New Product - Archicad Residential Released!

[archislave]

I can't believe no one has spotted this but a new product from Graphisoft has been released for the US market. Here is a link to the Cadwire.net press release: http://go.cadwire.net and http://graphisoftus.com/

The cadwire press release indicates that it will only be available for windows initially. As a Mac user this has me worried unless they are waiting for the Tiger Mac OSX 10.4 release.

I hope it will be available for Mac since a residential solution is what I need!

[Steve Jepson]

I still have a bee in my bonnet about this.

"Steve Jepson" wrote:
Please! You are wasting your breath. ArchiCAD Residential is not a new program. It is nothing more that a silly name given to a group of add-ons that are no more Residential specific than Spell Checker!

Key Notes- $199.00

3D Profiler-$99.00

Acessory Tool-$149.00

Framing Manager- $499.00

Options Manager- $599.00

None of these options are Residential specific!

There is no such thing as Residential specific!


Mac CAD: Graphisoft announces new 'ArchiCAD Residential'

Macintosh CAD Developer and Worldwide BIM Leader Introduces Residential-Focused Building Information Modeling CAD Program - Snubs Mac Users at Initial Release

More a sign that the US contractor and developer market is primarily Windows-centric than a direct snub at its Macintosh user base, Graphisoft announced that its latest BIM application will be initially available for Windows only.

ArchiCAD Residential

ArchiCAD Residential allows those designers of primarily single-family homes to focus on flexibility in serving their customers and clients. "Home builders and designers in the U.S. have tended to create standard house plans that must then be revised to meet the individual needs of their customers. Up until now, every new configuration and change had to be created and presented separately," said Donald Henrich, vice president and general manager, Graphisoft US Our new offering is designed to address this issue and as a result, help our customers to grow their businesses through higher rates of customer satisfaction and efficiency of the design process."

With ArchiCAD Residential residential home designers, contractors, developers and architects, can create and manage overlapping options and variations with simplified tools for just these needs. The new software features the following unique key tools:

Options Manager - Makes it possible to create and manage overlapping options and for these variations to be shown with one mouse click. The software coordinates design changes automatically and simplifies the communication of design options to the client.
Wall Framing - Simplifies timber wall framing by automatically creating frames for all required walls and then scheduling each for construction.
Key Notes - Delivers an easy-to-use and easy-to-maintain database of notes, allowing efficient annotation of the drawing.
3D Profiler - Enables shapes to be developed through a range of points and saved for future use with full editing control.


Graphisoft Announces a Suite of New Tools!

Graphisoft is releasing 5 new tools to help ArchiCAD users model and document more quickly.

- 3D Profiler with Profiler Manager
- Accessory Tools
- Framing Manager
- Key Note Tool and Manager
- Option Manager

Introductory Pre-Release Promotion thru February 28, 2005:
These tools will be available at the end of February but ARCHVISTA will offer a pre-release promotion on these products thru the end of February as follows:

Receive a 10% discount on each new Tool
- or -
Receive the following 4 tools FREE with the purchase of an ArchiCAD 9 License at the retail price of $3,950:
- 3D Profiler, Accessory Tools, Wall Framing Manager and Key Note Manager

ArchiCAD w/TeamWork - $3950
ArchiCAD w/Option Manager (no TeamWork) - $3950
Option Manager as an add-on to ArchiCAD w/ TeamWork- $599

That was the price until February 28.

So, if I want to buy "ArchiCAD Residential" today it is $5,495.00 ?

How much would it cost me to "up-grade" to "ArchiCAD Residential" from ArchiCAD 9 ? $1,545.00 ?

Or are these tools being offered seperatly, before the new "ArchiCAD Residential" is released? No! Can I buy the ArchiCAD Residential Student Version? No!

That's right! There is no "ArchiCAD Residential" program.

"Worldwide BIM Leader Introduces Residential-Focused Building Information Modeling CAD Program"

[Chazz]

If Graphisoft continues its recent tradition of making all new products Windows-only (FM,HVAC, and now Option Manager) there will be a powerful incentive for new purchasers to choose Windows. This will, in turn, shrink the Mac base of AC users until it makes no sense to continue developing the core product for the Mac at all. Option Manager is a first in that it is sold WITH AC (in the "Residential" version) and according to GS it costs the same as AC 9.0, US$3950. This means that for the first time AC 9.0 Mac is essentially a "Lite" version and, if sold at the same price as AC 9.0 Res Win, a much poorer value. I can see why existing Mac users might upgrade to AC 10 Mac (we have such a big investment) but I can't see much reason for new users to buy Mac versions.

