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!

[Laszlo Nagy]

Dennis wrote:
At 4:19 of this video, it says ArchiCAD 14 can do collision detection. If true, isn't this a major feature? How come it's not mentioned on the new features list? Also, the video shows a bunch of new buttons that I've never seen before. Anyone have any idea what they are?

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archicad#p/c/5C1926DD91A70C7B/2/pMBtiHqOLFQ

Collision detection is not new with AC14.
Collision Detection is one feature of the MEP Modeler Add-On of ArchiCAD. This is just something that you would do in an IFC file exchange workflow with the MEP engineer. I guess this is the reason it is mentioned in that video. But this feature has been available for a while in MEP Modeler.

[Anonymous]

laszlonagy wrote:
Whatever, I get your point about Etabs.
Yes, there is probably a limitation of how well the IFC file exchange can be if the other side is bad.
But what should GS do? Not pursue this direction? They do not have much choice. DWG is Autodesk's format and it cannot be used for BIM file exchange. Revit's format is proprietary, too.
Also, I am reading at various places that BIM will never really be a one platform solution. Maybe Revit has Architecture, Structure, MEP, but there are so many additional phases to BIM and Integrated Project Delivery (including, analysis, cost estimation, time schedules, construction-related application, Facility Management etc.) that there will probably never really be one format or one platform. An in that case the program will need to be exchanging files. IFC is the open standard format that can be the future common file exchange format.
So I believe it is a very good and strategically good decision from GS to pursue its development.

(But this is no argument about what constitutes a good and full release to whom and why).

We are on the same side Laszlo .. we both agree that IFC is the way GS should go in terms of collaboration, having the decision of focusing on Architecture side only ... but .. according to the philosophy of that each division should pick the best software and the collaborate through IFC .. ArchiCAD should have significant advantages over the other packages in the architecture side ..to be selected by architects "which I don't really find anymore...yes it has some strong points, but some really weak points also " ... does that happen through the ability of reading other file formats? I personally don't think so .. I think it happens only through the working options / tools in the software . the IFC thing is a parallel path to go..not "the" path to go . that is why I don't see a new version here .

And I just listed the Etabs example ..just to discuss that its impossible to have a perfect IFC exchange through one company - no matter how hard that vendor tries - ... which is what the videos are trying to promote. and I guess we both know is not possible.

[Bricklyne Clarence]

laszlonagy wrote:

Dennis wrote:
At 4:19 of this video, it says ArchiCAD 14 can do collision detection. If true, isn't this a major feature? How come it's not mentioned on the new features list? Also, the video shows a bunch of new buttons that I've never seen before. Anyone have any idea what they are?

http://www.youtube.com/user/Archicad#p/c/5C1926DD91A70C7B/2/pMBtiHqOLFQ

Collision detection is not new with AC14.
Collision Detection is one feature of the MEP Modeler Add-On of ArchiCAD. This is just something that you would do in an IFC file exchange workflow with the MEP engineer. I guess this is the reason it is mentioned in that video. But this feature has been available for a while in MEP Modeler.

Wow.

So if I understand you correctly, what you're actually saying is that, in order to get collision detection in ArchiCAD 14 you still have to buy an additional third party plug-in in the form of the MEP Modeler? And that in order to fully benefit from these new collaboration and data exchange capabilities, you still have to have other out-of-the-box tools like the aforementioned MEP Modeler, to help with something so basic in information exchange workflows, as element coordination and accuracy?

So why advertise it as if it's one of the new features of AC14 when it's not even that at all?

Unless I'm understanding this incorrectly, and the MEP modeler is actually included as a free upgrade as part of the upgrade features for these collaborative tools. Is the MEP modeler (or some of it's functions) a free upgrade included?

Otherwise this would end up being another case of false advertising by GS just like they did with AC12, in trying to make it seem like the Curtain Wall Tool was actually capable of modeling curved profiled Curtain Walls, (as with the ING Building in Vörösmarty in Budapest, that graced the AC12 box and promotional new features videos), when the reality was that they actually used custom GDL objects, to model the top curved part of that Curtain Wall, and not the Curtain wall tool.

So is collision detection an out-of-the-box AC14 feature and new tool, and if not, why do those videos make it seem that way?

