There are two prongs to the viability of Revit and AC in the long term:
1) Scalability -- Revit is still (and I assume AC is too) a challenge to use on large projects, and 2009 has taken a nosedive of sorts with respect to display performance (a problem the developers hope to resolve to bring 2009 back to where 2008 was in terms of display performance). Revit and AC both require a modular approach to handling large projects, but how much nicer would it be to have everything in one file?
2) Usability -- both apps are complex tools, and training AND mentoring are required. I think AC should have pwned the market by now -- they've had the time, and had the software been easy enough... well, news travels fast. Revit is fairly easy to learn, and the development curve has been steep. Revit's debatably flatter learning curve and the "good news" aspect of Revit's predominantly happy user base means the software essentially sells itself. Autodesk pulled the wool over with ADT (which made Revit a harder sell initially), so it's not like they've made us drink their special Kool-Aid
1) Scalability -- Revit is still (and I assume AC is too) a challenge to use on large projects, and 2009 has taken a nosedive of sorts with respect to display performance (a problem the developers hope to resolve to bring 2009 back to where 2008 was in terms of display performance). Revit and AC both require a modular approach to handling large projects, but how much nicer would it be to have everything in one file?
2) Usability -- both apps are complex tools, and training AND mentoring are required. I think AC should have pwned the market by now -- they've had the time, and had the software been easy enough... well, news travels fast. Revit is fairly easy to learn, and the development curve has been steep. Revit's debatably flatter learning curve and the "good news" aspect of Revit's predominantly happy user base means the software essentially sells itself. Autodesk pulled the wool over with ADT (which made Revit a harder sell initially), so it's not like they've made us drink their special Kool-Aid
Just a question on survival of ArchiCad by having Rvit around.
Is it that outside United States ArchiCad is dominery & it does not seem to go away?
Unless I am mistaken what is this prediction that eventualy ArchiCad is Gone With The Wind. The thought of it makes me want to retire and hat sends pain down m spine
Joseph
Is it that outside United States ArchiCad is dominery & it does not seem to go away?
Unless I am mistaken what is this prediction that eventualy ArchiCad is Gone With The Wind. The thought of it makes me want to retire and hat sends pain down m spine
Joseph
Joseph wrote:ArchiCAD is the market leader among architectural BIM softwares or among the firsts in many European countries, a far as I know.
Just a question on survival of ArchiCad by having Rvit around.
Is it that outside United States ArchiCad is dominery & it does not seem to go away?
Unless I am mistaken what is this prediction that eventualy ArchiCad is Gone With The Wind. The thought of it makes me want to retire and hat sends pain down m spine
Joseph
Thoughts and partly comments from a very nice part of the world. First I wanted to comment on the big Lurks comments but went into a more general introvert discussion...
ArchiCAD is the leading BIM software in use in our area and the much preferred interface among architects compared to the different "similar" products. Architects here say that ArchiCAD has an interface that is very appealing to them and that it is easy and intuitive to learn. Concerning modeling I guess all the softwares have their ups and downs but when it comes to "from idea to documentation" ArchiCAD is on the top. Lot's of space for development though!
Large projects... A very large project can be slow in ArchiCAD but at least it can be done which obviously isn't the case with some other BIM packages. Check out the VICO projects for size!!! Speed and size is important and will become even more so the more we approach BIM. It's in real life use when you discover good or bad that things about a system that actually will affect your every day work. Some will choose system A, some system B and some system C, D etc...it's a hard thing to do and requires serious investment in time and money which is why it's seldom done. We recently had architects changing to ArchiCAD by discovering the hard way that their initial choice of hype-BIM-software was wrong (large models was one of the reasons...).
Proprietary BIM-solutions... Hopefully concerned governments will react since the strategic question of BIM is the open information. A proprietary BIM solution is the worst possible solution strategically.
Easy way in - no way out...as an example some major facility managers in Sweden based everything on ADT several years ago...and now they can't change...they still demand 3D ADT models because they're stuck with it....lesson not learned!
The thing I lack in the BIM-debate is the architects ability or eager to do BIM. I rather see large scale BIM driven from the construction side of the business and the architects will then have two choices: conform or step even closer to pure design.
