ACUA: ArchiCAD Users Association international

Archicad Summerschool 2010 Report

2010-09-17T01:05:00.006+01:00

The ArchiCAD Summerschool was held last week and like so many years before was a great learning event. The event was preceded by two full days of tuition for beginners and advanced users. The main event started on Thursday last week with in the afternoon three 1- hour mini tuition classes covering “how to build a small building” for beginners. How to create view sets and use them in lay-outs and the third hour covered setting cameras and creating 3D views with lighting and furniture.

Saturday evening in town

Parallel to the last hour there was an alternative workshop about using BIM server and team work. Followed by the start of a team work competition that would run through the days of the event and delegates could part take in groups of 6. All fun and learning at the same time.
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By Daniel Dusoswa MSC MRIAI MIEI

Chairman ArchiCad Users Association International

Architect dod architects Ireland

Summer school progress

2010-09-10T20:00:00.000+01:00

10 Sept: Its happening now. We are having a meeting of the ACUA as I write this! Longer report will follow.

ArchiCAD Summer School is on!

2010-06-18T17:46:00.000+01:00

ArchiCAD Summer School is on! Planning is going on in regular meetings with David NC and Bite and GS-UK to ensure that you have again an enjoyable summer school to attend in September 2010. ArchiCAD 14 is announced in May, and will be fully available by September. Nightingale Hall is booked for 9-10-11 September 2010. We shall arrange training workshops in the preceding days.
(Last year, AC 13 was launched at the Summer School, which sounds great, but in reality it meant we were not allowed to mention it on the website until about a week before the event - thus losing some of the magnetism that a product launch carries.)
The ArchiCAD University Website is up and running for ACSS 2010 with plenty of detail!

Daniel's report on the Spring Academy 2010

2010-06-08T12:24:00.001+01:00

Report by Daniel Dusoswa, Spring Academy delegate

Archicad-talk Posted: Tue Jun 08, 2010 3:32 pm

The event was great and of course meeting many familiar faces was a bonus. Nice weather and some rain...., and thanks Marin for the excellent lectures and agree that the community gathering atmosphere between delegates was great.

I never heard of 3LHD before but really appreciated their presentation of their fine work. Not surprised that they won many awards.

Ivan Jovanovic who we met up with on the plane from Stansted had an interesting view on "Preliminary energy analysis". He did a great job and gave me a much needed gentle push to come to grips with using the ArchiCad model for energy analyses. Sofar I left it to M&E consultants but in these troublesome economic times, in particular in Ireland, this would be a way to increase our effective income. Thanks Ivan!

Raoul Cenan did his TOOTH presentation impressively indeed. I was one the GDL people who had started on this but felt at some stage that this could be better done in another software and imported. But he showed that being able to manipulate a freeform object within Archicad is a genuine option. He persisted and I appreciate his effort over the past TEN years!!! If that is not persistence.... Thanks Raoul!

Artlantis was done by Csanad Meszes from Abvent: a collection of useful tips & tricks. A bit different and more practical presentation than I am used to, interesting for both beginners and advanced users. Well done!

ArchiUrban was done by the two product designers: Ivan Peric and Srdjan Redzic. A great tool that still has it flaws. Its strength is visual presentation of blocks with different use in colour coding. This at the same time showed it's flaw, mixed use which is the case in most commercial building nowadays only showed up in the colour of the predominant use. This really should show the colours of all uses. This can be done in many different ways and needs some attention in my opinion. Thanks Ivan and Srdjan, keep up the good work!

Andreas Lettner from Innsbruck did a great combination of project presentations, technical details and ArchiCAD use on those projects. He is a natural presenter that your want to listen to, whether you always agree with him or not, he has always something interesting to say. His work is always interesting and the solid panels are not a bad idea at all but the onus it's puts on the designer to get all services in without destroying the panels afterwards is a huge drain on fees. Also trying to keep clients from not changing their mind during the construction process is a nightmare. Thanks Andreas for another great presentation.

David Lozej from Ljubljana did a nice overview of ArchiCAD history since ArchiCAD 3.3 - the 1st version he used. It brought horror back to memory but it showed up how much Archicad really has progressed. Something we might forget when we complain about some features. Yes over ten years of development is a long time.. It was fun to see this all pass by again.. Thanks David.

Miklos Szovenyi-Lux almost shocked me with sharing Graphisofts vision and strategy for the next few years. Shocked yes, but pleasantly! Something that I missed from any presentation by Graphisoft before, and I have frequented very many presentations! This is what we users need, reasons to believe and stay loyal to the software that we use every day. We can live with flaws if we know that they will be addressed, and truly they are.

