Is ArchiCad supposed to be this cumbersome on a Mac?

[Anonymous]

I've been working with ArchiCad on a PC for a few years now. About four months ago I converted to Mac.

ArchiCad was very easy to work with on PC. Everything was where it was ment to be.
On this Mac on the other hand, I think everything is a big mess. All the independent windows, the palettes and the toolbars don't really snap to anything. I have to customize all the time to make things fit pretty good together. Moving things back and forth, but nothing really fits! Corners doesn't mach up...
This was never a problem on my PC (Yes, I miss my old computer...)

And the doc at the bottom suddenly appears from time to time even though I've told it not to in the system preferences.
When it decides to do so, it pushes the window (drawing) I'm working on up, but not the palettes! So it just looks horrible.

It's easy to loose the top of the window I'm working on. I've accidentally moved it too high and cannot reach the top bar to move it back.

Was buying a Mac a misstake or am I just having problems converting to Mac?

[Anonymous]

Your dock keeps appearing because the standard Mac shortcut for it to show is the same as the standard AC "Drag a copy" - CMD+OPT+D. Change this shortcut in your Archicad Work Enviornment.

And yes, it is annoying that palettes don't stay where you put them.

[Anonymous]

Thanks, but I've already figured that out 😉
I changed it to alt+cmd+f instead so now it just keeps saying "biip" every time I copy something. But it still lives it's own life.
Haha, it's horrible...

Was ArchiCad made for PC in the first place and later on converted to Mac? Since it works so badly...?

[Rod Jurich]

Reeves wrote:
/.........
Was ArchiCad made for PC in the first place and later on converted to Mac? /..........

.............. no, the other way around, window$ came later.
Persist, you will not regret leaving the "Dark Side"

[Anonymous]

Rod wrote:

Reeves wrote:
/.........
Was ArchiCad made for PC in the first place and later on converted to Mac? /..........

.............. no, the other way around, window$ came later.
Persist, you will not regret leaving the "Dark Side"

Hm, I would've thought it was the other way around.
Hehe, but are you experiencing the same problems with palettes and such don't matching anything? I just think it's a very cluttered environment.

To be honest, I miss my old computer and windows. So far, after roughly four months, I find OS X cumbersome to work with and this Mac (2,7ghz, 4gig ram) much slower and less cooperative than my previous PC.

But I hope things will get better when we get to know each other 😉

[Anonymous]

When GS brought out a PC version I believe software is employed to assist in creating the two versions. While it facilitates the two versions with less resources it means neither are tailored to a high degree. Some of your issues stem from this compromise.
As MacOS absorbs it's i side it will be very interesting to see how GS can respond. Full screen apps and versions are but a few Mac only system wide initiatives. will Apple make them mandatory?
There is a lot of speculation regarding where Mac goes now. A locked down iOS style experience? No Mac pro hardware? If the experience is good enough it might be ok....but as much as I enjoy my iPhone I have reservations for my computers heading that way…
Interesting days ahead.

[David Maudlin]

Reeves:

Once you get the windows and palettes arranged to your liking (and they do snap to each other), go to Work Environment > Palette Schemes and Store As... to save the arrangement as part of your Work Environment. Then if they get moved, you can easily restore this arrangement via Work Environment > Palette Schemes > Your Scheme: Apply Scheme.

David

[Anonymous]

rwallis:
Hm, that was interesting. But it makes sense!
I haven't tried OS Lion yet, but I think they've already integrated some of the ideas from the iOS interface into it, as you mention.
Skeptical... Not sure if I want my desktop to look like an iPad.

David:
Thanks for the tip. I will try that!

[Ralph Wessel]

Reeves wrote:
ideas from the iOS interface into it, as you mention.
Skeptical... Not sure if I want my desktop to look like an iPad.

Conjecture that Apple will abandon Pro users stems from media outlets that thrive on hype, sensationalism, and controversy. And this is what sells news unfortunately. Apple has been very clear that they see 2 sets of users - pro and consumer - and they intend to serve both. Steve Jobs used to compare them to road users - the majority are cars (smaller, private vehicles), but that doesn't mean we don't need trucks and other utility vehicles. What he saw - and quite rightly in my opinion - is that the vast majority of users don't want or need a general-purpose computer, just as the vast majority don't need a truck or tractor. The iPad, for example, is largely a consumer device. The computer becomes an appliance, and no expertise is required to use it.

Elements of the Mac OS are taking the same approach. The goal is to create an out-of-the-box experience that most consumers can cope with. However, the professional will easily be able to transform it into whatever they require. Apple knows that if they lose professionals, the whole platform will die. Can you imagine what would happen if Apple relied on Microsoft to deliver the platform that produced all media and applications for Apple hardware? Does anyone seriously think that could be Apple's plan?

Personally - and from a professional standpoint - I like the changes that Lion has brought. Most of them are good for everyone. There's a few - like LaunchPad - that I pushed aside and never looked at again. I can imagine that naive users might benefit from it. But gestures, Mission Control, Versioning, Auto-save, Resume, etc are fantastic. I love the elimination of clutter too (like the minimalistic scroll bars that appear for scrolling, but otherwise vanish to maximise the document view).

Sadly, ArchiCAD hasn't grown with it. The UI looks and feels poor on the Mac, and has become the worst behaved application I use. The layout and graphics look dated and out of place (think Windows 95), windows, palettes, and notifications are constantly fighting with the OS (coming to the front when they should be at the back, or vice versa), and none of the features of the Mac OS are leveraged. I'm hoping that a top-notch UI is now a priority for GS - it makes such a crucial difference. I'm also hoping that GS will strive to fit in with the host OS more in future too.

[Anonymous]

Ralph wrote:
Personally - and from a professional standpoint - I like the changes that Lion has brought. Most of them are good for everyone. There's a few - like LaunchPad - that I pushed aside and never looked at again. I can imagine that naive users might benefit from it. But gestures, Mission Control, Versioning, Auto-save, Resume, etc are fantastic. I love the elimination of clutter too (like the minimalistic scroll bars that appear for scrolling, but otherwise vanish to maximise the document view).

LaunchPad was what I was referring too, don't really see the point either.
But would you recommend me upgrading to Lion then? Have you had any problems with it since it's new? Does it work ok'ish with ArchiCad? Any difference from Snow Leopard?

Ralph wrote:
Sadly, ArchiCAD hasn't grown with it. The UI looks and feels poor on the Mac, and has become the worst behaved application I use. The layout and graphics look dated and out of place (think Windows 95), windows, palettes, and notifications are constantly fighting with the OS (coming to the front when they should be at the back, or vice versa), and none of the features of the Mac OS are leveraged. I'm hoping that a top-notch UI is now a priority for GS - it makes such a crucial difference. I'm also hoping that GS will strive to fit in with the host OS more in future too.

I was right then, ArchiCad just doesn't feel or loog god on a Mac.
I'm surprised this is the case! Many people use Mac for 3D modeling, why has this not been a priority from GS?
And I very much agree; Windows 95... Spot on! 😛