[Chazz]

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect to Graphisoft's drive to Windows-only software is why it is even necessary. I'm hardly a programer but one might have thought that in the "new from the ground up" release of AC 9.0 they would have had the code sufficiently modularized or abstracted that the hardware it was running on would hardly matter for something small like Options Manager. Isn't that sort of how it's done these days?

[Anonymous]

Chazz wrote:
.......makes no sense to continue developing the core product for the Mac at all.........

Sorry but DO NOT WANT TO HERE THAT GS

[ArchiTAD]

As an ArchiCAD user since it was first Introduced in the U.S., and a mac user, I am very concerned with Graphisoft’s current disregard for it’s mac users base. Just a reminder … ArchiCAD was developed on the mac and ported over to Windows, only after Windows adopted enough of mac’s graphics capabilities to make it functional on “PC’s”. Our architectural firm does most of our work for large national builders. It has always been a challenge for us to compete (in essentially a stealth mode) and interact with others in our industry, the vast majority of which are using AutoCAD. If Graphisoft continues in their recent trend, with regards to the mac, my inclination would be to switch us completely over to Revit and Pcs. Emotionally, I just couldn’t support a company that abandoned my preferred computer platform. Professionally, the costs associated with a switch to PC ArchiCAD (required for us to obtain the built-in functions that ArchiCAD Residential advertises) and the inherent difficulties of being ArchiCAD users in an AutoCAD world, would probably push us over to Revit, rather than ArchiCAD, on a PC. I have no desire to use ArchiCAD on any platform other than a mac. I chose ArchiCAD because of my preference for macs, not the other way around. Of course I would remain an avid mac fan and user privately … just not professionally!

[Djordje]

ArchiTAD wrote:
As an ArchiCAD user since it was first Introduced in the U.S., and a mac user, I am very concerned with Graphisoft’s current disregard for it’s mac users base.
///
Professionally, the costs associated with a switch to PC ArchiCAD (required for us to obtain the built-in functions that ArchiCAD Residential advertises) and the inherent difficulties of being ArchiCAD users in an AutoCAD world, would probably push us over to Revit, rather than ArchiCAD, on a PC. I have no desire to use ArchiCAD on any platform other than a mac. I chose ArchiCAD because of my preference for macs, not the other way around. Of course I would remain an avid mac fan and user privately … just not professionally!

I have to question your logic here.

Macs or PCs are not what you do your work with; it is ArchiCAD. The real cost is not switching to PCs, it is switching your basic tool - and that is ArchiCAD, not the Mac. It is the cost of training, reworking all the working procedures, redefining templates, whatever. Much more costly than replacing one boxful of glorified sand with another.

Revit's DWG compatibility is no better than ArchiCAD's.

Emotions have nothing to do with business decisions; therefore, you make a balance sheet for option one and option two - off the top of my head, I am sure that you will relaize that I am right.

[Anonymous]

Does all of this mean that Mac versions of the residential package will never be available? I hope that it is forthcoming. If 60% of ArchiCad users are using windows versions and the other 40% Mac, I suppose it makes more business sense if one has to be released before the other to release the one that gives more bang for the buck. But I hardly think that they will neglect the other 40% of potential income.

I also think that users who feel that they must change to the windows platform will indeed look at the other BIM option. Platform freedom is a big advantage for users and in turn for Graphisoft as well. Graphisoft has stated that they are behind the Mac. But graphisoft please don't make it into an archicad 'lite' version.

I for one am waiting to see which direction that graphisoft take in the near future. For now I will enjoy my Mac & ArchiCad and wait.

[TomWaltz]

Macs or PCs are not what you do your work with; it is ArchiCAD. The real cost is not switching to PCs, it is switching your basic tool - and that is ArchiCAD, not the Mac. It is the cost of training, reworking all the working procedures, redefining templates, whatever. Much more costly than replacing one boxful of glorified sand with another.

Ever tried switching an office frm one OS to another? All of these apply there as well!

[Anonymous]

TomWaltz wrote:
Ever tried switching an office frm one OS to another? All of these apply there as well!

I have done it before and not pleasant at all and above it all just recently, even though I went from Windoz to Mac which setup on Mac was a brezzzz.
And even my beloved ArchiCad will not convince me to go back to Win. platform even though I am very familiar with it.
Joseph

[TomWaltz]

We went from KDE on Solaris with Windows NT4 on Citrix to only OS X. OS X was pretty easy, but teaching everyone Mozilla, OpenOffice, Finder, etc. turned out to be pretty involved.