topic Re: interior designer seeking advice in General discussions

interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Wed, 29 Jan 2025 14:08:26 GMT

I'm a Danish Interior Designer (well, studying to be..) living in Italy. I have the study version of ArchiCad 9, I bought it because of my beloved mac. BUT -even though I master several computer programs from my old life as an art director (e.g. InDesign, Illustrator, photoshop) I find this one really difficult and diverse.
So I decided I need a fool-proof guide, real basic stuff. (the little guide that comes with the CD supposes that you already know how to draw a room - which is not the case!!)
I'm NOT an architect, my need is to make Interior Design come to live for the client...
So my questions are these:

1) Can anybody recommend a really good guide (in either Danish, English or Italian)

2) can anybody tell me if the stydy version is very limited compared to the full (meaning, if I buy a guide, is there a risk that basic tools it mentions are missing from the program I have, or is it usually the more complicated features they leave out?)

3) Is there a real life Interior Designer out there who can confirm that this is actually the program to have and use (on mac, I recall you) -or are there better alternatives, before I start getting to know this animal...

4) Bonus question - how should I save an archiCad file to make it possible for an autoCad user to open and correct my file?

I thank you so much for any help - really, please do send me your thoughts!
ciao, Iacobe

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 00:29:19 GMT

Iacobe:

I'm glad to see that you're interested in ArchiCAD, Like anyone new to the program, the first thing I will tell you is that at times you will hate it, and be frustrated beyond belief, but stick with it and you'll wonder how you ever did without it. (wow.. I should get a resellers license and start selling it ) anyway, I'll try to give you some answers to your questions:

1. First off, rather than run out and pay 40EUR for a book, I would start off with going through one of the tutorials provided on the installation CDs this will at least give you the rudimentary knowledge needed to get around in ArchiCAD, and also teach you the nomenclature so that when you ask questions here, everyone will know what you're talking about. After you've ran through the tutorials, just start fooling around, honestly (for me anyway) just messing about is the best way to learn my way around a computer programme. Then when questions arise, look through the manual provided with the programme, and if you find it insufficient, then ask the question here, I am by no means an ArchiCAD guru myself, but there are plenty of them here who I owe my career to

2. AFAIK the academic version is the exact same piece of software, the only limitations are in the realm of data sharing, and printing see here: Academic Version

3. I am not a "reallife" interior designer as you say, but I am a university student studying architecture, and I am also the head draughts-person at a building company stateside. In my first year of uni I took 2 interior design classes on my own accord, and in both classes we used ArchiCAD. I also use ArchiCAD at my work, granted that is draughting out entire houses, but they're residential, and I've seen ID drawings that are more complicated than some of the CDs we produce. To sum it up, it might seem like overkill at times, but honestly I think ArchiCAD is a great programme for interior designers.

4. ArchiCAD alows you to save files as DWGs DFXs, etc which AutoCAD can open, but with the file/print restrictions on the EDU version, I'm not sure if these are available.

Hopefully you can gain something of use from my little incoherent babble, and don't forget that these forums are here for you whenever you feel like throwing that damn little dongle out the window

cheers,
Daniel

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Richard Morrison — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 01:34:41 GMT

Iacobe:

I AM a real-life interior designer (also an architect) and if you are on the Mac, then you probably have the right program. (If you were on a PC, the answer might be a little different.) However, you don't say if you are interested in interior design for residential, commercial, or institutional projects, and this could affect the answer, also.

This program is so complex that, unlike Daniel, I don't think that just playing around with it is going to get you trained very efficiently. There are many shortcuts and "tricks" that you will NOT discover on your own, and which makes working in the program much more pleasant. I would say the "Project Framework" book and the "Training Guide" by Lubomir Kulisev are both excellent, and a good investment.

If you are more interested in conceptually modeling spaces and furniture, rather than showing a space with very detailed furniture layouts, lighting plans, etc., then you might look at SketchUp also. (They have a free demo downloadable, and it is much easier to learn than ArchiCAD, but of course it doesn't do as much.)