[Anonymous]

Bricklyne wrote:


Otherwise this would end up being another case of false advertising by GS just like they did with AC12, in trying to make it seem like the Curtain Wall Tool was actually capable of modeling curved profiled Curtain Walls, (as with the ING Building in Vörösmarty in Budapest, that graced the AC12 box and promotional new features videos), when the reality was that they actually used custom GDL objects, to model the top curved part of that Curtain Wall, and not the Curtain wall tool.

hmmm..so you know about this huh?

one horrible word... MARKETING

[Laszlo Nagy]

The way this works is that if someone had an MEP Modeler license then the AC14 version upgrade of the MEP Modeler is free.

I will make sure GS know that they should make it clear in the feature description that certain functions are available with the MEP Modeler and it is not part of the ArchiCAD 14 application as default. By the way in the "official" feature list you will not find any of the MEP-based functions.

[Chazz]

The one thing that no one has mentioned is that this exchange workflow has one absolutely fatal flaw: it requires the engineering team member to download and install a plug-in from a Hungarian company he's never heard of before. Even if it worked as advertised (which given GS' history, is doubtful) this whole paradigm just won't work for a lot of users or in a lot of situations.

If you were sitting around thinking about how you would want to architect a collaboration workflow, it seems this would be the last way you would want to go about it. Much better if AC could just read the Revit file directly. Now that would be disruptive and worth crowing about.

I have to say that after reading the release notes and sitting through the videos, I conclude that this is the least compelling upgrade this company has ever offered --at least for me. I doubt I will bother upgrading. The fact that there is no 64 bit version for the Mac puts the lie to any talk of previous "upgrades" modernizing the foundations of the codebase and positioning it for the future. This software feels old and the vision for this and past upgrades feels uninspired and clueless.

[Stephen Dolbee]

Chazz wrote:
I have to say that after reading the release notes and sitting through the videos, I conclude that this is the least compelling upgrade this company has ever offered --at least for me. I doubt I will bother upgrading. The fact that there is no 64 bit version for the Mac puts the lie to any talk of previous "upgrades" modernizing the foundations of the codebase and positioning it for the future. This software feels old and the vision for this and past upgrades feels uninspired and clueless.

Agreed. No upgrade this year. Normally, I would be pressuring my boss for the upgrade. No reasons to do so this time.

[Anonymous]

Chazz wrote:
The fact that there is no 64 bit version for the Mac puts the lie to any talk of previous "upgrades" modernizing the foundations of the codebase and positioning it for the future. This software feels old and the vision for this and past upgrades feels uninspired and clueless.

We don't completely agree with you, even if our needs are not absolutely satisfied with the past two versions.
This post is a public killing execution for the software.
It is true that when we read reactions on many forums around the world, we can legitimately ask if there is a pilot in the GS airplane?
The marketing strategy "pay and wait" is unbearable. And as required by Graphisoft who don't listen nobody, it's logic that when customers-users are driven under wall, they can't be constructive and positive.
Are we lost?

[Anonymous]

I am still waiting for a logical answer. I work solo. I paid my subscription. Gor nothing last year (teamwork is not for solo architects) and this year exporters!!. A whole version just with exporters!

I really wonder. Has anyone over GS ever read the forum? The wish list section. Ever. Do they feel they have a ripe architectural modeler that just needs exporting filters?

Are they really so blind?

We are in 2010, and Archicad is not yet a fully 3d program (its 2.5D at most)
Its based on a 20 year old GDL. No changes, no enchancements.

Instead of making the needed changes , they we are just asked to pre-pay for next version, and get nothing. Release after release.

I am waiting an official GS answer. Why they dont add modelling functions and what are there plans. Not just take money.

[Anonymous]

Going back to IFC, some of our user base have doubts about being able to trust IFC - so there is going to be some data lost in translation from AC to IFC to Revit or whatever:

http://redbolts.com/blog/post/2010/05/20/IFC-has-no-place-in-your-Revit-BIM-workflow.aspx

Guy's post is a little pessimistic, but I firmly believe ALL vendors have to develop better interoperability, or someone is going to get sued, and dollars will be wasted, which is what BIM is supposed to prevent!