The new way of creating auto-CAD drawings is all about creating a 3D drawing first and then using that drawing to create your 2D drawing.

In this course is explained how it is done. More. There is even explained how you can add dimensions to your 2D drawing.

Let’s make a good start. We start with creating a 3D drawing. It’s going to be a simple drawing. But that

doesn’t matter.

We open AutoCAD. We start with a new drawing. We draw a rectangle. The size of the rectangle is 200 by 100. And we draw a circle.

The comes is drawn in the left side of the rectangle. The diameter of the circle is 100. It fits nicely in
the rectangle.

This is the base of the 3D drawing. Let’s extrude the rectangle and the circle. We give them a height of 50.
And a taper angel of zero.

We now have two 3D objects. Let’s make one 3D object. We use the UNION command. You know that command. You know what to do.

To see the 3D model clearly we go to a 3D view of the drawing. Next we save the drawing. Give it the name 3D drawing.

This is the first articles in a series of five articles. To get the other articles send a blank e-mail

to: mailto:newway@aweber.com

About the author:

Jos van Doorn. AutoCAD specialist and AutoLISP
programmer. Also write AutoCAD articles and AutoCAD
courses. Find everything here:

http://autocad-articles.blogspot.com/

AutoCAD is a computer aided design software from Autodesk Inc. that allows its users to create 2D and 3D designs. Because AutoCAD is easy to use and because of its high level of customization, flexibility and realistic rendering, AutoCAD detailing is one of the most seen forms of detailing. On top of that, AutoCAD has been around for over 27 years, gaining for itself a strong user base who can use and operate it with no problems.

As such, far more professionals like architects, engineers and steel fabricators rely on AutoCAD detailing to do their own jobs. AutoCAD detailing provides them with a work plan and accurate estimates to do this. In short, by enabling its users to order in volumes, these drawings save money; By allowing its users to order in advance in the right dimensions, it helps save time and labor

AutoCAD detailing can also help steel fabricators in producing steel projects in an efficient manner. At its finest, AutoCAD drafting may combine an architect’s work with analysis and specifications from engineers. AutoCAD drawings will assist you in getting complex designs broken down into simple drawings and still keep specifications.

Additionally, detailing works in AutoCAD may be rendered in either 2D or 3D, assisting you visualizing your projects while also helping you sell it to investors and other parties. You can also easily integrate other applications and software like ProSteel 3D with AutoCAD to expand its functionality. AutoCAD drawings can assist you in envisioning your projects from the more complex to the smallest and minute details! It can even assist you in different aspects of your work: from structural steel detailing, to floor plans and blueprints to architecture.

It is, however, best to leave AutoCAD detailing to the experts who have tons of experience doing it. This is the best way to guarantee that you have accurate AutoCAD detailing. Fortunately, there are a lot of vendors that offer AutoCAD drafting to choose from, but choose the most cost-efficient and the best one for your needs. Select a provider that is willing to work with you on your requirements, getting the specifications ironed out and is very competent in creating clear details. Also, pick one that is competent in converting your original scanned or hand-drafted designs into AutoCAD format, as well as one who is very responsive to your questions or requests. But overall, select a company that has access to the most updated AutoCAD software to complete your job according to your time limits.

AutoCAD detailing is an essential part of your building projects that can be outsourced.

AutoCAD is used by professionals world-wide to create the drawing files that define the buildings, equipment and products we use every day. If you are looking for a job in design or construction, you need to know AutoCAD in order to command high wages and job security. These easy tips will help new users get up to speed fast.

Use the Pull Down Menus

If you look at the top of the AutoCAD screen you will see menus like Draw, Edit, Modify, etc. Use these menus to launch AutoCAD commands. As you become more familiar with AutoCAD you may elect to use the toolbars and the command prompt to issue commands, but new users learn and work faster if they use the pull down menus.

Keep Your Eye on the Command Prompt

At the bottom of the screen you will find the Command prompt. Keep your eye on this space when you issue commands. You will find that every command you issue puts its options on this line. So, if you start the CIRCLE command, you will find you can type D to indicate that you want to specify a diameter for the circle you want to create.

Learn How to Identify Points

New AutoCAD users struggle with the many ways in which they can enter points in AutoCAD. You can type them (3,4), you can click your mouse to select them, you can use Object Snaps to pick up points on existing geometry (hold down the shift key and right-click to see the Osnap menu). You can Also select a point, move your mouse up or down, right or left and type a distance. Take 30 minutes and learn all the ways you can select points in AutoCAD by reviewing its Help files. you will save yourself hundreds of hours of work and create better drawings.

Never Ever Draw What You Can Copy

New AutoCAD users spend too much time drawing. If you’ve ever drawn something, you should never need to draw the thing again. Learn how to use the BLOCK and WBLOCK commands to create named geometry you can use over and over again. Learn how to use the INSERT or DESIGN CENTER and EXPLODE commands to place editable geometry in your drawing.

