25000 s.f. project taking 4 hours to update 3D document

[Martin Jules]

The standard BIM software used in Quebec is Revit even at the level of European firms based there. One of the fundamental reasons is that more time is spent drawing with ArchiCAD in projects from 25 000 to 200 000 square feet. ArchiCAD updates drawings anytime and the option to control these updates doesn't work properly. Time is so precious that these firms prefer using a BIM software that is much better suited to delivering projects on time.

Enclosed is a screenshot related to the power used by ArchiCAD for a simple project of 25 000 sqf. The second file includes an update, which can take up to 4 hours to generate the 3D document. No firm in Quebec can accept such time consuming.

bouhmidage wrote:
Hello !
i'm planning to move to Canada as Permanent Resident in the next year, i'm an archicad user since 2010, i use it for all my jobs, BIM modelling and coordination , and teaches it in the north american university
What are the chances of finding jobs in Canada?
Thanks !

[Martin Jules]

You are definitely not yet using ArchiCAD 25 to teach these students. Therefore, there are no bugs for you!

bouhmidage wrote:
some of my students works, using archicad and grasshopper, files were so heavy and full of details, maximum of 2 minutes to lead a façade or a section on a gamin laptop,

[Ahmed_K]

I always prefer to stay 1 version behind the last released one,
to keep students away from bugs, and i tell them, every software has bugs after release, we work on this version, but you can try the newer one not for class work, for your own tests,

[Martin Jules]

Anyway, with ArchiCAD, I didn't know if these kinds of bugs could exist. This is for the first time this has happened to me, where I can't even save back the file as an older version because of that.

bouhmidage wrote:
I always prefer to stay 1 version behind the last released one,
to keep students away from bugs, and i tell them, every software has bugs after release, we work on this version, but you can try the newer one not for class work, for your own tests,

[furtonb]

Mjules wrote:
Construction documents and building codes are an important aspect of building design. The knowledge of building materials, building systems and regulations are a vital and necessary part of an architect's practice in North America. Drawings and their specifications communicate to all invested parties the design and the constructability of a building. These documents when completed are used to apply for a building permit and for project costs.

I think it's similar all over the globe. Archicad is a great tool overall to help in this, regardless of the bashing it receives on this forum sometimes.

In this specific case, I didn't know if the tension rod brace cable systems that I created to support the glazing systems in relation to lateral forces like wind and earthquake in San Francisco were going to cause me all of these problems in ArchiCAD 25 especially.

Usually it's the structural engineer's task to specify these things in my country, you just make references to those drawings/specifications and pull certain geometry to the architectural documentation. Still it's not clear to me what problems you were facing, most information can be alphanumeric and geometry can be simplified to make computers able to handle huge models. AC is definitely not a structural design software and there is a limit to what it can reasonably handle in terms of geometric complexity. In my opinion it's usually within the bounds what is necessary to provide all the documents for permits/CD/costing/etc.

I can't even save the file back as an older version of ArchiCAD.

Saving back is possible as a .pln to the previous version under File/Save as. If you use AC25, then to AC24, then from AC24 to AC23, and so on... Some information could get lost along the way (examples are new stairs, railings, etc. to previous versions), and library migration backwards is a real pain unfortunately.

About the single polygon you suggested, I can try to share the file with you if it will not bother you.

I can take a look, but my free time is rather limited these days.

[Martin Jules]

I have no interest in denigrating ArchiCAD. I have described to you facts that I have experienced with the software.