topic Re: Archicad 14 New Features in Modeling

Archicad 14 New Features

Dennis Lee — Mon, 10 May 2010 15:56:42 GMT

See what's on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archicad#g/c/5C1926DD91A70C7B

Personally, not much in it for me at all!

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

TMA_80 — Mon, 10 May 2010 16:03:59 GMT

Yep, no surprise àla TW2 exept TW2 for ac14 (again ) .

However two minor intresting features:

- shadows in opengl
- Direct Dwg import

PS: Two features are still missing ..as for AC12 there were 12 'new' features & 13 for AC13 ...

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Dennis Lee — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:00:14 GMT

I can't believe more than a third of the new features videos are showing how good Revit is. This is a big let down to say the least.

Only useful feature for me is prefix and suffix of dimensions. Wow what a great new innovative feature....Geez.

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:33:20 GMT

Is this an official release? If so, why is everyone so quiet?

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:19:13 GMT

Wow, that is hot news. Better make a copy of the movies before they get pulled down...

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:56:16 GMT

I'm still in shock...
¿no mention to 64 bits for mac?
I really hope that this leak is incomplete, we need more features in the final version.
This new features don't make me happy, only two of them looks useful for my work.
regards

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Mon, 10 May 2010 19:58:20 GMT

I am curious on IFC exchange improvement and hope for team work stability.

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:08:20 GMT

Not surprising, and as usual leaves one feeling underwhelmed. It will be interesting to watch this forum's reaction to these videos....especially those who have been questioning their subscriptions....

A nice fix for TW2 users is the 'pack & go' feature that makes the whole deal a lot more viable.

Sad that there seems to be no "foundation level" fix that gives hope for the future....

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

owen — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:23:14 GMT

Krippahl wrote:
Wow, that is hot news. Better make a copy of the movies before they get pulled down...

Uh yeah .. looks like someone jumped the gun there

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Mon, 10 May 2010 23:52:06 GMT

not sure if someone jumped the gun - actually it is more typical of the laissez-faire attitude GS seems to have adopted nowadays...I would not be surprised if it turned up in the mail tomorrow unannounced...

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:31:35 GMT

I just don't believe this !!
This has to be a teaser. even so, I think GS has definitely picked the wrong videos !!

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Bricklyne Clarence — Tue, 11 May 2010 00:52:00 GMT

Those videos look pretty official.

And if they are as complete as they seem to be (meaning that we should not expect any more or other major new features outside what is shown), then...

...I really don't know whether to cry or to laugh.

And not even remotely in a good way.

Of those supposed 'new' features, 3 are an extension (not improvement or upgrade) of an existing feature (TW2.0 - which, I guess wasn't completed when they released it in AC13 - surprise surprise), 3 are merely new ways to facilitate a user's ability to continue working and refining their models in other non-GS software, especially for tasks that AC still can't handle ( I still can NOT believe that a GS video is actually giving Revit products (MEP and Structure) free advertising, while advertising the fact that GS's own solutions (or lack thereof) for these respective functions are completely lacking.
The remaining new features are merely marginal improvements to existing features (dimension texts???? smart schedules?? door window libraries?????) which cumulatively beg the question, as to why these features have never been improved in the program prior to this release.

The only hope ( and thin it is) for anyone still wondering whether or not this will be a worthwhile upgrade, is that those videos are not definitive and complete and that there are maybe one or 2 other really major features still being kept under wraps for release date. But it is a thin hope indeed, because chances are that that's all there's going to be for AC14.

It's almost like they're literally trying to will people and push them away from buying or using future versions of ArchiCAD (and right into the arms of Revit, what with all that free advertising they gave them on an AC14 promotional video).

Unbelievable.

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

owen — Tue, 11 May 2010 01:12:42 GMT

AC13 and now 14 have focused on collaboration, and as these videos show AC14 is particularly focused on improving collaboration with consultants - i.e Revit Structure/MEP.

They had to do this ... their future depends on it.