Learn How to Use Model Space/Paper Space or Layouts

Its really very simple. You Click the MODEL tab. You draw your objects at full scale (one inch in the real world is one inch in AutoCAD’s model space). Select a Layout to toggle into paper space. Specify the size of your paper. Use the MVIEW command to “cut a hole” in the paper and display the objects in model space. Select the edge of the hole, right-click and choose a scale for the view. Double-click inside the hole and pan the view so its centered. Double-click outside the hole. From the File menu choose Plot to plot your scaled drawing. The instructions for using Layouts vary slightly based on which version of AutoCAD you are using, but the basic technique is always the same. Draw full scale in model space. Create scaled drawings in Layouts.

Be Organized

If you don’t know how to create and navigate to folders in Windows, life with AutoCAD will be a misery. It will scatter your files all over your hard disk or network. you will never be able to find anything. There are a million books and websites that review Windows fundamentals, take a moment to master the basic skills they review. you will spend less time looking for things.

Use External References

If you are working as members of a team, put the geometry you need in one file. Everyone can then create new files which externally reference that file. The result is, multiple people can work on the same project at the same time. You use the XREF command to place one drawing inside another. You can also use Design Center to insert external references.

Learn How to Use Dimension & Text Styles

To define text fonts that you use in your drawings, use the STYLE command. To define how dimensions look use the DIMSTYLE command. If you don’t use dimension and text styles, you spend a great deal of time tweaking each and every dimension and text block you create. If you define a style changing the style updates all the text and dimensions.

Back Up All The Time

If you don’t know how your drawings are being backed up, go find out right now. Every drawing represents hundreds or thousands of man hours. A lost, deleted or corrupt drawing file can mean lots of lost revenue. Small design shops using AutoCAD are the worst offenders. They rarely back up, they often lose data. You need to back up in such a way that you can go back four or five versions of your drawing, because often problems in a drawing aren’t noticed for a long time. So many lines, so little time . . .

Find Out What Other Folks In the Office Do

Don’t be the lone wolf in your AutoCAD office. Use the templates, title blocks, text styles, dimension styles, plot styles and block libraries everyone else uses. It saves everybody time. Your drawings are easier for others to edit and plot. You can edit and plot the drawings of others. Its always better to ask questions (even multiple times) than do something no one else in the office will understand later.

I hope these ten tips will help make you a better AutoCAD user, and that you will learn to love the application as so many have. As complex as it is, as confusing as it can be, there’s almost nothing you can’t do in AutoCAD one way or another. You can’t say that about every CAD application.

We’ve got snap and grid in AutoCAD. Let’s talk about snap and grid. Let’s see how we can use it and why wewould use it.

Snap restricts the cursor movements to specified intervals. That is handy. Lines will have a specific length.

Still. If you’re using object snaps than you can pick a point that is not on an interval that has been specified. We’ll talk about object snap later.

With grid switched on dots are displayed in the screen. The dots help to visualize distances. Often the grid interval is the same as the snap interval.

That is important. You can have grid dots displayed in the screen. Now you want to print your drawing. The dots are not printed.

OK. We know what snap and grid are. But we want to know more. We want to know how we can set the intervals and how we can switch it on and off. Let’s start with setting the intervals. There are two ways for doing that. Whatever way you choose. You do it over the Drafting Settings dialog box.

Click on Tools in the menu bar. A pull down menu shows up. In the pull down menu click on Drafting Settings. The Drafting Settings dialog box is displayed.

There are four tabs in the Drafting Settings dialog box. The Snap and Grid tab is in front. That’s exactly what we want.

In the dialog box we see two check boxes and we see four areas. The checkboxes can be used for switching on or off snap and grid.

Let’s have a look at the Snap area and the Grid area. First the Snap area. In that area you can enter values for the spacing.

You can enter a value for the X spacing and you can enter a value for the Y pacing. The spacing set the interval I was talking about.

There is more you can do in that area. You can enter an angle, an X base, and a Y base. The angle gives the

angle of the snap intervals. Most of the time you do not change the angle. You leave the angle at zero. But the X base and the Y base.

What’s that?

The X base and the Y base gives the starting point of the snap. As before. Do not change it. Leave it as it is. At zero.

You now know how you can do the settings for the snap. You do it in the Snap area of the Drafting Settings dialog box.

But we can also do something with the settings of the grid. That is done in the Grid area of the dialog box.

This time we can do less.

We can only change the X spacing and the Y spacing. We cannot change the angle or the X base and Y base of the grid.

This is what is done most of the time. Most of the time the spacing for the grid is the same as the spacing for the snap.

