X9 Sneak Preview

[SNestor]

1 hour ago, michaelgia said:

This is why I now use Chiefarchitect...

 

I absolutely love stairs in Chief now. 

I like it! I like it! (a la Yosemite Sam)

 

That gave me a headache.  I'll stick with Chief...and just hope they make some improvements. 

[mthd97]

UI for Windows Tablets, I got a new MSS3 recently so I like these features as they will help me with an as built on site survey. Icons being able to be resized is good for these tablets too. Just to steer the conversation back to the sneek peek video, this not all there is to X9 as you can tell from what the speaker says.

[dssharp]

2 hours ago, michaelgia said:

This is why I now use Chiefarchitect...

 

I absolutely love stairs in Chief now. 

I like it! I like it! (a la Yosemite Sam)

 

i hear you on that . That is way to much.................lol

[dssharp]

What a nightmare in Archicad......... would have just used p solids.

[michaelgia]

4 minutes ago, dssharp said:

What a nightmare in Archicad......... would have just used p solids.

...and Archicad is the best of the bunch. 

We got it good with Chief. 

Just wish they would spend more time fixing stuff that's broken than adding new features. 

They'll get there, I'm sure. 

[mthd97]

Archicad stairs are not a nightmare for me as they are not distorted by room types and wall types as they act as a separate item. Look at the Brekenridge example for X8 video as soon as you get a split level house, Chief stairs become a nightmare for not just the stair but for rooms, walls and ceilings too ! If you have a single level house or consecutive story house the CA stairs behave. Now how stairs act in X9 with split levels, we just have to wait till the public beta of X9 is released and if there are any improvements in this release ?

[johnny]

3 hours ago, michaelgia said:

This is why I now use Chiefarchitect...

 

I absolutely love stairs in Chief now. 

I like it! I like it! (a la Yosemite Sam)

 

That is an older version of Archicad - but watching this video I wish this is how Chief worked.  Yes, I realize this is a add-on.

 

 

 

[OkcDesigner]

I am still not expecting any changes to solve my PEBKAC problems....... But then again that is a local issue.....

I do not think I have enough money for Chief to solve that one.......

[Griffin]

A demonstration of the Cadimage ArchiCAD Polystair features starts at 39 minutes in the link below.  ...Worth a look if you are interested in a simple stair construction process.  It is impressive that the program is open to this type of third-party enhancement.

 

This 2-minute stair example that would have taken 30 seconds without the narritive:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yutTWSmYR6I

 

[rlackore]

Personally I'm really excited about the new block management features, and the ability to reorganize layout pages in the project browser; I recognized both these as feature requests from the Suggestion Forum.

[HumbleChief]

10 hours ago, johnny said:

 

That is an older version of Archicad - but watching this video I wish this is how Chief worked.  Yes, I realize this is a add-on.

Nice indeed but Chief will never, ever work like that. The fact that what you've shown is an add-on is perhaps most impressive. Chief currently has no way to add-on anything that I'm aware of.

[HumbleChief]

1 hour ago, Griffin said:

 It is impressive that the program is open to this type of third-party enhancement.

Agreed.

[HumbleChief]

53 minutes ago, rlackore said:

Personally I'm really excited about the new block management features, and the ability to reorganize layout pages in the project browser; I recognized both these as feature requests from the Suggestion Forum.

Not sure how I would use the block management features as I've never needed them before but re-organizing pages in the project browser will come in handy.

[michaelgia]

18 minutes ago, HumbleChief said:

Nice indeed but Chief will never, ever work like that. The fact that what you've shown is an add-on is perhaps most impressive. Chief currently has no way to add-on anything that I'm aware of.

You do realize that there is yet another monthly subscription fee right? 

Do we want that?

Calculate the cost of Archicad plus third party subscriptions for stairs and another one for kitchen cabinets!

(Yes, Archicad also sucks at kitchens)

I mean in an out-of-the-box solution like Chief, that is. 

[HumbleChief]

4 minutes ago, michaelgia said:

You do realize that there is yet another monthly subscription fee right? 

Do we want that?

Calculate the cost of Archicad plus third party subscriptions for stairs and another one for kitchen cabinets!

