"Archicad 10 is award-winning Vico Softwa

[Steve Jepson]

"Constructor 2007 is based on award-winning Vico Software
modeling software Archicad® 10, which introduces new functionality
that increases modeling freedom and productivity."

Are these people trying to claim that Archicad® 10 is Vico Software?

I think Vico Software (Constructor 2007)is based on smoke and mirrors marketing of ArchiCAD with a few new library parts and some add-ons.
Is there anything you can do with Constructor 2007 that you can not already do with ArchiCAD? No.


Archicad is Vico Software, ArchiCAD is Graphisoft software??

http://download.graphisoft.com/ftp/marketing/vc/vico_con2007_bro.pdf

I would be surprised if Vico Software has even been around even as long as ArchiCAD 10. How is it that they can get away with saying that Archicad 10 is "award-winning Vico Software" ?

How many Archicad 10 users have ever even heard of Vico Software?

[Djordje]

http://www.graphisoft.com/company/investor_center/GRPH_02122007ENG.html

Vico is the spin off of Graphisoft.

[Anonymous]

... in other words Nemetschek will make Archicad pure architectural frontend to Allplan.

[Aaron Bourgoin]

Evan Yares' short piece might help elucidate the whats and wherefores of VicoSoftware:

http://www.evanyares.com/the-cad-industry/2007/4/24/virtual-construction.html#comments

[Anonymous]

Steve wrote:
"Constructor 2007 is based on award-winning Vico Software
modeling software Archicad® 10, which introduces new functionality
that increases modeling freedom and productivity."

Are these people trying to claim that Archicad® 10 is Vico Software?

Not really. They just take AC make their upgrades and turn it into Constructor. Add Estimator and controls for connection with Project management and scheduling software. Ohh and MEP systems are already in.

I think Vico Software (Constructor 2007)is based on smoke and mirrors marketing of ArchiCAD with a few new library parts and some add-ons.
Is there anything you can do with Constructor 2007 that you can not already do with ArchiCAD? No.

From architectural point of vier or Construction?
Can you make real 4D movie based on real schedule in AC? Can you make a 5D model with connection with estimate? No? There is your difference.

Archicad is Vico Software, ArchiCAD is Graphisoft software??

Archicad is Graphisoft, Constructor is Vico software.

http://download.graphisoft.com/ftp/marketing/vc/vico_con2007_bro.pdf

I would be surprised if Vico Software has even been around even as long as ArchiCAD 10. How is it that they can get away with saying that Archicad 10 is "award-winning Vico Software" ?

How many Archicad 10 users have ever even heard of Vico
Software?

Here you are right. I have not noticed that but, this is not true statement. They definitely should correct it.

[Bricklyne Clarence]

This thread is a good example of what happens when you go on a rant before having all the facts in place and knowing what you're ranting about.

As has been said before, Vico ( get it? Virtual Construction?) Software is an offshoot company formed by former Graphisoft execs. - with the primary purpose of carrying forward the development of the Constructor 5D software suite, ( as in, formerly "Graphisoft Constructor")with the recent buyout of Graphisoft by Nemetschek.

And yes, Constructor is based, or rather, built on top of, ArchiCAD's Virtual Building engine with emphasis on tools for Contractors, Construction engineers and constultants as well as construction scheduling, and cost estimation. In fact, looking at the demo videos, it seems to me, almost identical, to working in ArchiCAD except with more extensive MEP and Structural tools as well as more fluid and integrated connection to scheduling, estimation and simulation tie-ins.

One can only surmise that the reason for the spin-off is likely because Graphisoft, now under Nemetschek, wanted to focus on primarly on ArchiCAD's development as well as on tools for Architects primarily, while still giving an opportunity for the further development of this pioneer software of virtual 5D construction and estimation, ( which has the potential of tying down a multi-billion dollar Industry - construction), and probably didn't have enough resources to keep both software's development going even with the buy-out. Seems sensible enough to me; I only hope they keep the close connection to ArchiCAD as I would imagine that some of the tools developed for MEP and construction down the road for Constructor would become useful and for Architects down the road especially when the 2 software speak exactly the same language.

Next time it might help actually reasearching the topic at hand beforehand.

[Steve Jepson]

Bricklyne wrote:
This thread is a good example of what happens when you go on a rant before having all the facts in place and knowing what you're ranting about....Next time it might help actually reasearching the topic at hand beforehand.