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Thu, 12 Jan 2006 04:15:53 GMT

Richard wrote:
This program is so complex that, unlike Daniel, I don't think that just playing around with it is going to get you trained very efficiently. There are many shortcuts and "tricks" that you will NOT discover on your own, and which makes working in the program much more pleasant. I would say the "Project Framework" book and the "Training Guide" by Lubomir Kulisev are both excellent, and a good investment.

very nicely said let me clarify what I meant; when I said "playing around" I meant to learn your way around the programme, and proficient enough in it to know what questions to ask, not become a grand master.

cheers,
daniel

PS: I've had one on-site training course, and it's the best way to learn the tricks so to speak. I have a very hard time learning computer programmes through reading, if you're the same way.. on site training dramatically eases your climb up the learning curve... however with no company backing you this could be cost prohibitive.

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Fri, 13 Jan 2006 16:46:25 GMT

Dear Daniel and Richard!
Thank you SO much for your replies! (I'm not a brute viking without manners, that I haven't replied before, but I just got a nightmare of an influenza, that I haven't had in years - everything hurts -and as you can hear, the self-pity is pretty bad, too...)

Anyway, you certainly cleared up one of my biggest worries, if it's worth it, learning this program. Now I'll give it a try with renewed energy (if I live, that is......)

I'll look for the books suggested - and by the way, to understand me better, my background is ten years as an art director in advertising, and now this - a really great development personally, but a bit difficult to find my way around. My main interest is public spaces, much more than residential (but hey for now I'll do anything!) I think that I've discovered that my past years of conceptual thinking is actually a huge advantage - instead of thinking only colors or furniture, I try to think about which story I want to tell, what feelings and mood should be associated to the client. And how to use sounds, light and space... Well, certainly as a lot of ID do, but I'm really excited about it. Only, as we all know, if you can't visualize your ideas, you're unlikely to sell them. Therefore - ArchiCad!

Okay, and now after all the babbling - I actually agree that 'fooling around' works (don't tell my husband ) -but the problems I've had are so basic that I felt like a complete idiot - I just couldn't get the damn thing to draw a line XXmeters long!! And my teacher (autoCad) couldn't either... Later on I found somebody able (I know it sounds crazy, but it actually happened like that) but it took us forever just to draw a room with the correct measures. He said it looked like something basic was wrong, the program didn't respond to shortcuts etc as his do. -Now that I think about it and decide to give it a good hard try, I might want to reinstall it...

Ok guys, 'nough said! Thank you again for your help. If you think about anything else I'll be happy to hear from you! Otherwise I'm quite sure you'll see my name here again under the 'HEEELP' section

Ciao, Lene Iacobe Mingolla
www.gollamingolla.com
www.mingolla.com

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Mon, 16 Jan 2006 14:10:01 GMT

I'm glad you found our posts useful, and i'm sorry to hear about your little battle with the flu, hope you're feeling better now (and hey, theres nothing wrong with self pity)

iacobe wrote:

Okay, and now after all the babbling - I actually agree that 'fooling around' works (don't tell my husband ) -but the problems I've had are so basic that I felt like a complete idiot

my mouth is sealed... but still you should never feel like an idiot, anyone will tell you that ArchiCAd has a steep learning curve, and everybody makes dumb mistakes, and gets stuck figuring out what [should be] the simplist tasks. Hope to see you around here in the future, good luck with everything.

cheers,
dan

Re: interior designer seeking advice

KeesW — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 10:59:01 GMT

Nobody has said anything about Virtual Tutor as a training tool. It comes on a DVD. Buy it - you'll find it extremely useful. It covers the things you need to get started and also describes Archicad's more advanced features. It shows the screen of a Mac user as he works his way through Archicad with a commentary to explain what is happening.

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Mon, 23 Jan 2006 11:04:55 GMT

Hi there, from the hometown of our Danish crown princess
Thank you, I've never heard about that, sounds just like the thing for me (even though I just bought - and fell completely in love with SketchUp, at least I got started and can actually CREATE stuff....) But eventually I guess I'll need ArchiCad - where can I buy the DVD, i've never seen it in my searches through the internet...??

Re: interior designer seeking advice

KeesW — Tue, 24 Jan 2006 00:25:51 GMT

You can read about, and order, Virtual Tutor 9 from www.archicadtutorials.com

If you want to do anything other than sketches you will certainly need Archicad.

Re: interior designer seeking advice

KeesW — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:22:33 GMT

Iacobe
How did you go with Virtual Tutor?

Good luck with your learning curve!

Kees

PS: my daughter went to the same school as Mary Donald (now Princess Mary) - they were about 1 year apart and she doesn't remember her particularly. She also spent 1 year in Denmark as a Rotary exchange student.

