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Geoffrey Moore Langdon
CADENCE AEC Tech News # 23 (April 3, 2000)
This week, I am the news
Yes, fans, the recent press announcement about me is true - just as Ben Stein does on his show - I am going to become "a common contestant" in the upcoming Designers 3D CAD Shootout. It will be more in the tradition of Olympic demonstration sports, however, as I will not be eligible for the Architectural CADD Cup in any way, and, just as those demo sports are conducted away from the main event, so too, will my 3 hour charrette efforts. So, you may ask, after all these years on the sidelines as emcee, what software would I choose to do the required project with? The answer is, drum roll please, similar to the answer of who the murderer on the Orient Express is .... All of them.
In planning the interesting project all these months, I continually would note to myself that I could easily do the project, alone, in three hours, in DesignWorkshop... or VectorWorks... or AutoCAD ArchitecturalDesktop2... or DataCAD... or ArchiCAD... or ChiefArchitect, and so on, and was puzzled why other architects don't think they could too. The purpose of the event is educational - to let architects know about their different design software options - and to highlight the strengths of the various packages. We have also decided, this year, to do away with the ranking, grading, and bar charts for the entire event and concentrate on what architects really need - a side by side demonstration. Just as was the case with the Oscars this year, our Design Shootout for 2000 only emphasises achievements, with no winners or loosers. This is also why we specifically invite any architect to come forward to show off their favorite software, not just the various CADD software developers (who are also invited).
In this spirit of informational demonstrations, following the event on June 6-8 at A/E/C SYSTEMS, I will be doing the 3 hour charrette design project myself, using a different CADD software every other week, for the next 28 weeks. The unique perspective I bring forward, as a professor, is that my efforts will show, step by step, how it is all done - showing the various tips and tricks as well as the workarounds required in the various packages - which you will be able to download and see for yourself, to learn a technique or two. A side benefit for me for stepping out from the sidelines is that it highlights a unique talent - that I actually feel comfortable working and designing in so many different CADD packages (so perhaps I will continue to get hired to consult/teach/speak/write). The project really is an interesting one - which it would have to be for me to commit myself to doing it some fourteen different times.
This also means, for the first time, the Designers 3D CAD Shootout will have representation, in some form or another, by every single architectural CADD option.
Think you know your favorite software and can do a better design than me ? You all are still welcome to come and join or start a Team in the Designers 3D CAD Shootout. For individuals and user groups the cost is free (you will need to submit an application for a Scholarship Grant) and, better yet there are gifts, perks, prizes, and benefits. What a great way to convince your employer or colleagues what CADD software to use.
ArchT Now Part of the IntelliCAD Technology Consortium (ITC)
The Visio division of Microsoft has granted a "royalty-free, perpetual license" for ArchT to the ITC - essentially granting it a similar status as IntelliCAD - so that it can be sold, improved, or even given away by its members. ArchT is an excellent architectural add-on for AutoCAD 14 and AutoCAD 2000 as well as for IntelliCAD, and was the Editor's Choice in that category in Cadence magazine for 1997 and 1998. It also has been the top rated AutoCAD add-on in the Architectural CADD Ratings, and, yes, it is another of the packages that Prof. Langdon will be using in the Design Shootout.
Microsoft is maintaining ownership of the ArchT 2D and 3D symbol libraries, Blocks and Materials library, and Just Textures library, and is considering licensing these separately in the future.
ArchT garnered the top marks principally by being so simple and easy to use. Unlike some other AutoCAD add-on packages, ArchT does not replace the AutoCAD interface but simply adds three more columns of pulldown menus (or three toolbars), which include choices of walls, windows, doors, and so on. The software is designed with the fact that many people still use vanilla AutoCAD in mind, and so it allows a designer to place doors and windows automatically in any parallel lines (in case the drawing was done with the classic polyline-offset-trim technique) without having to turn them into "walls". The software will also automatically generate sections and elevations, placed in PaperSpace layouts, which dynamically update as changes are made in any view to any drawing of the set. ArchT also adds the two most glaringly missing commands from AutoCAD - true perspective and line weld/glue. The software is fast, and a very easy transition from using AutoCAD without any add-ons. Some offices use it only for the automatic stairs it generates, while drafting the rest in the "conventional" way. The primary mode of working in ArchT is in 2D production drawings and details, however, if desired, you can select a "convert to 3D" menu choice which can convert the entire project instantly to a visualization model - replacing 2D symbols with their 3D equivalents. When converting the 3D back to 2D, you notice that the plans are then more clear, with drafting conventions, dashed lines showing things overhead/beneath, keynotes and dimensions.
This development makes it easier for the various software developers to offer architecture-savvy versions of IntelliCAD. Companies such as EaglePoint and Bricsnet will also be able to begin developing specialized architectural versions of ArchT - truly a serious alternative to Autodesk's AutoCAD ArchitecturalDesktop.
Links :
Geoffrey Moore Langdon, AIA = http://www.architecturalcadd.com
Designers 3D CAD Shootout = http://www.architecturalcadd.com/shootout.html
A/E/C SYSTEMS = http://www.aecsystems.com
Architectural CADD Ratings = http://www.architecturalcadd.com/reviewsa.html
ArchT = http://www.archt.com
IntelliCAD Technology Consortium = http://www.intellicad.org
About Geoffrey Moore Langdon, AIA
Prof. Langdon is a registered architect and is the principal of Architectural CADD Consultants, a firm that specializes in helping architectural firms with computing and CADD. He has taught Design, Solar Energy, and Architectural CADD at a number of colleges in the Boston area. He is the author of Architectural CADD: A Resource Guide to Design and Production Software Appropriate for Architects, a guest speaker at many AIA events, and the founder and organizer of the Designers 3D CAD Shootout competition. contact him at aectechnews@architecturalcadd.com, or through his website: http://www.architecturalcadd.com
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