Product Description

ArchiCAD has been on the market since 1984 and has firmly established itself as one of the best CAD software packages available. With a rapidly growing base now exceeding 100,000, ArchiCAD users need to keep pace with the latest developments of this flexible and powerful software package. Ongoing product development has broadened the program's spectrum of possible applications, and Bob Martens and Herbert Peter provide a comprehensive overview of its capabilities through an in-depth presentation of the software and description of the many tools, functions, and processes that can be used in professional, research, and educational contexts.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1590961 in Books
• Published on: 2004-08-11
• Format: Illustrated
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 286 pages

Review
Voices from the ArchiCAD Community worldwide, reviewing the German edition: "As an avid ArchiCAD user, it would be extremely beneficial to learn more about how other architects use ArchiCAD in the design process.” Jeffrey Benningfield "I would like an English book on ArchiCAD for my students.” John Counsell "We are just incorporating ArchiCAD into our curriculum. I would be very interested in this endeavor.” Elizabeth Bollinger "We would be interested and recommand the book to our students.” Kristian Agger "The book you forwarded me (German version) was fantastic ... I believe there would be a great demand for this book ... however it would need to be an english version.” Steve Johnson

About the Author
Bob Martens teaches at the Vienna Institute for Architecture. Herbert Peter is a production manager at ArchiCAD's Vienna office.

Customer Reviews

Very Disappointing
I have waited for this book for 11 months.
I finally got it two days ago.

I was anticipating receiving a book with
many tips and tricks on how to use Archicad.

Instead I just got a broad brush history,
no good how to's,a limited how firms are
using it, and an incredibly insulting
talk about stories and layers.

The whole text of the book could have been
contained in one large magazine article,
but the designers of the book choose instead
to double space the sentences and leave a
lot of white space in the margins.
The composition of the pages is fine, but
I bought the book for knowledge
(which it did not contain),
not a pretty page format.

Don't waste your time or money.

I hope some one else does write a
good archicad book.I'll gladly pay
for one, but they should have paid
me for looking thru this waste of good paper.

I have never written a review of any kind of
book or product before, but this book was sooo
baaad that I am writing one now.

Jack Rogers AIA

An Utter Waste of Time
I got this book before the previous review was written, and boy am I sorry. It is essentially a nearly 300-page sales brochure. Fantastic examples of what can be done with ArchiCAD, but rarely does it give even the most rudimentary directions on how to do any of these things. No explanation of technique is found, just nifty examples of what you could do if you already knew how to do it. That any reputable author or printer would issue this bound joke is a point of lasting perturbation for me.

Save yourself the money. Save yourself the frustration. Don't bother with this overpriced, underwritten book.

nice software, but book is poorly presented
While AutoCAD dominates the CAD field, ArchiCAD aims to do the same for architecture. The book has many examples of how traditional architectural tasks can be performed under ArchiCAD. You can see traditional floor plans being laid out. Plus a natural extension into different floors of a building. As well as 3d image rendering derived from the blueprints.

For large buildings, or a group of buildings, there is also a neat feature of being able to define terrain that the buildings sit on. The text also discusses how to organise interior space, aided by reasonably realistic renderings.

The problem with the book is that it has the format of a large glossy coffeetable book. You know, the artsy kind, with nice pictures on many pages. But if you want an actual user's manual, this text may be somewhat deficient. And that is the problem. The very title bills this as a user handbook. It does not live up to that.