Andreas then did ArchiCAD-Cinema 4D combo as always reliable and interesting, although some more tips and tricks would be great with real examples.

Fabrizio Diodati of Cigraph did a superb presentation, really showing what Archiforma can do that we thought was not possible, with real life examples, amazing... dolphins??? . It truly is an Archicad free form object as well!!!! It made not think twice about updating my Archiforma, I want it!! Thanks Fabrizio, your best presentation ever!

Marin did a presentation about ArchiCAD 14 with some help from Miklos (he answered most of the nasty questions from delegates). The fact that two days since receiving the software was not much time for Marin to prepare his presentation is by far compensated by the presentation from Miklos earlier and his honest replies to any queries. He did not shy away from sharing the the Graphisoft intentions with us! We know some features take time. Even re writing much of the 9 miliion lines of code in compliance with updated computer specifications... yeeeeh 64 bit is coming to Macs!!!! Thanks Marin and Miklos, you made my day!

Next day after the Spring Academy we planned to go sailing but the weather was not ideal, mixed sun, downpours and gusty. Marin devised another plan, we visited ancient cities on hill tops between vineyards and endless valleys. Towns dating back as far as 1100AD, with in many places mixed Roman remains. Many of the footpaths were of Roman slabs, probably "stolen" from ancient Roman settlements. Roman history is everywhere you look. No escaping, together with a mixture of Venetian and Habsburger styles, narrow winding streets, lots of steps to get to the top, no cars, picturesque little squares, impressive gate buildings and even more impressive walling around the old centres. Simply stunning. We visited Groznjan, Momjan and Motovun. Thanks Marin for showing us a bit more of Istria, a place where I want to come back to. I already have pencilled in the 13th and 14th of May 2011!

Finally Marin, thank you for telling me so much about Istria and sending me enticing pictures of glasses pivo on tables with nice views behind it. It lured me to Croatia on top of the content you presented in your program. I am glad I came and I can speak for my wife Marjolijn, she also loved it. Thanks for organising this great and memorable event!!

Daniel Dusoswa
dod architects
Kenmare, Ireland

Report on ArchiCAD Spring Academy

2010-06-04T12:11:00.000+01:00

Report by Marin Racic, Spring Academy Organiser

Archicad-talk Posted: Fri Jun 04, 2010 9:37 am

Hello everybody,

Here's a short report from Pula (ArchiCAD Spring Academy 2010). I am the leader of the team who organised the event so if you have any additional questions, feel free to ask.

The whole event went even better than we had hoped for. Nice weather, excellent lectures and the whole community gathering atmosphere between delegates was great. It was more like a friends/colleagues reunion than an official conference.

Lectures were great, especially 3LHD's. Although they come from Croatia and have won numerous international awards (World Architecture Festival, Architectural Review etc), I am not sure that they are well known outside the region. So, whey they showed their projects, delegates were left with their mouths open. Literally.

After 3LHD, it was time for Ivan Jovanovic of BDSP with "Preliminary energy analysis" and this was a perfect example how a good presenter can make a boring subject very interesting. If you have the opportunity, go and see Ivan in action, it is well worth it.

Raoul Cenan did his TOOTH thing impressively. I had no clue that kind of things can be done in ArchiCAD. We had a few GDL experts in the audience and all of them said the same thing: they were thinking about the idea in the past, but Raoul is the first person that really did it.

Artlantis was done by Csanad Meszes from Abvent: a collection of useful tips & tricks. Nicely done.

ArchiUrban was done by the two product designers: Ivan Peric and Srdjan Redzic. Nice presentation of an urban design add-on for ArchiCAD. I hope to see it developed even more in the future so it can really become a proper design tool.

Andreas Lettner from Innsbruck did a great combination of project presentation, technical details and ArchiCAD use on those projects. Since he is doing most of his project out of prefabricated wooden panels, you can imagine that ArchiCAD was used in a bit different way than usual. Very, very interesting!

David Lozej from Ljubljana did a nice overview of ArchiCAD history since ArchiCAD 3.3 - the 1st version he used. He was the 1st ArchiCAD user on the territory of former Yugoslavia and definitely a person to ask about ArchiCAD. Seeing old dialog boxes and settings panels really brought back memories... although some of them are less than 10 years old. It seems like it was decades ago.

Miklos Szovenyi-Lux did something that Graphisoft never ever did before: they shared their vision and strategy for the next few years. A big big big THANK YOU to Miklos for doing this! Really an eye-opener for everyone there and you should be sorry for missing this. We hope to have Miklos again next year so this would be a great opportunity for all of you who weren't there to come and check it out.