That is what is happening. The grid follows the snap settings for angle and the X base and Y base. So there is no need to change those settings.

This is what we now saw. You can do the settings of the snap and the grid in the Drafting Settings dialog box. And you can switch them on and off.

Before I continue. I must tell you about the third area in the Drafting Settings dialog box. It is the Snap style and type area.

For the snap type we can set Grid snap and we can set PolarSnap. If we go for a Grid snap type then e can select a rectangular snap or an isometric snap.

If you’re creating isometric drawings, then you want to go for an isometric snap. The snap will have the isometric angles.

I’m not going to talk about PolarSnap now. I will do that later. I will do that as we’re talking about Polar Tracking. In the next article.

But there is another way. Look at your screen. Do you see the status bar? In the status bar there are two buttons.

In the status bar there is the Snap button and there is the Grid button. You can click on the buttons. To have snap and grid switched on and off.

Something else you can do with the buttons. You can right click them. If you do a short cut menu is displayed.

If you right click the Snap button then you’ll find the following options in the shortcut menu:

- PolartSnap On

- Grid Snap On

- Off

- Settings

If you right click on the Grid button then you’ll find the following options in the shortcut menu:

- On

- Off

- Settings

You can imagine where the on and off options stand for. Those options can be sued to switch snap and grid on or off.

But we already saw. There is a quicker way. We can also click on the Snap and Grid buttons in the status bar. In fact. There is another quick way.

You can press the F7 function key to switch grid on or off. And you can press the F9 function key to switch snap on or off.

Oh. In the shortcut menu under the Snap button you also see the PolarSnap On option. As I said before. We’ll talk about it alter.

But there is the Settings option in the shortcut menus under the Snap button and the Grid button. Click on that option.

If you do the Drafting Settings dialog box is opened. We already have seen what can be done in the Drafting Settings dialog box.

But this is what we now know. Using the shortcut menu under the Snap and Grid button. That is a quicker way to open the Drafting Settings dialog box.

This is it for today. Now you know everything that you need to know about snap and grid. Tomorrow we’re going to talk about polar tracking.

See you tomorrow.

Drill Control is a powerful AutoCAD Civil 3D based application which supports the entire process of Horizontal Directional Drilling: Engineering, Operation and Delivery.

Drill Control is the ultimate solution for Contractors, Engineering offices and Utility companies who deal with Horizontal Directional Drilling and comes in two modules: Design en Operations.

Drill Control provides automatic calculation of optimum vertical and horizontal drill path, fully automatic dimensioning, creating As-built drawings by importing Operational output data… and much more!

Drill Control advantages: - Up to 90% faster creation and editing of Design Drawings

- Report of design parameters for use in stress analysis software

- Up to 95% faster dimensioning

- Fully optimized preparation of your Drillings, ruling out potential problems during Drilling Operations as much as possible

- Up to 90% faster creation of As-built drawings

- Fast response times to (potential) customers

- Professional drawings of high and constant quality, resulting in a strong company-imago and increased order potential

Design module - Highlights: - Efficient parametric design of a horizontal directional drilling

- Automatic calculation and generation of a realistic drilling line with both vertical and horizontal steering

- Intelligent link between topology and multiple cross-section views

- Fast and easy modification of planned drillings

- Full report of drill path dimensions, curvature and soil load for input in stress analysis software

- Automatic generation of dimension pattern in cross-section views with regard to Entry point, Reference point, Water level, Ground surface, etc.

Operations module - Highlights: - Bi-directional interface between AutoCAD and Electronic Guidance System

- Bi-directional interface between AutoCAD and Excel Drill Report

- Fully automated generation of As built drawing, based on Operational output data from both Electronic Guidance System and Walkover system

AutoCAD modeling is popular in designer community to generate elaborate computerized models of objects prior to actual production. AutoCAD is more advanced 3D tool that allows for greater 3D (three dimensional) modeling and investigation of models with high-quality and fast-moving renderings. Architects, Engineers and even artists use desktop computers to assist in their design projects. Programs like AutoCAD allows user to visualize their designs and deal with problems before they spend any of the resources required to realize them into physical form.

AutoCAD modeling takes various forms depending on the nature of project. AutoCAD program generates models as simple 2D (two-dimensional) illustrations of different views of an object or as elaborate 3D (three-dimensional) cross-sections that display each information in detailed graph. Some AutoCAD models are even animated, showing how all of the members of the model work together to accomplish its function.

Whether your engineering design process is simple or complex, AutoCAD modeling can significantly increases efficiency and speed of design work. First, a general idea is pondered to solve a specific problem. Next, CAD modeling is used to work out the particulars of the model’s design. At one time, this step would have required several drafters making dozens of sketches and diagrams until a perfect model could be created. Now, a single CAD file can be made, edited, and continually tweaked until the object is ready for production!

