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ARCHICAD is widely used by architects, engineers, and interior designers to transform their ideas into compelling virtual structures. With …
Starting at $240 per month
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What is ARCHICAD?
ARCHICAD is a 3D architectural design application and BIM from Graphisoft, a Nemetschek Group company headquartered in Budapest.
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Pricing
Archicad Solo Version
$240
Cloud
per month
Archicad Full Version
$280
Cloud
per month
Entry-level set up fee?
- No setup fee
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- Free Trial
- Free/Freemium Version
- Premium Consulting/Integration Services
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What is ARCHICAD?
ARCHICAD Video
Design, collaborate, document, analyze, and visualize with Archicad.
More information: http://graphisoft.com/archicad
Free ARCHICAD Download: http://www.graphisoft.com/downloads/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Archicad
https://www.facebook.com/archicad
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 Show More ARCHICAD Technical Details
| Deployment Types | Software as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based |
|---|---|
| Operating Systems | Unspecified |
| Mobile Application | No |
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(27)
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TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!
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ARCHICAD is widely used by architects, engineers, and interior designers to transform their ideas into compelling virtual structures. With its easy-to-use interface and customizable options, users can quickly create virtual buildings and architectural components. This makes it convenient for professionals to present their client's ideas visually, helping them to better understand the design concepts.
The software simplifies the architectural and engineering workflow by providing a well-organized display of plans and notes. This eliminates the need for struggling with decision-making and implementation, as everything is easily accessible in one place. Furthermore, ARCHICAD serves as the primary tool for producing architectural plans, 3D models, construction documentation, design coordination, and visualization processes. It has been trusted by firms for over 25 years, supporting various stages of projects from conceptual design to construction administration.
Interior designers find ARCHICAD particularly useful for conceptualizing base designs, modifying geometrical objects, and reviewing models created by students. The compatibility of ARCHICAD with both Mac and Windows systems simplifies administration and expansion. While the software is well-designed and easy to use, there are some limitations in the student version, such as scaling for printing and landscape features in rendering.
Overall, ARCHICAD offers a user-friendly experience that empowers professionals to visualize their ideas effectively and seamlessly execute them in real-life experiences. It is an essential tool used by architects, engineers, and designers in both large and small projects for various tasks including building drawings, urban planning, lighting design, landscaping, and interior design coordination.
User Interface: Many users have praised ARCHICAD for its super cool and graphics-oriented user interface. Numerous reviewers have mentioned that it provides a variety of tools and options for drawing and editing, making it easy to create architectural designs.
Seamless Collaboration: The seamless collaboration feature of ARCHICAD has received high praise from users. Several reviewers have highlighted how this feature allows for easy teamwork with other members, facilitating efficient communication and coordination among multidisciplinary teams.
Integration with Other Software: Users appreciate ARCHICAD's integration with other software like Lumion 360 render software. Multiple reviewers have commented on how this integration enhances the realism and visual appeal of the drawings, making them appear more real.
High Pricing: Some users have expressed that the subscription or pricing for ArchiCAD is on the higher side, which makes it less affordable for certain individuals or businesses. They feel that a more competitive price point would be beneficial in order to attract a wider user base and provide better value.
Limited Features: Several reviewers have mentioned that ArchiCAD lacks certain features like an automatic Keynote database extraction system and an expandable Phasing/Options manager, which can be limiting compared to other software options. These missing features hinder their workflow and require them to find workarounds or use additional tools.
Complex Setup and Customization: A number of users find that setting up and customizing the Revision/Change Manager and new Stair and Railing tools in ArchiCAD is too complex. This complexity leads to frustration as they struggle to efficiently utilize these features and spend additional time learning how to customize them according to their specific needs.
Users commonly recommend the following for Archicad:
- Customize template files: Many users suggest creating customized template files that align with their specific requirements. By doing so, they can achieve better results and enhance their workflow efficiency.
2.Seek training and guidance: It is recommended to attend training sessions or seek guidance from experienced Archicad users. Proper training and understanding of the software are crucial for maximizing its capabilities and becoming proficient in its use.
3.Consider client preferences: Users advise considering the preferences of clients when choosing software. This ensures that the selected software aligns with the client's needs and facilitates smoother collaboration throughout the design process.