Andreas then did ArchiCAD-Cinema 4D combo: a good presentation of the practically unlimited possibilities of using AC and C4D together. Great stuff.

Fabrizio Diodati of Cigraph did a fantastic presentation/workshop for ArchiForma. Since we had 2 lectures before about freeform modeling, this was a perfect addition to that topic. Again: great stuff.

Finally, I did ArchiCAD 14 presentation with some help from Miklos (he answered most of the nasty questions from delegates). As it was on such a short notice (we got the RC version just 2 days before the academy), there was not enough time to prepare a full size presentation, but this was still a good overview of new features in AC14.

To make things interesting, in the 2 days that followed the ArchiCAD Spring Academy, the delegates who stayed in Pula for a short holiday enjoyed sightseeing of the ancient city of Pula and a day trip to northern Istria visiting old cities (Groznjan, Momjan and Motovun). Fantastic trip, definitely worth doing. And, the food was excellent, too.

In general we, as organisers, are very happy in the way the whole event went. The best proof was that we didn't have to "force" the delegates to go to lectures: after the breaks they were hungry for more. Perfect.

To conclude all of this, I would like to announce that there will be another ArchiCAD Spring Academy next year! Scheduled dates are 13-14 May 2011 and the venue is the same. All informations will be available on the official web site www.archicadspringacademy.com and Facebook page. Book your airplane tickets, the event will be even better than this year!

Marin Racic
Archicad.com.hr
www.3Dart.hr
ArchiCAD Spring Academy

ArchiCAD 14 Announced!

2010-05-12T17:39:00.001+01:00

11 May 2010: ArchiCAD 14 is announced!
See the list of ArchiCAD 14 new features.
What are the new features of ArchiCAD 14, in brief? To quote from the Graphisoft Website:

Element Classification/Filtering,
Core Setting of Load-Bearing Elements,
Customizable IFC Translators,
Direct Revit® MEP/Structure Link,
Reference-model Version Tracking,
Teamwork "Pack and Go",
Automatic Server Recognition,
Automatic Data Release When Closing Project,
"Single-User Mode",
Enhanced Data Reservation,
Centralized User Color Management,
Teamwork "Face to Face",
Modular BIM Server,
Server Activity Monitor,
Transparent Local Data Management,
Direct Data Transfer Among BIM Servers,
Streamlined DWG 2010 Import/Export,
Dimension Text Prefix/Suffix,
Expanded Find and Select Criteria,
"Unlimited" Number of Layers in Composite Elements,
Refined Column Veneer settings,
Shadows in Open GL,
Easier Selection of Trace Reference,
Easy Offset Functionality,
Enhanced Input Constraints,
Improved Schedule Interactions,
Export Schedules Into Excel,
Layout Book Improvements,
Revisioning of Published Items,
Import Surveyor's Data as Mesh,
Improved PDF Output,
Library Management Improvements,
Migration of Libraries,
New and Redesigned Library Parts,
Extended Window/Door Reveals and Wall Closures,
New Opening Types and Sunshades,
Minimal Space for Doors,
Faster IFC Handling,
Faster Generation of Schedules,
Faster Library Reload,
64-bit BIM Server on MacOS.

To see the other, more full description, please go to the AC14 page on the GS website.
ArchiCAD 14 is available from June 1st.

ArchiCAD 12 reviewed by AEC Bytes

2008-10-17T15:42:00.001+01:00

IN AEC Bytes, by Lachmi Khemlami

http://www.aecbytes.com/review/2008/ArchiCAD12.html

She writes...
"According to Graphisoft, based on market research it conducted in
2007, architectural BIM technology has now crossed the "chasm" (as
popularized by Geoffrey A. Moore in his best-selling book, Crossing
the Chasm) between the small segment of early adopters and the large
majority of conservative mainstream users, estimated at 70%. It has
targeted ArchiCAD 12 towards this majority group of architectural
firms, who still work in 2D using some kind of CAD but are seriously
considering switching to a modeling based solution. The focus of these
firms is on improving design rather than on the technology itself, and
they will be driven to adopt BIM only by seeing clear benefits in
terms of better design and increased productivity."

And a whole lot more.. worth reading...

