Edificius BIM Software???

utiler

Hey guys, just had a quick look at this after seeing it mentioned in another thread here:

Its called 'Edificius' produced by ACCA Software.
http://www.accasoftware.com/en/id9/bim/features.html

I'm perplexed as to why a software company business model is based on:

if users sort the time to learn your software
produce a project using the software and only then with a need to export electronic copies

Has anyone ever come across this before? A program that you only remunerate on the way out? Surely this isn't going to catch on?

Or maybe they have bulk shares in global ink reserves....?

pilou

@unknownuser said:

Pay only 10 Euro cents for each A4 format page... only if you print!

Another one exist (not Bim) : pay only if you build something real with the program from plans!
http://www.trebld.com/

utiler

Just seems like a weird way of doing business. If you don't have commitment [cash] from a user then IMO you don't have real commitment and hence easy for them to walk....

pbacot

Strange. The output from my computer is varied (through different combintions of applications) and constant. I'd have no idea how this would relate to pay as you go export.

utiler

@pbacot said:

Strange. The output from my computer is varied (through different combinations of applications) and constant. I'd have no idea how this would relate to pay as you go export.

Same here. The videos look pretty sharp though [referring to the program itself]

Clayton49

Hi All,

I think it was me who mentioned this software.

I agree, it is a strange business model, perhaps their thought process was that it would attract many many new users in a short period of time, given it's free to download & use/learn. However I can't see how the printing/pdf file fees would raise much business capital for future investment. Perhaps the printing/pdf file fees will increse after a year or so.

That aside the software looks very impressive & from a users point of view it must be tempting to invest time in learning, just like SKETCHUP MAKE, the one difference being you can advance to SKETCHUP PRO with bucks on the table if you want all the power toys & serious use as a business software.

Spending shed loads of money on software doesn't always commit your new users, I'm guilty of that. For me & many others I reckon, it's finding the time in the first place to learn new software once you've been using one CAD software years. Removing this large outlay is a novel idea to get people onboard, especially when it compares it's self to some very high end expensive market leadrers such as Revit, Archicad, Allplan, AutoCAD and Vectorworks.

I wonder how many printing/pdf file fees it would take one user to even spend half the cost of these top CAD sofware programmes..

Over & out,
Clayton.

utiler

Actually, yes it was you who highlighted it to me, Clayton!

As you rightly point out it is a software companies investment in the ease of converting customers that I believe is where success lies; SketchUp is a perfect example of that. There must be a reasonably large market in between the big four and SketchUp Make that could be targeted!!

cadsifu

If you guys may allow me to explain a bit further on Edificius.
The software produced by ACCASoftware based in Italy.
They are selling the software within Italy region and provide as a FREE UPP to the rest of the world. FREE UPP means FREE USE PRINT PAY.
Their market in Italy is good enough to support their organization. FREE UPP is not eligible within Italy region.
Their new revolution in licensing industry will allow end users to start project without worrying on licensing issue and using illegal software for their business. The free use allow more users to get their job done at lower cost. The pay per print concept allow companies to control wastage and turn everyone to green friendly.
Hope the above explain and helps a bit.

The software is comparable to Revit, Archicad, Vectorworks at some level.
Lots of tutorials provided and it is quite easy to go through and learn.
For more highler level usage, you may need to explore more by yourself but the fundamental tutorial helps you to bring to that level.

Nizam Mahmud
http://www.trn2u.my

Clayton49

@cadsifu said:

If you guys may allow me to explain a bit further on Edificius.
The software produced by ACCASoftware based in Italy.
They are selling the software within Italy region and provide as a FREE UPP to the rest of the world. FREE UPP means FREE USE PRINT PAY.
Their market in Italy is good enough to support their organization. FREE UPP is not eligible within Italy region.
Their new revolution in licensing industry will allow end users to start project without worrying on licensing issue and using illegal software for their business. The free use allow more users to get their job done at lower cost. The pay per print concept allow companies to control wastage and turn everyone to green friendly.
Hope the above explain and helps a bit.

The software is comparable to Revit, Archicad, Vectorworks at some level.
Lots of tutorials provided and it is quite easy to go through and learn.
For more highler level usage, you may need to explore more by yourself but the fundamental tutorial helps you to bring to that level.

Nizam Mahmud
http://www.trn2u.my

Hi Nizam,

Yes, I think we all understood this when looking at their website. I myself only just looked at their Italian website for the same software & the pricing is, well, "up-there" so to speak with other high end software of this ability. I still find it an odd direction. i.e. their own Italian market has enough numbers/users to promote it as free to all outside Italy. The Business model revenue in this regard is always going to be limited to its Italian market, once capacity has been reached, it may even flat line. I guess it could reverse when the numbers either balance out or exceeds in the international market, as this market is potentially massive in comparison. I Just wonder what their Italian users think of it being virtually free outside Italy..?

Anyway I'm not too sure if this is working, internationally speaking that is. There's no open forum to gauge numbers or place to discuss it openly with other "English" speaking users, as far as I can see. I did ask them about this, suggesting it would give users more confidence in the product. But haven't found anything to date on this.

Over & out,
Clayton.

rv1974

Italian high-tech company

Clayton49

To all,

Yeah, I thought that wouldn't last, NOW-YOU-PAY-FOR-IT... I wonder what their users think of that .. Oh well, it still looks quite slick on the new website. Everyone's going subscription lately, 59-Euros per month or 599-Euros yearly.

I read some thought if free (well..pay-for-printing-it-was) it must be not up to the job, however the videos clearly proved this not the case. So will paying for it now somehow make it a serious contender to all the other high end BIM software

Over & out,
Clayton.

utiler

Interesting to see where this goes, Clayton.