Has Anyone Switched from VisionRez

[BeachHouse1]

I'm leaving AutoCAD Architecture 2014 with VisionRez extensions. It had some pretty good productivity tools, and some pretty poor ones. But Autodesk decided to void  all their old perpetual licenses, by not making them compatible with Win 10. Not to mention the duel licencing is void because VisionRez no longer provides any support for their AutoCAD Architecture versions. They are only available with  Revit monthly subscriptions. 

I guess good for Chief Architect. 

If you did migrate from VisionRez, would you relate to us how that went please?  

[DianneDSC]

Hi Joe and welcome to the Chief. I'm not sure about it being life altering but it definitely will change work life for the better.

We, my employee and I, transitioned from VisionRez  to Chief in 2014 after discovering it in a magazine I think. My Vrez sales person had told me that Vrez will soon stop developing for AA and switching to Revit. I had no desire to learn Revit. I had been using VRez probably since or 2005. Before that used AA by itself, before that - straight Autocad. (I've been designing houses for a living since 1989). So a similar background as you. In the beginning VRez was being developed and improved, but then the company was sold. It was still so much better for residential than AA only but no comparison to Chief Architect Premier.

 

With experience in Autocad / AA / VisonRez, the transition to Chief was not difficult at all, especially the 3D modeling tools. Everyday was awesome, finding features that were soooo much better than in VRez. The only learning curves I remember was getting used to how to dimension in CA, complete cd's, and missing the stair tools of VRez. Chief has improved stairs since X6 but still not as easy as VRez. For those that have never used VRez, p-lines could be drawn in any shape and converted to stairs. I do not remember struggling with railings either, but it's been awhile. As I remember, Vrez developed their own stair and roof tools rather than using AA's tools. CA's roof tools are better the VRez so it was a wash with the stair tool lacking.

 

Back to the transition to CA: The modeling part was a fun and easy transition (except for stairs). We went through the User's Guide / Tutorial and was using CA exclusively in no time. If a project was still in the design stage, we started over in CA. In some cases, after showing our clients the better visualization tools in CA, we redrew almost completed plans in CA with the client paying extra for this. This process also helped us gain experience, speed, exploration of multiple tools by allowing us to focus not on design, but just the tools.

 

I'm sure with your background, you'll have no problem and it will be fun. I highly recommend purchasing Chief, and with SSA. Awesome new features are added yearly, great support, and a great company.

[BeachHouse1]

Thank you Ms. Shelbrack.

I agree 100% with your statements.  In the week and a half that I have been trying it out, I find it to be better in every aspect.   I haven't tried a set of stairs yet.  I have built some pilings for a foundation and a video on using a louvered door as a wall panel for the ground floor exterior breakaway walls for beach houses. 

Yes out with the old.  The life changing is only using  Autodesk products exclusively since the mid 80s, for a 60 year old, that's a pretty big step.

 

[joey_martin]

I made the switch around 15 years ago and haven't looked back. I literally locked myself in my home office for a week with a set of my plan completed in AutoCAD and started with videos and trial and error. I had a set of plans by the end of the week. That was in v.9 (or v.9.5 maybe)..anyway, best thing I could have done for my, at that time, brand new solo venture. 

 

Now...I can turn out models with the accuracy needed to use the materials list with my builders, do decent renderings (though that is a very small part of my office), and the best con docs I have ever produced using Chief Architect. 

 

Here is a set that I am about to begin the details for. https://www.dropbox.com/s/dxbydlt9jkg0tpd/Suburban 24x36_X12_PROOF_5_12_20.pdf?dl=0

[Renerabbitt]

5 hours ago, DianneDSC said:

(except for stairs)

Dev team is still focusing on Stair Tool improvements for X-13...was pretty happy with that news since they gave us a significant upgrade to stairs in X-12

[DianneDSC]

1 hour ago, Renerabbitt said:

Dev team is still focusing on Stair Tool improvements for X-13

That's great news, and not surprised. There's improvement with most every release, and a huge improvement since I started with X6

[DianneDSC]

5 hours ago, BeachHouse1 said:

for a 60 year old, that's a pretty big step.

Awe, 60's not old. Haven't you heard.....60 is the new 40   I was 51 when I made the switch.

[WoodlandDesign]

Has anyone tried to use CA for creating metal stairways plans for a fabricator? 

 

I have a request to do so and am apprehensive about being able to create drawings with enough detail.

 

-DG