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Reader Q: What are the pros/cons of Macs in architecture?
A reader who just discovered Architosh the other day wrote in with a few questions about why they might want to use a Macintosh for their architectural studies at UC Berkeley over a PC. This reader further mentioned that s/he was familiar with Macs from their work with graphics software. Specifically they mentioned:
"I want to have a computer that can handle graphics programs for graphic design and perhaps even web design, but also CAD programs for architecture." -- U.C. Soria The Graphics Answer I don't believe this part of the question is of any great concern for the reader. Any graphics department head in a design school can rattle off dozens of reasons why Apple Macintosh computers are superior for graphics and media work. Here are just a few current reasons:
The list can go on and on, and certainly a PC user could say that there are some PC-only software items for the "creatives" market that are not on the Mac. If there are -- and I know some exist -- they don't matter much. All of the best software and tools for the "creatives" market exist on the Mac, solely, or on both. Go to any Seybold Conference and Expo and you will see an entrenched Mac-centric industry where you will see more Mac resources (people, software, tools, organizations, UG's, etc.) than PC equivalents. What are some examples of Mac-only or Mac-first software for the "creatives" market ? First of all there are all of those QuarkXPress and Adobe software tools, like from Extensis. Here are a few Mac-only tools: (there are many others)
Also, in the "creatives" market the best tools most often come to Mac first. It's true, sometimes they come to Mac after Windows -- like in the Adobe Acrobat 4 snaffu last year. But that's the exception to the rule. A good example of "Mac first" software is Quark's new Avenue.Quark product for multi-purposing QuarkXPress content. A good example on the Web publishing side is Adobe's current GoLive -- which was the preferred choice by professional web designers for a number of years when it was Macintosh-only software. It is still, along with Macromedia's Dreamweaver, the preferred choice of professional web designers. When Adobe bought it and updated it, the released it, was Mac-first. Other key products that are Mac OS-only for "creatives"
Sure there are some Adobe software products for Windows or Unix only. These either are enterprise class products, server products or small business class products. That's not the "creatives" market, and really not the architectural market either. Most architects would rather have the full power version of Adobe Photoshop, not the small-business class lite versions. The Architectural or AEC Answer Now in the architectural (AEC) market the situation with industry software is quite the inverse of the "creatives" market. Here -- unlike with graphics, web, publishing and multimedia & video -- Apple is behind, seriously, with applicable Macintosh versions for the industry. There is one exception: CAD and 3D software. The Pros/Cons of Architectural CAD for Macintosh On the application side, the primary "con" is no Macintosh version of Autocad. If there was a Macintosh version of Autocad, that kept up to pace with the PC version and was more or less fully cross-platform compatible, then the Mac would be a lot stronger in the AEC space. You would see a lot more architects with Macs and consequently a lot more third-party support for Macs. On the application side, the primary "pro" is that the best non-Autocad applications are Macintosh and Windows apps, Bentley Systems new class-J apps notwithstanding. Yes, you can still get the older Macintosh Microstation applications, but they are not moving forward. The Best CAD Apps for Macintosh architects (in alphabetical order)
There are some others and the 3d modeling, rendering and animation department for the Mac is too big to get into here. You have superb low-end and superb high-end apps for 3D on the Mac -- everything from the unique and excellent 3DWorld 3.0 from Microspot at the low end to Electric Image at the very high-end (both long-time Mac-centric applications). Other AEC software and the Web It is true that outside of the CAD/3D realm -- that is, outside of drawing/visualization -- the Mac doesn't have the type of access to many industry specific tools for AEC. Some key tools, such as from AEC Software include Details and FastTrack Schedule. For construction pros there is also GC/Works by Synapse Software and PORTFOLIO by Arch Street Software. Let's also not forget that most of these software tools are information/database management-centric in nature and can be produced and customized by FileMaker Pro. All you need is a FileMaker Pro developer or "wizard" in your office or in your area who can help you custom design software for all of your information management needs. Some Mac AEC pros may say that all they really need is good drawing software (which there is plenty), good visualization software (which there is plenty), FileMaker Pro to handle all of there data management needs, and a good Mac accounting software package for AEC (which there really is none). Indeed, the short list of wants for Mac AEC pros is actually very short:
On the Web side of the equation Macintosh architects are at more or less equal footing with their PC peers. As long as Microsoft doesn't conquer the Web like they did the desktop -- which is to say, as long as the Web continues to belong to everyone and not belong to just one company -- then Mac AEC pros will continue to enjoy access to AEC portals, web services and access to project extranet hosting services. The Future In the not too distant future, we will have Mac OS X, a completely new industrial strength OS. All indications are that this is on for July 2000 introduction. With OS X Apple will increase its advantages in the "creatives" market over NT and Win2000. That much is certain. It will be bumpy, like the transition to PowerPC in 94', but no more bumpy than what some are going to go through with the transition to Windows 2000 (a DOS-less OS) from DOS-Based OS's. In the technical and high-end visualization market Apple is going to gain. Mac OS X has advantages over NT and 2000 in that it is based on an advanced UNIX core. A number of UNIX-based high-end apps will likely come on over to Mac OS X. Alias/Wavefront's Maya and Pixar's RenderMan are key candidates for Mac OS X. It's possible that by 2002 we may be seeing Pixar animated movies that were rendered on dual and quad G4e-based Power Macintoshes running OS X (render-farm formation). We will see such machines from Apple this year, possibly by July at Macworld. A key component is Apple's hardware. PowerPC needs to lead Intel and currently they are slipping behind. PowerPC still has advantages over Intel. In terms of key engineering strengths, IBM is a good year ahead of the competition in its manufacturing and engineering of microprocessors. SOI and copper techniques being good examples. Motorola is now partnering with AMD to share technologies. This can help the PowerPC as well. AMD's bus technologies are superior at the moment. Here's the killer hardware formula: G4e-based dual/quad machines utilizing some of the Motorola/AMD partnership strengths, perhaps bus technologies (get that bus up to 300 MHz) running fully AltiVec (velocity engine) enabled technical programs under Mac OS X with graphics technologies that are the fruit of Apple's recent acquisition of Raycer Graphics. It is exactly this future that is in the pipeline at Apple. And users and developers will be kicking for such machines. My recommendation to this student is to buy an Apple G4 for his studies. Get the fastest processor he can afford and buy more memory down the road as the needs arise. Then go get a Windows emulation program like Virtual PC, so you can take advantage of all of that Windows-only stuff on CD's that come from vendors. Pick some CAD and 3D apps to start with and start building up those Web-centric design and animation skills. They are going to count down the road. Now you're ready for the future -- whether it's in architecture or graphic design. Reference Links: Apple's Academic Architecture Page
Other Architosh News Stories & Related Info Rep says - Alias/Wavefront Maya coming to OS X? Alias' StudioTools CAID and Apple's Industrial Design Group - Hot! Architosh visits BOA CAD team [new Mac CAD for architecture] Architosh reminds you to take a look at LightWave 6.0! Palladio software for the Macintosh: Book plus Planmaker / Facademaker Special Mac REPORT: Diehl Graphsoft explains merger with Nemetschek
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