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NorthPoint Cloud catalog will not allow me to size filler widths in fractions 1/16″ or 1/8″ inch increments. For example; 2-7/8″ defaults to 3″. The only size increments are 1/4″, 1/2″ and 3/4″. This means I have to use Local Browser (Different Catalog) to install fillers correctly or use cloud fillers and the attached mouldings will wrap empty spaces.
Also, it has been asked repeatedly for seven months by the manufacture and myself to UPDATE the NorthPoint20A_1 catalog with new mouldings, Cove Crown CMV8, and Traditional Crown CM8. Why can’t this simple task be accomplished along with the other small list of items that need to be updated? Especially since 2020 Technologies were able to switch the NorthPoint catalog over to the Cloud and give it a new version name. This is madness. One would think that if you are bringing catalogs into the cloud, and advertising that you have NEW CLOUD CONTENT, the catalog would be current and up to date or why bother with the deception. Time is money when I’m working in drawings. Currently, Design Live feels like Alpha testing.
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Thanks, I think? It’s really difficult for me to say anything nice about this new experience of using Design Live. In the future, it’s not new content added to the cloud if the catalog isn’t updated with new content and working properly. Waiting months after a request to bug out issues is also unacceptable. The more I use Cloud, the more I dislike the program. Beta testing the software is not what I intended to do and that’s exactly what all of us our currently doing when we made the switch.
While I didn’t expect an overnight fix, I d0 expect next update or two. We design to sell cabinets to earn a living. Let’s keep focus on this. Nothing else matters.
I guess you have one year to fix all the issues or many of us will be taking another look at ProKitchen. After all, the pricing will be nearly the same. And I’d lay odds that PK is also cleaning up their act in the next 12 months.
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Hi Tim,
We appreciate your feedback. Design Live was introduced to the market with the new & exciting configurable cloud content access. We know there’s always room for us to continuously improve the configurable cloud experience & we will continue to do that.
Rest assured if we can address this filler issue earlier, we will do our best to do that.
Thank you
Pat
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This is truly sad. When it comes to the Design Live aspect of the software and it’s failures to deliver the things it said it would. I was under the impression that catalogs could be fixed or changed effortlessly and quickly. I suppose Manufacturer’s be warned that it doesn’t seem to be the case even when your salesperson tells you otherwise.
The funny thing that I think will become a much larger problem hasn’t seemed to be mentioned yet. With the new move to the cloud the ability to modify attributes of a cabinet will be lost. You won’t be able to go in and change the max and min values or change the rail or stile dimensions unless explicitly allowed by the manufacturer through a modification. I’m not sure 2020 understands how designers work on their software on a day to day basis. I know for myself I “adjust” countless variables with each design I do to better represent to my client what they will be getting when they do their project.
The manufacturers often have errors in cabinets, or give an incredibly basic representation of one of their cabinet options that I am left to nudge and mold into a better version of iteself through the modification of the variables. Custom lines need this almost universally on 2020. And the thought of having to have my hands tied to whatever the cabinets rules and depictions are through the cloud gives me anxiety and claustrophobia. Add in the fact that they need months to fix a filler issue and they don’t even have that many vendors even signed on yet – You wonder how on Earth will they deliver what they’re promising.
I can only picture in the months ahead of Support and the cloud team being swamped with changes, revisions and missing parts to add on already launched catalogs because of the various ways in which we all work. And only because the one providing the software to us really doesn’t know how each of us takes the B-grade product and turn it into award winning designs and countless client referrals that feed our businesses. I do hope they figure it out soon because I’m happy and comfortable with 2020 but the new pricing and the growing chasm created by themselves on failing to deliver “professional” tools continues to raise my blood pressure and my curiosity of what the grass is looking like on the other side. Is it greener?
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Hello Jonothan,
Thank you for the details.
Just to be clear the functionality related to resizing of fillers scheduled for later this year is to allow a user to drag & drop fillers and have it automatically resize in a gap. This capability is available today with fillers from Local catalogs but requires additional work for Cloud fillers.
You are right that the Attributes interface provide additional controls. The main concerns however is that these controls did not translate into price adjustment which is a big issues. We are continuously improving the access of controls through the Cloud Configurator and it is therefore important to continue to share your input on the crucial ones. We will make sure the right department is notified for proper follow-up.
As for Catalog updates, you are also right, updates should be faster and seamless. We are still ironing the process to facilitate this with the Manufactures. The goal is to include Manufacturers in the process so they can also be proactive and make the necessary adjustments rapidly. Updates can then be share instantaneously through the cloud without the need to deploy, download and install local catalogs.
Thanks again,
Santiago
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As always, Santiago you calm and ease my fears.
I appreciate the quick response and the way you sharing applicable background for understanding. I think sometimes that many customer service personnel (at any company) lack this knowledge or perhaps aren’t given the training or insight to be able to respond in the way that you can.
Regardless – it’s imperative that the cloud be “unlocked” in several ways. I understand the concerns about pricing but perhaps there’s a middle ground. Either there can be a menu option that allows the catalog variables to be unlocked on a per job basis. The salesperson/designer would need to get a general access password that would open up 75% of the variables (perhaps excluding things like price, etc) so that they can make necessary changes when needed. It should be general and only change perhaps annually or never depending on the manufacturer’s wishes. Making it static prevents the manufacturer or 2020 support from getting overwhelmed with phone calls. The process could include a prompt that warns the designer that changes made may not translate into the delivered product and / or may result in additional charges not accounted for in the program and require an acceptance and waiver of liability by the designer. This wavier can then show up on all the printed reports and exports noting that particular job had changes to the variables that are not inline with the standard catalog.
Doing something like that allows for the flexibility on the designers part to “fix” or improve a design so that it translates to a presentation that is artistically in line with what they wish to show to their client. Further they might have plans to do some on-site modifications with their own installers and neither 2020 or the manufacturer could anticipate that but limiting this or locking us out completely leaves true professionals with a choice to either stay with the design community that we know or move on to others where our artistic and varied needs can be met.
Further by requiring the unlock be done on a per job basis you won’t end up with someone forgetting that they unlocked it and then making a mistake that translates into order issues or finger pointing. Having to reaffirm this level of modification each time reminds the designer of the risks they take in changing any of the variables.
But you have no choice but to do something that allows the variables to be tweaked. I don’t envy you or the role that 2020 plays in the design world. People will always be unhappy and you have to make decisions that sometimes will leave some out in order to work towards a company mission and endgame that will continue to allow 2020 to be viable. But I don’t think this choice, without some flexibility will be the right one. Unless you only want box stores purchasing your software at the deep discounts that they do. Because any other dealer, hires people that we call designers but who consider themselves artists and creatives. We expect freedom to choose and recommend and dream and its those who dream that create the next trends. I think 2020 wants to be apart of that community as well.
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