walls walls walls.....

[westark]

I know this topic has come up many times, and experienced Archicad users usually say, "No, it's not needed, just do this, this, this, and this, and it works just as well." But for people like me who come from Revit and use Archicad, we can see advantages in both software.

Archicad users also often say that Revit and Archicad are two completely different programs and cannot be compared. But I say, why can't we learn from what works well in other programs and develop something similar or better?

I mostly work with technical solutions for walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs where acoustics, fire safety, and design matter, and many changes in wall positions and settings are constantly made until the final product is achieved.

The problem: When moving walls, you have to move all the interior elements, floors, roofs, and connected walls separately each time (and you can't create multiple different floor plans for different buildings in the same project without a workaround). The new feature that shows temporary dimensions doesn't work nearly as well as in Revit, and you constantly have to remember to turn off snaps and ensure that walls are at 90 degrees, which often results in offsets of 0.03%, making it incorrect and requiring constant checks. This takes time, and when you think you're done, it turns out you're not because nothing aligns properly. This is especially crucial in renovation projects where changes from new to old occur constantly, and it's extremely important that everything aligns.

As a test, I did the same project in both Revit and Archicad with the exact same conditions (3 buildings, 2 to 3 floors, built in different years at different heights, with completely different exterior wall dimensions and complex, varied roofs connected to the buildings). In Archicad, it took me at least 8 hours to create the base model, while in Revit it took 2 hours. Why can't we have the option for walls (roofs, floors, and interiors) to either stay connected and move together when dimensions are changed or to not stay connected, like in Revit, and be deactivated if desired? I believe this would be a winning concept for Archicad's future.

[Barry Kelly]

I am not quite sure what the wish is here.
You will need to be a little more specific and make one wish per post.

@westark wrote:

But for people like me who come from Revit and use Archicad, we can see advantages in both software.

Archicad users also often say that Revit and Archicad are two completely different programs and cannot be compared. But I say, why can't we learn from what works well in other programs and develop something similar or better?

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Sure each can learn from the other, but remember they are programed in totally different ways, so what is possible in one may not be possible in the other, or it has to be done in a different way.

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@westark wrote:

and you can't create multiple different floor plans for different buildings in the same project without a workaround

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Design Options allow you do do exactly that.

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@westark wrote:

The new feature that shows temporary dimensions doesn't work nearly as well as in Revit, and you constantly have to remember to turn off snaps and ensure that walls are at 90 degrees, which often results in offsets of 0.03%, making it incorrect and requiring constant checks.

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The Distance Guides are a new feature and still need some work.

Never having had them in the past, I find them a little annoying and not yet able to do everything I would want, but lets hope they improve in future versions.

Snap guides (the temporary blue lines) are there to help you keep elements aligned or find intersecting points.

If you are following them and you are getting errors, then you need to look at the settings in the Work Environment and if you have a slightly rotated grid in the background you might be accidentally snapping to.

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@westark wrote:

Why can't we have the option for walls (roofs, floors, and interiors) to either stay connected and move together when dimensions are changed or to not stay connected, like in Revit, and be deactivated if desired? I believe this would be a winning concept for Archicad's future.

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Elements are 'connected' when they touch - they will trim automatically based on building material strengths.

But there is no 'associativity' between elements.

There is in some cases - for example you can link the wall height to the storey above.

The more associativity you have between elements, the slower the software will run.

This may be one of the differences in the way the programs are written.

You can of course 'Group" elements, but they will simply move together and not stretch.

And we have Solid Element Operations that remember the associativity between elements as long as they touch, but moving one will still not stretch the other.

Barry.

[westark]

Hi Barry,

Thank you for your comments!

What I wish for is a function where everything stays connected. For example, if you move a wall, the connected parts follow, so you don't have to move them individually or group them.

My text wasn't meant as criticism but rather as a practical request based on my many years of using Revit.

I understand that the programs are programmed differently, but that doesn't mean there aren't development opportunities. 😃

In Revit, you just need to go into an elevation or section to create new floor plans, which can be deactivated in the view if needed when working with multiple levels and buildings. I'm aware of design options, but it feels like you suddenly need to keep track of even more things and remember to activate and deactivate the designs.

Regarding snap guides, I saw that this is something new for Archicad. Practically speaking, I'm always open to new solutions and ways to solve the same problem.

Yes, walls trim to the same material/layer or strength, but they also untrim if you move them, meaning you constantly need to ensure that the walls intersect with each other.

Overall, regardless of programming and different ways of doing things, everything we use in the world today is developed from an original product, and technology advances because someone offers a great solution, leading competitors to provide an even better solution to the same problem. And I wouldn't invest money in a program I didn't believe in—I believe Archicad has the potential to become something great. 🙂

[mthd]

Hi @westark, regarding your wish above and the moving and stretching of grouped elements, what is that you would like to be able to do that marquee tool will not do for you ?

[westark]

Hi @mthd !

Yes, you can use that tool, but it doesn't always work as it should (e.g., parts not following along or walls moving at the wrong angle). Take the image below as an example. Try moving this wall to the right so that it stays at the same angle and the lower part follows the upper part, while the wall on the left remains connected.

If you've used Revit before, you'll understand my perspective and requests. 😃

[mthd]

These problems need to be addressed and sure there are ways around it with Archicad. We need ways to speed up our workflow and with what we need to pay for Archicad it’s only fair to ask for these improvements.

I have never used Revit except for testing it basically in a demo. I can certainly model up a simple building quicker in Chief Architect but I wish AC was much faster that it is now.

Seen my recent wish for a space planning function in AC regarding the placing of walls in rectangular mode ?

[scottjm]

Refer this wish. 
https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishes/Link-objects-to-walls-Toilets-Beds-etc/m-p/358018

[westark]

Yes, I completely agree with you. That's why we users exist—to provide tips on how to improve the software since we face challenges and try to solve them daily.

I recommend trying a trial version of Revit, and you'll understand what I mean. Not long ago, I contacted the office in Sweden and asked if these features were in the plans or under discussion, and I was told they were not. They also said that these features are not liked by Autodesk either, but I don't think that's entirely true because if Autodesk didn't like their features with associations, they would remove them. Instead, they have added a function to remove associations with a button click for those who don't want it. Archicad is excellent in many ways, but Revit excels in building construction, speed, and simplicity.

No, I haven't seen your request. Can you attach a link?

This is also related to associations—in Revit, the zone follows when you change walls, allowing you to plan buildings quickly and easily. In Archicad, you have to click to update zones, and if you haven't done the intersection correctly, it fails, and the zone gets ruined. You then have to spend time troubleshooting which wall isn't connected properly.

[westark]

How do you refer to the wish?

I read a bit about it, and it's on the right track. But I think it's Graphisoft's responsibility to solve these problems since it's not the first time I've encountered these issues.

There's a German guy who created a GDL where you can get custom facades on the house, which I thought was really good. However, it doesn't work 100%, but at the same time, it was made by someone with great enthusiasm. You have to listen to what the users needs.

Experienced Archicad users often say that it's not necessary, but it absolutely is if you want to quickly see, for instance, whether your room meets the requirements with the furniture or if items fit in specific spaces. I really believe it's needed.

[mthd]

Thank you for making it more clear about what would make our work easier to perform inside Archicad when making extensive edits to our models.

Here is a link to my wish.

https://community.graphisoft.com/t5/Wishes/Space-Planning-Tool-to-draw-walls-in-rectangular-mode-to-...