ArchiCARD Testers Wanted

image - Dan Brady, Saatchi Gallery

A number of Templates and Working and environments have been created for ArchiCAD users. These are built with the view to creating efficient environments for working drawings. or contract document sets. One example is the Get Standardized Template developed by Eric Batte, a principal at McLeary German Architects.

But what of the design team attempting to put the first draft of the project into a building model? A simpler interface, with fewer layers, well-defined but schematic textures, and a very small list of building elements - e.g. a fat wall and a skinny wall - will actually make the process simpler. Simpler at the beginning because the palette of materials is smaller and more responsive and simpler as the project is articulated because the elements can be more readily assigned to a more complex list of layers.

Another approach might be to simply do the initial work in something like SketchUp. This approach is attractive because the results are, well, sketchy. Transferring the information to a team assigned the task of design development may well have to start over. The efficacy of SketchUp could in fact disrupt the workflow through the simple disconnect between team members. In the long run I would argue that this form of media transfer is bound to be the cause of a loss of design intent, productivity and even data loss.

ArchiCARD is intended to aid firms in the implementation stage of bIm by providing a simple template that keeps the team using a single tool and a single file for the whole job.

ArchiCARD is inspired by Wes Sims of StantecArchitecture in Edmonton who has never shied away from building simple, elegant physical models of his projects, but found the interface of a bIm application to complex to be fully engaged with.

We're getting ready to start the alpha testing phase for the template and are looking for individuals and firms to assist with its refinement for final release this Spring. If you would like to help, please contact us.