Architosh, the leading online publication devoted to Mac and iOS CAD and 3D software applications, has announced its first AIA National Convention and Exposition “BEST of SHOW awards” in two categories for desktop and mobile software for architects and related AEC professionals.
“The American Institute of Architects’ national convention is the premier event for practicing architects in the US,” said Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, LEED AP, architosh’s editor-in-chief, “and thousands of architects attend to see what digital tools are shaping their profession. It makes perfect sense to not only report on the show but to select what we feel are the best products at show time.” “We hope this honor will help sharpen the perspectives of our readers on what are significant developments in computer software for architecture.”
Winners of BEST of SHOW Awards
Products that are eligible for the architosh BEST of SHOW award must have been introduced within the past 10 months and be available in the market within the first 9 months of the awarded year.
Eligible products in the desktop software category must run on both Mac and Windows platforms within the release awarded. And eligible mobile products must run on Apple’s innovative and market leading iOS platform. Without further ado, the honors go to:
Desktop Winner
The 2012 architosh BEST of SHOW AIA National award in the desktop category is given to Graphisoft’s latest ArchiCAD 16. “ArchiCAD 16 introduces powerful new direct-modeling technology,” says Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, LEED AP, editor-in-chief, “and explicit modeling has been clearly identified as in need in BIM market research, including Architosh’s large 2010 BIM report. In addition, the integration of Graphisoft’s EcoDesigner into ArchiCAD 16 encourages architects to design buildings with the environment in mind.”
Readers can learn more about Graphisoft’s award-winning BIM solution that runs on both Mac and Windows platforms here: www.graphisoft.com
There tends to be many excellent solutions at the AIA and we wanted to call some attention to those others with special notes below. Runners-Up are:
Runner-Up: Shaderlight
Shaderlight deserves recognition as the first cloud-based rendering solution for Google’s popular SketchUp rendering program. With this unique solution SketchUp users can produce photo-realistic renders of their models at up to 5x speeds faster than on the desktop and up to 128x faster at animations. You can learn more here.
Runner-Up: Vectorworks Architect 2012
Vectorworks Architect 2012 deserves recognition for its extremely well-balanced feature set, including integrated CINEMA 4D renderer inside its Renderworks add-on option as well as its improving interoperability and excellent modeling capabilities. We also think the 2D X-ray mode is ingenious! Learn more here.
iOS Mobile Winner
The 2012 architosh BEST of SHOW AIA National award in the iOS mobile category is given to CADFaster for its innovative utilization of Apple’s iOS-based iPad and the mobility of BIM in the field.
“CADFaster is now available for a native Mac CAD/BIM application with its latest CADFaster for Vectorworks,” says Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, LEED AP, “but the company deserves kudos for its overall implementation with bringing real-time collaboration to the mobile iOS space and its utilization of cloud computing.”
CADFaster’s unique innovation partly lies in its proprietary file compression technology which enables the application to export an entire 3D model (BIM) file into a tiny executable which contains its own application. With CADFaster on the iPad a collaborator can see and navigate a model and participate in mark-up discussions in real-time. You can even host a collaborative session via the iPad. “What was really impressive to me while watching Tuomas Holma of CADFaster show me the product was not just its amazing fluidity and speed but the way in which commentary threads work,” says Anthony Frausto-Robledo, AIA, LEED AP.
Runner-Up: HP ePrint & Share for iPad
HP ePrint and Share app for iPad allows AEC professionals like architects to send mark-ups to remote HP DesignJets back at the office with ease. If you are using Autodesk AutoCAD WS on your iPad the new integration with is an extra convenience. With HP’s new tech your file are saved to the cloud for either sharing, storing and printing.