The tremendous power of VICO shows that building the production model demands another type of knowledge than a typical architect or engineer has. There is enough to gain to simply rebuild whatever model/drawing that are produced by the architect/engineers.
More important BIM requires another way of working together. Partnering and cooperation is a must and a clear process-owner that can realize and distribute the benefits of BIM is a necessity. Today the large contractors here in Sweden want to use BIM but they don't support BIM in the way they work (actually they just woke up to see the word BIM everywhere and it's still in a kind of buzz-word phase). It will take some time to change the heavy organizations to actually work and benefit from BIM. There is a 100% strong voice stating BIM is the only way but a very large part of that 100% doesn't dare to admit they don't know what BIM is...they're just trying not to appear uniformed/unsmart.
Check out the Viking effort in the BIM Storm London that gave the Norwegians the Overall title as well as the Multi-disciplinary Design and Constructability award. They pulled off a serious IFC project. That's BIM!!! More information will come.
Whatever happens we're entering BIM. Halleluja! We're still infants though...does an infant have the ability to make a wise BIM decision? Open BIM or proprietary BIM?
All IMHO and a bit more unfocused than my first intention...I'm under swedish Graphisoft flag but these thoughts are my highly personal ones. Now off for a month of lovely vacation away from BIM and CAD and everything else job-related that occupies my brain like 110% of the time. I will learn kiteboarding this summer and hopefully there will be wind on saturday. Break a leg to me then...
ArchiCAD is the leading BIM software in use in our area and the much preferred interface among architects compared to the different "similar" products. Architects here say that ArchiCAD has an interface that is very appealing to them and that it is easy and intuitive to learn. Concerning modeling I guess all the softwares have their ups and downs but when it comes to "from idea to documentation" ArchiCAD is on the top. Lot's of space for development though!
Large projects... A very large project can be slow in ArchiCAD but at least it can be done which obviously isn't the case with some other BIM packages. Check out the VICO projects for size!!! Speed and size is important and will become even more so the more we approach BIM. It's in real life use when you discover good or bad that things about a system that actually will affect your every day work. Some will choose system A, some system B and some system C, D etc...it's a hard thing to do and requires serious investment in time and money which is why it's seldom done. We recently had architects changing to ArchiCAD by discovering the hard way that their initial choice of hype-BIM-software was wrong (large models was one of the reasons...).
Proprietary BIM-solutions... Hopefully concerned governments will react since the strategic question of BIM is the open information. A proprietary BIM solution is the worst possible solution strategically.
Easy way in - no way out...as an example some major facility managers in Sweden based everything on ADT several years ago...and now they can't change...they still demand 3D ADT models because they're stuck with it....lesson not learned!
The thing I lack in the BIM-debate is the architects ability or eager to do BIM. I rather see large scale BIM driven from the construction side of the business and the architects will then have two choices: conform or step even closer to pure design.
The tremendous power of VICO shows that building the production model demands another type of knowledge than a typical architect or engineer has. There is enough to gain to simply rebuild whatever model/drawing that are produced by the architect/engineers.
More important BIM requires another way of working together. Partnering and cooperation is a must and a clear process-owner that can realize and distribute the benefits of BIM is a necessity. Today the large contractors here in Sweden want to use BIM but they don't support BIM in the way they work (actually they just woke up to see the word BIM everywhere and it's still in a kind of buzz-word phase). It will take some time to change the heavy organizations to actually work and benefit from BIM. There is a 100% strong voice stating BIM is the only way but a very large part of that 100% doesn't dare to admit they don't know what BIM is...they're just trying not to appear uniformed/unsmart.
Check out the Viking effort in the BIM Storm London that gave the Norwegians the Overall title as well as the Multi-disciplinary Design and Constructability award. They pulled off a serious IFC project. That's BIM!!! More information will come.
Whatever happens we're entering BIM. Halleluja! We're still infants though...does an infant have the ability to make a wise BIM decision? Open BIM or proprietary BIM?
All IMHO and a bit more unfocused than my first intention...I'm under swedish Graphisoft flag but these thoughts are my highly personal ones. Now off for a month of lovely vacation away from BIM and CAD and everything else job-related that occupies my brain like 110% of the time. I will learn kiteboarding this summer and hopefully there will be wind on saturday. Break a leg to me then...
Still looking?
