Chief Vs Autocad

[ORBIT]

Hi Guys
I have been using Autocad for Architectural drafting for around 4 years. I do mostly residential projects either a full build or renovation. We do a lot of Kitchens and bathrooms. I have had a look at Revit and Archicad but to be honest it looks like a steep learning curve.
Can you tell me if Chief would be a better option and easier to learn than Revit or Archicad for the type of stuff we do.
Like I said we do a lot of interior work mainly Kitchens, Bathrooms and small offices, and we need the perspectives etc to show clients.

Thanks All

[dshall]

Hi Guys
I have been using Autocad for Architectural drafting for around 4 years. I do mostly residential projects either a full build or renovation. We do a lot of Kitchens and bathrooms. I have had a look at Revit and Archicad but to be honest it looks like a steep learning curve.
Can you tell me if Chief would be a better option and easier to learn than Revit or Archicad for the type of stuff we do.
Like I said we do a lot of interior work mainly Kitchens, Bathrooms and small offices, and we need the perspectives etc to show clients.

Thanks All

Nuts, no discussion needed, CA blows ACAD away and for residential work as you describe, CA blows Revit away. Was that statement clear enough? Do I know what I am talking about? I think so. Talk to someone who uses Revit and he/she may disagree, but I bet I could blow them away with CA.

[diyconsulting]

absolutely i agree with Dshall. There is simply no comparison in preparing perspective drawings between the two. Chief does require a "build orientated" thought process, which can take a little while to get used to, but once learned...well, the lack of answers to your question speak for themselves...there's nothing to say, its a complete no brainer!

[ORBIT]

Hi Guys
Thanks for your replies.
I’m kinda glad you confirmed that as when I opened a trial of Revit and Archicad, I was thinking, this is going to be a steep learning curve for me, and I may be doing the wrong thing. I opened Chief, and I must admit it did seem more user friendly.
Are the 2d capabilities of Chief as good as Autocad for plans and elevations, and is the dimensioning feature of Chief as good?
When I mentioned we do a lot of Kitchens and bathrooms, we have also tried numerous specific kitchen design software packages, some costing over 10 grand. None of them seem to give you a professional looking drawing. I am very particular that my drawings look professional, and I do take pride in what I do. Does Chief have excellent Kitchen and bathroom design facilities? Are you able to design the Kitchen and Bathroom and produce all the cabinet, panel lists for the factory to manufacture?
Sorry for all the questions guys, but I am going to have to make a decision on this over the next few weeks, otherwise the Bim thing is going to leave me in the dust.
By the way, when is the latest version X5 going to be released?
Thanks
Orb

[lbuttery]

Orb:

while Chief is Bim oriented it is not compliant with industry BIM standards


Chief X5 is due in the fall

but if you buy X4 with the annual SSA option any/all updates are included
that are released during that annual period

Lew

[dshall]

No, you can't detail all the cabinet pieces with CA.

[yusuf]

chief architect is a powerful drafting software, specially for those staff u said and more. attached is a minor residence i did with in few hours using chief. scott may do it in minutes using ca. i advise u to use chiefarchitect which is very easy to learn, but what matters is ur creativity no matter how far u r perfect in using the tools of a software! any one.

[Chiefer]

There goes Chief.

[yusuf]

aaa...aa cool, not u
scotttttt! puda vida fun
thanks

[dshall]

Hey Yusuf "The Ethiopian", didn't a fellow country woman win the women's marathon at the Olympics? CONGRATS to the Ethiopians!

[portrait]

Orbit,
For me, one of the strongest points of Chief is kitchens,baths and cabinetry.
Revit has some useful tools for renovation/remodeling that Chief doesn't, but you can't design a kitchen in Revit as easy as you could do in Chief. You may require some plug-ins.
Chief is what you need. There will be important new features and improvements for kitchen and bath designers in Chief X5, so you may want to wait until at least X5 Public Beta version is released to see if it really meets your requirements.
However as Scott said, it's not easy to draw all the manufacturing details of your cabinets with Chief. There must be more specialized programs on cabinet manufacturing such as this one: http://www.cabinetpro.com/
Alternatively you may use Chief and Autocad collaboratively for manufacturing details.
Also you asked if Chief's 2D capabilities are as good as Autocad's. Frankly my answer is no. If you want to switch to half-BIM or BIM programs such as Chief,Revit,Archicad,etc. then you shouldn't expect Autocad level CAD capabilities.

[dshall]

..........................
Also you asked if Chief's 2D capabilities are as good as Autocad's. Frankly my answer is no. If you want to switch to half-BIM or BIM programs such as Chief,Revit,Archicad,etc. then you shouldn't expect Autocad level CAD capabilities.

I agree with Ozgar on this statement, I do not know for sure since I have never used ACAD, but from what I have heard he is correct. However.......... I have found that if CA is used correctly, CAD is not a top priority, or should I say it is nowhere near as important as the 3D capabilities . When I use CA, I try to have as little CAD work as possible. I am assuming as CA matures, the CAD tools will improve, but until then, they are more than adequate for my needs.

[lbuttery]

CA has stated that one of their goals is to be able to create the model in 2D/3D and then generate the CD's from there.

Lew

[SusanC]

I am a Kitchen & Bath designer and I researched Revit, AutoCAD Architecture, AutoCAD, and several others. Even though I was trained in AutoCAD in school, I chose Chief Architect for work. It is so much easier to use. The libraries are all set up for you, but you can add custom items and import CAD drawings. I can import .dwg and .dxf files from architects. CA continues to focus on the NKBA market which means more and better features for Kitchen & Bath designers. There is CAD available as well which I often use for specific details I want to show. The support is also amazing. Whenever I run into a question I have numerous places to search for answers including this forum and Tech Support. I can't say enough good things about Chief Architect!

[yusuf]

Thanks man, ethiopian long distance runners always do that. U may know gebre silase well in world wide 10,000m run. Thanks again, ethiopians r proad of thier few effective athlets!