Custom Residential Architects Network

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

Boy do I feel your pain. After using AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop since the 80's I to was strong armed by Autodesk and in a bad economy just could not justify the costs. I let my subscription lapse because they were forcing me into an expensive suite I don't want or need. It is my opinion that Autodesk has deliberately forsaken the small practitioner.

My workflow now consists of my old AutoCAD 2013 and Sketchup. I have not drawn an elevation in almost 2 years all my elevations come out of my sketchup model and there are some people doing some amazing graphics with Sketchup and Layout. Don't be fooled by the low price this stuff is powerful in the right hands and it's FUN.

Check out  http://www.brightmantal.com/ and http://www.nicksonder.com

It will be interesting to see what Autodesk does when they see a mass exodus as a result of their insensitive policy.

-------------------------------------------
Christopher Caponigro AIA
Owner
Christopher F. Caponigro
Charleston SC
-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 01-29-2014 17:39
From: Brenda Nelson
Subject: What software are you using?

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

Boy do I feel your pain. After using AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop since the 80's I to was strong armed by Autodesk and in a bad economy just could not justify the costs. I let my subscription lapse because they were forcing me into an expensive suite I don't want or need. It is my opinion that Autodesk has deliberately forsaken the small practitioner.

My workflow now consists of my old AutoCAD 2013 and Sketchup. I have not drawn an elevation in almost 2 years all my elevations come out of my sketchup model and there are some people doing some amazing graphics with Sketchup and Layout. Don't be fooled by the low price this stuff is powerful in the right hands and it's FUN.

Check out  http://www.brightmantal.com/ and http://www.nicksonder.com

It will be interesting to see what Autodesk does when they see a mass exodus as a result of their insensitive policy.

-------------------------------------------
Christopher Caponigro AIA
Owner
Christopher F. Caponigro
Charleston SC
-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 01-29-2014 17:39
From: Brenda Nelson
Subject: What software are you using?

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

Hi Brenda,

I also drank the ArchiCAD kool-aid along with David, Eric, and Jared. The program is such a joy to work with. It was designed for architects, is intuitive to work with, and is just a beautiful piece of user-friendly software. Graphisoft, the company that produces ArchiCAD, has been a regular CRAN symposium sponsor.

Like many architects in the pre-computer era, I viewed drafting as artwork. So transitioning to CAD was a difficult step, but one that I was forced into by an international client. One of the luckiest turns in my career was AutoCAD deciding to drop their Mac based program just as I began looking at software.

With ArchiCAD I now begin every schematic design as a 3D model. This model is also the beginning of design development and construction documents. The transition between phases of work has become quite blurred. Everything is linked and automatically updated in a completely seamless process. Each residential project is built right down to the 3D light switches and outlets, which also shows up as the 2D electrical plan.

For me there is never a question about whether a project is too small for ArchiCAD. I usually have at least one custom cabinetry project going on and last year a client's dog hired me for his new house. I've actually found that ArchiCAD has made smaller projects more profitable by creating an efficient process where clients can quickly grasp and approve the proposed design (although Sherlock was a bit more interested in dog biscuits). Since the construction documents are being developed by default during the design phase, I can bang out a set of detailed drawings along with another client invoice.

The initial cost is certainly formidable, and I also maintain a subscription with Graphisoft. Each year I pay the fee but easily recoup that expense with the new features that speed up and simplify the process. Years ago in my Boston office I would have 2 draftspersons helping to produce what I currently achieve with ArchiCAD. The program even works well on a laptop where I can average 12 hours of billable time each month while flying between job sites. Ultimately it's about the bottom line, and ArchiCAD certainly delivers.

The latest version of ArchiCAD (version 17) offers an amazingly powerful iPad interface. A sophisticated 3D model and its construction documents can be exported with a click of the mouse. Finger controls are used to spin around and walk through the model. There are hot-spots throughout the model that link directly to each 2D drawing. The interface is unbelievable fast, and the graphics are stunning. I used this feature for the first time last week and blew away the clients. And better yet, we had an extremely productive meeting because of this new interface.

LearnVirtual, based in San Francisco, offers a weekly webinar for ArchiCAD users. It's a very informative production and well worth the cost of admission. They also maintain a large video library covering all aspects of ArchiCAD.