I did do my research. Anyone who has tried to research Constructor will soon realise that it is not easy to do. The informaiton I have found about price and how to buy it, I have posted here on this website.

I have been very seriously considering whether or not I should buy Constructor for several years. I have had several conversations with a Constructor sales rep and others who have used it in the past.

I also have a good working knowledge of Primavera, Project Works, ArchiCAD, the old ArchiCAD FM, and some knowledge of the MEP options (ArchiCAD add-ons) used in Constructor. They have all been around a long time. I have spent many hours with demo's of these products back when they were available.

Like the sales rep I spoke with, you may not even know that ArchiCAD can generate a very sophisticated Construction Simulations as well as material lists and schedules with an incredible amount of information that is exportable for use with other programs like the ones that come with Constructor.

To the best of my knowledge, Constructor never has had an up to date version of ArchiCAD either. They are always behind the times.

Is there anything about Constructor 2007 that is unique?

Is the Archicad 10 of Constructor any different than our ArchiCAD 10?

Are the MEP programs any different than the same ones they had before which also worked with ArchiCAD?

Is the Construction Simulaion any different than the ones we can already make with ArchiCAD?

Are not the other parts of Constructor nothing more than export to Primavera, Project Works, etc...(other programs)

Unless there has been new brochures printed for Constructor 2007, there is not enough informaion out there to verify these things.
I have no faith that the sales rep i spoke with knows anything about how to use ArchiCAD or Constructor. All they know is how to sell it as they were tought to understand it.

If this is not true, I need to know. I need to demo the product for myself.

Second best, would be to read a good review of Constructor written by someone who was first an expert ArchiCAD user, already had a good working knowledge of the other programs used in Constructor, and is now using Constructor 2007.

There must be several people who could tell us if there is anything "unique" in Constructor, or if it is just a bunch of other programs bundled for resale as a different product, called Constructor 2007.

To keep from restating everthing about this that has already been said on this website let me just add the words "ArchiCAD Residential" here so they can be used to link you to more about Constructor.

Some of you will remember that smoke and mirrors product as well.


I want to know the truth about Constructor 2007 and it is not easy to find.

Don't give me any of that 4D and 5D crap. There is no such thing.
These are only creative marketing terms for common things we already do.


http://www.primavera.com/industry/ec/index.asp
https://www.primavera.com/orders/contractor.asp

[Karl Ottenstein]

Steve wrote:
Don't give me any of that 4D and 5D crap. There is no such thing.
These are only creative marketing terms for common things we already do

I disagree on that point, Steve, at least for most users.

The '4th dimension' of time is not something we include in our ArchiCAD projects. The examples given early on when Constructor was announced illustrate this: we ArchiCAD users draw a slab, perhaps even a composite including engineered fill, sand, etc, for a slab on grade. A Constructor model needs the engineered fill as one element, the sand as a separate one, the rebar as separate, and the concrete separately so that they can be scheduled both for material acquisition and delivery, equipment rental, labor assignment, and assembly. They may even need to model pour stops, etc...something most of us never consider in our models/drawings.

Where ArchiCAD is going with profiled walls is even further afield of Constructor-type modeling: sure, we can model a footing, stem wall with brickledge, brick veneer with reveals, interior frame wall, etc as a single profile and just draw it... but it cannot be scheduled as described above...other than mathematically (via recipes)...certainly not visually.

The '5th Dimension' is capital. A typical ArchiCAD designer/architect is not concerned with the flow of capital throughout the construction process - only perhaps with an estimate of total costs.

Cash flow management ("scheduling", if you will, of capital needs - which percolates to anticipated lines of credit, investment management, etc) and scheduling of equipment, materials and human resources are what make Vico's vision brilliant, innovative and timely. I think that their implementation is somewhat hampered by ArchiCAD as we know it today and will be curious to see how they evolve as a separate company.

Cheers,
Karl

[Anonymous]

Can a user of Archicad convert to VICO as part of their subsription? It sounds like it would be beter for a design/build guy like me.

Mark Hendriks

[Karl Ottenstein]

Mark wrote:
Can a user of Archicad convert to VICO as part of their subsription? It sounds like it would be beter for a design/build guy like me.

If you do a search of the forums, you will find where pricing was given perhaps a year ago for such an upgrade (perhaps even relayed by Steve, if memory serves). But, both products were from Graphisoft then.

Now that Vico and Graphisoft are independent firms, that is a question that needs a fresh answer from someone from Vico.

Karl