We have switched because the program we were using, Ashlar Vellum/Graphite, has stopped supporting the Mac platform. There is no way I would ever give up my Mac!! Even when we were using it, it never crossed with AutoCad seamlessly. Our drawings always looked terrible and were un-useable to an AutoCad user because Graphite handles text in a completely different way than AutoCad and didn't export it correctly. The pens also did not match, as line colors did not tie into line weight. It was great to print drawings, they looked fantastic until someone asked me to email them a dwg. Then it took me a day to import it into ArchiCad and make the text look somewhat presentable, but still the line weights never were right. For awhile, quite awhile, this was all we used ArchiCad for. Then it got to be such a hassle because EVERYONE wanted dwg files emailed to them. So, I finally bit the bullet and flogged my way onto ArchiCad and have not looked back since. Once I got back up to speed, I can produce just as fast as before. The nice thing is that with Plotmaker I can publish and entire layout book to dwg files in about 1 minute. Before, with Graphite, it took all day. It took me a little while to retrain myself how I approach a project from the beginning, and how to make ArchiCad work for me instead of against me, I am getting much more comfortable with it each week that goes by and I learn a new "trick" to help me along.
Being a fairly new user, I took a little while to get my drawings to cross with AutoCad users. My main issue is most architects I deal with are using Architectual Desktop, or some other derivitive of AutoCad, which uses "blocks" or modules for different rooms and such that do not import into ArchiCad, or even Auto Cad. I have to have them bind their xrefs and explode everything into basic elements and then ArchiCad will import them jsut fine.
I have them send me their pen set. This I open on my Windows laptop in AutoCadLT, which I keep a copy of to check what my drawings look like, or to find out why a dwg will not open in ArchiCad. I go through the penset and build one to match in drawing attributes and then save that set of attributes in that particular project file. That way my pen colors and weights are an exact match to the architect's set. This was really my only area where things didn't look right. This takes me all of 10 minutes at the start of each project.
I had trouble learning some things in Plotmaker, because the documentation and User Guide is not real strong in the Plotmaker section, but that is where this forum comes in so handy. If I have an issue, I post my question here and usually get a response in an hour or so, several by the next morning. Everyone here is very helpful in answering my "stupid questions", even when I ask the same one again a few weeks later because I forgot I already asked it.
AutoCad is so un-user friendly. ArchiCad is much more intuitive, once you take the time to learn it. INVEST IN SOME TRAINING!! Once we did that, Tom Simmons came to the Pacific Northwest and spent a day with us and that leap-frogged me so far ahead, it was worth every penny. We need to do it again soon, now that we have the basics down to learn more "tricks and tips" to streamline things even more. Try to find a good forum for AutoCad help - there isn't one. This is the best forum out there for any CAD software bar none. Very knowlegable users, willing to help the newest beginner. Talk to the Woodster about ArchiCamp
Plus, when I need to a nice 3d walkaround really impresses a client, although I don't do it too often. It is fun, though and I need to really get into the rendering side of it much further. This is a complex application. I can't stress enough to get some training. There are many resources through resellers, and users on this board like ArchiLink that can provide excellent training. It will sound expensive at first, but after you do it you will think it was worth every penny and then some.
Being a fairly new user, I took a little while to get my drawings to cross with AutoCad users. My main issue is most architects I deal with are using Architectual Desktop, or some other derivitive of AutoCad, which uses "blocks" or modules for different rooms and such that do not import into ArchiCad, or even Auto Cad. I have to have them bind their xrefs and explode everything into basic elements and then ArchiCad will import them jsut fine.
I have them send me their pen set. This I open on my Windows laptop in AutoCadLT, which I keep a copy of to check what my drawings look like, or to find out why a dwg will not open in ArchiCad. I go through the penset and build one to match in drawing attributes and then save that set of attributes in that particular project file. That way my pen colors and weights are an exact match to the architect's set. This was really my only area where things didn't look right. This takes me all of 10 minutes at the start of each project.
I had trouble learning some things in Plotmaker, because the documentation and User Guide is not real strong in the Plotmaker section, but that is where this forum comes in so handy. If I have an issue, I post my question here and usually get a response in an hour or so, several by the next morning. Everyone here is very helpful in answering my "stupid questions", even when I ask the same one again a few weeks later because I forgot I already asked it.
AutoCad is so un-user friendly. ArchiCad is much more intuitive, once you take the time to learn it. INVEST IN SOME TRAINING!! Once we did that, Tom Simmons came to the Pacific Northwest and spent a day with us and that leap-frogged me so far ahead, it was worth every penny. We need to do it again soon, now that we have the basics down to learn more "tricks and tips" to streamline things even more. Try to find a good forum for AutoCad help - there isn't one. This is the best forum out there for any CAD software bar none. Very knowlegable users, willing to help the newest beginner. Talk to the Woodster about ArchiCamp
Plus, when I need to a nice 3d walkaround really impresses a client, although I don't do it too often. It is fun, though and I need to really get into the rendering side of it much further. This is a complex application. I can't stress enough to get some training. There are many resources through resellers, and users on this board like ArchiLink that can provide excellent training. It will sound expensive at first, but after you do it you will think it was worth every penny and then some.
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