Anyways, I can go on and on about ArchiCAD but time now for another sip of that tasty kool-aid.

Boy do I feel your pain. After using AutoCAD and Architectural Desktop since the 80's I to was strong armed by Autodesk and in a bad economy just could not justify the costs. I let my subscription lapse because they were forcing me into an expensive suite I don't want or need. It is my opinion that Autodesk has deliberately forsaken the small practitioner.

My workflow now consists of my old AutoCAD 2013 and Sketchup. I have not drawn an elevation in almost 2 years all my elevations come out of my sketchup model and there are some people doing some amazing graphics with Sketchup and Layout. Don't be fooled by the low price this stuff is powerful in the right hands and it's FUN.

Check out  http://www.brightmantal.com/ and http://www.nicksonder.com

It will be interesting to see what Autodesk does when they see a mass exodus as a result of their insensitive policy.

-------------------------------------------
Christopher Caponigro AIA
Owner
Christopher F. Caponigro
Charleston SC
-------------------------------------------






Original Message:
Sent: 01-29-2014 17:39
From: Brenda Nelson
Subject: What software are you using?

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

Brenda,

It seems like this conversation pops up every 6 months or so and it is an important one for our industry.

I will share my experience with this.  And note that I am a sole proprietor and work on Residential and smaller scale commercial projects.

I have been an AutoCAD user since the early 90s.  Mostly plain old flatCAD AutoCAD with limited 3D work.  Early 3D was not as easy to incorporate into the work back then.

When I started my own firm 7 years ago I realized I needed to have 3D capability.  When I priced out full versions of AutoCAD Archit. desktop and Revit with the necessary add-on products I received some sticker shock.  I quickly looked into alternatives and read up on everything including ArchiCAD, Vectorworks, Softplan and Chief Architect.

I settled on Chief Architect for a few reasons; it gave me instant 3D capability, low upfront costs, standalone product (i.e. I didn't have to figure out what options and add-ons were needed), good support and user forums, and it was fairly user friendly in that I got up and running on it quickly.  I was able to produce CDs right away albeit slowly at first.

I think current purchase price for premium version is about $2,500 and If you elect you can pay the yearly subscription of $395 which gets you access to yearly product upgrades, user videos and many other support features.  I am not sure if additional seats are discounted.  I do pay the subscription fee and have made good use of the features and upgrades.

Other positives.....good manufacturer 3D models available such as Andersen & Marvin Windows, can import SketchUp models from the web, can export to AutoCad format, has cost estimating feature built in.  The product has improved greatly since I started using it.

The biggest negative I have found is on my commercial projects when my consultants are all using AutoCad.  When I export a plan file for them to use as a base drawing I have to go through a drawing clean up to make it more usable to them.  I also have to keep a version of AutoCAD LT so I can do this cleanup work and also view and edit other AutoCAD files when needed.

In summary I am having success using Chief Architect in my practice.  Most of my clientele do not know and or care which software I use.  All they care about us that my designs and presentations are good and my construction drawings are well prepared.  I realize this software is not for everybody but it is certainly worth taking a closer look for smaller firms.

I hope this helps.

Regards,
Mike Dolce

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

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Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
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We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
-------------------------------------------

We are a two person firm and have the Autodesk Building Design Suite Premium subscription. As many of you might know, Autodesk has gone completely to a subscription based product and it now costs us quite a bit each year to maintain.

Last year they "upgraded" us to the Premium because they were eliminating the lower level that we had originally selected, which I think meant that we now had to pay a couple hundred more per copy/per year for the subscription. We were stuck - simply didn't have a choice. If we choose not to renew each year, then when we do need to upgrade in 3-5 years, we will have to repurchase the entire package again at full price. Their selling point is that we now have access to a whole group of software including Revit, AutoCAD, 3D Studio, and about 3-4 others.

BUT - we only really use Revit and AutoCAD. While that other software is nice, our projects are entirely too small to really need or use most of the software now available to us.

I know most of the CRAN members are in smaller offices and I wondered what software do you use and what are some of the advantages and disadvantages? Thanks!

-------------------------------------------
Brenda Nelson Assoc. AIA
Woodruff Design, LLC
Ankeny IA
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