Evolution of Graphisoft - from leaders to BIM-scam

[Podolsky]

Let's examine how Graphisoft has transformed over recent years and what this means for the BIM community.

- Leadership Changes Without Progress

We've seen multiple CEO changes, each accompanied by grand presentations. However, has anyone noticed any substantial software improvements following these leadership changes? The answer is no. 

- Graphisoft UK's Business Scam

The UK branch particularly stands out as problematic. They organize "royal" presentations in central London, complete with free meals and drinks, delivering Soviet-style speeches about a bright future - all culminating in the same message: "buy our software." But beyond these marketing theatrics, there are serious concerns about their business practices. UK today is turning into garbage bin. Does not matter that it's "royal" garbage. Do we need royal garbage BIM software?

Let me share my personal experience: I spent six years developing a library for the UK market, consistently reaching out to Graphisoft UK about potential collaboration or support. After receiving zero response, I published the library for free on this forum. Subsequently, Graphisoft UK took elements (specifically the electrical sockets) and incorporated them into their commercial library, which they now sell in the UK and Ireland. They've even blocked my Graphisoft ID from accessing their library, presumably to prevent me from seeing exactly what they've used. This behavior raises serious questions about their ethics and respect for community developers.

- The AI Controversy

Their recent "Artificial Intelligence" claims warrant scrutiny. What they're implementing appears to be a basic Stable Diffusion algorithm - technology that's widely available today. This isn't the kind of AI that BIM software truly needs. Real AI integration in BIM should:

- Autonomously construct BIM models

- Perform error checking

- Suggest optimal structure

- Function as a comprehensive project assistant

Implementing these features would require LLM API integration and additional neural network training. Most crucially, it would need a command prompt function in ArchiCAD - which doesn't currently exist.

- The Nemetschek Final Question

While Nemetschek has influence over Graphisoft, we shouldn't forget that the company's headquarters remain in Budapest. There's no necessity to blindly follow Nemetschek's strategies, especially when they don't align with what ArchiCAD users actually need. Graphisoft should maintain its independence in decision-making and focus on serving its user base rather than following corporate directives that don't benefit end users.

- Looking Forward

As competitors like Rhino + LLM and AutoCAD + LLM develop truly integrated AI assistants, Graphisoft risks falling behind by focusing on marketing over innovation. We need the return of a Graphisoft that prioritizes software excellence and genuine user engagement, not empty promises and marketing schemes. The current path, especially the practices demonstrated by Graphisoft UK, is unsustainable and damages the trust between the company and its user community.

The BIM community deserves better than marketing theatrics and questionable business practices - oh lets be honest - just a scam. We need real innovation, honest engagement, and respect for the community that has helped build Graphisoft's success over the years.

[CosminF]

Hi,

Adding my thoughts on what you already said on the topic of AI: the repackaging of stable diffusion into ArchiCAD felt like a quick attempt to jump on the AI hype train. Its nice but not nearly close to what you can achieve using control net and a basic render from Archicad.

Also, the new AI assistant feature, with which I only interacted briefly feels more like a glorified chat-bot search bar or a chat-bot CTRL-F function. And the document parsing feature is a lesser, slower Chat-GPT.

Generally, from my entourage, unfortunately architects are not very tech savvy so they would not know better.

[Barry Kelly]

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@Podolsky wrote:

Graphisoft UK took elements (specifically the electrical sockets) and incorporated them into their commercial library, which they now sell in the UK and Ireland. They've even blocked my Graphisoft ID from accessing their library, presumably to prevent me from seeing exactly what they've used. This behavior raises serious questions about their ethics and respect for community developers.

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I can't say what Graphisoft UK did or didn't do.

But are you paying an annual support fee or subscription?

If not, you will not have access to any of the addition benefits of the support, such as additional libraries.

Barry.

[Podolsky]

Barry, nobody asking you - to say or not to say what Graphisoft did or didn’t. Are you aware, that United Kingdom in general - country of scam and fraud - on all levels - from business to government? I did hear that Graphisoft did huge financial investment into Graphisoft UK. And what useful these cowboys did? Library Part Maker? This tool of course a little bit better then Johnson garden-bridge.

Now, I own licence of ArchiCAD. I always had access to their UKI libraries. But then something happened - and access exactly to the UKI library became unavailable, exactly on time when they took my elements.

Finally - it’s always possible to say - anyway I gave my library for free. Of course they asked first - and I said - take it. But if look to the full story - the whole idea to develop proper template and the library came after reviewing totally awful Graphisoft UKI template. So I spent a lot of effort, 6 years, didn’t rush, was developing it on running projects that it wouldn’t be too complicated. And done all that - already having serious health issues, knowing that my health will get worst in time.

And what the outcome - just rob disabled person like gangsters, and after hide evidences and make silly excuses?

And this comment on forum by moderator - it’s just like a sign a verdict to ourselves, that Graphisoft turned into scam business.

[Barry Kelly]

@Podolsky 

I was just saying I have no idea if Graphisoft UK used your parts or not.

And I have no idea if they blocked your ID or not - although I suspect not.

What benefit would they get from doing that.

I was just trying to point out that a lot of additional content is only available to users that are paying for annual support, either through SSA/Forward agreements or the new subscriptions.

Your Graphisoft ID does not give you access to additional content, it is your SSA status that does.