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Score 10 out of 10
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Verified User
ARCHICAD makes it easy to present client ideas in a drawing form making it easy to display thoughts and ideas into a real picture. It makes architectural and engineering work on planning and developments more comfortable and easy where everything is well displayed and noted down meaning no need to strain on what to do, where, and how. It transforms conceptual designs into more compelling imaginary actual structures which are easy to interpret, execute and achieve in real-life experience.
- Presenting sketched paper works into an actual real object by transforming it from line work to real structural walls with all the necessary features like windows, doors, stone texture, and colors.
- The integration of other software like Lumion 360 render software makes drawing appear more real
- Using modular patterns included in the façade design workflow, a hierarchical curtain wall system can be readily established, built, specified, and erected. ARCHICAD adapts natural graphical inputs in design settings with 3D or 2D elevation.
- Increasing the size of the files in ArchiCAD to allow it to be used for more complex applications can be more comfortable and user-friendly.
- Improving it to support more tutorials, add-ons, resources, and e-books.
- Withholding releasing and developing new software and concentrating on improving the existing version can greatly help in the life of architecture and engineering.
- Faster and smoother 3D navigation aspect which helps in displaying plan into actual building.
- Complex and well-defined objects make it easy when I need to display actual objects on a drawing plan.
- Stair design is one of the most difficult problems in architecture. The Stair Tool in Archicad analyses thousands of design choices and presents the best stair designs in the context of the specific structure.
- ARCHICAD have positively increased the volume of projects as it is easy to execute since the projects are well defined.
- Also, ARCHICAD has positively helped mobilize quickly and effectively funds, labor, and necessary requirement since everything is well outlined such that it is easy to calculate actual cost.
- ARCHICAD has helped reduce paperwork which was more tiresome and time-consuming by doing drawings manually and this has helped save on time of completing projects.
AutoCAD uses line works in actual presentation whiles ARCHICAD uses real structural walls which are easy to use and present compared to line works. Revit largely and mainly focused on structural design and is more complex to use compared to ARCHICAD which helps one focus on different aspects of drawing and is easy to integrate with rendering software like Lumion 360 panorama.
ARCHICAD is the primary tool we use for the production of construction documentation, design coordination, and visualization processes.
- Design modeling: the user interface allows for a pretty intuitive and integrated creative process. It's great for exploring and communicating ideas, and in cases where the process is not inhibited by the need to switch to different software for different stages of work, such as when moving to develop the design in detail. It also allows for a much more seamless process when changes are requested, so that all material from initial visualizations all the way through to detailed design information are all always in sync and up to date. No redundancy of effort is triggered through the logistics of needing to pass the design through multiple software platforms (eg SketchUp => Revit =>AutoCAD) as each design iteration evolves.
- Design documentation: it's reasonably clear that ArchiCAD has the best implementation of BIM in the architectural domain, compared with the nearest rival Revit, and is unmatched for design development and coordination between disciplines, supporting large multidisciplinary teams who can all work simultaneously via the cloud or a local server on the same integrated model.
- Somewhat responsive developers: unlike some others, if an issue is reported, there seems to be a fair chance of the developers engaging with the user and for the issue to be addressed in a subsequent update.
- The Site Mesh tool could be enhanced by auto contour line generation and regeneration, surveyor break lines for cutting/controlling mesh triangulation, and allowing concavities in mesh surface without resorting to SEO. Built-in roads, sidewalks, retaining walls, etc. that modify surface appropriately and intelligently would also be great. Note there are paid 3rd party plugins addressing some of these, but I think these should not be necessary as these requirements are integral to most projects on sloping sites.
- It could do with enhanced case by case control of materials' priority vs SEO, and other junction resolution methods for composite slabs, walls, columns, beams, and roofs.
- Currently, a universal rule-based approach for the whole project may work for 90% of junctions, but it then leaves 10% of cases quite hard to resolve satisfactorily without workarounds.
- As a freelancer, in one sense the productivity gains generated by ArchiCAD are a (short-term) negative, because greater efficiency results in fewer billable hours -- though long term, it is hard to remain competitive that way.
- As an architect, the productivity gains give me an edge over the competition and allow me to improve quality quite drastically within any given time budget compared with alternatives.
- I am able to tackle much larger and more complex projects, single-handed if necessary, and with more confidence than I ever could have without ArchiCAD.
Essentially ArchiCAD has proved better by any metric, despite my original skepticism.