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AEC Newsletter archive:
Geoffrey Moore Langdon
CADENCE AEC Tech News # 16 (Dec. 15, 1999)
Free Demo Trial Runs of CADD Software
Recently, you may have noticed announcements from Eagle Point (ArchT), DataCAD LLC (DataCAD), and Autodesk (AutoCAD2000) for free 30-day trial offers of their software. This is a great new development as people interested in these CADD programs in the past had a tough time trying to figure out what it was really like to actually use these programs and whether they could handle their current projects. As CADD has become more and more pervasive in the design industry, CADD software is usually bought by experienced users who already have experience with a CADD program. Either they are setting up a new office, or they are an office already using one CADD product, and they want to check into alternatives. Either way, they tend to be jaded and suspicious of the glitzy presentations that the vendors put on, and, instead want to test the software hands-on themselves, preferably with their own projects.
While many vendors are willing to set up offices with CADD software on a "trial" basis, for a lot of offices this is way too much of a commitment in time and dollars, especially when the idea is merely to test an alternative in an office where CADD is working reasonably fine as is. Buying a copy or two of a software product to test is another possibility although MIS, IT, and CADD managers rarely have the opportunity to actually buy a full multi-thousand dollar CADD station just to try it out. Offices with more than 20 people sometimes have at least one or two stations with an "alternative" software, although the reason may range from tryouts to dealing with legacy CADD software to file translations. Even figuring only one purchased copy for each CADD alternative, this could get expensive, and take a lot of time.
In reality, all they want to do is to see features work (as how they work is not always evident from a features list), test it on their own projects for capability and appropriateness, and to show to the boss, as a sort of in-house slide show before calling (and committing to) the VARs (Value Added Resellers - CADD sales people). Demo versions allow a person to get the software in house, either by CD, disk, or download, and get a closer look.
Demo versions generally work fully but with a limited version of their symbol libraries; Save and Print are usually disabled. However, there are a number of very different schemes demo versions follow :
- Demonstration Version: no print and save, software runs as usual, forever.
- Expiring Demo: a demo version that will time out after a few months
(ensures you are looking at a reasonably current demo).
- Multimedia SlideShow: an electronic slide show, frequently with animations
and sound that will run forever.
- Evaluation Version: fully running software for a limited time. Uses
a time bomb based on the system clock/calendar, a counter on number of
times the software is opened, or a special hardware timing key.
- Refundable Trial: specially set up and paid for, though sometimes only
partial payment is needed; usually makes use of a special hardware key
(which must be returned for a refund).
- PayPerUse or PPU: an alternative way of buying the software, similar
to renting, where you buy a certain number of hours as you use it.
- Software Subscriptions: you must "subscribe" and pay a certain
amount per month for the software to keep functioning.
- Shareware: fully working with an amount requested to be sent to the
authors.
- Free Version: usually with a big sister version with more features.
- (Light Version): not really a demo, but possibly another way to get people to eventually move up to their full version.
The Videotape Alternative
Video represents another demo alternative but sidesteps the actual hands-on experience. Even so, videos offer the chance to see how similar firms handle projects. Depending on the video, this presentation may be more efficient than letting potential buyers stumble about with the software.
Three different types of videos are often employed: first, a brief marketing one with testimonials and examples from satisfied users (aimed at senior management); second, a five minute or so detailed description of all the significant features (for CADD managers and project managers); and third, a 60-minute (or more) step-by-step tutorial (for the actual CADD users).
As a faculty member and consultant whose job is to expose CADD users to alternatives, I prefer the non-saving, non-expiring demos by far. These should include samples of finished drawings as well.
Most users, though, want to take the software even further, and try an actual project with it. For this reason the 30-day trial evaluation versions seem to be a favorite. From the standpoint of the CADD software developers, this option works the best too, as people really get attached to the software in addition to being convinced that it does indeed do what they need to do. The CEOs of several software companies tell me that they have a high percentage of users who then send for full registration (buy) after the evaluation period.
PPU experience
A very clever concept, in my view, is the PayPerUse way of getting into CADD software. Although similar to a subscription in that a user has only to pay a small amount and the software will run for a limited period of time, it is different in that the purchased hours are "owned" and will never expire until they are actually used. Since learning time and viewing/reviewing/presentation time could be done on a demo version not on the PPU clock, a purchase of 100 hours is really a huge amount of productive time. At AutoCAD offices, for example, that by office policy simply could not possibly switch to ArchiCAD, the CADD managers could get an ArchiCAD PPU license out of petty cash and transfer in 2D ACAD DWG files to do rendering, animation, cost analysis and sun studies.
In contrast to the new stream of demos from various CADD software developers, Graphisoft has made a decision to discontinue creating demo versions of ArchiCAD. Their feeling is that people sometimes get the wrong impression of their software from struggling about with it on their own. A VAR can more effectively show a potential buyer that ArchiCAD has an entirely different, better, and easier approach with intelligent architectural objects. They find that some AutoCAD users would get their demo and try to draw walls in 2D by offsetting and trimming lines, instead of doing it more easily with the intelligent walls, and get a totally wrong impression of the software.
Subscription software
A new trend that is coming this spring with the introduction of Bricsnet Architectural from Bricsnet as well as RevIt from Charles River Software is sort of a combination demo and full working version, since they are sold as monthly subscriptions.
Demos currently available:
ArchT by EaglePoint - Eval - 30 day trial version [http://www.eaglepoint.com]
DataCAD 8.50 by DataCAD LLC - Eval - 30 day trial version [http://www.datacad.com]
Lightscape by Discreet Logic - Eval - 8 days [http://www.discreet.com]
AutoCAD by Autodesk [http://www.autodesk.com/autocad]
FormZ by auto*des*sys - Expiring Demo - will work for 3 months (no save/print) [http://www.formz.com]
MiniCAD/VectorWorks by Diehl Graphsoft - Demo (no save/print) [http://www.diehlgraphsoft.com]
AllPlan by Nemetschek - the "demo" is a slideshow, as the full real software is too intricate to work as a demo [http://www.allplan.com]
DesignWorkshop by Artifice - Free Light Version [http://www.artifice.com]
SoftCAD 3D by SoftCAD International - Free Light Version [http://www.softcad.com]
TurboCAD by IMSI - Free Light Version [http://www.imsisoft.com]
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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