ArchiCAD Outperforms Microstation/Triforma and AutoCAD/AutoArchitect in Boston CAD Shoot-out.

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec. 16, 1996--In a first of its kind event pitting teams of architects using different software systems in a three hour design charette, the team using ArchiCAD finished in the top three in 19 out of 20 voting categories, and ArchiCAD was named one of the Editor's Choices for Best Architectural CADD Software. "We're very happy with these results," commented David Marlatt, AIA, President of Graphisoft U.S., Inc. "They demonstrate once again that ArchiCAD is the pre-eminent all around CAD solution for architects."

Called the "Designers CAD Shoot-Out," the competition was organized by Geoffrey Moore Langdon and held on November 25 at the Boston World Congress Center. More than 350 attendees watched eight teams compete in a three hour charette to design a town hall/meeting center for the town of Beverly, MA. Teams using Allplan, ArchiCAD, Architrion, Arris, AutoCAD/AutoArchitect, DataCAD, MiniCAD, and Microstation/Triforma were asked to produce plans, sections, perspectives, animations, 12 renderings, and a VRML file while dealing with two major program changes which were introduced on the fly. The ArchiCAD team, lead by Greg Conyngham, AIA of Conyngham & Associates and including Jim Mahoney, Conyngham & Associates; Dan Hruby, Inertia Design Studios; Alan Dubinsky, The Integra Group; and Henry Berger, AEC Solutions, was the only team to produce almost all of the required drawings and files under the extremely tight time constraint.

After the competition, teams were judged by the audience in 20 categories with the 20th category being "best architectural CADD software." The results in almost all categories consistently showed the superiority of 2D/3D integrated software such as ArchiCAD over older drawing based solutions such as AutoCAD and Microstation. Based on popular voting, ArchiCAD placed in the top three in all but one category and came in second by a single vote in the "best architectural CADD software" category to Arris, a UNIX-based system using Lightscape Rendering System for its rendering and animation. In the "Editor's Choice" for best architectural CAD software, ArchiCAD tied for first place with the German integrated software, Allplan. The table below shows the breakdown of audience voting and Editor's Choice awards: -0-

                       Top 3       Audience     Editor       Total
Arris                    17          10            1            28
ArchiCAD                 19           3            5            27
Allplan                   9           1            6            16
MiniCAD                   8           6            1            15
Microstation/Triforma     4           0            1             5
DataCAD                   1           0            4             5
Architrion                2           0            2             4
AutoCAD/AutoArchitect     0           0            1             1

Beyond statistics, however, the ArchiCAD team amply demonstrated ArchiCAD's power, versatility and ease-of-use which were evident from some of Geoffrey Langdon's post-competition comments:

Regarding ease-of-use: "All four programs (Ed: the top finishers in this category) are easy to learn and use. Offices needing production drawings ...would find MiniCAD the easiest... Everything beyond that (complex roofs, many storied buildings, perspectives, animation, rendering) is easier done in ArchiCAD."

Regarding sections: "Since MiniCAD does not use a totally accurate solid model...the sections cannot be as accurate and complete as those produced with any of the programs that use solid modeling -- particularly ArchiCAD, which is the Editor's Choice."

Regarding rendering, "ArchiCAD has the easiest to set up, nicest internal rendering capability."

Regarding animation, "The ArchiCAD team, though, far more easily (and entirely within ArchiCAD while they were working) produced two kinds of animations -- one wireframe of the entire model and another QuickTime VR dynamic animation." ArchiCAD is the only software available which directly produce QuickTime VR scenes. The team showed ArchiCAD's rendering using Apple's Quickdraw 3D as well as output in VRML format.

Regarding design changes: "No question here. ArchiCAD, like no other software, allows an architect to select all or some of any given building element (wall, window, door, roof, slab, etc.) and easily change it to something else, with all the appropriate adjustments being made automatically."

Graphisoft is proud to have sponsored the team of Conyngham & Associates in the first Designers CAD Shoot-Out and congratulates the organizer, Geoffrey Moore Langdon of Architectural CADD Consultants, and all of the teams for their hard work. we look forward to participating in the next CAD Shoot-Out which has been tentatively scheduled for the AIA Convention in New Orleans, LA, in May, 1997.

Background

Graphisoft, founded in Budapest, Hungary in 1982, develops, sells and supports ArchiCAD which is available for Windows 95/NT and Mac OS. ArchiCAD is sold in over 80 countries and in 18 languages. Graphisoft is dedicated to providing the highest quality service and support to almost 30,000 architects and builders through its offices in Budapest, San Francisco, Munich, Tokyo, Hong Kong and hundreds of professional resellers and distributors worldwide.

ArchiCAD is an integrated two- and three-dimensional CAD package for architectural design and the recipient of several awards including 1994 Best New CAD Software by MacUser Magazine (Eddy Award), "best architectural CADD" for six years in a row by the Boston Society of Architects, a four-star rating by MacWorld Magazine, and selected as a FIRST PLACE WINNER in the prestigious Computer Graphics World's 1995 Editors' Choice Awards at the end of last year.

CONTACT: Graphisoft U.S., Inc., San Francisco

Catherine Dale, 415/703-9777 ext. 663

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or

Graphisoft Rt (International), Budapest

Gabor Kazar, 63-1-467-3010

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