Revit is a tidal wave threatening to decimate ArchiCAD - not because Revit Architecture is better (it is not .. yet) but because when you are fighting to work with a consultant team who are on Revit Structure/MEP/.. then it is very tempting to make your life easier and switch to a closer platform. Then throw in a contractor using Revit and the sole team member not on the same platform as everyone else comes under enormous pressure to demonstrate that their software is not causing problems for everyone else.

So Graphisoft are quite rightly heavily focused at the moment on making sure ArchiCAD can work the best it can with Revit. At least it shows they are not sticking their head in the sand on this one. Now if only their marketing team can make sure people hear about the effectiveness of these collaboration tools.

If they do not do this then ArchiCAD will not be around for much longer, so all those fancy new tools we want/need will be pointless.

I can understand many people will see absolutely nothing for them in AC14, but these things are critical for larger customers. As we have seen in recent posts - and from personal experiences for many of us - there are big ArchiCAD users seriously considering moving to Revit because of collaboration issues.

That is the real threat to ArchiCAD's future ... not a better stair tool (as much as I want it).

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Dennis Lee — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:56:29 GMT

It still seems like bad marketing for sure. If you have to go to so much trouble to convert files to Revit MEP and structure - and if you are a big company, the first question that pops up would be Why not just use Revit Architecture??? If Revit releases a service pack - how long does it take for GS to release a compatible exporter? Do you have to wait till next year? Will GS guarantee 100% compatiblity and error free translation? If I am an architect working on a huge project with consultants using Revit MEP and Structure, do I really want this added liability to deal with?

BTW, the brief videos showcasing Revit MEP and Structure look like a snap! Wonder how good Revit Arch is...

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Bricklyne Clarence — Tue, 11 May 2010 02:58:57 GMT

owen wrote:
AC13 and now 14 have focused on collaboration, and as these videos show AC14 is particularly focused on improving collaboration with consultants - i.e Revit Structure/MEP.

They had to do this ... their future depends on it.

..............

If they do not do this then ArchiCAD will not be around for much longer, so all those fancy new tools we want/need will be pointless.

I can understand many people will see absolutely nothing for them in AC14, but these things are critical for larger customers. As we have seen in recent posts - and from personal experiences for many of us - there are big ArchiCAD users seriously considering moving to Revit because of collaboration issues.

That is the real threat to ArchiCAD's future ... not a better stair tool (as much as I want it).

So if they're not going to improve or enhance the core tool-set of AC (core tools, not "fancy", as you put it), at the expense of improving collaborative capabilities with their rival software's complementary tools, then why, pray tell, should an ArchiCAD user bother spending more money on them when those tools are not only available in their rival's software ( which have no collaboration issues), but are also superior in many cases, and are perpetually improving with each release.

If GS are not going to bother giving their customers a more intuitive way of making parametric doors and windows, for example (nothing fancy about that), without having to write hundreds of lines of GDL code, because they (GS) have to make sure that users will be able to export their models to Revit Structure or Revit MEP, why not just switch to Revit Architecture which already has a (more or less,) intuitive and graphical parametric object maker, already?

You argument is basically this, in a nutshell, "I know, as a manufacturer, I provide an inferior car, or product, but rather than improving it, I think it's better to ensure that my customers are able to get their cars to my rival's garage to get it fixed or to buy missing parts and get better service, that they can't get from me, but which they really should by all rights be expecting from my shop, out of the box." .

In most other cases in the business world, that would be considered a ludicrous business model, and just plain crazy.

I dare say, that GS wouldn't find themselves in this position of having to 'fight for their survival' had they been actually listening (and responding) to their day-to-day users, for the last 4 or 5 versions. Their biggest marketing asset has always been the users who not only recommend the product to other prospective buyers and colleagues but also through their works and designs. Not the re-sellers, and certainly not the marketing department at GSHQ. The users.

Instead they have spent the better part of the last couple of versions demonstrating exactly why investing in this software or hoping for better improvements are a bad baaaad investment, and ushering legions of users to Autodesk faster that Autodesk's own marketing department can.

