keithg Posted December 8, 2004 Share Posted December 8, 2004 I Currently use Archicad for my designs, prints and renderings, (Well, actually i export to Maya to render) But I find that Archicads take-offs and materials lists are not as accurate as i would like them to be. I am looking for an app that will give as close to exact as possible. So far, I have found a small company called Digital Canal, that claims incredibly accurate estimates, take-offs, lumber lists, and even extremely accurate roofing plans with the cut-list and all. Has anyone had any experience with this company? The software is called SolidBuilder, and their other app is called BidBuilder. Someone else has suggested to me that I look at Softplan, as an accurate materials list app. Can anyone give any input about these 2 apps, or maybe suggest another company that can do what i am looking for? Thanx in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithg Posted December 8, 2004 Author Share Posted December 8, 2004 Did i post this thread in the wrong forum? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Bolin Posted December 9, 2004 Share Posted December 9, 2004 Keith, I use Softplan for residential design and their add-on Softlist for takeoffs. I like it cause I can pull off any information from my plans and easily write my own forumulas. No product is perfect but this comes close. As for Digital Canal (use to be Eaglepoint), I haven't used their products. About 10 years ago while I was a cad manager, I evaluated their products for the firm I was working for. It was interesting but the interface and usability was terrible. They were also very pushy and practically gave the product away so they could get their foot in the door. We went with ARCHT back then. Take a look at it closely before buying. Rember the saying "Believe nothing that you hear and only half of what you see". In other words, test it before you buy. I'm still a little skeptical from my experiences with them many years ago. If they were so great, why didn't their products ever take off? What type of work will you mainly be using this on? Mark Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keithg Posted December 9, 2004 Author Share Posted December 9, 2004 I design small to large residential homes, and need the materials take-off more than anything, as i use Archicad as my main cad app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now