ArcSite Reviews

Pros

It is very simple, and easy to use. Custom objects is immensly helpful. I love the ability to import a photo, calibrate, and then measure distances from there-- I can now grab a quick snap of a building fire-plan or paper construction plans, etc. and do most measurements on the spot without having to individually measure off things. And if I've forgotten to measure something, I can still get that number after I get back to the office. It's also useful on the sales end to help give customer a quick layout of what they are getting or work to be done.

Cons

Mult it out over several people, and it's pricey for each subscription. The ability to do ellipsoids and not just circles would make perspective a little simpler to do. Right now, you have to do a bunch of arcs which is very cumbersome.

Pros

My favourite thing about this software is that you can use it on your I-pad- a lot of times I am using this software to do up a "shop drawing" right on site or pull up the drawing in the shop so the fact that I can be mobile is very important in my business. The app itself is fairly simple to use for the average person and great to be able to do up a drawing in auto cad so simply.

Cons

I don't like that; if you have a closed shape (square, hexagon, rectangle, etc) and you modify one side- it can change multiple other lines or every line, so you have to be very careful to double check each line after changing one. I also dont like the "angles" portion- it is very difficult to put in a drawing with a rounded ended object- you have to re-draw multiple times to get it right. Also for particular angles- it can be tricky to get 2 identical, opposite angles

Alternatives Considered

DWG FastView Plus

Reasons for Switching to ArcSite

I tried out multiple products at the same time and this one was by far my favourite. Some of the other programs were very hard to work and the auto cad version did not open up when sent to our clients (who had proper auto cad computer set up). Most versions were not compatible with I-pad and the archaic way you had to be stuck at a stationary computer didn't work at all for my business so ArcSite was an obvious winner

Pros

This is an excellent app designed primarily for field diagramming. With it, we are able to create building diagrams quickly for our building inspection reports. In-app draining controls are well thought out to quickly layout and then fine tune as needed, with advanced controls. It exports to pdf, dwg, png and other formats and offers cloud backups too. A perfect marriage between this app and an iPad/pencil. We have used it create hundreds of building diagrams over the last two years. The main app engineer is rolling out new features consistently.

Cons

We use iPad pros Wifi+ cellular on AT&T for diagramming and bugs that have continued unresolved for months have caused us to start re-considering alternatives. For example, swiping between apps causes the drawing to window to zoom out to the point where the diagram is only a pixel on the screen. Sometimes the entire app goes to a blank white screen, then reverts to the projects list, forcing us to re-open the active drawing. Snapping to grid is a basic function, but when reviewing drawings closely, lines that were supposed to have snapped to the grid are actually only next to the grid lines and not accurately placed. We have to zoom in quite far to correct. With more complex drawings, containing over 70 elements or so, the app bogs down significantly and crashes, even though we think it should be able to easily handle more complex drawings than we use it for.

The monthly fees are significant at the small business level. As of today, $360/year and $720/year for cross-device sync capability. AutoCAD LT, which is close in capability, costs $390/year and includes both desktop and mobile apps for iOS. Although support was responsive before, our support requests have not been answered the last two times we've asked for help. The answer has been that they are unable to duplicate the issue we see. However, on our end, the bugs persist through iOS updates, app updates, and on multiple devices.

Pros

Creating shapes, accuracy, easy to learn, etc..

Cons

Full feature often doesn’t work — if you have one tiny disconnected line in a shape, the color will fill everything around it. Could you make a seal shape button? You should be able to create sub shape folder in your creative shapes. For example: tables, chairs, plants, etc... add more colors or hue adjustments like a color wheel to colors. Add sub category folders to projects — differentiate types of projects. Add Bosch laser measure to Bluetooth and make it seamless — measure 2-3x and allow each to override previous — Bosch has free software for this but the UI the is terrible. Allow custom shape library to be shared for free! No additional cost for up to 3 users. Add 3D option- make it simple

Alternatives Considered

SmartDraw and RoomSketcher

Reasons for Switching to ArcSite

The user interface was cleaner and the software has a bit more customization.

Pros

Speed of results and ease to get things drawn accurately.

Cons

No much to say for this 99% perfect, slight issue with moving some blocks when they are very small zooming in / out.

Pros

parametric design in the library, functional and easy to use, good looking interface

Cons

telemeter laser are not simply to use with it.. and polygonal lines are not easy to use, there is a problem when you point to longer on the screen, the line change to a curve.... you have to cancelled it for continue..

Pros

ArcSite handles PDF mobile cad drawings possible in an elegant manner. The tool makes possible creation, editing, redlining of CAD quality drawings and integrates photos in an exceptional manner.

The ability to embed photos has been challenging in the past with software on ios where photos and app were somewhat disconnected. ArcSite solves this. High resolution drawings and detail is also possible with quality by controlling line types, colors and other features.

The finished product achieved with ArcSite is great quality.

