topic Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review in Modeling

ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Anonymous — Thu, 25 May 2023 15:35:00 GMT

We are looking into purchasing a few add-ons for ArchiCAD and I was wondering if anyone has a experience with these.

CiGraph:
ArchiWall
ArchiSketchy
ArchiForma
ArchiTerra

CadImage
Door & Window Builder
Accessory Tools
3D Profiler

Piranesi
Stair Builder

The Piranesi stairbuilder I am interested in getting immediately, the others I am still researching.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

__archiben — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 00:53:56 GMT

i would add 'revision manager' to the cadimage stuff . . . it's a good one!

architerra, accessory tools and DWB are essential in my opinion. they all have their quirks because they are limited by what graphisoft's API framework lets them do, but after a bit of playing you should get some good results . . .

there are plenty of threads on this forum about them - check them out to see the limitations and solutions they can provide.

~/archiben

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:31:58 GMT

Yes, DWB is a must. If you ever do kitchen plans then Cabinet Builder, also by Cadimage is good to.

I've used Cigraph's Archistair in the past and that was a lot better then built in Archicad stairmaker. The Cadimage stair builder (is that part of the Accessory tools?) is pretty good too.

Aaah Cadimage. If only they were a sports team, then New Zealand might win something...

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Richard Morrison — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 02:40:45 GMT

Depending on the type of work you do, you might find 3rd party LIBRARIES, like Neil McCann's SmartParts or David Maudlin's Residential Library, more useful than add-ons. I have typically found that I don't always get a lot of use out of add-ons, even though I have a number of them. If I were buying today, though, I find the Accessory Tools and 3D Profiler good, although I would certainly look at Objective, too.

I occasionally use ArchiTerra, and there are a few tools in ArchiRuler that are pretty useful when you need them.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Stephen Dolbee — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 13:36:11 GMT

Door & Window Builder-definitely!

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 18:29:44 GMT

So if it came down to ArchiStair or Stair Builder... which should I get?

ArchiStair Web link

Stair Builder Web Link

Thanks again for everyone who has added their input.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

__archiben — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:32:18 GMT

seattleguy wrote:
So if it came down to ArchiStair or Stair Builder... which should I get?

the thing you should know about archicad stairs is that there is no solution that works all of the time. i have both archistair and stairbuilder, as well as the library stair objects and - at a very last resort - the built in stairmaker. NONE are truly fit for purpose, although each of them have their strengths . . .

it comes down to just what you want to get out of them - visualisation or documentation. and for that, unfortunately, you need to play with all of them to see what is and isn't possible for each type of stair.

sorry - not particularly helpful.
~/archiben

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Chazz — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 20:47:38 GMT

Ben's experience probably precedes mine but having used ArchiStair and Stairbuilder, I settled on SB from CadImage. I have not found much I could not do with it and prefer the SB approach (complex library part) to AS' approach (API).

Also, I really really love CabinetBuilder. If you do a lot of interior work or need to document that which you do, it's a must.

Same for DWB. A fantastic tool that takes some time to master. The major drawback to it (and CB for that matter) is the inability to use them well with Interactive Schedules. They have GOT TO FIX THIS in the next release.

Lastly I will just add that using any of these things adds hassles when working with others collaboratively and keeping them up to date when AC is rev'ed. Still, I have found that, for me, their utility is worth the costs.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Laura Yanoviak — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 21:37:44 GMT

~/archiben wrote:
the thing you should know about archicad stairs is that there is no solution that works all of the time. i have both archistair and stairbuilder, as well as the library stair objects and - at a very last resort - the built in stairmaker. NONE are truly fit for purpose, although each of them have their strengths . . .

NONE will produce an ADA compliant stair. After numerous hours playing with SB, AS, and the AC stair tools, my conclusion is to skip the additional cost and hassles of an add-on. ALL methods require 2D work arounds for documentation.

DWB is pretty powerful, but not without its problems.

Our firm has been using AC for 3 years now (currently up to 37 seats), and we have not found it necessary to implement any add-ons: more-often-than-not, they are more trouble then they are worth. (the only possible exception is Objective, which I have not personally tried, but have heard only good things about).

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Chazz — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:06:06 GMT

Laura wrote:
NONE will produce an ADA compliant stair.

