Archicad 14 New Features

[Dennis Lee]

See what's on youtube!

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archicad#g/c/5C1926DD91A70C7B

Personally, not much in it for me at all!

[Brett Brown]

owen wrote:
ArchiCAD is ahead in user-friendliness, collaboration and documentation production tools.

As a user of both I would disagree with this. At this point and from reading the AC 14 new features,(would you call them new features?) the only thing that is better on the Graphisoft side is VBE. This is speaking from a purely residential point of view. High rise and commercial might be different.

[dcerezo]

owen wrote:

irusun wrote:
anyone who has comparable experience in both applications who would say ArchiCAD is still a better program than Revit Architecture.

I have used both programs and I wouldn't say ArchiCAD is better than Revit or vice versa. They each have things that I love and things that I hate.

Overall, I think Revit is much easier to use (no GDL for one) and although still behind in terms of full robustness of ArchiCAD, it gets better and better with each release.

AC14 is an even weaker release than Revit 2010 was for Autodesk. I can't believe that's all they accomplished in 1 year.

Sorry, but ArchiCAD's days are numbered.

What's really scary is that Autodesk has owned up to the fact, that hey, architects use Macs; hence their support for Boot Camp and even Parallels. What happens one day down the road when they see the Mac market has grown to the point you can't ignore it anymore? Revit 2015 for Mac? Hmm. At that point its bye bye GS.

If ArchiCAD was stayed just as robust as it is, but was as easy to use as Revit, heck, I'd use it. But by the time that happens, Revit will have caught up and at that point, why bother.

[owen]

dcerezo wrote:
I have used both programs and I wouldn't say ArchiCAD is better than Revit or vice versa. They each have things that I love and things that I hate.

Interesting .. this is a common comment (good things and bad things in both) but I've also found that on the balance of these factors people have regarded ArchiCAD as still ahead. I certainly had never heard an experienced user of both describe Revit as easier to use overall than ArchiCAD .. but I guess things are changing, which should really worry Graphisoft as this was always one of their marketing strong points (what little marketing they do)

[Anonymous]

owen wrote:
They do focus on a tiny segment .. architects. Autodesk wants to dominate software services to all sectors of the construction industry, Graphisoft just wants to produce the best architectural software for architects - a drop in the ocean compared to engineers and contractors.

The "architect" segment as a generality is already a lost cause. Graphisoft needs to focus ArchiCAD on Revit's weaknesses. In my opinion, that's residential architecture project types and Revit's poor attention to feature detail.

owen wrote:
They release a lot of not-quite-finished new features, but often fail to follow through with additional development in subsequent versions.

Same could be said about Revit. 😉

owen wrote:

irusun wrote:
and ArchiCAD 14 doesn't suggest that they really get the bigger picture here.

which is?

The "bigger picture" is that there's no point in trying to beat Autodesk at its own game... Autodesk has already won. The "bigger picture" is for Graphisoft to be the anti-Autodesk. What I see Graphisoft doing is making all the same mistakes that Autodesk makes. Autodesk can afford to make those mistakes. Graphisoft can't.

I'm not saying I'm "right" about what Graphisoft should do. But if you don't think there's a problem... well, good luck with that.

p.s. there's no point in making it a "which software is better" debate, but for the record, your notions of the "state of Revit" appear to be wildly out of whack. The conclusions of those who have used both will greatly depend on the type of users you talk to.

[owen]

irusun wrote:
The "architect" segment as a generality is already a lost cause. Graphisoft needs to focus ArchiCAD on Revit's weaknesses. In my opinion, that's residential architecture project types and Revit's poor attention to feature detail.

I disagree its a lost cause .. although I don't think Graphisoft ever had dreams of becoming Autodesk. Retreating to residential architecture would be a terrible decision that dooms the software - I just don't think thats where the numbers are that would be required to support the application at the level it currently is. Graphisoft obviously know where their bread is buttered based on the heavy emphasis on large-project oriented features of recent releases .. Curtainwall, TW2, IFC collaboration, etc.

irusun wrote:
p.s. there's no point in making it a "which software is better" debate, but for the record, your notions of the "state of Revit" appear to be wildly out of whack. The conclusions of those who have used both will greatly depend on the type of users you talk to.

Agree, it is not the clear-cut decision it was a few years ago. Competition is good for both applications - i think it is in Revits best interests Graphisoft does not drop out of the commercial sector. Monopoly brings complacency

[Anonymous]

im suprised that AC14 fullfill your wishes and that you will be more productive with it. Now with shadows in OpenGL you will be able to draw faster and you will finish your job in no time . . . plz can you tell me what did you expect from archicad 14 ???? shodws in OGL,Next Generation Teamwork or Refined Model Mapping, Teamwork "Pack & Go", BIM Server Performance Monitor ........ did any1 aksed for this ????

Did you ever have problem creating stair in archicad, facade, roof, import some 3d object in archicad (loosing time to adjust plan view), can you edit wall shape without roof,boolean operations, build wooden facade,color your wall, work with material is worst of all programs that exist on planet earth, extrude profile trough the path, drag and copy in section, increase the number of available reference levels, can you rotate object in archicad on the fly like it supose to work, free form modeling, mass modeling tool - not funny zone tool, boolean operations presented on plan (THIS IS DISASTER), international library of objects which is not international - just compare deutch vs int library and you will see how bad is international library,GS team that dont care what advanced user writes here on forums, mesh to wall, 3d polyline, annoying reloading of sections and elevations etc etc etc

for me and my needs archicad 14 is a miss, hard miss. It will not benefit to my workflow and i will not be more productive.

