Architects

Comment

Comment by Renato Garza Gonzalez on August 16, 2010 at 10:15pm

I am an Industrial Designer involved in the design of structural systems and houses to be manufactured inside factories. I do all my work completely in Mac-Vectorworks enjoying the fast development of color 3D models while remembering the times when I used gouache & brushes!

Is there someone also interested in industrialized building?

Comment by John Kellett on February 21, 2010 at 8:04am

Having started using CAD to design buildings in 3D since the mid 1990s in Architrion from which 2D drawings were 'extracted' I have found it baffling that any architect (a 3D thinking being) would wish to continue with 2D CAD. Some practices around here still only use drawing boards!
Vectorworks Architect may not be the most fully featured (unlike ArchiCad and Revit) but is by far the best value for money.
The BIM benefits of error reduction and accuracy of construction information are fundamental to increasing profitability in order that the profession can return to the role as design team leader and sensible salaries.
I am even more surprised by the number of practices still preparing photoshop renderings (of unbuildable structures) and submitting them for planning! VWA and Sketchup et al would save them a lot of embarrassment later. It would also save them from giving the profession a bad name! Mind you, the biggest problem here in Great Britain is clients using unqualified 'designers' and then accusing architects of being the problem when everything goes wrong!

Comment by Sam Cleveland on February 21, 2010 at 7:40am

My firm (mostly custom residential projects) switched to VectorWorks in 2001 specifically for 3D modeling. We transitioned from a good 2D CAD system and, with VectorWorks, we began developing complete 3D models of structures from the earliest stages of design all the way through construction documents. The transition from 2D (drafting) to 3D (modeling) was not easy as it required a mind shift and a total reassessment of our workflow, however, we are now producing exterior elevations, cross sections, wall sections, details, interior elevations, perspective drawings, schedules, and quantity take-offs directly from the 3D model. We model everything (except HVAC) including baseboards, cornice work, gutters, structure etc. We were practicing BIM before we knew what it was. Other architects I know see no benefit to 3D modeling and avoid the learning curve, but I believe it is inevitable that all architects will be producing 3D models in the near future. Why? Clients and contractors love it. Clients love getting "pictures" of the design and contractors love getting "pictures" of the details in addition to the dimensioned standard details. VectorWorks has improved incrementally since 2001 (especially the introduction of Viewports), but there are still a few old bugs yet to be resolved and a few new ones introduced along the way. This can be especially challenging when modeling as the bugs can produce unexpected results which are not easily fixed, but with a little perseverance, one can usually find a solution. There is also a "time" factor which hinders our work flow. Good quality rendering with RenderWorks consumes a lot of computer horsepower and a lot of time (with HiRes images and sophisticated lighting).

We began modeling our projects in 3D with VectorWorks almost 9 years ago and never looked back. Today, I am having more fun with architecture than in the past and we are producing better work.

Comment by Michael Erkkinen on February 20, 2010 at 10:05am

I can't imagine developing designs in 2D at this point in the game and love building basically one model from early schematic design through working drawings.

Comment by Steven J. Calvanico on February 20, 2010 at 6:16am

I would like to hear from anyone who does design development directly in 3d in VectorWorks or any other software. We are currently re-evaluating our working methods with an eye towards BIM benefits. Since the 1990s we have been working by developing 3d models in order to generate 2d drawings- Looking to take the next step, but want to be sure we have a 3d software intuitive enough to design in.

Comment by M Jackson Ford on December 23, 2009 at 12:33pm

The image is fine -- architecture basically satisfies two entities: The body and the mind. Furthermore, great architecture, provides joy through experiences which are outside of, or transcend, the common every day spatial experience. the logo expresses both rational thought (of the mind, proportion, etc.) and emotion (the expressive beauty in symbolism and grace of curve and line.) The font may be slightly aggressive in its harmonic relation to the graphic; but, in general it works.

Comment by John Kellett on December 14, 2009 at 11:10am

I think perhaps an "ironic" capital or maybe a "niche" would make a good logo. On the other hand a "Quirk" might be equally appropriate for our profession.

Comment by Airbear Emmanuel on November 5, 2009 at 7:31pm

it's quite difficult representing architects with a symbol...but i think we re still bound by the use and management of space...space is every architects tool.

Comment by Michael Erkkinen on October 30, 2009 at 2:43pm

I like the logo!

Comment by Franco Folini on October 29, 2009 at 8:43am

Jim,
If you have any suggestion it's more than welcome.
It's not easy to find a symbol that all architects can recognize as their own.

Franco

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