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'It made sense.' Today, Scheer & Scheer continues to use the program for all of its drafting needs, utilizing Photoshop and other programs solely as rendering tools to enhance their ArchiCAD models for selected presentations. 'The idea of designing in 3-D appealed to me,' says Scheer of the firm's initial choice. The three-person shop has been using ArchiCAD for 10 years. ARCHITECT asked two architects at firms that regularly use ArchiCAD to test-drive the junior version and share their thoughts with us.ĭavid Scheer is the design principal at Salt Lake City–based Scheer & Scheer.

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The program is based on ArchiCAD 11 technology and what the software maker refers to as a “feature set and price tailored to the needs of small architectural practices, home builders, and contractors.” (In June, Graphisoft announced the launch of ArchiCAD 12, which was expected to start shipping in July and also costs $4,250.)Ī primary selling point of Start Edition is the inclusion of BIM (building information modeling) capabilities-an evolving sector of technology that is still much more expensive than other platforms. This past January, Graphisoft-producer of the venerable ArchiCAD-released its Start Edition at a price of $1,995, a significant savings on version 11 of the program, which runs $4,250.

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Cost-conscious small firms began purchasing only a handful of full licenses for their most graphics-savvy employees while outfitting the rest of their staff with these more basic computer drafting tools. (The Photoshop Elements program your family uses at home is probably as powerful a photo editor as anything you used at the office a decade ago.)Īutodesk saw the potential for tiered features when it introduced AutoCAD LT, which offers the 2-D capabilities of the industry-leading drafting program at a fraction of the price. Over time, some of these smaller siblings emulate the full-blown versions of just a few years earlier. I'm sure there are those who say they will vote for their wallet and they are likely to find that within a few years they just can't buy software any better than 3D Home Architect from Staples for $39.95.Software companies have always offered attractively priced, entry-level versions of their graphics programs for smaller firms that want access to at least some features of the software.

There are more and more programs moving to the software-as-a-service model, so it's something we may have to get used to as fewer professional-grade software are available in any other way. Software is moving closer to leasing a car, with nicer software costing more to lease. It's nowhere near as developed as Archicad or Revit. Vectorworks is dramatically cheaper, but it is a case of getting what you pay for. Believe me, we could have it a lot worse. Check out prices on Digital Project, Tekla, or Constructor.

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Unfortunately, it just put Archicad on par with Revit for upgrade costs, so it's not like there's a BIM software with a lower cost of ownership. I saw it as more cost for smaller upgrades.

I still don't like it, since the last major upgrade was AC10, which was when they started charging more. That's a HUGE (50%) increase in annual ownership cost. I was pretty annoyed when Archicad upgrades went from $695 every 18 months to $695 to every year.

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