Hi Daniel,
We discussed sometime ago the below items, therefore I was just wondering if any of these had been implemented yet. I recently installed PLUS-SPEC again for SU Pro 2015 & still can’t deduce what version I’m using or a direct link listing the current updates without searching the forum. So I guess this may be my answer.
Movie tutorials/explanations would be an idea covering new software developments.
Over & out,
Clayton.
RE: PLUS-SPEC SOFTWARE
[i] Users will appreciate knowing what version they’re using prior to starting a project, knowing that an upgrade improvement exists that would have saved them time if informed, is an improvement. I only found out about an upgrade when I read on the forum about a missing video, which discussed an improved roof mode with three additional roof SU icons, so downloaded this version.
I can see linking costs & other country construction methods is a vast task, I don’t confess to know anything about the workings of software engineering, but I reckon the software needs to be flexible enough to react easily to varying markets rather than being totally re-written for each country. Therefore if costs can be linked just to areas, linear lengths etc the user should be able to adjust things for their own use. Simple to say rather than engineer I bet.
As for materials vs drawn construction, I suppose an option for the visual materials to be added by the user if possible would be o.k. by using the SU interface would be o.k. Ultimately most architectural types such as me are mainly just after the ability to vary any cavity wall leaf width, cavity width, with or without insulation or on the inside as dry-lining together with height, these could just be by colour until an appropriate visual material can be sourced. This would also go for all the other building elements, it sound as though your working on something similar to this in your e-mail.
Therefore as you say & are now experiencing I think reading between the lines with your software update you discuss, dynamically linking visual materials with drawn elements is way too great a task with too many variable to suit all & all countries. I think the user would just like to engage a menu to pick their own from a material list, if not on the list, then the ability for the user to have the visual material list/menu be user updateable & or use the SU interface for this.
I also touched on if the software has the ability, perhaps in the future, to have the construction elements to be saved out as ring fenced add on user library the user can just import to a folder within PLUS-SPEC, very much like adding in a component we use for SU now. If this is possible, I can see this software growing vastly as you could have a PLUS-SPEC user library on your website, users would interact with construction elements. I can also see add-on packs to be sold on as well direct by PLUS-SPEC.[/i]
