ArchiCAD 9 is shipping in mid-September!

[Bence Kovacs]

Dear Archi-Talkers,

We are happy to announce on ArchiCAD-Talk that ArchiCAD 9 will be released in September 2004. Shipment will start with the INT, US and GER versions followed by other localized language versions over the coming months. Based on the results of extensive beta testing we are confident that this version will be the most robust version of ArchiCAD ever. Please check www.graphisoft.com for the official press release on ArchiCAD 9! And... enjoy!

Bence Kovacs
Vice President

ArchiCAD Product Management
Graphisoft

[Anonymous]

For those of you mac users that did not get the videos to play. You have to down load the new decoder, NOT the Encoder, and you have to RESTART your computer. It does not tell you to restart, but the videos don't work until you restart.

[stefan]

Wow... what a thread. I think we have a new champion here.

Productivity?

Suppose you can work 5% faster each day. Just suppose. How many days would it take to go break-even with the upgrade fee? Even if it's $1000?

Interface

Interface manipulation is also part of productivity. Not having palletes over the viewport is very common in Windows software, less common in Mac-software. But it improves workflow too.

Hardware requirements

I have been running the beta-version on my Dual P3 1GHz (from the end of the year 2000). It worked fine. All felt smooth. Lightworks rendering was faster then ArchiCAD rendering with better anti-aliasing, raytracing etc...

I'm not doing the largest buildings, but I guess there are a lot of ArchiCAD users that just make nice, simple homes. They don't need a new computer.

Add-ons

The developers kit is free. They also moved from Visual C++ 6.0 to 2003 with this version (on Windows at least). This means you need newly compiled add-ons to get it working in AC9. This is too bad for older and still usable plugins, but that's life in the computer business.

AutoCAD 2004/2005 support

The new DWG format is the single most reason why most AutoCAD users upgrade. To support it is very, very important for ArchiCAD. But not every user will need this.

LightWorks rendering engine

What can I say? I've suggested it a few times in the past, so of course I'm happy. It's integrated. It's fast. It's not perfect and it has some complexities in setting it up. I never got real soft-shadows from the sun, but I've done a few nice interior images that I never got out of the "photorealistic renderer" that has been in ArchiCAD since version 5 or 6...

There is no radiosity and no RPC-support, so there are people who will complain, but it works and does more then it's job.

And I still use 3ds max or Cinema4D when I need better renderings. I've finally started with Art*lantis, with the free version 4.0 from 3D-World magazine, but I'm still not impressed by it.

Stairmaker

Well, yes, it is what it has always been.

Stability

I've never lost any work. I hardly ever crashed. I did found a few interface-bugs and a few data-conversion problems, but no real killer crashes. Like was allready said: they didn't wanted to release another 8.0.

Although I loved 8.0 a lot: this was a true milestone, which features are much thorough and have a big influence on this version.

Would I upgrade?

As some of you might know, I'm not into commercial work anymore, so I can't spend money on ArchiCAD anymore, but I recommend the upgrade for it's productivity alone. And receive Lightworks as the icing on the cake.

[Anonymous]

No-one seems to know the price of the new software - so here goes...

I've just been quoted GB £821 inc VAT at 17.5% (almost $1600) to upgrade from 8.1 to v9.

To be honest I don't think I can warrant spending that kind of money based on the 'productivity enhancements' listed.

When we're talking about changes to the interface rather than additional features (not withstanding the new render engine) I will be asked 'what can I do with this version that I couldn't with the last?' and 'why don't you just work harder/longer/faster?'

I have the .pdf of all the features and I will study it again - please don't feel compelled to list them all here for me.

I don't want to miss upgrading, for all the benefits it offers, but at this price - on top of an already expensive software, I think I'll pass. (for now!)

As an old friend, I respect Ben Frost's opinion earlier in this thread, but
unfortunately, unless I get the chance to actually use the new version for a trial period, it will be difficult to judge whether the extra expense is justified. Save-restricted try outs are (in my opinion) also a waste of time: As an Architect user , I have little time to 'play' with a program, knowing that any work will be lost once I log off. There is no substitute for trialing a new program on a 'real' project. These subtle things are very difficult to evaluate in a day or so in a 'pretend' environment.

Sorry if I'm rambling, but it seems as though Oreopoulos is sounding like a lone voice amongst the all the high praise, and I wanted to add my two-penneth worth! You are not alone.

Regards,

Kevin

(Friday already!)

[stefan]

Kevin wrote:
When we're talking about changes to the interface rather than additional features (not withstanding the new render engine) I will be asked 'what can I do with this version that I couldn't with the last?' and 'why don't you just work harder/longer/faster?'

How much will harder/longer/faster cost you? No, truely. Make the calculation.
When launching the software without dongle, it runs in demo-mode (was also one of my wishes). So you can judge for yourself.

[Anonymous]

By the way - I bought A-V Works for £150 a few months ago and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone sticking with 8.1 who wants a better render engine built-in.

No procedural shaders but apart from that you're getting Artlantis lite (sort of) straight inside ArchiCAD. Raytracing, reflections and speed boost are just a couple of features of note.

[Anonymous]

Does demo mode allow me to carry out a real project and save back to v8 if I decide not to upgrade?

[stefan]

Kevin wrote:
Does demo mode allow me to carry out a real project and save back to v8 if I decide not to upgrade?

No. For obvious reasons.

[Anonymous]

Obvious, yes.

But my point was that without working on a real project, it is unrealistic to assess the impact on the various productivity changes - whether I am going to have to spend 5% of my time learning the new features, whether I'll even require the improvements on the particular type of work I do. You get the idea.

I suspect that Beta testers were using the project 'for real' judging by the contents of their posts.


On costs alone (since I have yet to try the new program) - and this may be naive - would it not be better for Graphisoft to recoup their development costs by increasing their market share (because of an improved product), rather than constantly taking more cash from their already loyal users, who do so much to promote the software in the first place - see Cigraph philisophy earlier in the posts - commendable!!

[stefan]

Kevin wrote:
Obvious, yes.
[...]On costs alone (since I have yet to try the new program) - and this may be naive - would it not be better for Graphisoft to recoup their development costs by increasing their market share (because of an improved product), rather than constantly taking more cash from their already loyal users, who do so much to promote the software in the first place - see Cigraph philisophy earlier in the posts - commendable!!

That's an old discussion.

Programs as Maya & Softimage used to cost tens of thousands of dollars and both have now versions available for less the two thousand dollar. Yes it increases sales, but will it make up for the loss of revenue? Graphisoft is not that big and is not backed by a larger firm, like AVID for Softimage and (at least in the past) SGI for Alias.

[Anonymous]

Stefan

I was not suggesting that the initial ArchiCAD cost was reduced, merely that the upgrade costs to existing users were - or are upgrade fees somehow priced to keep new license costs low? I really haven't a clue, but I thought I'd ask.

Hang on - Maya for less than $2000?, that's close to the upgrade from AC8.1 to 9! (joking).