Today 3D AutoCAD Models are being extensively used by numerous engineering verticals such as Structural, Architectural, Mechanical, Electrical, HVAC, etc. The use of AutoCAD modeling is extremely widespread; anything from stairs to high-rise buildings can be designed with the aid of AutoCAD program. Typically, one AutoCAD modeler can easily substitute several pen-and-paper drafters. AutoCAD software, however, can be very pricey. Also, training AutoCAD designers can also be expensive. Therefore, property developers, manufacturers and structural engineers prefer to outsource AutoCAD Modeling related work to offshore AutoCAD service provider companies to save on infrastructure and human resource costs!

Modern technology has continued advancing everyday since its major boom in the 1980’s. The autoCAD, computer aided design programming, in of itself has evolved immensely to benefit many professions worldwide, resulting in the everyday enjoyment of people as a public as well.

In the late 70’s and very early 80’s, software for computer aided design was very limited. Because it typically required massive amounts of power, it could only be used in powerful gigantic computers. Also, its capabilities were limited to drawing up mostly simple lines, circles, and text overlays. Without the ability of this program to be offered with any computer, plans for buildings, public spaces, and new products still needed to be drawn up by hand for the most part.

AutoCAD pioneered the evolution of using CAD programs on your own personal computer. It started out in simple terms, but still saving designers a lot of time as they no longer needed to wait to work at larger workstations or draw up plans mostly by hand. As time went on, AutoCAD optimized the ability for its program to use more vigorous custom object features, and as of a few years ago, it can now handle 3D modeling capabilities.

There are now more specific AutoCAD programs for architecture, electrical, and Civil 3D. But with this extensive capability of technology, not everybody in engineering or design professions are up to date with their fullest options. Fortunately, there are AutoCAD professionals who remain ready to optimize solutions and continue programming it for you. By seeking out a respectable AutoCAD optimization programmer who loves what they do and can program in multiple languages, you can benefit your engineering capabilities and the public as a whole.

This article is the second in a series of articles designed to make your AutoCAD drafting much faster and more productive. We got a lot of responses and good tips from our readers for the last batch of AutoCAD time savers, and have another set of them for you! Here we go.

Tip 1:  The Glory Of Blocks

First and foremost, is using blocks and layers to automate your work flow.  Now, blocks and layers are the bread and butter of anyone who uses AutoCAD - a block is basically a group of shapes that are linked together to make one object.  You can think of them as a template of something you draw often.

Now, one of the nifty things about template documents in AutoCAD is that you can pre-load blocks that you’re going to re-use from multiple projects into them.  You can also do the same thing with layer sets, and once you’ve used standardized layer sets, you’ll never go back to creating them ad hoc.  You can even put blocks and layer sets on a network share so that everyone can use them, which greatly aids consistency.  Remember the cardinal rule of AutoCAD:  Lots of problems have interesting solutions, but it’s better to get a solution that works and re-use it than re-create the wheel.

One of the hidden benefits of blocks and layers is that AutoCAD only loads a reference to the block in your drawing, pulling it from the database to re-use it.  Since a block is treated as a single object, this can cut file size down rapidly on large drawings, and make your workstation more responsive.

The other great thing about blocks is that they’re more than just drawing information.  You can embed text objects (attributes), which can be extracted to a database or spreadsheet.  Thus, your block can include things like what material an object is made of, who you get it from, and part numbers.  This sort of detail is why AutoCAD is used for engineering diagrams, however, far too many people are unaware that they can embed that text information into an AutoCAD block object.  With later versions of AutoCAD, you can even make these text attributes hyperlinks to the manufacturer’s catalog.

Tip 2:  Getting More Elbow Room

The next time saving tip is what we call the Elbo Room Comamnd:  Control+0 lets you maximize your working space, clearing away the extra bits of the AutoCAD interface.  This is a great way to get an overview of your work in progress without zooming out too far.  (We also recommend getting a two monitor hookup wherever possible.  Nothing improves AutoCAD efficiency as much as more screen real estate to work with.

Tip 3:  Dynamic Input Is Your Friend

There are two types of dynamic input we’re talking about - the first is autocompletion of typed commands.  This allows AutoCAD to guess at what you’re going to do next - even better, it’s likely to guess from what objects you have selected and what your last 15 commands entered were, to try to give you commands that fit your workflow.

The second is one of those features that most people are never aware of:  Did you know you can hit the Enter key to repeat the last command you typed?  This is a great time saver, if, like us, you tend to think carefully about a command that’s got multiple parts worked out and want to re-use it repeatedly on different objects in series.  (Now, if only AutoCAD would borrow the History tools from the assorted Adobe products…)

And while not a time saver, a tip for productivity:  Turn off your email when you’re doing drafting work.  Most people will, given the chance to futz with email, do that rather than work on something that requires brain power.

