Jump to content

Upgrade to 2009?


kellhammer

Recommended Posts

Excuse me butting in but I just took the bait.

The "deal" for me was to upgrade to v2008 for the current price and then NNA would send an automatic upgrade from that to v2009 for free. This saves me the price increase of upgrading directly to 2009 from my current 12.5.3. Apparently the 2009 upgrade is more than the 2008 upgrade. So I did it.

I did it knowing that I would also have to upgrade my computer processors and OS. because my current set up does not meet min system requirements for 2008 or 2009. I happen to be some bucks up right now so I decided to invest in the next 5 years and buy myself a new computer and get a fresh start. I hope it's painless. I will be keeping 12.5.3 to work with until NNA worrks out the major bugs I anticipate for 2009 (based on past experience).

Just though I'd explain my "deal". Wishing us all luck with this new version.....bradley

Link to comment

Was the deal with NNA/distributor or your reseller?

In previous years, there seemed to be an overlap where late purchasers/upgraders of the prior version would get upgraded for free to the new product. When I asked the UK distributors about this, they said that, unless you were a major VW user, with many copies, it would not be happening this time.

Still waiting to hear prices. If 2009 update is more than 2008 update, its actually a huge increase as previous versions had a two year lifespan with a mid term incremental update (11.5, 12.5 etc) that was free.

Link to comment

The deal was with NNA and I believe the difference was $200 US for my VWArch/RW

configuration. This was how it was "pitched" to me. I agree that a price increase for upgrades could be tough. I also expected as much actually. Someone has to pay for solidworks et al. Perhaps it is a price jump that they will stick with for a few more upgrades and then jump again. I would think it much better than playing the game with ACAD but none-the-less not much support for the "smart sized" firm in England....

I don't know the system requirements for 2009, just that 2008 alone was beyond my machine.

Link to comment
I am a little uncertain about the system requirements. The new version will almost certainly have Parasolids, and the company that licenses it, Siemens, recently released a Mac version of it that only runs on 10.5 Leopard. And I'm still on 10.4 Tiger.

I was doing a sneak peek at the system requirements, as quoted below:

Minimum System Requirements

Mac OS X 10.4.11 or later

Mac OS X 10.5.4 or later

QuickTime 7 or higher

PowerPC G5 or newer

Intel Core 2GHz or better

Windows XP SP 3

Windows Vista SP 1

QuickTime 7.2 to 7.5

(higher versions not recommended)

Pentium 2GHz or better

Vectorworks

RAM 2GB

Hard drive space 10GB free

Vectorworks plus Renderworks

RAM 4GB

Hard drive space 10GB free

Vectorworks Designer

RAM 2GB

Hard drive space 10GB free

Vectorworks Designer plus Renderworks

RAM 4GB

Hard drive space 10GB free

It turns out that my system software is okay, but my hardware will need a significant upgrade. No more G4 support, sigh.

Link to comment

If it's any consolation, your 17" PB currently has good resale or donation value. That won't entirely pay for new equipment, but might relieve some of the pressure.

I recently donated my 17" PB to a local Not for Profit. Donation value was set at price for similar equipment advertised for sale in Craigs List and eBay. I know that my tax advantage of the donation is really only worth value x my tax rate, but donation also saves time of advertising, meeting and testing with potential purchasers. Also I did not have to purchase OS10.5 which saved $100 plus shopping and install time. Data migration to MBP and wiping of PB went without a hitch.

PB value will fall faster and faster as software and hardware upgrades make the G4 system increasingly obsolete. My MBP and VW2008 are very stable. VW almost never crashes. Many functions are faster. VW 2009.1? Who knows?

-B

Link to comment

Bob-H,

You also have to look at the Apple roadmap for the MacOS and support, or lack thereof, of older hardware platforms.

The current scuttlebutt is that the next major release of OS X, Snow Leopard, will drop PowerPC chip support and be Intel only.

I think this is in line with what Apple has done in the past, moving ahead and focusing on the future, while mitigating resources devoted to "dead end" technologies.

And Apple is not alone. MS continually raises the "lower bar", or tolerance, for a base hardware platform to be supported by the new version of Windows, especially Vista (a major hardware resource hog!!!). That is not bad, just the reality of "advancing" technology.

That is not to say the older platforms aren't useful, they just have a limited expectation of their capabilities in light of the technology available today and tomorrow.

Believe me, you'll be very happy moving up to a 17" MacBook Pro.

Link to comment

Jeffrey,

I am all for embracing the brave new world of computer technology. But I guess the pace of progress, along with its price, has caught me off guard. Up until now I have managed to maintain the same computer model for at least 5 years. And now, with my 17" PowerBook ending its 3rd year of service, it has become obsolete for the Vw2009 release. Up until now, both NNA and Apple have maintained a window of backward compatibility for their software upgrades, usually extending 5 years back. But Apple's abandonment of the PowerPC chip has shortened that window. And NNA now releases a new version every year, instead of the free upgrade.

I'll eventually upgrade everything when I'm financially ready, but for now I'll check on the user feedback for this release. I could have used some of the new features, such as the unfolding plates, for a recent project. I also will stay a registered Vw user, considering the alternatives. The users of AutoDesk Revit recently only got a rendering engine in the 2009 version, but they are continuing to invest in the program, hoping and waiting for the day the software engineers will give them what they really need, like site tools. Fortunately, I don't have to wait with them, because I know AutoDesk has been a bit dense about user input lately.

Link to comment

Bob, finances permitting, the middle of 2009 might be a good time to aim for. That's what I'm advising our purse string holders for now.

If there are any problems with v2009 they should be fixed by then, Apple should have released Mac OS X 10.6?which is focused very much on 64-bit, efficiency and multiprocessors (i.e. power, stability and speed)?with some new pro hardware to match. All of which could culminate in a significant leap over what we can do with these tools today.

Of course we'll also have a better idea if 2009 is 1929 revisited.

Link to comment

Christiaan,

Part of me was wanting to wait for the new MacBook Pros incorporating the LED backlit screen - the magazine Mac|Life (formerly MacAddict) was dropping hints of this. The latest news suggest a January 2009 release. And a coincidental release of MacOS 10.6 should seal the deal.

And then there is the little problem on Wall Street, which ripples into the architectural business. We have a Federal Reserve Bank now, so I doubt we will see former tycoons camping out in Hooverville. But a problem nonetheless.

Link to comment

russh,

I was referring to Revit 2009's new Mental Ray renderer, which was an improvement over the previous one (could've been Accurender). But the Revit users were wanting other features that they lack, and what we take for granted, such as NURBS and site modifier tools, such as roads. Which makes it easier for me to stay with Vectorworks.

I don't think NNA has anything to do with Allplan, so I don't think they would be selling it in the U.S. But I do order Vectorworks from their office in Maryland. Too bad they don't package it with Windoor, as Ozcad does in Australia.

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
×
  • Create New...