(Yes, Archicad also sucks at kitchens)

I mean in an out-of-the-box solution like Chief, that is. 

I personally don't want that. I don't want to pay Archicad's ridiculous prices nor do I want to pay for add-ons, simply because my business doesn't demand that kind of detail. I also don't need the custom stair tools that are shown. Chief's tools work fine for me but there may be others who can use the additional tools and are willing to pay or them. I think that would be a great option - for some.

 

Trying to think of a custom add-on I would like for Chief and really can't come up with anything - for my uses - but I'll bet there are others users who could use some custom tools.

[Griffin]

A few things come to mind: HVAC duct layout, plumbing riser diagrams, suspended ceiling tools, and commercial door/lock/hardware configuration come to mind as third-party type enhancements.  

[Richard_Morrison]

1 hour ago, HumbleChief said:

I personally don't want that. I don't want to pay Archicad's ridiculous prices nor do I want to pay for add-ons, simply because my business doesn't demand that kind of detail.

 

"Ridiculous prices" seems a bit unfair considering that ArchiCAD SOLO is $2,500 vs. Chief Premier at $2,695. I don't like paying extra for Chief's 3D Viewer model storage, but both programs' add-ons are optional.  Also, you can get all 7 Cadimage add-ons for $49/mo. or two of your choice for $29/mo. Not THAT expensive. I think Chief still does a better job at providing a complete residential OOTB solution, though. 

[Griffin]

I don't think any of us want to pay more for our CAD, but it's about the investment needed to improve productivity.   I can spend an hour on a complex stairway now and still not get it right.  Spending 5 minutes on a stair that looks perfect is a better value proposition.

 

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with not having a third-party development program, but it does put a burden on those of us who feel that there are some missing capabilities that impact our time.   This is especially bothersome since we do not get much of a development roadmap from CA.  

 

I'm not complaining, but it's a fair discussion here to give some feedback on development priorities.  I'll probably not use all the new cabinetry features which are really cool, and I'll certainly think about that next time I'm trying to get 10 suspended ceilings properly centered or struggling with the lack of origins on hatch patterns (right now).

[HumbleChief]

21 minutes ago, Richard_Morrison said:

 

"Ridiculous prices" seems a bit unfair considering that ArchiCAD SOLO is $2,500 vs. Chief Premier at $2,695. I don't like paying extra for Chief's 3D Viewer model storage, but both programs' add-ons are optional.  Also, you can get all 7 Cadimage add-ons for $49/mo. or two of your choice for $29/mo. Not THAT expensive. I think Chief still does a better job at providing a complete residential OOTB solution, though. 

Really haven't explored the pricing models so if you say that Archicad cost the same as Chief for a similar tool set then I'll take your word on same and of course not much of anything is really all THAT expensive and it's all relative. If I can buy a tool that improves production and my ROI is more than $29 - $49 per month then I'd be all over it. I just don't need much more than Chief currently offers - for my business - which is the issue all the features and add-ons etc. always come down to - your business.

 

Funny I had no idea there was even such a thing as Chief's 3D Viewer model storage. Another business relative feature/add-on I've never used, and may never use.

[Griffin]

Maybe for the next cycle CA could do some survey work with their user base to help set development priorities.  I don't know how their process works so maybe they already have something like this in the works I'm not aware of.

[SNestor]

I draw residential stairs...basic stairs, like those constructed almost daily by production and custom builders.  The railing on the open side, first floor, sometimes starts on top of a short stud wall with a cap, commonly open 4-6 treads.  The rail then dies into the end of a full height frame wall with a "rosette" or some other custom trim...maybe even a half newel.  The stairs continue between walls to the 2nd floor....with a rail mounted on the wall on one side.  

 

This is such a common stair...it amazes me that CA after all these years still doesn't allow us to "easily" build this stair in 3D.  Also...why can't we control the size, shape, location of skirt boards?  Really?  Why can't we have complete control of the baluster spacing....say we want 3 or 4 balusters per tread...just anything custom.  Can't be done right now...

 

For me...it's just easier to draw the stairs and rails using 2D Cad and hope the customer doesn't want to see a 3D view of the stairs or Foyer showing the stairs. 

