YellowJacket77 Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 Hello all, Having used my first company check to purchase an Osbourne 1 computer (64k memory, (2) 71k floppy drives), I have been following digital architectural software for a while. Presently using Architrion 5.8 (Mac 9.2) for all production & design work, an upgrade is long overdue. My question is whether Chief Architect will be able to support my practice. Tending to have a "start from scratch" approach to design, I am not much interested in canned floor plans or details. Additionally, much of my practice is in historic preservation where the ability to delineate "one-off" solutions to individual structural/moisture penetration problems is required . The ability to import and modify manufacturers .pdf or .dwg details would save immense amounts of time now spent in duplicating complex sections & isometrics. I am contemplating purchase of the CA Lite to begin with with upgrade to Premier based on workload and an individual project needing the advanced features of the full program. If the Lite version can produce 2d construction documents w/ custom sectional details as well as isometric & perspective drawings which would not be "photo realistic" I think I'm ready to proceed. Any comments from small/one person firms on this logic ? John M. Foster - Architect - AIA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbuttery Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 John: welcome If you are doing detailed CD's Lite may not be the product for you as it is intended for K&B and other Interior Designers who really don't care what is going on behind the walls/floors etc you get plenty of advice from users on this forum but I would suggest calling CA's sales team and discussing your needs CA does offer a "full credit" towards upgrade so if you start with Lite and find it isn't meeting your needs you can upgrade to the full Premier verify with CA's sales team how this works Lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard_Morrison Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 John, the difference in price between the Lite and the Premier products is about $700 from what I can gather. I just looked at the feature comparison, and for a professional contemplating using Chief as my base platform, I wouldn't waste my time with the Lite version. There are so many disabled features and efficiencies that I can't imagine trying to do serious professional work without them. OTOH, if you are billing hourly, maybe the slower CAD version will make you more money? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
portrait Posted December 7, 2014 Share Posted December 7, 2014 I agree that price difference between the lite and the premier versions is small when you compare the available options between these two. But before the pricing, you should first check the suitibality of Chief for your works. I have small idea about the historic preservation projects in the States, but i'm sure that there must be very strict rules about preservation like most places in the world. My friends are working on the restoration of an ancient Greek site where some of the structures are older than 2000 years, and every small detail is critically important. I can't imagine using Chief for such a special task. So before deciding, i think you should check if Chief can easily generate the details, and the construction sets you need. Pricing is the easier part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldCKD Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Why not download the free 30-day Premier test version and play with that to see if it suits you? You can't save or print but you can take the entire program for a test drive - LINK. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwideziner Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I know things have changed over the versions but I originally started with lite ver 7 or something did not last long before I went to full version. But it depends on the actual work you are doing. All of my projects are 1 off from scratch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kMoquin Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Hello John, I can echo the comments of skipping lite and jumping right in to the full version. (You may have to upgrade the Osbourne 1) Like you I am an office of 1 architect and all my projects are unique, bespoke designs. (I also used Architrion, though it was 18 years ago...) I think you will be able to model unique historic conditions but you may need to rely on this forum to help with a crash course in the inner workings of the software. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gawdzira Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 I have seen several people selling their premier licenses discounted about that much on the forum. Get one of those. If you have contacted sales support regarding the license that is for sale you can verify if it is a legitimate sale. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YellowJacket77 Posted December 8, 2014 Author Share Posted December 8, 2014 Thank you all for your suggestions & comments. As soon as an updated computer arrives, the free download seems the way to do a "trial run" In that the program cost is not small (and continues) the re-seller idea also has merit as long as it is the latest Mac version ... John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evolution Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 NOTE: In my consideration between Lite and X6 response from Sales was the plan is to discontinue lite. I definitely would contact tech support prior to final decisions. I love X6! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ragetoca Posted December 8, 2014 Share Posted December 8, 2014 Chief Architect offers a "lease to own" program http://www.chiefarchitect.com/software-rental/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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