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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
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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.
June 25, 2021
Transform Designs to Reality with ARCHICAD!
Being an interior designer by profession and now heading the department of Interior Design, I use this software to conceptualize the base design and modify geometrical objects. I also review the models created by the students using this software. The modern design interface helps me and my students to quickly create virtual buildings or virtual components, such as doors, walls, roofs or any other architectural structure. The user interface is quite user friendly, which helps in quick customization. This is what I really like.
- User interface is super cool. It helps you customize any new theme on your architectural objects.
- Minimalistic approach in the toolkit helps in quick editing.
- Render realistic images.
- Collaboration with other team members is an awesome feature.
- Subscription or pricing is on a little higher side.
- Requires a robust system of high level RAM, otherwise it crashes often.
- Due to its minimalistic approach, it is not flexible enough like other software.
- Easy way of imparting training to students
- Quick customization for quick results
- Visualization of geometrical objects is amazing and gives a holistic view of your imagination
- Resolution on images, such as light, texture and theme is quick and agile
- Helped us build an expert team of faculties to teach ARCHICAD
- Developed design workflow has sped up
- Working collaboratively and sharing information has become easier
- Workflow tracking with detailed analysis has helped solve problems at the root stage
ARCHICAD is more intuitive and user friendly tool than AutoCAD. In this day and age, we need a minimalistic approach tool that can help us create smart designs with right user experience. The custom libraries and design options of ARCHICAD gives us better design variations in an actual work environment and ARCHICAD fulfills that with a perfect score.
I'm working at a firm that has focused on ArchiCAD for 25 years. It can be used from early conceptual design (even on graphics to win the proposal!) through design development, modeling, rendering, visualization, information analysis, construction documents, revisions, and construction administration. It's home base for all of our projects, from small T.I.'s to hospital towers and high school campuses. The simple licensing and dual-platform (Mac and Windows work identically) make administration easy and expandable. All this for a much lower annual cost than most competitors.
- ArchiCAD has a smooth, graphics-oriented interface that provides a variety of ways to draw and edit, from traditional menu commands, keyboard shortcuts, and icon toolbars to intelligent context menus and "pet palettes."
- It has always been devoted to the "Open BIM" concept and supports a variety of format to import, export, and maintain real-time links with other software.
- The Teamwork system for file sharing is solid and robust, thanks to a FREE (for the Basic version) BIMCloud internet-enabled server component.
- The Navigator is a logical organizational tool that handles large projects better than Revit's Project Map.
- It is Architect-centric, and while structural and MEP modeling tools are available, the system is not bogged down with unrelated engineering functions.
- I've always found the editing and production tools to be more consistent and intuitive than in any other design software.
- ArchiCAD lacks a few feature sets, including an automatic Keynote database extraction system, an expandable Phasing/Options manager, and an easy way to transfer standard details into a project.
- The Revision/Change Manager, as well as the new Stair and Railing tools, while impressively flexible, are too complex to set up and customize.
- It is an underdog product. Revit has a market share because it spends more money on marketing, and less on product development.
- The low multi-year cost is a huge savings, compared to more popular competitors, the total cost of ownership is about 1/4 of an Autodesk design suite.
- An effective training program can be implemented in under 40 hours/employee to reach intermediate level, as the intuitive interface is easy to teach. This appears to be significantly less, perhaps 1/3 of competing software.
- The underdog element is still an obstacle, as converting ArchiCAD projects to Revit for our Consultants is a challenge. While ArchiCAD outputs perfectly good IFC (industry-standard BIM interchange format) files, Revit has yet to import them 100% correctly. Therefore, working with others takes a bit more overhead than when using Revit.
Revit is the most widely owned, but it seems clunky, has a complex, non-graphical interface, and is extremely expensive. Bentley also seems overly complex for typical Architecture projects. SketchUp is a great conceptual tool, but becomes very limited with more advanced projects, and is not truly an information-rich BIM product.