 

I've used CA only since V7...so, I'm a novice compared to others (like Joey Martin).  So take my comments with a grain of salt...as my experience level with the software cannot compare to others.  However, I do know what I want my stairs to look like...and I've spent hours playing with the stair tool and workarounds trying to get the stairs to look just how I want them.  It's damn near impossible...

[HumbleChief]

31 minutes ago, Griffin said:

I don't think any of us want to pay more for our CAD, but it's about the investment needed to improve productivity.   I can spend an hour on a complex stairway now and still not get it right.  

 

There is nothing intrinsically wrong with not having a third-party development program, but it does put a burden on those of us who feel that there are some missing capabilities that impact our time.   This is especially bothersome since we do not get much of a development roadmap from CA.  

 

I'm not complaining, but it's a fair discussion here to give some feedback on development priorities.  I'll probably not use all the new cabinetry features which are really cool, and I'll certainly think about that next time I'm trying to get 10 suspended ceilings properly centered or struggling with the lack of origins on hatch patterns (right now).

Yeah, Chief as well as other software developers have to choose where they put their development dollars. Chief chose i.e. cabinet details, which some will never really utilize, over some basic functionality as you've pointed out i.e: suspended ceilings, stair details, and hatch origins. It's a crap shoot and we all benefit in some small way even if we don't get the exact features we want.

[HumbleChief]

18 minutes ago, Griffin said:

Maybe for the next cycle CA could do some survey work with their user base to help set development priorities.  I don't know how their process works so maybe they already have something like this in the works I'm not aware of.

There was a 10 person user group appointed just before the X8 update and that group met in Idaho with the entire company staff to go over specific wants and needs in the program. Not sure if that group will meet again this year or not. I was a part of that group and could not have been more impressed with the people involved at Chief.

 

As far as making changes recommended by the group I'd say it's impossible to say what kind of impact the user group had on actual development plans as those plans are set so far in advance that any changes will come slowly if at all. I would imagine that no matter how hard any group clamored for any specific change there are business considerations that will override those requests if necessary, and rightfully so. 

 

I think they had 4000+ items on the want list at that time and I'm sure the list has grown from there. I'd even venture to say that X10's feature set is pretty well nailed down now to allow for full development of those features before the next upgrade so maybe X10 will include a few more sea changes but I would not bet on it.

[Griffin]

36 minutes ago, HumbleChief said:

There was a 10 person user group appointed just before the X8 update and that group met in Idaho with the entire company staff to go over specific wants and needs in the program. Not sure if that group will meet again this year or not. I was a part of that group and could not have been more impressed with the people involved at Chief.

 

 

Great Larry, I'm glad to hear that something like that was formed to help guide the program.  

 

Still, is there were a broad survey and a majority of users that felt strongly about a particular feature, that larger voice might be even more influential.  At least we would feel that our input was being measured.

 

Back in my DataCAD days we ranked all our feature requests based on the user productivity impact and degree of difficulty for the developers.  Both measures were subjective, but that process was helpful and communicated to the users and third-party developers. The sales folks got a voice too for Wow features that nobody really wanted but were great for demos - that input was kept to a minimum (and I hope it is for CA too).  

 

 

[HumbleChief]

10 minutes ago, Griffin said:

Great Larry, I'm glad to hear that something like that was formed to help guide the program.  

 

Still, is there were a broad survey and a majority of users that felt strongly about a particular feature, that larger voice might be even more influential.  At least we would feel that our input was being measured.

 

Back in my DataCAD days we ranked all our feature requests based on the user productivity impact and degree of difficulty for the developers.  Both measures were subjective, but that process was helpful and communicated to the users and third-party developers. The sales folks got a voice too for Wow features that nobody really wanted but were great for demos - that input was kept to a minimum (and I hope it is for CA too).  

 

 

As I remember there was no real organized ranking method, and as would be easy to imagine, there were 10 people with 10 very different desires and feature requests which ran the entire gamut of Chief's abilities. The fruits of those meetings would, I think, be very hard to pin point as to a specific feature that came to life but it had to help the developers if they were willing to listen and execute those ideas.

 

I think it's also important to remember that there was quite a 'large voice' concerning stair changes and X8 implemented a lot of those changes, apparently not enough for many users, so perhaps another 'large voice' on the suggestion forum might be helpful again?