Next phase of subscription transition announced

[Richard Doll]

Dear Community Members, 

Following my recent Graphisoft Insights post on the Subscription transition update, we know how important this topic is for you as our clients and anticipate your comments and questions. To streamline communication, we’ve created this thread to gather everything in one place. We’ll also use it to identify topics that may need further clarification, which we’ll address on our FAQ page.

Please note that while we cannot respond to individual questions in the forum, your local representative is available for personalized support.

Best regards,
Richard

Link to Insights article: https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Graphisoft-Insights/Important-update-Next-phase-of-subscription-...

[Kalib Stewart]

This is almost verbatim exactly what has happened. 

[mthd]

Breaching the “Trust Thermocline” will be reached at its coldest point so to speak. That’s is when SSA/FWD ceases and add to it that the original roadmap has been drastically altered. The coldest point will then be reached and trust will be further breached.

What will be the new “Tik Tok” CAD/BIM that people will flock to in the future ? Time will tell.

Not to understate that Autodesk Revit and Nemetschek Vectorworks Architect are also being plunged into a “Trust Thermocline” with the introduction of subscription only policies. True some of those users may have come over to Graphisoft Archicad but they may be disillusioned because they now discover that it also is scheduled to become subscription only.

Users may choose to keep AC29 in the bag and spend their subscription money on another product like Revit or similar ? Time will tell where they will actually flock to next. I think Graphisoft already understands that the future of BIM is all about a “multi disciplinary” approach for bigger companies. They can already afford to use many BIM products at once.

The smaller businesses and sole traders are a different kettle of fish and they may settle for AC29 and not take out a subscription in AC 30+. They may instead spend their money on something else because the current roadmap doesn’t suit their business model.

If GS had stuck to its original roadmap, I certainly would not be phased about taking out a subscription for the future. I will be keeping a close eye on the roadmap in the near future and then see what I will do from there. An excellent roadmap is the key to avoiding the coldest point when SSA/FW ceases.

[jl_lt]

i would settle for archicad 22 as long as they let me keep using it. So far it's the best along with 25

[mthd]

Yeah that’s cool and everybody has a different point at which they will opt for another application. I like to use distance guides in my workflow and on board PBR and design options are all things I can use. I like to have my software up to date with things I know I will use to assist my workflow and save me some time.

[rakurs]

As some people have mentioned here, there seems to be a rather awkward situation with the expiration date of Forward contracts. Personally, I think all users should be allowes to extend them up to 2025-12-31, so we can all have a chance to keep the latest version of ArchiCAD available at that date. Every other way arbitrarily cuts off people before the release date of last perpetually available ArchiCAD version, which is not only inconsistent with how other firms handled this in the past, but also very largely unfair. I will not even get into possibility of Graphisoft showing good will by extending everyone who has a contract expiring somewhere in 2025 all the way to 2025-12-31.

I don't keep my hopes up, this is all extremely depressing.

[PrzemN]

Imho this is another "great" move by Archicad, just after abandoning Architects as their base customers and pushing crippled tools for MEP and structural engineers. Not only they lost my trust and their biggest selling point, but they just showed a very common one finger sign to their loyal customers and local resellers. I will be looking for other tools and I hope someone will take over this market niche.

[stoneunturned]

If ArchiCAD improves through a move to a subscription based model, im all for it.

If they indeed pull in extra revenue by making the switch and can add some management talent to their existing team (of no-doubt talented - but potentially disenfranchised - software engineers), AND add a seriously robust dialogue system that the multitudes of disgruntled users can find easily and contribute to; one where actual user prompted ideas and improvements can be discussed with screenshots, markups and a dedicated GS team in a 'fleshing-out' process where the shortfalls of user idealism can be discussed openly and better ideas generated off the back of those discussion, then bring it on. 

But i dont understand why that kind of feedback loop cant exist with the current model.

My guess is that resource is being wasted on dumb 3H!T. Did we need some dumb "AI" visualiser tool that neither architect nor drafty will ever use? Or did we need the publisher sets / transmittal list system improved based on stressed out user's who have identified huge gains in efficiency with small tweaks? Or perhaps the ridiculously click-heavy user environment to be brought out of the 1980s and up to modern ethos where reduced clicking and cursor dynamism has been considered. (who ever decided the cursor needed to be hidden when searching lists should be benched) To list but a few examples.

The only improvement to 28 (and by improvement, i mean reducing hesitations AND admin within the ArchiCAD environment) is the physical rendering in 3D that's snappy and hesitation free, and actually speeds up the workflow, well done. The rest is just first iteration junk that slows down each and every workflow within AC, workflow adjustments they were designed to improve, which is now what GS is renowned for. Distance guides, off - 5 seconds to select a table on a powerful 2022 laptop? NO THANKS.