So, there we have it, the final article in the AutoCAD timesavers series. If you enjoyed this article and would like more AutoCAD tips and tricks then check out our blog in the resource box below.

AutoCAD has a lot of tools that are accessible to automate your work flow, and make your job easier, odds are, you’re already using a lot of them without realizing them.  What we’re going to cover today are ways that make these tools work more readily for you.

Tip number 1:  Use templates

In fact, you already are; whenever you create a new AutoCAD document, it loads up the default template.  However, if you’re going to be doing lots of variations on the same sort of design work and drawing, you may want to make your changes of all the things that are common among them and save that file as a template.  Templates are a great way to save time by setting unit types and drawing limits, setting your snap, grid and other drawing settings, organizing your layer information before you begin, and pre-set a lot of common information.

If you’re working for a business, odds are you’re using a company provided template that provides this consistency across multiple draftspersons.  You may end up using a client supplied template, and you’ll be told which templates to use - templates make sure the output from multiple workers is consistent (which is why businesses are big on them) and they can save you a lot of time…but only if they’re designed right from the beginning.

To make a new template, first get your parameters all set up, in a regular drawing.  Then go to File  > Save As and save it as a template.  It’s as easy as that - though you should make sure you save it in a folder you’ll be able to find later.

Tip number 2:  Object Snaps

Object Snaps (OSNAPS) are the most frustrating tool in AutoCAD.  Until you learn what they’re doing, and you wonder how you could’ve ever lived without them in the past.  An object snap is an attachment that you can tell to go to one of the gripping points on an existing object.  These gripping points are things like the centerpoint of an object, or the end point of a line segment.  An OSNAP lets you link an object to one of those attachment points with absolute certainty for provided attachment points.

It’s when you get to the “fuzzy” OSNAPs that things get a little counterintuitive.  You can set OSNAPs that are designed to be perpendicular to a selected objects, click to the nearest object, run at a tangent, and even some intersection driven ones.

Most OSNAPs are activated in ‘running mode’ - you type the command in the command buffer, and they just work.  While this is the fastest way to use a commonly repeated OSNAP, for people who don’t keep the arcane commands in their forebrains, AutoCAD has given iconic OSNAPs as well.  You can access them by bringing up the OSNAP dialog box, or by holding down the shift key and right clicking an object to pull up a context driven menu.  Even so, if you use a lot of OSNAPs, you’re eventually going to learn the three letter codes to use them at run time just to save yourself time.  (It also has the benefit of turning the OSNAP off once that command has been run.

Tip 3:  Learn The Commands

While we touched on it in the prior tip on using OSNAP, it’s always worth it to learn how to use the command line prompts for AutoCAD.  Typing three characters takes a fraction of a second, versus a few seconds for using a mouse to find the icon, navigate through the menu system, click OK, then repeat for turning off the functionality you just used.  It’s always faster to learn the keyboard shortcuts, and more than any other tip, these will save you the most time.

~~~ About Autodesk and AutoCAD ~~~

For many years now, the CAD drafting software industry has been dominated by the a single piece of outstanding software: AutoCAD.

AutoCAD is a CAD platform designed by Autodesk, Inc, and arguably the most-used (and most respected) program of its kind. AutoCAD is used to make a computer draw two and three-dimensional technical drawings such as those used in building construction and product manufacturing.

AutoCAD has been steadily evolving over the years to be seamlessly compatible with the rest of the software universe. For instance, in its latest version, drafting team members scattered over the globe can collaborate effortlessly over the Internet.

~~~ AutoCAD and Competition ~~~

In the domain of 2D and 3D drafting, AutoCAD is miles ahead of any competition. Rival programs have less than 50% of its drafting commands. Most importantly, competing platforms hang when file size exceeds a few megabytes, often corrupting the data file in the process.

For many years, Autodesk exploited the technical superiority of AutoCAD by charging in excess of $3,000 for a single-seat license. The product was so good that users are known to have taken bank loans to purchase sufficient licenses.

~~~ Recent Events ~~~

Strange things have happened recently:

(1) Autodesk purchased Alias, a company specialized in, among other things, high-end animation software, ‘Maya’ being its flagship platform in that area

(2) Autodesk crashed the price of AutoCAD by EIGHTY PERCENT in Asia

(3) AutoCAD has begun downplaying AutoCAD 2D usage in its press releases

~~~ What do These Events Foretell? ~~~

We strongly believe that AutoCAD will lower the priority of its 2D CAD drafting software development. Instead, it will devote more resources to animation software development.

Animation is used by two main market segments: their existing architectural/engineering customer base and the media/entertainment segment.

Our intuition tells us that Autodesk has got the heady scent of cash wafting in from the future, and that the source of the fragrance is the second segment: media/entertainment.

