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Quantity and Cost estimation from ArchiCAD

Narendra
Booster

Dear All,

Quantity and Cost estimation from ArchiCAD (Compared with Cigraph’ s Archiquant add-on and Vicco Office).

I do not know estimation practices fellow ArchiCAD users are using. But I, in our country expect quantity and cost estimates of components required in elements and objects (walls, beams, etcetera along with GDL Objects). The reason is rates of components vary with elements at various locations.

I would expect volume of wood, number of hardware pieces, area of glass and number of carpenters along with respective costs when estimating a wooden door. (* “Cigraph’ s Archiquant” add-on can do this)

I have tried to search this solution to my problem of detailed component level cost estimation for more than one and half decade from Graphisoft, user-forums, my software dealers, and many others.

This is about finding quantity and cost estimation through ArchiCAD, without any success.

Cigraph and its CEO Istvan Toth gave me some relief for what I had wanted. However, Cigraph has collapsed and hence I am back to the square one.

“ArchiCAD calculation module” of ArchiCAD has not changed for one and half decade and I do not think any practice depends on it for its failure to calculate from all the properties like the width height volumes surfaces parameters in elements and gdl objects. The report format of the same is worst, and no one can program it to a desired format.

The question remains if there is any solution to detailed cost estimation which will give quantity and cost estimates of components from the ArchiCAD model.

In India this is very much required.

In India we grossly depend on “schedule of rates” prepared by government departments, and they are a good database and that they are backed by analysis of component quantities of the listed items of buildings.

Many software companies in India and abroad have created software that link building elements like walls, beams columns to the database items of the district schedule of rates from Revit. But it is sad that no one has developed such linking which Cigraph provided.

Now with the end of Cigraph, future of above-described estimation in detail from ArchiCAD faces a dead wall.

Someone from Graphisoft -Hong Kong office suggested me a software but that to had linking to Autodesk products only.

I remember Graphisoft had prepared a 6D estimation module sometime in 2006 which I presume was handed over to Vicco. Does it work with ArchiCAD in the original way? But I presume it is extremely expensive and hence un-affordable to small practices like ours. What is opinion of the fellow architects?

In short, Will someone guide me so that I can generate detailed quantity and cost estimates either from ArchiCAD or any other third-party software makers who can link data of ArchiCAD?

Architect Narendra Suryavanshi-ArchiCAD User, Designer and Owner

62 REPLIES 62
Miha Nahtigal
Advocate

 

My side project www.BIMquants.com for quantity and cost estimation is up and running.

 

The concept is built around webapp combined with Archicad Addon that establishes a data link between Archicad model (elements) and BIMquants Qties (webapp). With MS Excel export and all.

 

If anyone is interested, please check the videos below and give it a try. Totally free while in beta.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBU00N5SQgw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LlNY1vi4n5c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdSaBvjpsuo

 

BIMquants.comBETA - Quantities and Costs Estimation in Archicad - BETA testers needed.
Botonis
Advisor

For those who might be intersted in the new ArchiquantPlus, it will soon be released 

greatly improved by Fermat Italy as a part of BIMKit. 

Botonis Botonakis
Civil Engineer, Enviromental Design MSc., BIM Manager for BS ArhitectsVR
Company or personal website
Archicad 27. Windows 11. Intel Xeon 2699x2,64 GB RAM, Nvidia 3080Ti. 2 Monitors.

Good news, will it be compatible with INT ver. or only ITA?

AC 27 INT 5060/WIN 11
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H with Radeon Graphics 3.20 GHz 16.0 GB
Botonis
Advisor

International version like BIMkit.

This will be a game changer. I am more excited with this 

than Archicad 28!

Botonis Botonakis
Civil Engineer, Enviromental Design MSc., BIM Manager for BS ArhitectsVR
Company or personal website
Archicad 27. Windows 11. Intel Xeon 2699x2,64 GB RAM, Nvidia 3080Ti. 2 Monitors.

Thanks, I wish it’ll be compatible with Archicad 28.

AC 27 INT 5060/WIN 11
AMD Ryzen 7 5800H with Radeon Graphics 3.20 GHz 16.0 GB

It will. 

Botonis Botonakis
Civil Engineer, Enviromental Design MSc., BIM Manager for BS ArhitectsVR
Company or personal website
Archicad 27. Windows 11. Intel Xeon 2699x2,64 GB RAM, Nvidia 3080Ti. 2 Monitors.
Botonis
Advisor

To those who are intersted ArhicquantPlus is released by the name BIMKit Quant by Fermat.

 

This is going to be a game changer in scheduling and cost calculation.

 

Botonis Botonakis
Civil Engineer, Enviromental Design MSc., BIM Manager for BS ArhitectsVR
Company or personal website
Archicad 27. Windows 11. Intel Xeon 2699x2,64 GB RAM, Nvidia 3080Ti. 2 Monitors.

Thank you for the heads up.

i am wondering if there is an option to automatically asign recepies for quantification, for example every element with composite structure could get automatically assigned certain recepires based on building material. So whenever you have for example brick veneer as a building material, you would not have to add those manually. 

otherwise, it looks very promissiong, would like to get some more videos from them.

regards

Yes you can assign recipies per building material in composites structures.

This can be categorized in the same cost element even if you have different elements that this material is intergrated.

 

The cost elements are not assigned automatically in the sense you are describing  it, because there are limitations that come from archicad that might not allow certain fucntions but multiselecting same elements or composites gives the option of applying directly several types of cost at once (brick, plaster, insulation, colour) all at once.

You can even have favourites with the cost already applied. You use them and you get the cost directly.

Once you get used to it it is like playing. For me this is the most easy addon ever used.  

 

There is an option for a trial. 

Botonis Botonakis
Civil Engineer, Enviromental Design MSc., BIM Manager for BS ArhitectsVR
Company or personal website
Archicad 27. Windows 11. Intel Xeon 2699x2,64 GB RAM, Nvidia 3080Ti. 2 Monitors.
Federico Lenarduzzi
Contributor

Good morning everyone,
we bought ARCHIQUANT from Cigraph and we updated, modified, enhanced and put it back on sale with the name BIMkit QUANT https://bimkit.it/bimkit-doc/ The software is developed in Italian, English and German.