Is this a good thing? Should the users and those who have supported and campioned Ecotect over the years debate this? Comments....
architecture, sustainability, building performance, environmental design, architectural science...
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This is really sad news.
I am really disapointed.
You can expect autocad-revit only compatibility.
No macintosh version ever.
No interaction with generative components from Bentley.
No integrattion with competing CAD (read vectorworks, archicad, microstation).
This could no be worse. So long independent ECOTECT.
Somebody please tell me this is just a cruel joke.
The jury is still way out
Autodesk does sell Mac products (Sketchbook, Maya), but I believe they existed as well-selling Mac products before Autodesk bought their developers. I don't think Autodesk has released a new Mac product since AutoCAD 12. Am I wrong?
In any case, it will be interesting to watch.
My prediction is that if Autodesk closes up Ecotect -- ties it to Revit and Revit alone -- other developers will come forward with ground-up new solutions for users of other BIM products. Heck, Nemetschek is an enormous company; I'd be surprised if they didn't already have something in the works.
On the other hand, Autodesk could choose to keep Ecotect relatively independent and perhaps keep their existing customers.
Optimistic
I think that for the next couple years you can expect Ecotect to continue relatively unchanged, with the usual amount of support and releases. Autodesk usually acquires companies like this when they see a market emerging and want to get into it. They take a while then evaluating how to integrate the product into existing product lines, if at all. My guess would be that you can expect better integration with AutoCAD and Revit file formats, maybe a direct link from Ecotect for analysis (like IES did) and maybe some light UI changes. I would be suprised if they tried to jamb Ecotect into Revit - they're just very different programs with very different strengths. I would predict that Ecotect will remain as a stand-alone product for a good while.
I actually hope that Autodesk can figure out a way to cleanly port Revit models into Ecotect, using Revit families as they are designed. That would be fantastic. For me, the biggest problem with Ecotect is that you are forced to model the building all over again just to do analysis. Yes, you can do simplified models that approximate results, but why even do that if you already have a Revit model that's correct?