The potential profits from this area are likely to be several times those from the first segment and Autodesk will, in effect, soon be moving from downtown San Francisco to a premium spot in heaven.

~~~ What Does This Imply For the Cad Drafting Marketplace? ~~~

Expect Autodesk to be less and less interested in 2D drafting and to at one point make its sophisticated 2D drafting application, AutoCAD-LT… AVAILABLE FOR FREE.

Copyright 2005 http://cad-drafting-services.com/

Lucky Balaraman, who has a Masters degree in engineering, runs the reputed CAD drafting services provider, The Magnum Group. Learn more about him and the Company at: http://cad-drafting-services.com

Looking for a new computer-aided dispatch and/or records management system? Trying to figure out exactly what you should be looking for? What distinguishes good from bad? We’ve all heard the stories of computer system disasters, CAD and otherwise, systems that never worked right, that didn’t meet the need, with vendors that didn’t deliver goods or services.

Like everything else in life, if you are doing this for the first time, you are at a considerable disadvantage in not knowing what to look for, what to look out for, and what questions to ask. Even if it’s your second time around, you still likely aren’t an expert and the CAD market has probably changed considerably since the last time you looked.

Here’s what I’ve learned in 25 years in this business and having been on both sides of the fence — developing and marketing CAD and records management software and advising agencies on choosing a system.

References
The number 1 single most important way to qualify any vendor is to talk to their existing customers. And don’t just talk to the one or two the salesman mentions. Vendors with one or two tolerably satisfied customers and a long list of unhappy customers are a reality in this business. Ask for an extensive customer list and call a fair number of the agencies on the list. If possible talk to both an everyday user and someone who deals with the vendor directly. Be sure you ask specific, pointed questions rather than a simple “How do you like it?” If you get negative answers don’t fool yourself into thinking your experience will be any different.

Features
These systems vary widely in what they can do. It’s easy to be seduced by a couple of pretty screens with lots of “stuff” on them, but you need to dig deeper, a lot deeper to determine how usable a system is (”user friendly” is a real concern) and how broad its feature set is.

Generally, a newer system will have fewer features just because it doesn’t have as many years of development behind it. Of course, you have to make sure a vendor is selling you a current product, not one that was developed years ago that hasn’t been updated in five years. This is one of many reasons why you should get your hands on the software and put it through its paces — and not just watch a salesman go through a well rehearsed demonstration.

Hands on will also tell you and your people how user friendly the software is. As a simple example, some systems today attempt to cram almost everything onto one screen. This results in everything being squeezed into a smaller space. To be specific, consider what happens when your unit status display has room for only 10 units. What happens when you have more than 10? Do you have to scroll to see those additional units? That’s not acceptable as standard method of operation for a dispatcher.

Look for a mature system and examine it closely.

Support

• “They don’t return our calls.”
• “Their technical support people are useless.”
• “They won’t fix anything.”
• “I have a two inch thick pile of unresolved problem reports.”
• “They tell us they’ll give us a 40% discount off their new version, only $150,000.
• “We haven’t had an update in three years.”

These all too common complaints are another excellent reason to ask questions of the vendor and their current customers:

Is technical support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week? One agency told us that if their system goes down after five o’clock on Friday afternoon they go to cards until they can call their vendor on Monday morning.

Assuming a human answers the support line is it someone who can really help you? Many vendors have people manning the support lines who can do nothing more than write down your problem and give you a “tracking number.” With others you always get an answering machine and may or may not get a return call. Really.

Are all program updates and “new versions” included in the support program at no additional cost? Can updates be applied without the vendor coming to your site to do it for you (at additional cost). Renaming a product and calling it brand new and incidentally charging current customers to upgrade is not uncommon.

Is there any commitment as to the future cost of their support program? You need protection against a vendor raising your support contract by an unreasonable amount after the first year.

Do they have a users group? Does it actually meet regularly? Are the meetings productive/worth attending? Are user suggestions actually considered in future product development?

Involve Your Users
One of the biggest mistakes that has been made over and over is having only senior staff involved in the process of investigating and choosing a CAD and records product. Sure, you’re paid the big bucks to make these decisions, but you’re not the ones who are going to be using it. Intelligent users can be key in helping make the right product decision and their early buy in can make the transition to the new system go much more smoothly. I’ve seen too many instances where the everyday users of the system fought it vigorously, simply because it was being “imposed” upon them. When they finally started using it they liked it and quickly stopped complaining — if it was a good system.

Cost
I know someone who recently attended a sales “seminar” presented by one of the larger vendors. There was a lot of talk about the product, how wonderful it was, how many sites it was installed in, etc. There was no mention of what it cost. And when someone asked, the question was deflected. When someone asked again, just for ballpark pricing for an agency of a particular size, they were met with more excuses. They never did get any idea of what the product cost. Can you guess why?