I understand the point you're trying to make, and in better circumstances, I would probably also be trying to defend GS's decisions here as well. But given what has been their apparent tone-deaf approach to dealing with their (small) customers, who, at this point are nothing better than reliable cash-cows for them, it all just seems rather unpalatable.

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:09:14 GMT

I have to agree with your post, Clarence.
May I also speculate that single users who were disenfranchised with 13 and the lack on extra features (for them) will feel totally jilted this time round.

Owen I think the problem for GS is that they need to be doing "both/and" not just "either/or"...if you get my drift. AC is so seriously behind in so many areas they cannot afford to just look at interoperability...

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Bricklyne Clarence — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:17:08 GMT

Dennis wrote:
It still seems like bad marketing for sure. If you have to go to so much trouble to convert files to Revit MEP and structure - and if you are a big company, the first question that pops up would be Why not just use Revit Architecture???

.....it seems like that would be the most logical question anyone would ask.

Dennis wrote:
If Revit releases a service pack - how long does it take for GS to release a compatible exporter? Do you have to wait till next year? Will GS guarantee 100% compatiblity and error free translation? If I am an architect working on a huge project with consultants using Revit MEP and Structure, do I really want this added liability to deal with?

I hadn't even thought of updates, and compatibility issues.

And let's not forget how GS has enough issues with third party plugins in their own house, keeping up to date and compatible with each AC release, and on both sides of the Mac/PC divide. Or the fact that Autodesk has never exhibited great enthusiasm for the IFC format, and wouldn't feel compelled to keep up with the latest protocols if they felt it might hurt their bottom-line or their strategy of drawing more users into the DWG/DXF/RVT fold.

Dennis wrote:
BTW, the brief videos showcasing Revit MEP and Structure look like a snap! Wonder how good Revit Arch is...

........and ladies and gentlemen, Graphisoft marketing of Autodesk products in action.

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Tue, 11 May 2010 03:34:12 GMT

Owen wrote:"They had to do this ... their future depends on it"
I think your right. I get that for the long haul goal,
even if 14 has nothing for me.

If nothing else significant is in 14, but what appears to be an authentic leak, then micro small guys like me are paying for the very survival of GS's
immediate future.
I'm one of the sheep that is on subscription so I'll give them till 15 to reconnect with the caboose, then I'll cut loose.
lec

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Tue, 11 May 2010 04:15:59 GMT

lec your signature sums up what could be a sorry situation for single users....

Re: Archicad 14 New Features

Anonymous — Tue, 11 May 2010 05:27:29 GMT

owen wrote:
AC13 and now 14 have focused on collaboration, and as these videos show AC14 is particularly focused on improving collaboration with consultants - i.e Revit Structure/MEP.

They had to do this ... their future depends on it.

Revit is a tidal wave threatening to decimate ArchiCAD - not because Revit Architecture is better (it is not .. yet) but because when you are fighting to work with a consultant team who are on Revit Structure/MEP/.. then it is very tempting to make your life easier and switch to a closer platform. Then throw in a contractor using Revit and the sole team member not on the same platform as everyone else comes under enormous pressure to demonstrate that their software is not causing problems for everyone else.

So Graphisoft are quite rightly heavily focused at the moment on making sure ArchiCAD can work the best it can with Revit. At least it shows they are not sticking their head in the sand on this one. Now if only their marketing team can make sure people hear about the effectiveness of these collaboration tools.

If they do not do this then ArchiCAD will not be around for much longer, so all those fancy new tools we want/need will be pointless.

I can understand many people will see absolutely nothing for them in AC14, but these things are critical for larger customers. As we have seen in recent posts - and from personal experiences for many of us - there are big ArchiCAD users seriously considering moving to Revit because of collaboration issues.

That is the real threat to ArchiCAD's future ... not a better stair tool (as much as I want it).

I agree with that 100%.
Unfortunately those Autodesk shills cry louder here.