So I was just asking if you are paying annual support fees or not.

Some content will be available to all users and additional content only for those with active support.

I was just trying to ascertain if that was the case here.

Barry.

[Barry Kelly]

I just went to the Graphisoft UK website.

The Essential Library is available as "Forward" content, so you will need and active support agreement.

If you try to access it, it will ask for you to log in with your Graphisoft ID, but if you do not have an active support agreement linked to your ID, I don't think you will get any further.

I do so I can't for sure if that is the case or not.

Maybe try logging into the Graphisoft ID portal to see if your ID is still valid.

https://id.graphisoft.com/en/user/login

If you can log in there but still can't get the library, then I suspect it is because you do not have active support.

Barry.

[Podolsky]

Barry, you are missing the point. I just want to say - that today Graphisoft, by many years passing by, instead of really deliver serious revolutionary software - as it was in the beginning, making more simulation of activity. Why? Because. Because all these endless managers and salesmen need to be paid. So take amount of real programmers, who are actually developing software, software engineers, and compare how many today in Graphisoft managers. Initially Graphisoft was a different company. They used different strategies. But then - they just became like AutoDesk.

Take my example - I was developing by myself, legally, having ArchiCAD licence, and what the result? I was screwed at the end. This is why I will never continue my developments on GDL - I don’t see the point.

Another example - why Graphisoft shut down an option for ArchiCAD users to post, that they are searching for job or offering services? What’s wrong was about it? Because of what? Because there were offering bad services some dishonest ArchiCAD users? Then rising a question - today companies, that seek ArchiCAD workers (because only this option is available today) - are they honest? How many recruitment companies can post today ads of searching ArchiCAD operators? What, recruitment companies are not gangsters?

[Laszlo Nagy]

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@Podolsky wrote:

Another example - why Graphisoft shut down an option for ArchiCAD users to post, that they are searching for job or offering services? What’s wrong was about it? 

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You can post such topics in this very forum we are in right now (General Discussions). Just make sure to use the "Ads" Label:

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/General-discussions/bd-p/forum_network

Here is another topic posted a week ago by a user looking for remote work:

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/General-discussions/Looking-for-remote-work-as-an-Architect-Draf...

[Podolsky]

But what was the reason to remove option or job search in job board? It was serving perfectly as I remember for 20 years. Why this option suddenly became shut down?

Finally - I’m not looking for any remote job, so doesn’t matter where people now posting about searching for job.

I only give examples - something has changed and changed to worst.

If cooperation with United Kingdom gave such “fresh” ideas - then I really do not recommend to listen anyone “official” from UK - they all are scammers. This country lost their mind, construction knowledge, soon will loose economy and London as a city, due underground water, that shifting foundations, and dysfunctional drainage, that flooding all around the town and forming sinkholes. UK cannot give any good advise in BIM technology - because they cannot maintain their own capital anymore.

What always was good about Graphisoft - it always was authentic Hungarian company. With strong Hungarian architectural school. I wish it would continue to be authentic.

[jl_lt]

Nice to see you again around here Podolsky. 

Things haven´t been going that well around here lately

[Podolsky]

But let’s go closely to Building Information Modelling. I can share - what I was observing in UK. So, big architectural practices making ONE successful BIM project, hanging nice renders on the web-site, making “outstanding” and “best practice” labels. And after - they just cannot deliver any BIM. Simply robbing clients with lawyers and tricky contracts.

BIM managers, getting accreditations, becoming kings of the office with big salaries - doesn’t matter, that they don’t have clue what they are doing, as they got BIM manager certificate. Feeding companies owners with mythology - that “it takes time!” to make successful practice. Like if big company buying ArchiCAD, they hear fairy tales, that it will take minimum 5 years, until they will deliver adequate BIM project. So - 5 years of wasting time and money on subscriptions, useless courses, high salaries for BIM managers and “investment” into technology.

Then they are invited to Graphisoft event, where lecturer will show the picture about future of BIM - some sort of curve, that rising up and then falling down. Meaning that most of companies, that adopted BIM, will bankrupt in the future.

Complicity of BIM projects is growing and nobody can manage anymore this amount of details, drawings and 3D models. It’s becoming heavy, chaotic - workers are cheating, directors are hiding the truth that they cannot deliver, showing to client “outstanding” BIM practice certificates, clients are getting mad and all that turning to battles of lawyers in courts. In that situation people forgetting - that initially they were building a house, actually…

Now - if talk about AI assistant, integrated into software. I mentioned before - without command prompt, that can operate software on commands level - the same as for example UNIX is operating, any attempts to integrate AI into software - commercial tricks. To create truly meaningful AI - it’s necessary to have millions and millions of investments, data centers, electricity, datasets. That means better to integrate existing LLM’s using API. My tests showed that the best AI is Anthropic Claude Sonnet. It has deep knowledge of Building Regulations, architecture, structure, law - he is the best friend for architect and engineer.

So the main question is rising - is it worth continue how it is now, cutting corners, making shortcuts to problem solving with commercial tricks and lead many architectural practices to bankruptcy in nearest future - “because they didn’t try hard enough”, or start truly solving these issues on the level of software engineering? I don’t think it’s impossible. If people can fly to space and make humanoid robots today - they can make real thing in BIM software development.