Revit compared to Allplan

[goodpeace]

I think the only rival to Revit is Allplan. Nevertheless we must respect our worthy enemies...

Can anyone thoroughly compare Revit with Allplan? Is there anybody who knows both software? Somebody who can forget he is in love with Revit for a while and compare it objectively with Allplan!


Dobri

[Roger Evans]

Sorry Haven't any experience with Allplan but have seen some projects produced with it & I have been impressed.

A Good site which your topic reminded me of is

www.lakedistrict-architect.co.uk

go to links Allplan for lots of info & examples

I must say I like the guy's attitude in preparing this web site more power to his elbow.

Roger

[beegee]

I havn't used it personally.

This quote is from a review in Cadserver - 19 April 04


Allplan was once a UNIX system and does not follow the formulaic Windows interfaces used in the majority of CAD apps. However, despite a few usability issues (including navigation around your design windows) once you've familiarised yourself with the system and its workflow, it should present few problems. However, I would wholly recommend some form of training, as I don't think Allplan - particularly for those with an AutoCAD background - is the type of product that you can pick up easily from scratch.

[Wes Macaulay]

Having looked at Allplan and even ordered the demo, I saw that it would take a lot of training for most users to learn. It appears to be an excellent modeller.

One thing I like about Revit is that it's not modular -- everything you need is there, and if it's not there, you whine for it and maybe they'll give it to you!

Allplan is barely used in North America. If you have some Allplan users around, I'd check it out in their office!

Some have looked at Revit and thought that it didn't have enough depth because the simplicity of the interface gave them that notion. This is totally wrong.

Since it's user knowledge of software that matters as much as the software itself -- or perhaps more -- I would recommend the more common product in your locale. If neither are around, I think you'll find Revit easier to learn and the support outstanding.

[PeterJ]

I have seen AllPlan demo'd by staff and it looks very impressive. It is not clera to me whether it handles larger projects better than Revit or simply has a longer history so more large projects have been undertaked using it, but their publicity material certainly benefits from a range of real models of BIG schemes.

No doubt this is a marketing thing too as one sale of twenty seats is a better return on sales investment than twenty sales of single seats.

In the right hands it looked like a very slick tool, but I suspect that in the 'wrong' hands Revit probably does a whole lot more!

[ivsim]

You might find the below link interesting, those Allplan guys have the same discussions about which one is the best.

http://www.allplanforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=969 (thread: About to leave AutoCad - is Allplan for me?)

You would probably encounter the same scenario in an ArchiCAD forum....

The battle seems to be among Allplan, Revit and ArchiCAD. Following the scheme: "Mine is the best!", you guess which is the best software for any respective side. In general, those Allplan guys appear to be equally unware of Revit as this forum's Revit users of Allplan, arguments such as ".....That left Revit and Allplan. Being an experienced user of AutoCAD, I initially felt that Revit would be the package for us, as it is produced by Autodesk. However, having tried the demo, we noticed that whilst this package was easy to user, I remember telling my boss that it was a drawing package for dummies, it too lacked the depth we required from a package......"...... lack the objectiveness of an argument and tend to be more of a prejudice.....well, as an ADT user who's not decided on any of the above three, it is a gambling situation,.....and my bet is on Revit....

[Wes Macaulay]

Allplan really seems to be limited in where it's being used. I do know a couple of people here in Vancouver from Europe who used Allplan over there and they say it's fairly hard to learn, and that you had to be careful with the model -- you could blow it up fairly readily, they said. But these are features of any building model as far as I'm concerned.

I get the idea that Allplan is even more powerful than ArchiCAD... I would really like to see a Revit vs. Allplan vs. ArchiCAD demo.

[machares.patrick]

Bonjour,

C'est deux logiciels qui se ressemblent:
1/- Les deux logiciels ont une arborescence de travail par niveaux

=> Revit ça sera
Plan d'étage,
-Niveau 0,
-Niveau 1, etc..

Plan plafond,
-Niveau 0,
-Niveau 1, etc..

Vue 3D

Elévations
- Elévation Est
- Elévation Nord
- Elévation Ouest
- Elévation Sud

=> Allplan ça sera une structure de bâtiment
Phase ou Etat de la construction (Esquisse, Construction)

Parcelle

Type

Fondations
- Calque 01
- Calque 02, Etc...

RDC
- Calque 01
- Calque 02, Etc...

R+1
- Calque 01
- Calque 02, Etc...

