Autodesk acquires Ecotect!

[Anonymous]

Hi All!

Now Autodesk acquires Ecotect too!

visit www.squ1.com for more!

[Anonymous]

I'm in two minds about this. (Ok, three minds if you're pedantic)

Autodesk already own Green Building Studio - another environmental analysis program. Why do they need another one? I would assume in order to reduce the number of competing programs - take over anything that might challenge them in the future.

It is a very shrewd move as environmental analysis will become very important for all new construction in the next few years. Becoming the main developer should be very lucrative. Why GS/Nemetschek didn't offer some sort of 'financial support' earlier, who knows? It would have been quite useful to have this type of software in their portfolio or even incorporated into ArchiCAD directly. I remember a press release from a few years back saying how well Ecotect works with ArchiCAD, so there was clearly some kind of 'relationship' which should have been leveraged.

On the otherhand, it is good news in as much as something may actually get released fairly regularly that works well, as I guess it was pretty much a one-man-band developing it before. (How long has version 5.60 been promised for!?)

I would also assume there will be some kind of consolidation of the features to some extent. They wouldn't develop two competing programs simultaneously (Well, maybe if they were Nemetschek with the Vectorworks/ArchiCAD weirdness!? but I digress! )

I can't help feeling this was a lost opportunity for GS, but I suppose we should just wait and see what Autodesk does with it in the future now it has some real backing. It may have been the best thing for it in the long run!

[Bricklyne Clarence]

Peter wrote:
......
It is a very shrewd move as environmental analysis will become very important for all new construction in the next few years. Becoming the main developer should be very lucrative. Why GS/Nemetschek didn't offer some sort of 'financial support' earlier, who knows? It would have been quite useful to have this type of software in their portfolio or even incorporated into ArchiCAD directly. I remember a press release from a few years back saying how well Ecotect works with ArchiCAD, so there was clearly some kind of 'relationship' which should have been leveraged.

On the otherhand, it is good news in as much as something may actually get released fairly regularly that works well, as I guess it was pretty much a one-man-band developing it before. (How long has version 5.60 been promised for!?)

.......on the flip side, since Revit already works with Green Building studio, chances are that they bought Ecotect (which presumably was plugging in better with ArchiCAD than with Revit) to give it the Lightscape treatment. So.......

Peter wrote:
I would also assume there will be some kind of consolidation of the features to some extent. They wouldn't develop two competing programs simultaneously

.........Bingo!!!!! They will likely cannibalize it for features to integrate into Green Buidlng Studio (if they can) and then euthanize it ala Lightscape by ceasing all further development and support for it in future versions. But you're right in that it's highly unlikely that they'll let 2 competing products continue side-by-side.

Peter wrote:
I can't help feeling this was a lost opportunity for GS,......

.......you think?

If I had a dollar for everytime GS (or rather Nemetschek I suppose) lost an opportunity that was practically begging for them to take advantage of it (Remember Tekla Structures, prior to Autodesk buying it out?), I would be rich enough to be using Gehry's Digital Project for design work instead. To paraphrase an old saying, Graphisoft have never ever wasted an opportunity or a chance to miss or lose an opportunity to improve themselves.

[Anonymous]

[David Larrew]

I'm with you guys on this...

I'm really getting tired of GS losing ground in the competitive/related software markets. They are playing too nicely in the AEC software "sandbox". Pretty soon the bully will have all of the other "kids" in their corner and GS will have no one to "play nice with".

[Anonymous]

Bricklyne wrote:
Graphisoft have never ever wasted an opportunity or a chance to miss or lose an opportunity to improve themselves.

Genuine moment!

QFT, as often said by the younger, hipper, internet-dwelling folk!

[Anonymous]

Peter wrote:
I'm in two minds about this. :x :? 😄 (Ok, three minds if you're pedantic)

It is a very shrewd move as environmental analysis will become very important for all new construction in the next few years....

I can't help feeling this was a lost opportunity for GS, but I suppose we should just wait and see what Autodesk does with it in the future now it has some real backing. It may have been the best thing for it in the long run!

Yes, it's completely unexpected that environmental & energy analyses would have come to the fore in relevance -- even, importance. Who knew?
I think we should sit back, be very patient, and see what AutoDesk does with this first rate, additional product in their arsenal. Of course, I'm sure hoping that Autodesk makes certain that Ecotect (or whatever its new name will be) works with its competitors' products first and foremost! I mean, you're right: with all that real backing it now has, the ArchiCAD VARs will push an even bigger rock uphill and have yet another reason to rely upon IFCs. (And _they_ probably don't want to know how much extra energy they're expending anyway.)
I think the call for patience must represent a secret and very subtle strategy. Maybe hope is a strategy afterall.

[Anonymous]

Checkmate!

That's what a colleague of mine has said now that Ecotect has been purchased by Autodesk. A large sustainable Architecture firm here in Chicago is dumping Vectorworks for Revit in part due to Revit's capabilities in this area. Look for Autodesk to cut everyone else out and show Graphisoft how you vertically integrate your software package.

[Bricklyne Clarence]

didrik wrote:
......... Of course, I'm sure hoping that Autodesk makes certain that Ecotect (or whatever its new name will be) works with its competitors' products first and foremost! .......

Why in the world would doing this, even remotely be in Autodesk's best interests?

Their primary priority is to their own products and their own customer/clientbase. Whether or not their products are compatible with their competitors' products wouldn't be first and foremost among their priorities - especially if it potentially stands to harm their own bottom-line by keeping away potential customers who would otherwise be forced to use Autodesk products for lack of an alternative. If anything the reverse would be true - I mean what other bigger financial motivation would their be to buying out rival products and consolidating your own formats/products as the industry standards.


Why else do you think they're trying to lock .dwg format ( currently, a de facto industry standard) into an exclusive Autodesk propriety format? l

[stefan]

Bricklyne wrote:

Peter wrote:
I would also assume there will be some kind of consolidation of the features to some extent. They wouldn't develop two competing programs simultaneously

.........Bingo!!!!! They will likely cannibalize it for features to integrate into Green Buidlng Studio (if they can) and then euthanize it ala Lightscape by ceasing all further development and support for it in future versions. But you're right in that it's highly unlikely that they'll let 2 competing products continue side-by-side.

Do you think?

3ds Max and Maya
Inventor and Mechanical Desktop
Revit and Architectural Desktop (or AutoCAD Architecture)