It's not ideal, and it's an area I hope they improve. SP does not save anything to HTTP directly, but you can take screenshots, print to. Rendering is as easy as anything in the biz, and yes, with configuration the BOM module can be very accurate - but you have to set it up - and that takes effort. SoftPlan does not talk to the AutoCAD world very well at all, but it is much better suited to residential work otherwise. But can you sell your design work for enough money to give you an ROI on the program and deployment costs - that's the question. dwg files better than AutoCAD - I often fire it up just to translate drawings.Īlso on the plus side, Graphisoft leads the industry in both CAD-to-Estimating integration (with BLIS and Timberline), and collaborative tools via the Internet. The whole program is in a different league of functionality - and learning curve.ĪrchiCAD DWG facility is impressive - in fact it handles oddball. We've written about these programs ad naseum - search the forum first.ĪrchiCAD is a terrific piece of software - but if you're thinking you'll generate a bill-of-materials or completely rendered houses in a few clicks like you can in SP - forget it. However, I haven't read any posting of that nature on this forum. If you get past that, do you have a 'perfect' program?Ħ) I've heard from local design/drafting companies that SoftPlan is not considered a good program. Is there anyway to do this with softplan?ĥ) The only real deterent to ArchiCAD that I could discerne from previous postings is it's large learning curve and required setup time. Is this true?Ĥ) One of the options I liked on ArchiCAD was its ability to save models as http files so they can be easily viewed by clients and easily emailed as small files. Can anyone answer the following questions or add anything to this discussion.ġ) Is softplan working on fixing the dxf problem?Ģ) Once a plan is in good working order is the takeoff list fairly accurate?ģ) I have heard that Softplan's requirement of saving each layer separately can cause 'lock-up' because large plans become unmanageable. Sorry for the diatribe, but I wanted you to understand my starting point. I realize that a program can't be everything to everybody but I would like to know understand its limitations. dxf files for importing to ACAD have been a disaster. While I'm still low on the softplan learning curve I find the program fairly easy to use and learn. My main needs are 3D modeling/floor plans for sales, working drawings, material takeoffs and communication with the A&E firm I use to do more complicated or structural dwgs. I want to make sure that I spent my ~$2500 the right way. I am nearing the end of my 30 day money back guarantee period and am feeling a little buyers remorse. I did as much pre-show evaluation as possible of these programs and went in with an open mind.Īfter spending numerous hours at each booth I finally decided (or was sold) on SoftPlan with softlist but not softtalk. I attended this year's IBS show in Atlanta last month with a goal of purchasing a new design software program that would eliminate the use of multiple programs (and redundant work)to provide the output I required. Over the years I have been using 3D Home Architect to do quick modeling for sales and AutoCAD LT for working drawings. My specific story is that I'm primarily a custom home builder that occasionaly does unique remodelings to fill in the low spots. Since 9 months to a year is an eternity in software life I want to see if there any additional inforamtion that could be added to this topic. It appears the most extensive comparison was made early last summer. I have reviewed all of the posting on these various programs over the past year.
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