Cons

Project folders lack functionality of saving either in a higher order, ie. folder within folder. Folder or file commenting would be handy for communicating with cohorts, ie. leaving a description of the folder (project). Hiding projects or archiving has been a great feature, expanding on that functionality in some way would be beneficial. Downloading projects is great, or downloading selected PDFs in a bulk manner from IOS would be a good addition.

Pros

The best part about this software is the customer support. The drawing features are very easy to use.

Cons

The only flaw I have found is that when you have the program do square footage measurements for you, it is not always accurate. It is close, but it's best to double check the work.

Pros

Intuitive Ease of use
Good selection of tools
Huge boost to productivity
Allows drawing in the field with the availability of exporting drawings for real time collaboration
Top notch customer service
Perfect for client meetings to discuss design with the ability of real time scaled alterations
Down time has turned into productive time...for instance, while waiting for a haircut, I was able to draw the exterior elevations on a project rather than wasting that valuable time.

Cons

Minor stuff really. There have been a few bugs but Rep and his team have been very responsive.

Pros

The software is very easy to use. You can import PDFs, background images, or start drawing from scratch. I perform a lot of onsite lighting audits and ArcSite has really helped to streamline our audit process and insure that all parties are on the same page regarding the type and quantities of existing lighting. There have been a few features that I felt like the software could use, and the ArcSite team was more than willing to entertain and actually implement into the program.

Cons

I do not use all of the built-in functionality of the software, so I feel like the price is a bit high.

Pros

Proactive support, they want you to make full use of the software and provide ample instruction (how-to’s and direct communication) to help you do so.

User friendly interface, short learning curve before a new user can produce useful drawings.

Cons

Plot settings can take some getting used to.

Pros

The ability to draw simple floor plans was great. It was easy to do, and for the most part, had the shapes I needed.

Cons

The PRICE every month to simply draw some shapes on a grid-lined screen.

Pros

I originally used ArcSite for on-site drawings and take-offs. Since then I transfer all my drawings using the DXF export straight into my CNC machine. Once I worked out the correct layering and a few little tips to assist with the export, it works perfectly. The ease of doing this on my iPad with my pencil is a pleasure. I can not fault this app.

Cons

Happy with everything. I honestly can’t fault the app for my purpose.

Pros

This software is:
1. Easy to Learn
2. Affordable to use
3. Looks Professional
4. Great Customer Service
5. Fast to complete
I would highly recommend to any contractor that needs to make there own simple designs that want them to look better than graph paper sketches.

Cons

I wish the designs would automatically upload to the cloud and that we did not have to do that ourselves

Pros

Photos to show customers. Drawing layout.

Cons

Making changes to accommodate all users within our company is very difficult to make happen and often comes with resistance from the engineers.

Pros

The user interface and functionality is exceptional in depicting an accurate floor plan. The fact that the in field constructed drawing can seamlessly export to CAD is one of the greatest perks.

Cons

I have found that the blocks must be scaled constantly and do not populate at the scale they were drawn in. This limits the functionality some. However, this is a minor inconvenience and ultimately would just be an added luxury given the softwares current capabilities.

Pros

Very intuitive, always improving. Good time-saving features added likedoor cut-ins.

Cons

Changes happen dramatically. Should put out a beta version to try out before full release.

Pros

The ability to have it in the guys hands in the field where they can make adjustments to drawings in real time. This sames time, money, and errors. We also love the import and export functionality.

Cons

It would be nice to have a more robust portfolio of pre created shapes/objects and the ability to port them.

Pros

The best feature of this product is the ease in which you can duplicate parts of the drawing , when using for electrical schematic diagrams multiple parts are used over and over again the one touch copy and paste is great

Cons

Not too much at all suits my purpose well

Pros

I like how intuitive it is and simple to use and understand. I never got any formal training on how to learn the software since it was so easy to use. Works well with other applications too!

Cons

Too much customization making it difficult to keep it simple

Pros

The convince and portability of the app .

Cons

Nothing really. the app does everything I need.

Pros

Easy to use, ICloud Back-up , Tech Support,

Cons

Only upload 1 document at a time through email,
When uploading into an existing folder through email
The List should be alphabetized

Pros

iPadOS Tablet based with direct input via Apple Pencil

Cons

Cost for single user is high in comparison to other iPadOS drawing apps. Morpholio Trace is an example.

Pros

It's fairly easy to use for simple drawings, being able to scale pdf drawings for taking measurements and making markups is very useful

Cons

The snaps can be cumbersome at times, especially when trying to snap to midpoints. It also tends to lag pretty badly when drawings become complex. It is also very difficult to draw an accurate ellipse, which is something I really need to be able to do.

Pros

Easy to use and well laid out and helpful whether your doing a job intake for your team, a bid on a site, or a simple drawing for training or visual aid...it is just so helpful!

Cons

Just understanding the difference between a shape and a product and how to customize. Once i got it, it made so much sense.