Who utilizes ACA to its fullest capabilities?

[tzframpton]

General question: Does anyone here utilize the full capabilities of Autodesk Architecture?

 

The reason I ask is this; I have been working as a HVAC Mechanical Designer for 2-1/2 years now. I'll receive AutoCAD files that were made in ADT or ACA because of the AEC content used within the drawing. The thing is, that I've never had a "complete" Architecture drawing come through, finshed with slab, levels, roofs, spaces, and everything else in between. Its always been a partial plan, with a few AEC doors, and AEC walls/windows, and that's it. Does anyone actually try to take advantage of the full intent of the program?

 

I understand that some who will reply will say "Revit is where its going" but it seems that ACA is not a 'bad' way to produce effecient CAD drawings. I have opened up a few of the training materal from my AutoCAD MEP training CD's before, and it seems that ACA is capable of a lot actually. Especially when used with the project browser. It automates lots of things it seems.

 

So am I just wondering about nothing really? Or do people actually use the full extent of the software? I would love to know that I could actually start coordinating with some architects a project of this level.

 

(PS: I have this posted on multiple forums, so for those of you who go to the Swamp its over there too.... )

[MaxwellEdison]

For most smaller residential structures, a lot of ACA's features are not really seen as necessary. Multi-unit buildings such as apartment buildings or large commercial structures are where these tools really seem to come in, this is why the hero image for ACA is usually an outlandish skyscraper or something similar. For me personally, I most often find myself using wall, window and door styles, slabs for any non-wall concrete, and interior components like plumbing and cabinetry will be multiview bocks. Most everything else for us is done using HSBCad to generate the logs in our walls or glulam timbers, this is so we can easily export these to our shop where they are cut from the data. We've further expanded upon this with the use of custom code which allows us to add electrical components and drillings, add metal roof packages (ACA's roof slabs are a joke), and even create our dimensioned shop paperwork.

 

The only other ACA tool we use every drawing are the elevation and section tools, and these have a nasty habit of "forgetting" to draw certain lines or leave a few artifacts at the insertion point which we then need to go back and correct anyway. It still certainly works for us, as we can create a complete set of plans, with shop paperwork, shop exports, and the BOM within a week.

 

I also think one of the major reasons a lot of the tools in ACA haven't seen widespread adoption is the history of the program. While the features today are pretty good, Autodesk introduced them as half formed ideas. Businesses would start to implement them into their system, find a critical area where they were lacking, and then write them off throughout future releases.

 

If Autodesk continues to refine the product, I believe you'll see a more widespread implementation as younger employess are able to demonstrate the power of these tools to their employers. However with the push that Revit is receiving...it may ultimately be a program that is never given its due, or allowed to live up to its full potential.

[tzframpton]

However with the push that Revit is receiving...it may ultimately be a program that is never given its due, or allowed to live up to its full potential.

You know, this is so true.