Because it is very expensive! Because it costs as much as 20 patrol cars! Because it costs much more than its competitors! Be awake. If the salesman deflects cost questions go to red alert! This information should be readily available after you answer a few simple questions. If not, the guy with the smiling face is not your friend.

Sales Ploys
Here’s a list of some of my favorite sales ploys, from real life, beginning with two that I’ve seen over and over for 20 years:

“We’ve got this new leading edge CAD product and we’ll give you a 20% discount if you’ll be our beta test site.” What this really means: “We have a new product that doesn’t work yet, in fact it’s vaporware – it isn’t even finished. We’re looking for a sucker to pay us 20% less than our ridiculously inflated standard price to endure two years of misery while we try to get this to work. We’re willing to promise you anything to get you to sign.”

“We’re looking for an agency to be our showcase site.” What this really means: “There’s really nothing special about this deal, but we need a gimmick to make you think you’re going to be special.”

“Yes.” If the answer to every question is “Yes,” that likely is a few too many yeses. The reality is that no system does absolutely everything that any single agency would want it to do. Everybody’s a bit different. That doesn’t mean that an endless series of “sorry, it can’t do that” is good, just that you should be wary of anything that sounds too good to be true.

“SuperCAD is capable of anticipating your dispatcher’s every move.” Question broad, unspecific claims. Ask for concrete examples and don’t let the salesman brush you off with vague responses.

“Sure, it’s capable of doing that.” Be wary of weasel words and phrases like “capable,” “has that capability,” and “could.” Find out if that feature really exists and if it’s included in the base product or is an extra cost option.

“It sure looked nice in the brochure.” That’s you, not the salesman, after you bought a dud. Remember, the brochure is just a few screen shots and a $1,000 investment in printing — it won’t dispatch anything.

The Company
Public safety software companies come and go. It used to be the big computer companies that would jump in the game for a few years, drop duds around the country, and then exit, only to return a few years later. Unisys seems to have been the last of these. The telephone companies have also been infamous in this respect. After all “if the telephone company is selling it, it must be a good system and at least we know they’ll be around to service it.” No, no, no. Wrong on both counts. Last year a big name phone company was selling a vaporware product promoted by a small company. They finally dumped that product, but it was picked up by another phone company!

Do not be misled by the vendor name…nor by how many employees they have. Lots of people does not necessarily equate to a quality product. Quality people make a quality product. More people often means nothing more than more mouths to feed which equates to a higher price.

Stick to the fundamentals. How long have they been in business? How many years of development are behind the product? What is their reputation with their customers?

Hardware/Software “Platform”
Technical questions about operating systems, computer hardware, databases, and computer languages may be out of your league, but what you don’t know can hurt you. Two examples:

Unix is the coming thing. Actually, it’s been the coming thing for 15 years now. Some vendors base their systems on it and will hype it as a big plus. It’s not. Yes, their system may run wonderfully under Unix, but your entire department will be locked into a Unix environment for all your shared applications shared applications. You will also likely be locked into a particular hardware vendor’s expensive computer line that requires a costly maintenance contract.

The language the software is written in may seem to be completely esoteric and of no consequence to you. It should be. First, some vendors will not even tell you, calling it a company secret. Nonsense! Are you or anyone else going to go out and duplicate their system just by knowing what language it’s written in? What are they hiding? Here’s one real life example. A relatively new company advertises a hot new product, glossy brochures, pretty pictures, the works. Skipping the part about how poorly it works, come to find out it’s written in Paradox! If you are not a software developer you will not understand the exclamation mark, however, to a developer the idea is laughable. Paradox was big in the 1980’s, struggled through the 1990’s as newer, more advanced languages came along, and will be completely dead in a few years time. Paradox is not suited and was never intended, even in its heyday, to be used for a large, complex, real time application like computer-aided dispatch.

How would the Paradox issue affect you? With a language like Paradox, you will have a system that will have limitations on how it works and what it can do that will seem unreasonable to you. The vendor will be unable to help you. It will be a slower performer and more likely to have bugs that cannot be eradicated. Worse, when it becomes obsolete and is no longer supported, it will freeze future development of your system. Worst, if your vendor then decides to rewrite in a different language, you will probably be hit with buying the “new product.”

What’s a good language? These days in the PC development business the big ones are Visual Basic, C++, and Delphi. On big computers people use C++ and even COBOL.

Assuming you don’t have the background to ask these kinds of questions, you should find someone who can to help you.

The Final Test
If the salesman’s suit looks like it cost more than your last car, run.

Tony Richards is the creator of RIMS and the President of Sun Ridge Systems, Inc.

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But because the information repository is geared towards the business software, it provides no effective way to handle AutoCAD engineering data during design projects. Fortunately, the CADnection program solves this problem, letting users incorporate AutoCAD drawings and reference files into SharePoint managed workflows.

