Small Firm Exchange

This message has been cross posted to the following Discussion Forums: Small Project Practitioners and Small Firm Round Table .
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I too have gotten away from AutoCAD as my main software tool.  When I started my firm 6 years ago I compared costs of many different software applications and when adding up all of the costs for AutoCAD with all the necessary add-ons, subscription fees, etc. it was simply cost prohibitive. I settled on Chief Architect which is much less expensive than the big companies and suits my practice which is residential and light commercial oriented.  Chief does have a nominal yearly subscription fee which is optional but useful for all of the very good support they offer. I still keep the ACADLite version for occasional use when collaborating with other firms that use that format.  I have found Chief Architect to be very user friendly with very good 3D and 2D capabilities.  The one downside to Chief is that it is technically not a  BIM software...don't know if it is going that way in the future but for now it is not.

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Michael Dolce AIA
Owner / Architect
Michael P. Dolce, AIA Architect
Forest Hill MD
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Hi Michael,  I have been researching Chief Architect Premier X4 and so far, it appears that you made a good choice.  It does appear to have excellent BIM properties; very rich ones.  There are automatic lists of materials generated, automatic cost estimates and other characteristics that you can adjust to suit the location of your projects.  Have you used those features?  Do they work?  I used to laugh at so-called "home design" software, but this Chief Architect program appears to be a robust software that integrates and automates much  of what residential architects (and really, what any architect, up to 30 stories) want to do.  Much better than Acad, in terms of being specifically tailored to architectural practices.  I am surprised I haven't heard of this software before.  Kind of pricey at $2100+/- then add on the optional yearly subscription of $495? for access to video tutorials and 3D libraries and updates = $2,600+/-.  Still, much less than commericial Acad or Revit, and much more aligned to how architects practice.  What other BIM properties would you be looking for?  It also appears to allow you to export and import dwg and dxf files.  Has that worked for you?  I have been working for 20+ years on 2D Acad, so this package is a real revelation.  Revit scares me: in terms of cost, steep learning curve and arcane practices related to continual questionable "upgrades" and yearly mandated fees. 
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Rand Soellner AIA
Architect/Owner/Principal
Rand Soellner Architect
Cashiers NC
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