ArchiCAD add-ons Review

[Anonymous]

We are looking into purchasing a few add-ons for ArchiCAD and I was wondering if anyone has a experience with these.

CiGraph:
ArchiWall
ArchiSketchy
ArchiForma
ArchiTerra


CadImage
Door & Window Builder
Accessory Tools
3D Profiler


Piranesi
Stair Builder


The Piranesi stairbuilder I am interested in getting immediately, the others I am still researching.

[Laura Yanoviak]

Chazz wrote:
I assume you are talking about handrail returns, which can be an issue. The actual stair component can certainly be made ADA compliant. To document compliance "the BIM way" I have, in the past, used StairBuilder in conjunction with CadImage's 3D Profiler for the handrails, which is sort of fun to use.

Ah yes, another add-on. I've scripted my own handrail object for this purpose. The guardrails are another story: disaster!

[Anonymous]

Laura

NONE will produce an ADA compliant stair. After numerous hours playing with SB, AS, and the AC stair tools, my conclusion is to skip the additional cost and hassles of an add-on. ALL methods require 2D work arounds for documentation.

Well, that was generally my fear... I was just really hoping for, well, apparently the impossible.

[Anonymous]

And the Best
http://www.encina.co.uk/objective.html

[Anonymous]

Interesting to watch the thread drift into specifics of certain tools.

However, a bigger issue should be, are add-ons worth it?

For AC11 we use Cadimage DWB, and the free GS ones. We used to use a lot more Cadimage products - Cabinet Builder, Stairbuilder etc. In the past I loved the free GDL Toolbox (AC9 - sadly never ported to subsequent releases) as well.
I am in total agreement that these can offer significant additional functionality. That some of the functionality should be in raw AC is a moot point (why, even in release 11, we still have nothing like "Cadimage Revision Manager" to manage drawing issues is unbelievable!).


However now that GS has committed to yearly updates you must think about two issues:

-Cost. Buying upgrades of tools every year for each add-on really 'adds-up'! (excuse the pun). Especially in an office with more than 1-2 people!

-Time. Upgraded add-ons compliant with a new release of AC are never available concurrently. The delays are determined by the vendor, and when they can release updates - and (believe it or not) not all tools get continued with the next release - i.e. they can get dropped.
With AC11 I was so frustrated with availability/ status etc. I set up a page on the ArchiWiki site listing Add-ons and their status and location etc. - and that was for the GS ones!
GS lists add-on availability as a marketing feature. They certainly do not support them as one. (After all why do we still have a Goodies folder that requires 'post installation'?!). I firmly believe GS should have a part of their website dedicated to Add-ons; a one-stop shop if you like where GS and developers can register, distribute and maintain their products. Preferably this should have 'hooks' straight to AC for ease of management.

In conclusion, the complexity and hassle of managing Add-ons has eroded our confidence in investing in them.

[Laura Yanoviak]

seattleguy wrote:
Laura

NONE will produce an ADA compliant stair. After numerous hours playing with SB, AS, and the AC stair tools, my conclusion is to skip the additional cost and hassles of an add-on. ALL methods require 2D work arounds for documentation.

Well, that was generally my fear... I was just really hoping for, well, apparently the impossible.

Look on the bright side -- I just saved you a couple of hundred dollars in software and countless hours of frustration. (Stairs are the one subject I've spent the most time researching -- I've dedicated weeks fooling with the d*mn things).

rwallis wrote:
In conclusion, the complexity and hassle of managing Add-ons has eroded our confidence in investing in them.

Very well put, Robert.

If you read between the lines, and acknowledge the rumors, word is that GS will be incorporating StairBuilder into a future release (AC12?) Granted, this is only a rumor.

[Ralph Wessel]

rwallis wrote:
However, a bigger issue should be, are add-ons worth it?
...the complexity and hassle of managing Add-ons has eroded our confidence in investing in them.

Encina is making every effort to make this easier:

• - We don't register our add-ons against the dongle number because we realise this is a management headache.
  - The upgrade to AC12 will be free.
  - The objects we produce are standard GDL, and work without the add-on. We also provide tools to upgrade older objects with the latest features.

See http://www.encina.co.uk/add-onconcerns.html

[Rex Maximilian]

With every new sale, I always recommend two add-ons without hesitation: CIT DWBuilder and CIT Accessories Tools. The latter is worth it even if you only use the roof builder portion of it.