get quantity take off together with the cost estimation coming from this calculation and, for me as architect (at least here in Italy) this is not enough: I cannot say my client that he needs to buy 100 bricks… he will immediately ask me “how much do they cost?”.
This come from a “strange” GS definition of the component.
For GS a component is essentially made by:
1. an identity code
2. a name/description (limited to just 127 characters)
3. a unit
4. a quantity

The missing items from this definition (once again for me!) are:
5. the currency unit
6. the unit price of the component

ArchiQuant tries to address these issues:
1. You have your quantity database, where you can also import external database or convert your already built ArchiCAD ones.
2. the component elements include also currency unit and unit price info
3. No limitation in the component description (it can be long as you desire)
4. Absolutely no GDL skill (you can define your calculation formula just as you do “by hand” by referring to the element quantities and to any kind of mathematical calculation sums, subtractions, multiplications, divisions, ect.)
5. No needs to create dozen of attribute objects to link the components to the construction elements: just select the construction element and by opening its setting dialog window you will find the ArchiQuant panel where you can link your database components to your selected element/s.
6. You can calculate also the two-dimensional entities
7. you can customize you list schemes (the ArchiQuant list schemes) by using the dedicated setting dialog windows (let me swear it is more comfortable/friendly that the ArchiCAD one)
8. you can always export your quantity/estimation data in a spreadsheet format
9. you can calculate/display quantities together with cost estimation

This is just a “snack” of the ArchiQuant functions.
Now the user manuals are in the translation phase, I think it will be released in the next autumn… to be sure, let me say before Christmas.

Friendly
Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 12:18:05 GMT

What can i say.
I super old wish that should have been address by Graphisoft.

This is a MUST HAVE add on.

I also think that archicad needs to spend a version to completely rewrite its code so to enable

1) complete 3d awareness
2) complete super powerfull api
3) complete scripting vb-like langruage.

We can then see some really super powerfull addons.

nice work fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Fabrizio Diodati — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 15:36:36 GMT

Dear oreopoulos,

I super old wish that should have been address by Graphisoft.
This is a MUST HAVE add on.

Are you talking about ArchiRotate or about ArchiQuant?
Just to be sure I didn't misunderstand your point of view.

Friendly
Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Dennis Lee — Mon, 17 Sep 2007 23:54:22 GMT

Is everyone having no problem downloading this? I have filled out several different email addresses, but haven't got any email with download link yet, after 3 days.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Fabrizio Diodati — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 07:05:48 GMT

Hi Dennis,

I already privately answered you but I'd like to take this occasion to say eveybody to pay attention to your blocked sender list.
The e-mail addres that sends the requested link is cigraph-store@cigraph.com (it's used just for sending it doesn't receive anything).
Unfortunately some e-mail system could consider it as SPAM source because its name includes the word "store".

Friendly
Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Thomas Holm — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 08:08:46 GMT

Fabrizio wrote:
Are you talking about ArchiRotate or about ArchiQuant?

Fabrizio, please start a separate thread with the ArchiQuant info!

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Brad Elliott — Tue, 18 Sep 2007 18:00:56 GMT

I have the same problem. The email is not blocked nor is it received.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Stress Co_ — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 15:09:48 GMT

Grazie Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Dennis Lee — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 16:23:29 GMT

Brad wrote:
I have the same problem. The email is not blocked nor is it received.

I thought so too, but when I looked again in the "Bulk" folder, the emails were there. I have Yahoo email, and I think maybe there is a delay for the emails that they consider to be spam.

I was able to get the link by emailing fabrizio personally, but even his email went into the "Bulk" folder - so check carefully.

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Fabrizio Diodati — Thu, 20 Sep 2007 09:25:50 GMT

Dear users,

in the past days I monitored the e-mails sent to the users which requested to get ArchiRotate and I verify that, till now, just the following troubles occured:

1. Wrong e-mail addresses (just some cases, less than 5). Please remember that, in order to get the link to download your free of charge ArchiRotate, you have to provide a valid e-mail address. The link to download ArchiRotate will be sent to this e-mail address and if you provide a wrong e-mail address you won’t receive it!
2. Troubles with Yahoo e-mail address (more than 5 cases but it seems to be a quite common trouble with Yahoo). I don’t know the reason, but Yahoo e-mail addresses refuse to get the e-mail sent by our e-mail address considering it as "Bulk". What I could suggest you (this should help I think) is to add our e-mail address (cigraph-store@cigraph.com) to your recipients list (or contact list or whatever is called in you localized Yahoo) before to asking for your ArchiRotate.

Otherwise, please use another e-mail address… I’m really sorry for these troubles.

Friendly
Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 09:27:17 GMT

Actually BOTH

Fabrizio wrote:
Dear oreopoulos,

I super old wish that should have been address by Graphisoft.
This is a MUST HAVE add on.
Are you talking about ArchiRotate or about ArchiQuant?
Just to be sure I didn't misunderstand your point of view.

Friendly
Fabrizio

Re: ArchiRotate for all of you...

Anonymous — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 10:43:14 GMT

Thanks for AC11 Version!!!