Archicad vs Sketchup

[Anonymous]

Further to my email a few months ago now which some may remember in which I slagged off Archicad and stated that Autocad and 2d was still the way to go I want to modify that statement.

Ive tried Sketchup recently and god does that program poo all over Archicad! Its amazing and its so intuitive and easy to use. Its not like Archicad at all.

So now I am convinced that the way to go is Sketchup for up to planning/concepts and then converting to 2d Autocad after planning. I cerainly dont see Archicad featuring in the future of architecture much at all unless you are a house designer.

I would certainly ask any doubters to try Sketchup and then tell me I am wrong. I know the argument for archicad is its true BIM 'and all that' but I dont need 'all that'. I need a simple way of doing client friendly 3d designs and Sketchup is it. What I dont need is Archicads inflexible and complex object based mentality. I just dont need it.

Ive just done a great looking 3d house in Sketchup in 3 days that would have taken me a month to do in Archicad. And no I wouldnt have then saved the wroking drg time because you cant use Archicad to do working drawings I can tell you that as a fact.

So you see I havent changed my mind, I dont like Archicad as I am a design orientated architect not an IT freak.

[Anonymous]

It is a shame some people feel so strongly about a piece of CAD software that they feel they must insult anyone who questions another way of doing things. I dont know where you lot were taught but in my school of architecture we were taught to think openly.

I find that Sketchup gives me just the tools I need to design the appearance and spacial characteristics of a building externally and internally. Obviously that not all architecture is about. Its also about materials, components and light and everything else.

The problem with Archicad is that its basic set of objects is just too limited to create a piece of architecture. Take my house design, I couldnt get a balustrade looking like that easily in Archicad. In fact I wouldnt even know where to start. Similarly the projecting bay window.

So Ive created my ideal design in Sketchup very simply to reassure my design decisions made in 2d and now I can go back into the plan and draw it up further in 2d. Why do I need 3d to do any details? I can design details in 2d perfectly easily and test them out in Sketchup if required in 3d.

I personally find Archicad a step backwards its as if I was designing in Lego with a very limited kit of components. To get anything else out of it I will need to learn to programme it and I'm just not that interested. Dont get me wrong, I'm very computer literate. But I'm just not interested in learning Archicad programming. I am far more interested in architecture and at the end of the day these software packages are just tools to put your creativity to form. And I hate the limitations Archicad puts on my creativity.

[Anonymous]

Oh yes and another thing. its strange that most of the people who cant understand my views are those that have all their software and computer specs emblazened at the bottom of their posts!

Are you lot architects or computer IT junkies? Is that all architecture has become for you - a set of lines and fills? Why do you feel the need to show off how many computer packages you have? I have to say I find this very funny every time I visit this forum.

[Anonymous]

So, if you are so convinced of SketchUp, I suggest you visit to http://www.sketchucation.com/, where I am also a user, and tell them the excellence of its software.

If you are in this forum, is supposed to be to share experiences, learn from each other and improve the use of ArchiCAD.

Are there better programs? Of course! But that does not mean that this is bad. Just enough time to be convinced. You are on your right, of course!!.

But that does not mean that a lot of users (more than 20,000 registered) are wrong.

(Let's see: If you place this information is not to brag. Facilitates know what software version you have, what computer, so whether something is not working, it may be hardware or soft version, and you can get help more easily.)

[Rod Jurich]

nats wrote:
/..... Is that all architecture has become for you - a set of lines and fills?/......

Absolutely not!!

Your comment demonstrates again, just how little you understand AC.

[Anonymous]

Rod wrote:

nats wrote:
/..... Is that all architecture has become for you - a set of lines and fills?/......

Absolutely not!!

Your comment demonstrates again, just how little you understand AC.

I can understand Archicad all too well and I can see its faults thats the problem.

Find it difficult getting staff who can do Archicad do you?? I thought so.
Get anything out of the model other than visuals and a nice looking set of plans? No unless you have inhouse consultants who use the same software.
Have to develop all your details in 2d anyway? Yes all the time.
Have to waste time sitting down to program balustrade connections or anything unusual when you could actually be designing some architecture? Yes I am an IT junky so I dont mind.