I assume you are talking about handrail returns, which can be an issue. The actual stair component can certainly be made ADA compliant. To document compliance "the BIM way" I have, in the past, used StairBuilder in conjunction with CadImage's 3D Profiler for the handrails, which is sort of fun to use.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Laura Yanoviak — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 22:11:20 GMT

Chazz wrote:
I assume you are talking about handrail returns, which can be an issue. The actual stair component can certainly be made ADA compliant. To document compliance "the BIM way" I have, in the past, used StairBuilder in conjunction with CadImage's 3D Profiler for the handrails, which is sort of fun to use.

Ah yes, another add-on. I've scripted my own handrail object for this purpose. The guardrails are another story: disaster!

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Anonymous — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 23:00:48 GMT

Laura

NONE will produce an ADA compliant stair. After numerous hours playing with SB, AS, and the AC stair tools, my conclusion is to skip the additional cost and hassles of an add-on. ALL methods require 2D work arounds for documentation.

Well, that was generally my fear... I was just really hoping for, well, apparently the impossible.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:59:57 GMT

And the Best
http://www.encina.co.uk/objective.html

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Anonymous — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 01:30:50 GMT

Interesting to watch the thread drift into specifics of certain tools.

However, a bigger issue should be, are add-ons worth it?

For AC11 we use Cadimage DWB, and the free GS ones. We used to use a lot more Cadimage products - Cabinet Builder, Stairbuilder etc. In the past I loved the free GDL Toolbox (AC9 - sadly never ported to subsequent releases) as well.
I am in total agreement that these can offer significant additional functionality. That some of the functionality should be in raw AC is a moot point (why, even in release 11, we still have nothing like "Cadimage Revision Manager" to manage drawing issues is unbelievable!).

However now that GS has committed to yearly updates you must think about two issues:

-Cost. Buying upgrades of tools every year for each add-on really 'adds-up'! (excuse the pun). Especially in an office with more than 1-2 people!

-Time. Upgraded add-ons compliant with a new release of AC are never available concurrently. The delays are determined by the vendor, and when they can release updates - and (believe it or not) not all tools get continued with the next release - i.e. they can get dropped.
With AC11 I was so frustrated with availability/ status etc. I set up a page on the ArchiWiki site listing Add-ons and their status and location etc. - and that was for the GS ones!
GS lists add-on availability as a marketing feature. They certainly do not support them as one. (After all why do we still have a Goodies folder that requires 'post installation'?!). I firmly believe GS should have a part of their website dedicated to Add-ons; a one-stop shop if you like where GS and developers can register, distribute and maintain their products. Preferably this should have 'hooks' straight to AC for ease of management.

In conclusion, the complexity and hassle of managing Add-ons has eroded our confidence in investing in them.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Laura Yanoviak — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:12:44 GMT

seattleguy wrote:
Laura
NONE will produce an ADA compliant stair. After numerous hours playing with SB, AS, and the AC stair tools, my conclusion is to skip the additional cost and hassles of an add-on. ALL methods require 2D work arounds for documentation.

Well, that was generally my fear... I was just really hoping for, well, apparently the impossible.

Look on the bright side -- I just saved you a couple of hundred dollars in software and countless hours of frustration. (Stairs are the one subject I've spent the most time researching -- I've dedicated weeks fooling with the d*mn things).

rwallis wrote:
In conclusion, the complexity and hassle of managing Add-ons has eroded our confidence in investing in them.

Very well put, Robert.

If you read between the lines, and acknowledge the rumors, word is that GS will be incorporating StairBuilder into a future release (AC12?) Granted, this is only a rumor.

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Ralph Wessel — Thu, 15 Nov 2007 16:44:12 GMT

rwallis wrote:
However, a bigger issue should be, are add-ons worth it?
...the complexity and hassle of managing Add-ons has eroded our confidence in investing in them.

Encina is making every effort to make this easier:

- We don't register our add-ons against the dongle number because we realise this is a management headache.
- The upgrade to AC12 will be free.
- The objects we produce are standard GDL, and work without the add-on. We also provide tools to upgrade older objects with the latest features.

See http://www.encina.co.uk/add-onconcerns.html

Re: ArchiCAD add-ons Review

Rex Maximilian — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 05:08:17 GMT

With every new sale, I always recommend two add-ons without hesitation: CIT DWBuilder and CIT Accessories Tools. The latter is worth it even if you only use the roof builder portion of it.