Training

[Djordje]

Dear Talkers,

From the recent postings, it is noticeable that a lot of even medium experience users did not have any or a little formal training.

The question is - why?

Please let me have your experiences.

[Anonymous]

In the options for voting "myself "and "nowhere" is almost the same alternative.

[Djordje]

jocontreras wrote:
In the options for voting "myself "and "nowhere" is almost the same alternative.

Not really.

"Myself" means that you started the tutorial, went through it, read the documentation BEFORE you plunged.

"Nowhere" means you just jumped in ... for better or worse.

[Rakela Raul]

interesting question!
when i did my research to give a try to another 3d program , i picked ac cuz it was the winner in the 'short learning curve' (among others) item compared to a few others....and i started with version 6 if my memory still decent....since then, i have visited the ac book only a couple of times and cuz suggested by some of you and just recently......but, it would have been great to have training back then, till today maybe!!...........i have been doing 3d since 1985 using others and i considered ac easy to learn or get to the point to produce a set of docs almost just intuitively in a short period of time

[Anonymous]

I purchased V5, put my drawing board to one side and just went for it, teaching myself from manual and phoning distributor with frequent dumb questions. Found that within 3-4 months in the deep end that I had a pretty good understanding of ArchiCAD. Attended a few courses but generally found I had advanced well beyond these and they were basically a waste of time. Have trained 5-6 trainee staff on V8+, with a mix of some courses as well, they also found courses generally too basic. The advice I offer my staff most frequently with regards to learing ArchiCAD is "Don't be afraid to try something as the undo button is the best learning tool you have available !"

[Anonymous]

After almost 12 years of Archicad and seeing the latest post, I am catching up with this topic. After all the other CAD programs, finding AC in 1994 was a real breath of fresh air. Met the local reseller (John Stebbins) and quickly could see the benefit. I too hired the demo guy to prove that it would work and I could be taught the differences between drafting and BIM. It was V4.16 for Windows. At the time the windows port was brand new and it was an eye opener. The first project was completed the first 30 days, the client was billed and paid for the original license.

From that initial project to today, the mental training that John brought as well as the enthusiasm for the virtual building has stuck to require me to continue to explore all the possibilities - and the acknowledgement of the importance the computer and AC have brought to the profession.

Lew Bishop
AC 9 US latest
Mac G4 1.5 15" Laptop
OSX 10.4

[KeesW]

I can't complete the training survey because my training comprised a combination of reseller, training courses, and self-learing with and without tutorials. More recently, I've used the excellent Virutual Tutor.

The downside of not having any training and 'picking it up as one goes along' is that one tends only to learn the bits that are needed and won't get a comprehensive overview of the full product. I came from an Autocad background and started by looking for equivalencies in Archicad. That was frustrating because it soon became clear that Archicad does thing differently.

Maybe attending a formal training course is particularly helpful if one comes from another CAD system - because it more efficiently encourages 'unlearning' which is usually required.

[Jefferson]

Can we check all of the above? You are missing the the box, trainer came to my place of business........

I started with the knock-off VectorWorks, their anoinetd trainers and accompanying CDs, for my introduction to CAD. Once I ran into the program's shortcomings I jumped to ArchiCAD 7, a "used" license wouldn't net any reseller help and the outrageous $175 per hour they wanted for tutoring was beyond my fledgling budget. I still resent that!

So, I worked from the manuals first, then intergraded Virtual Tutor, [a wonderful foundation], but in the end still needed a "live" demo to fill in the missing links. Most of the training I've received was in the office of a seasoned user, thank you Dwight!, thank you Karl!, and the most valuable was here in my "office"over an extended visit, THANK YOU Link!!, after contacting them via ArchiCAD talk forum and soliciting their help. The local user group, a ferry ride and 50 mile round trip for me proved valuable most every time. And this forum can not be underestimated! Someone has almost had been to the same problem spot you're in right now and is more than willing to help. and the only price is you give back! a tremedous bargin.

Advice: buy the Virtual Tutor, WORK at it to build your foundation of understanding and real world questions, then get help, the best you can find. It's money you'll never regret spending and it will come back to you three-fold!

[Erika Epstein]

And get in touch with Link. He's now back in New Zealand.