Hence wrote:
I just want to know how other users feel about charging for additional content for ArchiCAD. I recently looked up ArchiGlazing as a solution for creating custom windows. It cost $209 US per copy. I know that is not a lot for most firms, but it can be a lot for start up firms or small offices with limited budgets, especially given the cost of ArchiCAD alone.
So let me know what you think. Is it fair to charge for additional content (bathroom fixtures, furniture ect..) and applications that should be part of the program?
PS
I know there is a free GDL library, but there are slim pickens in there.
Yes it's true; all those third-party developers have every right to charge you for their hard work and ingenuity. Or at least as much right as third-party developers for other software such as Chaosgroup (Vray), Cebas (Finalrender) NextLimit (Realflow/Maxwell) do to 3ds Max users, for example. The subtle difference between our case and those users and that software (3ds Max - as an example) is that the developers of those software, have provided them (and continue to provide them) with native means of accomplishing what those third party plug-ins can do with almost as much versatility. For example Autodesk has spent a lot developing Mental Ray as a native renderer for 3ds MAX ( and Maya, and Revit and the rest of them) to the degree that it not only competes on almost equal footing with Vray, Final Render, Maxwell and the rest of the third party renderers, but also makes the question of whether or not to buy a third-party renderer a one of personal taste and convenience rather than one of, the necessity arising from an absence in the host software. The same can be argued for their Reactor system, which facilitates fluid dynamic simulations natively ala NextLimit's Realflow, and Cloth simulations ala Simcloth and other third-party cloth simulators.
Unfortunately the same obviously can't be said for AC's third party plugins as most of them exist due to a glaring absence or glaring absences in ArchiCAD; along with Graphisoft's reluctance to develop them. Or if they do exist in ArchiCAD, then achieving the same function (without mind-boggling work-arounds) as the third party plugin would require some level of (advanced) knowledge of GDL coding - which no one has any time to learn. Think of Archiforma (free-form and basic modeling), ArchiStair or Stairmaker ( Stair-modeling and documentation without the utter
joy
of pulling one's teeth), Objective (think: most of the most basic and obvious tasks in modeling such as rotating objects in Section views - that somehow, someway don't exist in a software as advanced as ArchiCAD) and so on and so forth.
I guess what I'm trying to say here is that you should not really be upset at all those third party developers who work so hard to ensure that you can do in ArchiCAD what ArchiCAD wouldn't (but should) let you do - and then have the audacity to expect to be paid for their efforts.
You should probably direct your frustration and anger towards Graphisoft who seem reluctant ( and some would argue decidedly and intentionally so) to give you the tools and means to natively achieve these tasks in ArchiCAD - after all you've paid for it - in the first place.
p.s.
But then again as some here would argue and have you believe; we don't really
'need'
those tools, functions or alternatives in ArchiCAD (at least, they don't so that must mean you also don't and hence we all don't....or so the reasoning goes) in the first place, so why should Graphisoft waste their resources on improving their software for your convenience as a paying user?
You pay for it. Again.