The world will continue have its little fads and until Archicad can actually do what it is supposed to do easily, simply and quickly, and enable architects with no programming knowledge to come along and use it to create unusual and non-standard objects quickly, I can't myself see it getting any more than a few thousand devotees and thats a droplet in the ocean when you consider 'everyone else'.

I dont expect people to like this kind of comment on an Archicad forum, and I am really just doing this because I am bored at work at the moment using Archicad to do yet another intricate 2d elevation that I couldnt possibly do in 3d and get the planning application in this year. But if it wasnt for people like me we would all still be using drawing boards and blocked Rotring pens.

I am not saying I am right and I like to hear other viewpoints because thats what free speech is all about!

[Rakela Raul]

could it be possible that we are discussing about two different things?? and that both are right?

it seems that one is talking about and from an artist point of view: design/modeling and the other end is talking about constructabilty/construction documents/building?

it is true that this two are related but they dont have to mix.....

(for NUTS: I just had a developer ask me to put his new developemnt project in 3d to make sure that the beautiful set of plans (in 2D) really works) this is related to constructability and probably a structure designed by an architect not even back-checking the design using sketch-up, and i could wrong also!! and wont find any errors!!)

im not a politician, as a matter of fact i dont even vote cus that subject make me vomits, but i can see both ends.

[Eduardo Rolon]

Nats just because you don't know how to use Archicad does not give you the right to say that ArchiCAD Sucks it just means that you DON'T know how to use the program and obviously coming to an Archicad forum and saying that AC sucks because I can do this in SketchUP and Autocad is going to get a response.

You like using SU and Autocad, good for you. Does that means that AC sucks? Nope.

Does SU have a place in my toolbox? Yes, I have been using and teaching about it for the last 7 years and how to link its files to Autocad and Illustrator. Therefore what you have just discovered I have been doing for some time now and teaching to first year students at my University. They are very productive with that workflow up until 3rd year where projects are bigger and then they can learn different options on how to deal with those types of projects and AC is one of the options.

As with any software SU has its strengths and weaknesses. But this discussion didn't start about SketchUP vs AC. It started about your preferences and why everyone else is wrong.

If you are being forced to use software that you consider inferior, just quit and get a job in an Autocad office, with R2007 they copied SketchUp so you can be happy using it.

Can we have a civil discourse? I don't think it is possible in this thread , your statements are too trollish.

[Anonymous]

Hi Nats,

How long have you been using Archicad?...
...Perhaps if you post here your difficulties with working in archicad you would discover that they can be solved... ;o)

[vistasp]

nats wrote:
I dont need a BIM program. And I prefer using Autocad for 2d work.

There was a time in my architectural career (I run a one-man show) when Sketchup and simple 2D seemed more than sufficient for my needs. In fact, I executed a house design with that combination . However, constantly switching from modelling in SU to working drawings in 2D-CAD not only led to discrepancies but also became a right royal pain in the backside.

When AC made its debut in India a couple of years ago, seeing the demo was like having a eureka moment - I realised that I badly needed something like this software to help me work more efficiently. Now, as I get better at AC (and there's still a long way to go), I'm hardly doing any pure 2D work any more and I've almost stopped using Sketchup altogether. I still want to use it (although it has often brought me to the brink of carpel tunnel syndrome), but I just don't feel the need any more.

Is ArchiCAD perfect? Most certainly not! It will be perfect only when it can read our minds and generate all aspects of the design automatically. Until that day comes, we'll just have to make do with giving it commands. 😉

Oh, and this thread is titled: "Archicad vs Sketchup". That's a dead-end argument, really, because that is like comparing Apples with Oranges. Personally, I like both!

[Anonymous]

Nats,


You had me on a bad, very bad moment.
No way of insulting anyone, I did insult someone (therefore I apologize ) because of spreading misleading information and even lies.

As erjolon mentioned, this was not a SU vs. AC topic.
If I would have had the slightest impression you were reasonably questioning another way of doing things, I would have been volunteering to share my experience. As I see your last post, “…I am just doing this because I’m bored at work at the moment…” I wasn’t that wrong.

I know it’s never good fighting fire with fire…
You have made up your mind not using ArchiCAD, feel free.
Discussion closed.