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 00:27:33 GMT

KeesW wrote:
PS: my daughter went to the same school as Mary Donald (now Princess Mary) - they were about 1 year apart and she doesn't remember her particularly. She also spent 1 year in Denmark as a Rotary exchange student.

So close, and yet so far......

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Wed, 25 Jan 2006 21:45:03 GMT

Oh, but there's no chance it's the same Mary then... You understand, OUR Mary is Gods gift to Vikings and mankind in general, nobody can ever have been within 500 meters distance without remembering her, are you KIDDING

Anyway, thanks for the tutorial tip. Eventually I quess I'll buy it, but for now I just invested in SketchUp book and programme, and cannot afford another 150$. I just finished as an Interior Designer 6 months ago, so it's not like I'm swimming in money right now.
I wish Mary had an australian university mail-adress so she could buy me a students version for a LOT less....

I hope I didn't make a mistake in investing in this program instead of more ArchiCad, it's just been MONTHS that I'm fighting all alone with it, I kind of gave up when I saw this easy intuitive programme (sketchUp) - anyway, as an interior Designer and not an architect I really hope it will work....??!

Thanks for all the good responses
Lene

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Thu, 26 Jan 2006 03:37:02 GMT

I personally think SketchUP is a great programme, it's very quick, easy to use (it has what, 12 commands?) and if you ever need to get into more advanced draughting, such as CD's, and things of that nature it's (now, with new plugins) rather easy to bring a drawing into AC from SketchUP. To make sense of my response, I don't think buying SketchUP was a bad move, but I think learning AC should still be a goal of yours, AC just allows for much more detailed, and advanced drawings which SketchUP, IMHO, is not capable of delivering.

cheers,
Dan

PS, clearly this forum is god's gift to mankind

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 13:17:24 GMT

I hope that some kind person will tell me how to draw a wall\line whateve xx.xx m long
Arrrgghhh

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 13:24:34 GMT

Hi Guest from Bulgaria!
Well, I'm a kind person - but can't help you!! Even though I spend YEARS working on graphic programs, I was just STUCK with ArchiCad... for this completely stupid reason, I just couldn't find a not-complicated way to make a stupid line/wall/whatever of a precise mesure...
(I know right now 10 thousands of archiCad fans are shaking their heads in sad misbelief...)
Nevertheless... and I promise, I'm at least average intelligent...

The answer to my prayers was (IS) SketchUp.
Of course it completely depends on what your line of work is, but try the free 8-hour demo at www.sketchup.com

Good luck
Lene

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:00:11 GMT

Line of work Architect. Use Autocad ADT but many colleagues here in BG use Archicad. There is a way to tell the length of an object, cos someone told me a long time ago how. I will post in a more general area and see if we can get an answer from Graphisoft themselves. Thank you, kind person.
F

Re: interior designer seeking advice

TomWaltz — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:15:07 GMT

Broker wrote:
I hope that some kind person will tell me how to draw a wall\line whateve xx.xx m long
Arrrgghhh

from my training slides (it's in feet/inches, but it should apply for metric as well)

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 14:56:07 GMT

🙂 Yes I had stumbled on that since of course we understand the D system, on my PC its just not accurate enough or should I say that I will have to play with it some more. Being used to ADT and VIZ I will consider it a challenge to make a design in Archicad, as and when time permits during the next few days. Seems to be a handy program to have around though. Thanks to all that replied, seems that your answer may make a few thousand users happier. Chao zasega ot men.

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Dwight — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 16:15:14 GMT

Just a minor observation:

computer users who can't apply themselves to learn how to draw a line of specific length in ArchiCAD are truly fortunate to have found SketchUp.

Re: interior designer seeking advice

Anonymous — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 17:09:40 GMT

I think perhaps you underestimate or make incorrect assumptions. Surely with most users such as myself for example have been using something else for a long time (Autocad and 3D Max). The time taken to use a 'new' program out of the box is not available to all of us. I can draw a complete project in less time than it would take to even become familiar with Archicad. Sketchup is cool enough but not for mainstream work. Perhaps you should try ADT, we can give you lessons for FREE, without bias. Chill man, po-dobre da prekavash poveche vreme za semisestvo vi e ne da oplakvash sus gulposti samo da furli vremeto ot men e drugite.
Priyatna vecher:-)