Architosh Staff ([email protected])

31 Oct 2001 [updated: 1 Nov]

MacCAD: Pictogramme brings forward ADesign

The French developer Pictogramme continues to bring ADesign forward and into the future. The company has recently redesigned its website and offers details on an ever expanding product line for both Mac and Windows.

The Pictogramme Story and the Legendary Architrion

Pictogramme's story is related to the story of the now legendary Architrion software, a bygone CAD product that was way ahead of its time back in the early Macintosh days. The fruits of that software CAD product are now in two places (if not more, through sheer influence). BOA Research of Cambridge, Massachusetts, leads the development of a revolutionary AEC 3D CAD product called, simply, BOA. That product is based on Architrion and developed by some of the brilliant programmers behind the original Architrion.

ADesign by Pictogramme is also based on Architrion, the details of which include Architrion's origins in France and its relationships and past owners, including the most recent, BAGH Technologies of Canada. In 2000, Pictogramme repurchased SNGimeor and the Architrion rights. Convinced of the technical potential of the Goelan V4 CAD engine the company is ambitiously rolling out all new AEC CAD products under the ADesign moniker.

Product Strategy a la Nemetschek North America

Pictogramme's product strategy is akin to that of Nemetschek N. A., which is based around providing a suite of products that all use a common CAD technology engine. There are now six different software products using ADesign 4.5.

Titane is the most complete in the range and is solely directed at architecture practices both small and large. Helium is a lighter version of Titane and is directed at the small architect, design-builder, contractor or house-builder/remodeler markets. Graphit is an add-on product oriented towards 2D document production and publishing.

Additionally Pictogramme has a product called Volum, which offers 3D modeling tools specifically for the architectural market. Studio is a new Interiors or interior architecture product, dedicated to those markets. And lastly, Business is an OpenGL-based presentation 3D program.

Modularization a Continuing Trend

The modularization of products is not an exclusive strategy invented by Nemetschek. That is hardly true, but that company comes to mind as it used a single product to convert to an engine strategy for vertically-oriented product differentiation.

Another company which has recently gone this route is Ashlar Inc. with its new Design Elements product line. In fact, Pictogramme seems to have picked up—a little bit—on Ashlar's product package naming system. We see this trend continuing as it allows developers a means of expanding revenue potential, addressing very vertical markets, while simplifying product development.

It will be interesting to see how Pictogramme moves forward with this expanded product suite strategy and how it fights for old Architrion users, a large number of which have already discovered the power of BOA.

To learn more about Pictogramme visit their Web site.