Graphisoft public roadmap - Follow-up conversation

[Gordana Radonic]

Dear Community, 

We're excited to have published our roadmap!

We'd love to hear your thoughts and questions. Please feel free to use this thread for discussion.

Graphisoft Insights announcement: https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Graphisoft-Insights/Graphisoft-public-roadmap/ba-p/375281

Public roadmap on the Graphisoft website.

Thank you.

[Botonis]

I totally agree!

[Romans]

English:

"Yes, I think a generic tag is needed to mark building materials and surfaces for any object, not just specific objects, or to list all building materials for the selected object and select the ones to be displayed. This would be much more efficient." by DeepL

[Bruce]

It's already been addressed above, but I am looking forward to the implementation of a like / rating system, and a feedback system (maybe just links to topics set up in these forums?).

Unlike others, I did not uncheck MEP and structure.  I am very interested in what's in the pipeline for this stuff.  The more consultants we can get on board with Archicad, the smoother our workflows will become.

Exciting times.

[Bawar Tanay]

Hi There @Gordana Radonic and everyone else,

There is a question which comes up quite often to me and which I still can't find an answer for.

Why is Graphisoft putting resources in MEP inside Archicad, don't we have DDS CAD for that?

an MEP engineer / office wont buy archicad so that they design and model MEP models, they will use DDS CAD or Revit or whatever.

Can't Graphisoft focus MEP exclusive to DDS CAD and remove it from Archicad and use that recourses for Architecture?

it would be better to find a great way to import MEP from DDS CAD / Revit to archicad instead.

Bawar

[jl_lt]

Hi. First, congrats to Graphisoft for releasing the roadmap. Of course, it will generate comments of all kinds. 

In my case, i just wish the "in research" features were actually the "coming soon" ones, as the coming soon ones are not of my interest, but at least i hope they are for other users.   My guess is that they wont be many.

Graphisoft is leaving its original bright path for dark alleys that most probably have closed ends and many perils waiting for them.

I think this focus on structure is misguided and just too late to the game.  But who knows? Maybe they actually did their market research and know that current archicad users wont leave while taking the punishment and keep coming for more, while if they just add some MEP and structural modelling, Revit users, whom by now  have invested many years and tears of their lives and even more dollars on it, will blindingly leave their platforms and come to use Archicad.

[Malin_AochD]

Love the idea of a roadmap by GS.

HATE the fact that in-place-hotlink-editing or instancing is not at the top of the list! This has been a request for 20 years and it's insane that GS is not working overtime to fix this! It's essential for a BIM program!

[Romans]

Yes, I strongly second this too. There was once the idea to implement instancing via favorites, which seems plausible and not so complex to me. But it never made it through...

It is a shame for such a mature CAD app like AC doesn't have it.

Maybe there is a problem with understanding the real needs of the users.

When I ask (repeatedly) my local vendor/support they even don't understand what I am asking for. They simply don't see it as a necessity...

I don't understand how the larger companies using AC can deal with such a absence of a standard CAD feature. 

[Steve]

Absolutely agree. Autocad blocks, Revit groups, 3ds Max instances, etc. Etc. etc. It's basic to every 3d program or there!

[Darwuhr]

I know AC is mostly an Architecture modeling software, but as a structural engineer I am happy to see Reinforcement plans coming into AC. That is the only (lets say most important to me) structural feature I wish as other softwares has proven to not be as user friendly as AC. The connection to other strucrual softwares (SCIA, FRILO, etc) I think should fall on the priority list as it seems to me that it needs much more development and will not be a "stable" feature. I model the structures from the beginning in those softwares, as exchanging them through other means bring more inaccuracies then doing it by hand.

Lastly I want to say there are other features I like on the Architectural wish became true, single skin management in composites, window and doors merging in one tool (hopefully with mergin gdl objects), better schedules formatting and calculations, better properties, GO revamp, the floating layers palette, etc.

The point is, I am happy to see some structural side of building development, but it seems the focus has been given to the wrong features.

I ❤️ Rebar.

[jl_lt]

And an architectural modelling software it is. One that played well with other software including structural modelling software. 

Seems like a lot of people, starting in Graphisoft, have forgotten that.

[Mjules]

ArchiCAD is a Building Information Modeling (BIM) software, but not an Architecture Information Modeling (AIM) one. Furthermore, integrated design in architecture is about integrating all of the systems related to the building. The importance of the BIM is to help integrate those systems. 

[Rex Maximilian]

I think the original point of what is being contended here is not that we don't want the integration of MEP/S tools; it's that the development of these tools, both in the past several upgrades and most notably in the Roadmap, is wholly disproportionate. More than 50% of the items/features listed are for MEP/S.

Yes, it is a BIM software, but a BIM software for architects. It has always been marketed this way, and has "Archi" in the software name. It just needs to have an appropriate balance going forward of R&D's time. There are a plethora of architectural tools present now that are in dire need of revision or updating. We need the core tools fixed first before implementing dozens of MEP/S features.

[jl_lt]

Thats what the open bim concept is (was?) for. Wanting a sofware to do everything, specially when the software maker doesnt have the same resources as other companies and even more so when the software seems to be a line of code or two near to total breakdown, its a waste on everyones time. 

[Mjules]

Maybe we misunderstood the BIM concept from its beginning. I agree with Rex that ArchiCAD must be a BIM software for architects first to avoid too many issues, as you also explained it Jl. My point is that we need to be clear on that. A BIM software relates to the whole building and implies all of the stakeholders. Perhaps it was too much ambitious as a software project. 

[Florian99]

Thank you for the roadmap!

It gives important clues for internal strategic discussions and decisions

The filters (architectural, structural, MEP) and functions listed suggest that Graphisoft is transforming AC into a "project tool" rather than retaining it as an "architect tool".

I am sure we will all benefit from this approach!

[mthd]

The scope becomes enlarged when the primary focus is on the whole “AEC” industry and all its interconnections. The amount of AEC software that is owned and supported by Nemetscheck is vast just like it is for Autodesk.

If Graphisoft were still a separate company I believe Archicad could actually be more developed for the Architects wishes than for the whole industry. But as it is the commercial world has the greatest control and say on how Archicad develops as we are all seeing happening at present.

I think we have all gotten fairly used to it by now that the recent upgrades are encompassing the full spectrum of BIM within the whole AEC industry. So it’s good news for those big commercial construction firms and not so good news for the smaller ones.

[jl_lt]

Just saw the revit 2024 presentation. Those guys have certainly been working. 

Topo tools look great. But lets worry not, its in research over here.

As for MEP and structure between revit and archicad, at this point it resembles the fable of the hare and the turtle; except in this case, the hare is on steroids and never stops running while the turtle suffers from bloating and gastric reflux and has to slowdown to take its medications. 

[Mjules]

Everything you're telling us here comes down to a market research problem unfortunately. Graphisoft skipped too many steps in its business plan. For example, it puts different market segments in the same basket and this makes it difficult to segment the target clientele accordingly. In a business plan, it's generally recommended to separate each market segment by providing one or two products suitable for each segment. 

[jl_lt]

Exactly. Archicad was and is still the king in its niche. But the boat has holes, and they seem to want to cross the Atlantic without fixing those holes.

[Mjules]

A version named ArchiCAD Architecture for those who use the software for architectural design, ArchiCAD Structure for structural engineers, ArchiCAD MEP for MEP engineers would help simplify the situation with the possibility of connecting their interfaces if needed.

[mthd]

Lol 😂 !

The Greeks have an old saying: “If you chase too many hares at once, you will not catch any but if you chase one at a time you will catch one”. But it doesn’t say anything about them being on steroids because they weren’t invented back then.