The industry-standard CAD packages are AutoCAD 2002 and ArchiCAD 7. Both cost around 拢3,500. As well as giving you draughting tools, these programs can automatically produce sections and elevations, 3D visualisations and virtual reality buildings. Top professionals and designers use them 鈥� principally to impress clients and investors. However, if you are new to CAD and just want an efficient way of generating 2D precision drawings, the products here will do the job for a price ranging from 拢57 to 拢700.
Verdict
Beginners who aspire to full-throttle AutoCAD will be best served by QuickCAD. Its ease of use presents fertile territory for learning CAD skills that are easily transferable.
AutoCAD LT 2002 is a high-end 2D tool that offers a seamless route to the full version. If you are networking with colleagues and outside firms using AutoCAD, LT is the way forward.
If, however, your operation is more independent, and you need time to grow into a CAD system, TurboCAD Professional offers all you will need to produce everything from a simple layout to a stunning, polished 3D model.
Quickcad 8
Pluses Accessible and inspires instant confidence
Minuses Help manual too simplistic
Supplier Autodesk, Tel 01252 456789, www.autodesk.co.uk
QuickCAD is the junior member of the extensive AutoCAD family. It might be tempting to dismiss the program as too cheap to be useful, but that would be a shame because it distills all the characteristics of a thoroughbred CAD package into manageable features. The interface is clear, and straight lines, curves and circles can be drawn and connected together in a way that guarantees absolute accuracy. With CAD, you can draw structures life size (1:1) and scale them down when you print or plot. Alternatively, you can choose a scale initially that will fit the size of paper you wish to print on, such as 1:20. As with all 2D programs, in QuickCAD you have to draw plans of buildings, sections and elevations separately, but there鈥檚 plenty of help at hand in the shape of pre-drawn objects such as kitchens, bathrooms, plumbing and wiring symbols. You simply drag and drop them onto your drawing. Areas can be hatched and colour added to highlight design detail.
Turbocad 8 standard
Pluses Engaging software that may lead you on to develop your skills
Minuses Ambiguous metric/imperial interface
Supplier IMSI, Tel 020 7221 4600 (MediaGold), www.imsisoft.com
Don鈥檛 be deceived by the low price 鈥� TurboCAD is a comprehensively equipped CAD program capable of producing clear and accurate 2D building plans and details. Drawings can be saved in AutoCAD .DWG file format, so you can transfer work between the programs. You will need to set up your drawing to default to metric measurements (not 鈥淓nglish鈥�, which here means imperial). That done, you can create a grid to guide and link lines and objects with pinpoint accuracy. Drawing aids compare favourably with Autodesk鈥檚 products, providing a structured layering system, and isometric and circular grids improve efficiency. There are more tools to handle than in QuickCAD, so it takes a little longer to navigate the interface, but TurboCAD is surprisingly versatile and offers plenty of pre-drawn components. If you feel ambitious, you can even experiment with surface and solid modelling. When you purchase the Standard or Professional version of TurboCAD, you also get FloorPlan 3D 6 and TurboCAD Project Express 4 free. FloorPlan has plenty of tools for inserting architectural components, applying finishes and producing materials lists, and a camera lets you view your structure inside and out. Project Express is a project planner for keeping track of the various stages in the design/building process.
Turbocad 8 professional
Pluses Outstanding value for money and will grow with your needs
Minuses Could be too much, too soon
Supplier IMSI, Tel 020 7221 4600 (MediaGold), www.imsisoft.com
CAD novices may find the Professional version of TurboCAD indigestible, although you can simplify the interface by displaying only the tools necessary for the job. On the other hand, if you have mastered the basics of 3D modelling, TurboCAD Professional does everything that AutoCAD LT can do, and a great deal more too, for about half the price. In fact, the program competes favourably with AutoCAD 2002 itself. Again, it comes back to asking whether modestly priced software can be taken seriously. The answer is it can and it works. The real problem is that 80% of the industry uses Autodesk products. Also, acquiring advanced CAD skills is not easy, so professionals moving from job to job or project to project will want to feel instantly at home on a new site rather than having to learn a new program on top of everything else. If, however, you don鈥檛 fall in this category, the chances are you will be happy to settle for a system that is affordable, powerful, ready and waiting.
Autocad lt 2002
Pluses Highly professional results and confidence that the drawn information can be shared
Minuses Expensive compared to the opposition
Supplier Autodesk, Tel 01252 456789, www.autodesk.co.uk
This program was Autodesk鈥檚 response, many years ago, to the appearance of 2D design software for a 10th of the price of full-blown AutoCAD. So what do you get for your money? In LT 2002 you will find all the features associated with the grown-up version, except and perhaps crucially, 3D visualisation. LT 2002 is completely compatible with AutoCAD 2002 and the interface is identical. If you aspire to AutoCAD 2002, but are unsure whether you really need all its advanced features, then LT will deliver production drawings, dimensioned and annotated in true AutoCAD fashion. 3D objects can be viewed and also shaded. There are no symbol libraries supplied with the program, but this need not be a handicap. Almost every building component is now available from suppliers in CAD format. Simply open, say, Boulton and Paul鈥檚 2002 joinery catalogue in CAD format, and paste the exact window, door or stair you want into your design. You can repeat this procedure using every kind of component from roof tiles to roadworks. Details can be found on Fastrack鈥檚 website at www.fastrackcad.com, where you can access thousands of CAD drawings.
Source
Construction Manager
Postscript
Jim Cooper is a building surveyor and AutoCAD lecturer. Contact jcbss1@aol.com
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