Archicad GUI and the Future?

[archislave]

Being a relatively new user of Archicad since v9 I have noticed a few things about the interface. It seems to adhere to the independent document window mode pioneered ( I guess) and until recently adhered to by Apple. So we find a drawing in a floating window that can be maximized and is surrounded by the palettes and toolbars. One advantage of this is that you could shrink a floating window and have another one beside it to compare or work in both.

I have noticed in v10 that when you click another save view window that it updates according to the previous window view settings thus messing up the display ie: floor plan settings get updated with the section view settings you were just working with. This seems to confirm that GS want you to double-click in the navigator each time you change views. This way of working almost eliminates the posibililty of the floating multi window approach. I also does away with the advantage of Expose on the Mac where you can select the shrunken image of the window you want - because now upon selecting and it resultant full to the front window get updated - again with the wrong view settings.

This is why I am wondering if it would be better if GS would consider making Archicad into the 'all in one' interface Apple seems to be adoping for it's iApps and Pro Apps. I think this type of interface first appeared in Outlook and can also be found in Revit I think. Autocad, 3dStudio and others offer the ability to divide up the single window viewport into two or four viewports. This allows you to work in and compare up to four window at a time.

The advantage of this is that the GUI is much more organized and there are less things to have to size and drag. With the right thinking you can make a truly simple and beautiful interface. The screenshot shows the beauty of Apple Aperture.

I wonder if GS would consider implementing such a GUI since the one now is so cluttered. The lack of clarity and ease of use really bites GS in the long run. Their laziness and being on the cutting edge of interface design means people give up during the trial period.

[archislave]

One other thing that bothers me in Archicad is the extreme indention of the drawing lists in the navigator to indicate hierarchy. Yes, I see even Aperture employs this, but I noticed that iTunes just uses different fonts and colors. That way you don't have to make the Navigator panel so wide to read the drawing names.

[SeaGeoff]

Thought provoking subject. Some thoughts. Our work benefits more than your other examples from having multiple views available. The single window interface doesn't work well across multiple monitors, a set-up many people have. And having equally sized mini-windows tiled within the main window space yields unacceptably small views. Some views, like floor plans and large elevations, deserve massive screen real estate while others, like details or wall sections, may need less. Personally I believe the future of ArchiCAD is a window-per-view arrangement where each saved view opens in it's own window and each window/view remembers it's view settings. Floor plan and framing plan open at the same time anyone? This also has the advantage of eliminating the need for plan-specific annotation and drafting layers as each window/view would be a separate space similar to S/E windows today. Furthermore, the WYSIWYG connection between view and drawing is strengthened offering new opportunities to enhance the workflow with things like view specific pen sets and rotated views.

[Thomas Holm]

Geoff wrote:
Thought provoking subject. Some thoughts. Our work benefits more than your other examples from having multiple views available. The single window interface doesn't work well across multiple monitors, a set-up many people have. And having equally sized mini-windows tiled within the main window space yields unacceptably small views. Some views, like floor plans and large elevations, deserve massive screen real estate while others, like details or wall sections, may need less. Personally I believe the future of ArchiCAD is a window-per-view arrangement where each saved view opens in it's own window and each window/view remembers it's view settings. Floor plan and framing plan open at the same time anyone? This also has the advantage of eliminating the need for plan-specific annotation and drafting layers as each window/view would be a separate space similar to S/E windows today. Furthermore, the WYSIWYG connection between view and drawing is strengthened offering new opportunities to enhance the workflow with things like view specific pen sets and rotated views.

Agreed!

[archislave]

Maybe the option of having a single unified window with up to four viewports and a second child window that can be placed on another monitor and it can also be a single maximized window or four viewports as well. Don't forget that the huge lcd monitors are getting cheap. I had rather work on a 24" or 30" widescreen than two monitors any day.

I also think that Apple's 'Spaces" feature in Leopard will create new possibilities though I doubt GS will implement it since such does not exist on windows - unless they have time to copy that for Vista 🙂

[stefan]

Combustion has a unified GUI that works well on Dual Monitors.

Most (classic) Apple applications have a mess of windows flying all over the place, especially when multiple toolbars are involved.

Cinema4D has a clean solution for complete flexible GUI layout: docking, docking into tabs, floating, whatever you want is supported. Every window has the same behaviour: even property dialogs (most modeless ones) follow that behaviour.

Let's see:
unified & docking: Revit, 3ds max, Lightwave, XSI, Cinema4D, iWhatever from Apple

a bit of both: AutoCAD (esp. with the palettes & the Dashboard), ArchiCAD on Windows, Photoshop Elements

mostly floating around: SketchUp, ArchiCAD on Mac, Photoshop, ...

I like the ArchiCAD GUI in Windows much more then in MacOSX.

[archislave]

I agree that Archicad in Windows is much better than on OSX which is ironic. All the apps I use is OSX are better looking and acting except for Archicad. I think they just don't take advantage of the latest Apple API's or whatever....

[Anonymous]

With capablilities on the rise in ArchiCad 10, I would say that a updated GUI would do a world of good to create a much enhanced look and feel. Don't get me wrong, Graphisoft needs continued tool improvements as well. I use both Mac & PC and I think that the MacPro applications would get my vote for a look and feel that could benefit ArchiCad.

[Thomas Holm]

I don't agree on this. I think the AC10/OSX GUI is good. And I like the AC10/OSX way of docking better than Windows's.
One thing though - I would like views to (optionally, if possilble) remember their screen window size (in pixels), even in plan views. This would make it easier to create and store views for fast check printouts.

[Dwight]

I'd like a totally customizable GUI. But I'm really influenced by the GUI of LightWave because of its sleek compactness.

There's way less mousing required because things are close together. The Archicad Mac interface suffers from that earlydaysmac big buttons big spaces layout.