Feedback on several plug-ins for AC

[Anonymous]

Hi everybody,
we are considering buying several plug-ins for ArchiCAD, but I'd like to have some feedback from anyone who has used them already on some real project.

ARTLANTIS R2: we'd just do some renderings every once in a while. Is it that much better than AC built-in rendering engine? Is it time-efficient? Is it easy to export the model from AC to Artlantis? Once you've imported the model into Artlantis, is it possible to make changes in AC and update the model in Artlantis in little time?

ECODESIGNER: is it really reliable? How precise are the assessments? Is it really worth it, or just a toy?

ARCHI-PHYSICS: not sure about the name, it's supposed to be an Austrian plug-in for cad softwares (not only AC): has anyone heard of it? ...or used it?

Cigraph ARCHI-TILES: has anyone ever used it on an actual project? Was it helpful?

Cigraph ARCHI-STAIR: now, I'm by all means disappointed to death by the built-in Stairmaker-attempt in AC, I've wasted too many hours on it and it just doesn't work. How does ArchiStair work? Somebody already suggested it to me: is it really better than the built-in stair tool?

Cigraph ARCHI-TABULA: anyone ever used it?

Cigraph ARCHI-WALL: again, anyone?

Cigraph ARCHI-MATERIAL: does it only manage surface materials? Can you use it in Artlantis too?

Cigraph ARCHI-QUANT: does it do anything beyond what AC does already with lists and schedules? Is it more time efficient than AC?

Cigraph ARCHI-TERRA: again, does it do anything more than simply using a mesh in AC?


Any feedback on these plug-ins would be really appreciated!

Thanks!

Enrico Bonilauri

[Karl Ottenstein]

Hi Enrico,

Just some my personal comments on three on your list, two of which I use often and would not work without:

Enrico wrote:
ARTLANTIS R2: we'd just do some renderings every once in a while. Is it that much better than AC built-in rendering engine? Is it time-efficient? Is it easy to export the model from AC to Artlantis? Once you've imported the model into Artlantis, is it possible to make changes in AC and update the model in Artlantis in little time?

Artlantis is vastly more time-efficient than trying to render inside of ArchiCAD. You get instant feedback in the preview window of lighting, shadows, material properties, etc. Materials are drag and drop with visual adjustment, etc. Yes, the export is easy and there is a 'reference' feature so that when you export the model again; all changes made in Artlantis the last time are merged into the adjusted geometry. But, if you you do not generate renderings as a normal part of your workflow - you say "once in a while" - then it might not be worth the time (short learning) and money for you.

"R" can only do static images. Artlantis Studio 2.1 also does animations. Some information about Artlantis 3 has been leaked here and there and it is another big improvement.

ECODESIGNER: is it really reliable? How precise are the assessments? Is it really worth it, or just a toy?

I have only played with it. I friend reports a very good match to his actual structures, but there are limitations to EcoDesigner because it makes many assumptions - in particular, it does not simulate actual built shading devices, including roof overhangs. There are a couple of very long threads on the forum where people discuss all of these things.

Cigraph ARCHI-STAIR: now, I'm by all means disappointed to death by the built-in Stairmaker-attempt in AC, I've wasted too many hours on it and it just doesn't work. How does ArchiStair work? Somebody already suggested it to me: is it really better than the built-in stair tool?

ArchiStair 2 is light years ahead of the built-in stair tool, both in terms of the flexibility of what it can generate, but also how editable the produced stairs are. If you have run into the wall with ArchiCAD's stair tool, definitely consider ArchiStair 2. As with all Cigraph add-ons, you can download from their web site and read the entire user manual to get a feel for what it can do. The add-ons themselves will run a bit in a demo mode, but usually that isn't long enough to really see what they can do - I think looking at the user manuals is more effective to understand what the products offer.

Cheers,
Karl

[Anonymous]

Enrico,

Don't forget to visit www.cadimagetools.com also.
I had never thought of buying any add-ons before but I'm more than pleased now.
Objective add-on is on the wishlist for Christmas...

[Erika Epstein]

These are all great addons. Keep in mind that you will need to continue with their upgrades, another cost.

Before you rush out and buy all these great toys, Have you taken the time to evaluate what in archicad can't be done easily or at all that YOU need for YOUR practice?

By the way, looking at your proposed list, I am surprised Objective isn't on your list.

[Anonymous]

Thanks everybody!
Do you know by any chance if ArchiStair allows for different material hatches in the same stair, unlike the built-in stairmaker? I had a look at the ArchiStair 2 user manual and I didn't see this listed anywhere.

Enrico

[Fabrizio Diodati]

Enrico wrote:
Thanks everybody!
Do you know by any chance if ArchiStair allows for different material hatches in the same stair, unlike the built-in stairmaker? I had a look at the ArchiStair 2 user manual and I didn't see this listed anywhere.

Enrico

I don't know if you mean the following...

Friendly
Fabrizio

[Anonymous]

Yes, that's exactly what I mean!
I guess that a stair designed with ArchiStair will show those different ctu fills in section, isn't it?
This is just one more disappointing aspect of the built-in stairmaker...

Thank you Fabrizio!

Enrico