How to survive in an AutoCAD environnement ?

[Anonymous]

I've been using ArchiCAD since 6.5 after having used AutoCAD 14 & 2000... I just got a new job in a big organization (more than 800 workers) where AutoCAD 2004 is massively used.

Is there any hints, tips, etc. that would help me keep using ArchiCAD in this environnement ?

[Anonymous]

Matthew wrote:
A word of caution though. Unless you find an unusual level of interest, do not push the use of ArchiCAD in this environment. ACAD users are likely to find it threatening as a concept (particularly CAD managers) and will resist and criticize.

What I have found out that really really irks them AutoCAD users, the one thing they just can not forgive us, is the FUN WE HAVE!
This is something you just can't let them notice.
You should work hunched over your station, mumbling "oh deary deary me..." and slapping your display around every 15 minutes.
I

[TomWaltz]

You know about the battle at Thermopily? 300 Spartan soldiers tried to stop the Persian army of several thousand.

They all died ...

But if memory serves.... didn't the Spartans inflict almost 100:1 casualties before they died?

[stefan]

And some real hints:

Get to grips with AutoCAD yourself, at least to the level that you can tweak your DWG-conversion settings if you still want to use ArchiCAD in the workflow.
AutoCAD 2004/2005 is not that much different then AutoCAD 12 but still... there are a lot of features.
Do they use AutoCAD with the C3A-extensions (or Tase)? Because then they have a workflow and set of templates to which you have to obey, even if you make it in ArchiCAD.

Do lot's and lot's of 3D. That always impresses people, certainly those that can't do it, but also those that do it the hard way in AutoCAD: with inflexible solids all the way, from 2D-drawings. If they use ADT, they understand what you are doing, so it is harder to blow them away.

If you're interested in learning new software (I know I would be) then inform them about Revit and the AutoCAD/Revit-series.

Or focus on the 3D-building and pass on the sections to the drafters.


Well, you didn't give much specifics: do you still need to draw? Or is it more in a project-engineering position that you are working now?

The ArchiCAD 9 DWG/DXF translators are very usable, although I advise you to prepare real templates in AutoCAD, with layers, pen colors etc... so the ArchiCAD translator can be finetuned to them.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the tips about using ArchiCAD in this environnement. I guess I'll have to take some time to carefully set-up my template to integrate the AutoCAD standards. The trouble is they use about 300 layers where everyhting is completely dissociated. I don't guess ArchiCAD will be able to export elements from a window to 3 or 4 different layers for exemple... I'll get back to you when I'll be a little bit more far in this process...

[Anonymous]

stefan wrote:
Do they use AutoCAD with the C3A-extensions (or Tase)? Because then they have a workflow and set of templates to which you have to obey, even if you make it in ArchiCAD.

Yes, they use this system, but it's not very well documented, so until now I don't really know to what I've to conform...

stefan wrote:
Do lot's and lot's of 3D. That always impresses people, certainly those that can't do it, but also those that do it the hard way in AutoCAD: with inflexible solids all the way, from 2D-drawings. If they use ADT, they understand what you are doing, so it is harder to blow them away.

They begin to use it, but I'm still wondering why they're not introducing revit instead ? I guess using ADT allow the drafters to use AutoCAD as they've always used it before !

stefan wrote:
If you're interested in learning new software (I know I would be) then inform them about Revit and the AutoCAD/Revit-series.

Or focus on the 3D-building and pass on the sections to the drafters.

stefan wrote:
Well, you didn't give much specifics: do you still need to draw? Or is it more in a project-engineering position that you are working now?

I'll need to draw at early stage but drafters will do the 2D / detail work...

stefan wrote:
The ArchiCAD 9 DWG/DXF translators are very usable, although I advise you to prepare real templates in AutoCAD, with layers, pen colors etc... so the ArchiCAD translator can be finetuned to them.

Can you explain a bit ?

[Eduardo Rolon]

Check this thread

http://archicad-talk.graphisoft.com/viewtopic.php?p=25158&highlight=autocad#25158

[Anonymous]

With a ratio of 800 to 1 you are in the driving seat.

I work with autocad alongside my own licenced version of archicad. It works for me and I've had no conflicts with the more passionate acad types. In fact quite the contrary.
With a strict company layering regime which nobody seems to adhere to, I am in their good books due to the fact that I only ever had to set up the company layering system in archicad once and now all my dwg output is "correctly" layered.

Sketches!
I modeled up some buildings which had been designed and developed (mainly in plan) and used the sketch rendering setting to create elevations and a couple of perspectives which look like hand-drawn pencil sketches. I prepared a plotmaker sheet to replicate the cad elevation sheet which had already been prepared with acad.
As soon as the directors saw my 'pencil elevations' they asked "how long will it take to model the whole site?" I had already done so. "A couple of days" I replied thinking I could use the time to tidy my materials and customize my composites (more tea vicar?). "If we asked Leeds (head office) to do that we wouldn't get it back for months" was their astonished response.

Our Leeds office use acad & Viz to produce 'visuals'. I feel for them, I really do!

[Petros Ioannou]

So Geoffroy, it's been 2 months (maybe more?) in your new work environment. How are things going?


Petros

[Ben Odonnell]

Geoffroy wrote:
I don't guess ArchiCAD will be able to export elements from a window to 3 or 4 different layers for exemple... I'll get back to you when I'll be a little bit more far in this process...

Geoffroy,
How have you gone with this problem?
I can give you a little tip, if you haven't already found it your self.
In ArchiCAD 7 we had a really nice function in the DXF-DWG config. On e could combine ArchiCAD/Plotmaker layers with the pen--->layer conversion. For same strange reason it was over looked and disappeared from ArchiCAD 8/8.1. But now it's back in ArchiCAD 9.

So what you can do now is split up every window/door and export it to was many different layers you like, depending on how many different elements can have their pen colour changed in the window object of course.

So what you can do is take away any thing under the "Create custom layers for" your windows and doors.
What you can then do is convert your pens that you have used on your windows and doors and place them on what ever layer you like.

E.G Every thing drawn with Pen 200 goes onto AutoCAD layer "Outer Windows"

Ect ect.

HTH.
Cheers.
Ben

[Anonymous]

Petros wrote:
So Geoffroy, it's been 2 months (maybe more?) in your new work environment. How are things going?

Haaa, excellent question.

As we received a new version of Architectural Desktop 2005, I've taken a 4 days courses. I was getting convinced that there were many interesting features until the 4th day : we started focusing on workflow and for me ADT is nearly unusable (lack of ergonomy, much too complex, etc).

I've meanwhile been asked to join the AutoCAD/Architectural Desktop Internal User Group and I'll try to propose the use of ArchiCAD for one project I'll have to do in the next fex month. I'll have to teach a draftman to use the software (which will take approximately 3 hours 😉 ) and draw the project with him... The problem is that this project consist of remodeling of 4 quite extended historical buildings in Bruxelles : a difficult project for a "test" 😉, but this might be a good challenge for ArchiCAD...

The last question at the present time : will they let me use ArchiCAD (as I have my own key, it won't even be a problem of licence cost).