2008-10-17T15:42:00.000+01:00

Thoughts from Andreas about ACUA

2008-10-10T11:03:00.002+01:00

A few Weeks after founding the ACUA, I had chats and talks with many users just to find out why people are so enthusiastic with it.
My initial question always is: "Do you think that we already have too many of these groups, forums, websites and blogs? Comparing to other Software, AC has a pretty strong and active user community."
I just want to mention some of them (of course a very personal choice )
There are ArchiCAD-Talk and ArchiCAD-Forum, fantastic sources of knowledge, provided for free from the best AC nerds worldwide. These Forums are hosted, maintained and paid by GS.
There is AC Wiki, a huge, growing database, also driven by GS.
There is AC University (THX David and all the others behind the scene working hard and voluntary) providing the community throughout the year with legendary main and side events (Archicad Summer School, Winter School, Sailing Weekend, and all national events around the world)
There are user groups almost on any available platform, in almost every language...
Should be enough !
But still there are still issues, not being covered at all!
For Example:
I found "Wishlists" on almost every ArchiCAD forum. But all of these are grown over years and completely unorganized.
If you take some time and have a closer look on these huge lists, you will find among thousands of cosmetic topics a few major wishes, mainly regarding functions which are already there, but still have something lacking. One of the most famous examples is the missing 2D feedback of a solid element operation in the floor plan.
Filtering out the real demands of us, the users and reacting to these could be a major key for Graphisoft's success on the BIM market.
I'll give you another reason: Sometimes GS cannot understand what users would need in working practice. Although a lot of educated Architects work at GS, they do not use their Product under real life circumstances. So we should give them a chance to discover what and also how we use it.
===Andreas Lettner

Article by Daniel Dusoswa

2008-10-08T12:06:00.002+01:00

My name is Daniel Dusoswa and represent the ArchiCAD’s User Group in Ireland. The main reason for being involved in the formation of such a users group is to create a platform from which we can collect users feedback and to present same to Graphisoft to assist improving our beloved software. Many of us are power users and require maximised power from the software. As individuals we found it very difficult and extremely frustrating to bring forward our feedback which was most of the time not taken seriously.
In our opinion a Users Group which represents a large segment of the users world wide will have to be to be taken seriously. The Users Group should be totally independent and self financing in order to allow us to vent our own views which not necessarily are the same as Graphisoft. We also should be able to embrace other software that can be used in conjunction with ArchiCAD such Cadimage, Cigraph, Solibri, Artlantis, Maxel, Cinema 4D etc. We all love our ArchiCAD and are very happy with new improvements like increased speed and glazing tool. The Users Group should be critical but also supportive of the developments that are ongoing. The main task of the Users Group will be to make sure that Graphisoft does not fall asleep and keeps ahead of the competition. That is in the interest of all of us, including Graphisoft. I am looking forward to the future with great confidence as I feel that we all together can make a difference for the good of everybody.
=====Daniel

How to post to this Blog site

2008-10-06T14:41:00.003+01:00

ACUA is newly formed to represent users internationally. Until we get a better website, this is it. You can send posts to the blog (which will be moderated) to dnicholsoncole.archicadusers@blogger.com and I get an alert and then can send it to be visible. <

ACUA Training Schemes?

2008-09-23T23:25:00.004+01:00

Andi asks: Should ACUA develop a scheme for a Trainer Certificate?

DNC opines: I would worry about the concept of developing certified trainers, as these would be seen to be in direct competition with GS and their resellers, and their training schemes. It would not work in UK and US, for sure, and they would cease to support us.

ACUE has proved a very successful non-political method of bringing users together. GDL talk etc also do this. The Summer and Winterschool events already walk a slight tightrope on this training issue. Some resellers even suspect the ACSS and ACWS as a risk to training income. In Austria, you might have more success with the idea of certified ACUA trainers as you do not threaten a reseller.

Reasons for formation of ACUA

2008-09-22T11:25:00.004+01:00

• Keeping ArchiCAD enthusiasts together through an independent and friendly user group.
• Organizing and promoting of achievements worldwide of ArchiCAD users.
• Reviewing and Recommendation of Archi-related Books, Tutorials, Courses, Add-On's.
• Reviewing and commenting of Day by Day Experiences with BIM methodology
• Reviewing and commenting AC Releases from an independent Point of View
• Supporting further development of AC + GS with independent Opinions and wishlists.

ArchiCAD Summer School

2008-09-17T20:43:00.004+01:00

ArchiCAD Summer School happened! on 11-13 September 2008. Thanks to all those taking part.

See the ACUE Website for feedback - as it comes in slowly.

ArchiCAD Users Association

2008-09-17T20:43:00.003+01:00

There is a need for an international ArchiCAD Users Association. The Summer school and Winter school and Facebook areas are already a de facto group, but not formally constituted or recognised.

This is the start: Summer School, 12th Sept at Nottingham represents the start of the ACUA. The initial working group is headed by Andreas Lettner, of Innsbruck, Austria.
Facebook, Blogspot etc support by David Nicholson-Cole.