[Bricklyne Clarence]

dcerezo wrote:
...........
AC14 is an even weaker release than Revit 2010 was for Autodesk. I can't believe that's all they accomplished in 1 year.
........

That's what I find so difficult to comprehend and not just about this release but also about version 13.

This is it? That's all they were able to do for version 14? Really?

Granted with AC13 they had the legitimate excuse that they had to shift the programs functionality to a 64-Bit platform which can't be easy from a coding perspective. And that they also had Teamwork 2.0 to get off the ground.
But still, the 64-Bit shift wasn't even a complete job - just ask Mac users - and from the looks of it, still seems like it still isn't completed even in this release where none of the documentation or videos will definitively state that AC14 is 64-Bit capable on both platforms. And Teamwork 2.0 from all accounts still seems to be a work in progress, at best, laden with errors , that they still haven't sorted out after oh so many hotfixes.

So the question still remains; this was all they were able to do in 1 year (or two if you have no use for Teamwork and are on a Mac)?

If it's really true as some are claiming in this forum that GS, due to the limited resources, were forced to prioritize collaboration as a major priority for AC14 and shift all other major issues to the bottom of the list, then it surely begs thee question as to how exactly they are running the company? GS is not the only firm with limited resources out there and a not so large Marketbase. McNeel the makers of Rhinoceros have even more limited resources an even smaller market-base, and yet you'll still find more new full-featured tools in one of their service packs than you will in a Full release of AC.
Plus, they are not forced or nor feel compelled to make their program have to conform to other companies' standards or readable to other formats; if anything it's the Revits and the Microstations out there that are forced to make their programs capable of reading and importing clean Rhino models, as is. They ARE the standard; unto themselves.

So why is GS forced to dedicate virtually all their resources to one or two features which are of minimal importance to most of their users and at the cost features and tools that actually matter to that same majority?

It's puzzling.

Unless they are actually losing clients and subscribers at a more harried and faster pace than any of us are really aware of, and their financial resources are seriously limited and strained to allow them to develop the program in a more equitable manner. Either way, the fault (and solution) lies at their own doorstep - whether it be from the perspective of losing customers because you no longer seem responsive to their needs, (or responsive period), or you are just doing a piss poor job at marketing yourself. Or whether it's by switching to a ludicrous yearly upgrade cycle that they clearly seem incapable of sustaining, now resulting in more and more diluted releases with half-baked half-completed features each year.

All of these are their decisions - none of which they even have to stick to, even to remain competitive by the way.

Once you acknowledge that you're never going to be able to compete with Autodesk on an equal footing because of their resources and their convoluted vision, and stop trying to set your standards, and your schedules by their ridiculous profit-driven motivations, you can scale back your ambitions (and your goals) and focus more on what got you there in the first place and really what matters to the people who have been keeping you afloat all this while.

I just don't understand why it's so difficult for suits at GSHQ to get this.


ArchiCAD became a great pioneering program in the 80's and 90's not because they are trying to be an alternate AutoCAD competitor type deal - but rather because they had a vision which few people bought into at the time, but which they stuck with nonetheless - and one which ironically the great makers of AutoCAD also bought into themselves almost fifteen years later and then tried to claim like they invented in the first place. Funny how things change now that Graphisoft is trying to be like Autodesk.

[dcerezo]

One of the things that has always puzzled me in this day and age is the total communication silence I have seen with company heads when a software release bombs.

I speak from personal experience only so take what I say with a grain of salt. I have seen this with Autodesk (of course, especially with Revit 2010), Next Limit (makers of Maxwell Render), and GS.

Who do these guys think they are? Why do they feel they have to keep arms distance from their customers.

One exception, and a group of developers I think all software companies should emulate, are the makers of Silo, the modeling software. These guys go out of their way to stay in touch with their customers. Here's how crazy they are: they actually post in their forums! Oooh, what a concept. And they are small potatoes in size compared to GS.

If GS at least conducted some dialogue with their customers, let them know what's going on and why, then at least that would help somewhat.

Oh, just thought of another one, the developer of Mint.com frequently posts in their forums too.

To keep putting out mediocre updates AND stay silent is just a recipe for failure if you ask me. 20 years ago this would fly, but in our twitter, facebook era, this ain't gonna cut it.

[Laszlo Nagy]

Just for the records:
Per the original 12 month release schedule, a new version usually comes out in Q2. ArchiCAD 13 came out in Q3.
ArchiCAD 14 comes out 9 months after AC13 so now the 12 months release cycle is back to normal.

[Graham Whipple]

The announcement of AC14 was unexpected yesterday and I happened upon this by coincidence. I do with GS would do a better job with marketing. That being said I am excited that AC14 should be arriving within a month's time.

I am quite interested to see how the TW2 features will add to the very powerful functionality of TW2 that already exists. We have been using TW2 in our office since shortly after AC13 was released and with only minor complaints the functionality is fantastic. BTW I am part of a small office with only 2 licenses of AC.

I am also very intrigued by the interoperability features mentioned as part of AC14. We work closely with engineers who are running Revit and the transfer of data between the 2 programs is still problematic. If the interoperability is a major feature here in AC14 I am excited.

Having explored Revit a few versions ago I am happy to still be using AC. I am sure Revit is making great strides, but I am an Architect and I don't enjoy using software that struggles with workflow.

I am not saying that AC by any means is perfect. I too wish for new and improved modeling tools, but I have yet to be disappointed by any recent update to the software. I still see AC as a very powerful tool and I feel like I am only tapping into a small portion of its functionality after 10 years of use. I have yet to find a "real world" problem that AC cannot handle.

GW