adgtx08 Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 So I know Chief Architect is used primarily for residential and very limited light commercial, and that's great, but I'm starting to bring in larger commercial projects and I'm hoping someone has a comparable software recommendation for commercial projects. Not very familiar with Revit, but I suppose I could learn it. Would like something I could do a full design and engineering package in one application. What does everyone else use for their larger, more complicated projects? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robdyck Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 1 hour ago, adgtx08 said: larger commercial projects Don't suppose you have an example pic handy? I can think of plenty of ways that Chief can be used for larger projects, but larger is relative. As long as the building is rectilinear and made up of rooms and floor levels, Chief may very well be able to handle it. This...Yes: This...No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alaskan_Son Posted June 25, 2021 Share Posted June 25, 2021 I would recommend looking at Archicad. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 2 hours ago, Alaskan_Son said: I would recommend looking at Archicad. Yes, I would recommend looking at Archicad. A close 2nd for me would be Vectorworks - but if you want an environment similar to Chief than Archicad is a great choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 5 hours ago, robdyck said: Don't suppose you have an example pic handy? I can think of plenty of ways that Chief can be used for larger projects, but larger is relative. As long as the building is rectilinear and made up of rooms and floor levels, Chief may very well be able to handle it. This...Yes: I think the key for Chief, as it relates to commercial (like your example), is it can make quick presentation work but so much of the plan is "falsified" CONDocs will be an issue (unless you want to do a ton of CAD work). Commercial windows/doors, structural elements/connections, cladding, elevators, and other aspects in Chief would be an issue. I'm not saying it can't be done in Chief - but you'd end up spending WAY more time in inefficiencies and prone to a lot more mistakes. Lastly, Chief starts to bog down with some homes we do...and I feel it would absolutely choke on a true BIM 3D commercial building. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterdd Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 8 hours ago, adgtx08 said: So I know Chief Architect is used primarily for residential and very limited light commercial, and that's great, but I'm starting to bring in larger commercial projects and I'm hoping someone has a comparable software recommendation for commercial projects. Not very familiar with Revit, but I suppose I could learn it. Would like something I could do a full design and engineering package in one application. What does everyone else use for their larger, more complicated projects? I've often wondered this myself. Autocad architectural is what I used before Chief. Chief blows it out of the water in my opinion. It would be nice to do large commercial buildings, however, as a residential designer and not a licensed architect or engineer, there is a lot more that goes into that. You won't be stick framing a church, school or hospital. It's all metal structure and that's where my experience comes to a halt. I have 20 years of shipbuilding experience with I-beams, angles etc. but no clue on how commercial buildings are put together. I looked at revit before I bought chief and was still drawn to chief, so here I am. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lbuttery Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 choke on a true BIM 3D commercial building. Chief has limited BIM so if your project needs BIM to interact with other software especially bi-directional interface then Chief is not capable Lew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raltd9245 Posted June 26, 2021 Share Posted June 26, 2021 On 6/25/2021 at 11:11 AM, adgtx08 said: So I know Chief Architect is used primarily for residential and very limited light commercial, and that's great, but I'm starting to bring in larger commercial projects and I'm hoping someone has a comparable software recommendation for commercial projects. Not very familiar with Revit, but I suppose I could learn it. Would like something I could do a full design and engineering package in one application. What does everyone else use for their larger, more complicated projects? Expensive but most complete product on the market ARCHICAD bar none for Architecture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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