Stressed out users that work hard with the software and have an eye for what needs to change should be driving the upgrade path, not a fresh new CEO or new managers or software engineers.. the input needs to come from those that can make a positive difference to the software because they are now the most highly qualified experts that know what needs to happen.

The reams of menial tasks that need to be completed might not be fun for a software engineer, but surely they can gain a huge sense of accomplishment for saving the hairline of everyone in the userbase.

At this point, i dont get excited about new versions of AC - over the last 6 years they have all been pure gimmicky junkgrades. Bureauocracy and the diminishment of smarts that comes with bureauocracy is likely to blame.

It's all about pulling ahead of Revit and making the most damn useful software in the industry. And that, at this stage of the development of AC will come from listening to the userbase. Figure out how to do that, and the game is won. Again, if the subscription model is needed for real change, then great, but no-one will be paying 3x more than what they're paying now.

[mthd]

“Junkgrades” lol, spot on.

[rakurs]

So much right in this post.

I have not been a customer for a long time - my office is just a few years young and I'm an ArchiCAD user for a blip considering how long some of you have been working with the software. For me, there was a long pause from my student AC7 days to AC25. The rhythm of the updates between those two versions are unknown to me. There are many nice things that I have seen coming from 25 to 26 to 27 to 28. But are they really THAT big? No. (Only exception? Design options. Those mean a lot.)

I would LOVE to see improvement in tools that are specific to a) architects b) in my country / region. I would love to see thing working properly with no effort. For one, composite walls (and other elements) still don't look how I want them to look (thick pen for outline of the wall, no matter which composite it is, excluding finishes, so only encompassing "core" and "other") and workarounds (parallel non-composite walls) are awful to work with, especially with openings. Stray lines everywhere no matter how I set-up hierarchy.

If only we had powerful software which was made FOR ARCHITECTS not only in name.

[PrzemN]

I agree with what you said, also regarding the design options as one of the only major improvements in recent versions. Lets remember - some Archicad tools and solutions have not been touched since version 5 or 6. Some tools, such as Ecodesigner, are simply bought and added as is, without proper development later. Some things are rushed and crippled - like AC28 keynotes.

Also - in almost EVERY situation, the subscription model is just a risky cash grab for owners, no more, no less. It has nothing to do with "development" etc. The only problem for Graphisoft is that customers usually hate it because it's much more expensive and you don't own it. It is a risky move, mainly to please the shareholders. It might work for a game, but not for an expensive program you have already paid for.

And does it work for Autodesk? Hard to say, probably yes, but they're bigger, it's an industry standard, whether we like it or not. Is it good for customers, especially the old ones? Of course not, they don't care. They can do anything if they could just cancel their old normal licences (as you can't activate them). I think we should find out what happened there and how they treat their customers, that is what we will have to deal with.

[laembert]

Subscription means lack of development. Everyone has to pay yearly fee anyway, so why to rob shareholders and spend dividends on programming. Shareholders are the real Nemetschek partners now, not us users.

[jl_lt]

yeah, but there is this other unrealistic and improbable scenario, which surely they havent thought of because its so unrealistic, where no one goes into suscription WHILE also canceling all SSA payments. Meanwhile, potential new users see that everyone is so pissed off that they are like "hey, maybe we should stick with ketchup! or even better, maybe we should not study architecture at all". 

Then shareholders would wake up from their slumber and self complacency.

But this is so improbable and imaginary that nobody should worry about it.

[Martin Jules]

The latest SSA/Forward version will also be my last ArchiCAD one. I am not planning to convert my current plan into the upcoming ArchiCAD Studio, which might be considered as a marketing strategy bypass to get to ArchiCAD Collaborate. In addition, I am not sure Graphisoft still needs us as clients. Its parent company can afford all the fixed fees without our subscriptions, and as such, we'll see the final outcome and the like in the future.

[mthd]

Could also be the case for many other loyal customers of Archicad ?

[jl_lt]

Hard to tell. Architecture and therefore Architects and the services they provide are a valuable asset to society.

[Martin Jules]

I am one of them, but I ought to serve the public interest first as a professional in the fields of architecture and urban design.

[jl_lt]

Another industry, but Lehman brothers could also afford things. 

[jl_lt]

Keyword is "IF"

[Ernest Atanasiu]

For the DE, AUT, CH, LUX market nothing is prepared for this transition, our representative has heard nothing.

[Botonis]

Add GR. 

[Jp1138]

One of the Spanish distributors is sending mails telling everyone than from the 1st of November you won´t be able to purchase perpetual licenceses. And that no SSA will be charged next year... What happened to the dates that appear in the FAQ??