PRINCIPAL AVANTAGE:

- Revit: Code ouvert pour l'exportation des données dans un autre logiciel
- Allplan: Code ouvert mais pas complètement

- Revit: à le meilleur moteur de rendu (HD) avec une bonne résolution avec les RPC
- Allplan: ont peu insérer des images et faire disparaître le fond de l'écran (Technique fond noir) Beaucoup d'image Dosh Design

- Revit: à une Bonne Bibliothèque d'objet 3D
- Allplan: à une Bonne Bibliothèque d'objet 3D

- Revit: à des Détails impressionnant (Mais ils font avoir un très bon niveau sur le logiciel)
- Allplan: peut récupérer d'un pdf les informations (très utile pour la documentation des fabricants)

- Allplan: On peu créer plein de motif (Poutrelles Entrevous, Optibric, etc.. )

- Allplan: Jointure des murs (avec poignée)
- Revit: Cela dépend des (Options)

- Allplan: On peut créer des jeux de tracer (Différentes représentations: Gros oeuvre, Tout voir, Sanitaire, Charpente, etc..) en un seul clique on masque tout une partie des objets dessiné
- Allplan: On peut créer des styles de dessin (une représentation pour Plan d'esquisse, Plan d'Exécution, Plan de vente, Plan d'Architecture, etc...) en un seul clique la représentation des remplissage changent
- Allplan: Les macros plus facile a réaliser avec combinaison de la 2D, 3D ou 2D/3D possibilité aussi avec une représentation par échelles
- Allplan: Les smartparts
- Allplan: A un module Ingénierie (très réaliste)

Pour le reste fait la même chose que tous les softwares du marché.

PRINCIPAL DÉFAUT:
- Revit: Création des familles assez compliquer (Détails)
- Allplan: Bon moteur de rendu mais il faut bien régler l'apparence des vitrages (Paramétrages) sinon l'astuce c'est d'utiliser un logiciel de retouche de dessin comme Photoshop puis refaire une surface vitrée puis l'incorporée dans Allplan
- Allplan: La coupe est automatique mais si bug ou sorti pas satisfaisante on peut redessiner la coupe manuellement grâce au motif créer (Mais c'est a chacun de créer sa bibliothèque)
- Allplan: Le paramétrage du logiciel est difficile (personnalisable) et prend surtout beaucoup de temps (mais après c'est pour la vie)

CONCLUSION:
Les deux logiciels se valent car on arrive au même résultat au final. (il faut juste de la pratique).

Cependant, le plus maniable une fois paramétrage fait:

C'est Allplan:

- Plus d'objets 2D/3D ont peut s'approprier la bibliothèque d'autres logiciels de dessin (Sauf Revit)
- Plus de facilité de créer des macros (Famille dans Revit)
- Plein de Smartpart
- Récupération des lignes des pdf (même les pdf protéger)
- L'importation de fichier DWG est bien faite avec reprise des layers

[jsteinhauer]

A) My French is not that good. Is there a translate button in the Forums?
B) This thread is almost 10 years old.

[cdatechguy]

Think I read that Allplan can import pdf's into a view...:|

[bbeck]

Wow, this is an old thread.

[david.metcalf]

Wow, this is an old thread.

Older than dirt!

Allplan, ArchiCAD and VectorWorks Architect are all owned but independently operated under Nemetschek.

[young]

Older than dirt!

Allplan, ArchiCAD and VectorWorks Architect are all owned but independently operated under Nemetschek.

That's a good thing, right?

[young]

An oldie but a goodie

[MikeJarosz]

Wow, this is an old thread.

Hey! I was already using Revit in 2004. Does that make me old as dirt?

[itsmasel]

I use Allplan 2009. My practice shares offices with another starting to use REVIT. I hear complainst of non compatibility between Autocad, and REVIT on a daily basis. When I import pdf documents, they become editable scaleable lines and fills. When I export my final drawings in pdf format I can open them as editable drawings again, even if I've lost the original Allplan file (this happened to me once when we moved office).

I have looked ar REVIT, but have trouble getting my head around the need for libraries. I create what I need on the fly, project by project, and really have little need for libraries at all. From my discussions, it seems like REVIT needs you to knw what exactly to draw before starting. With Allplan, I can go from the vague, to the general, to the very specific during the life cycle of the project, with no problem; building elements can all be re parametered at any moment in the process, and I can mess with the volumes like in sketchup.

[itsmasel]

I actually believe Autocad can work reffectively with Allplan, and vice versa. Tracing parameters can be imported with an autocad drawing, or exported. WHat I find is tha with BIM in mind, I can define, for example a window opening, and its performance. I don't have to go looking for a product. This is useful, since most of my work is public work, so brand names are not allowed, only a performance specification. I may for example have a lot of different windows, but all with the same opening caracteristics. 1 macro does the whole job. Allplan creates lists by type and dimensions. So I have the same type, just a different size. Where ALLPLAN appears a bit less effective is working in section or elevation. REVIT seems to have the upper hand.

[MikeJarosz]

Don't be surprised that the way you work can't be done in Revit. That was precisely the intent of Revit's designers. Everything in Revit is a building object - a window, a door, a stairway. Each of these objects have properties that can be queried. Getting those properies attached to the objects is part of the work, but once you've done it, it can be used over and over: hence the libraries.

There is something ironic in your statement that most of your work is public. The biggest advocates of BIM are government agencies, starting with the GSA and extending to states and even local government. And, just as in the past when "CAD" meant Autocad, "BIM" these days means Revit.

After learning 4 different CAD systems, I have found that you cannot expect any one system to be merely a variation of another. Often they are radically different. When I train in Revit, I start by advising my students that almost nothing you know from Autocad applies to Revit. I tell them that it is perfectly possible to create a complete set of drawings without drawing a single line. Then I wait for the look on their face :)