Installing CADnection requires standard IT administrator experience and should take less than a few hours to complete. However, it is good practice to have an experienced SharePoint administrator on hand to establish new workflow processes in SharePoint after CADnection is installed.

Once in place, CADnection works inside AutoCAD, providing designers a menu with tools to manage, maintain, share, and control critical design data. For example, clicking the Save Drawing to SharePoint button saves the file into the repository and ensures data integrity by rebuilding drawing relationships and mapping attributes in the drawing’s title block.

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Architectural software comes in many different types, prices, features, and quality. I won’t talk about all of your options here, as there are literally dozens of different small, inexpensive programs available at your local software depot.

Instead, I will focus on the major players in the architectural software market for design professionals. This will also be useful for beginner designers…especially those who may want to share (or pass-on) their files to an architect or engineer without having compatibility issues.

Here are some of the most popular architectural software programs available, along with my comments, based on my 13 years of experience working with some of them. These programs are widely used in design firms all over the nation, but can also be used by everyday consumers, as well.

• Microstation
• Archicad
• Chief Architect
• SketchUp
• AutoDesk Products, such as AutoCad, AutoCAD LT, Revit, VIZ, 3ds Max, AutoSketch, Maya, and other plugins and add-ons.

Below are some descriptions and comments about the list above…

Microstation

Many who are die-hard microstation users will quickly point out that it is a much more stable platform to work with, as opposed to the industry standard AutoCad. Many suggest that it is much easier to deal with, and that the programmers did many things much more intelligently in their architectural software design, as it relates to user experience.

One glaring problem is this…
Even IF microstation is a better program than AutoCAD, it’s still got some major flaws for the end user. The first and most critical flaw, is the fact that it only comprises about 5-10% of the architectural software market. Therefore, if the software is not COMPLETELY compatible in BOTH DIRECTIONS, this poses workflow problems for our design team…and yes, it has some serious compatibility issues with AutoCAD.

No matter how much Microstation users want to deny it, there ARE compatibility issus, especially if you use x-refs and images/OLE objects in your AutoCAD drawings. When someone opens your AutoCAD files in Microstation, often the x-ref’s become unviewable, and the user will then need to contact the architect to either “bind” his drawings into one drawing, or other similar method. OR, they will have to convert the drawings themselves. As an architect, this is not practical.

You can find more information about Bentley’s Microstation on their website at http://www.bentley.com.

Archicad

Archicad is more of an all-around 2d/3d application that is intended to provide a total project output, including modeling & rendering, as well as 2 dimensional construction documents. Changes made to the model are updated in all views, such as plans, elevations, 3d model, etc.

Archicad stores all the information about the building in a central database; changes made in one view are updated in all others, including floor plans, sections/elevations, 3D models and bills of material.

Although I do not personally have experience with Archicad, they are definitely making an impact in the architectural software industry, however still only occupying a very small percentage of the market. One thing I am not so sure about, is the single database file structure.

My concern is that I need to be able to delegate different responsibilities to different team members, and if only one person can be working on the file at a time, then this poses a major workflow problem. It is possible that Graphisoft (the makers of Archicad) has addressed this, you can find out more information about their product on their website at http://www.graphisoft.com.

Chief Architect

Chief Architect is one of the leading software products for residential design. Since my business is 99.9% commercial, I cannot speak to it’s effectiveness, but I do know they have marketed the product well. The graphics are limited, with respect to the more expensive competition, but it seems to provide a very acceptable output from that perspective.

I tried a demo about 12 years ago, and quickly realized it’s limitations in architectural software design for commercial projects, so I have not pursued it for our design purposes.

You can find more information here at their website… http://www.chiefarchitect.com.

SketchUp

SketchUp is becoming extremely popular and more well-known, especially now that Google has purchased the software rights. We use SketchUp often to convey design ideas to our clients, as well as within our design team.

It’s ease of use, and ability to quickly generate 3-dimensional representations of building design, make it a very useful piece of architectural software. It’s rendering capabilities are limited, compared to 3ds Max, but the price tag is proportional. SketchUp will not break your bank account, whereas 3ds Max is only affordable if you are really making some good money from your 3d modeling efforts

I highly recommend this product. You can get more information at www.sketchup.com.

AutoCAD

AutoCad, by AutoDesk, is the standard by which all CAD software programs are compared…not because it’s necessarily a better program, but because it occupies, by far, the greatest market-share for professionals than any other CAD software program available.

In fact, for the 13+ years that I’ve been using AutoCad (since version 10), only about 5% of our consultants or other design professionals have used anything other than AutoCad, or other AutoDesk products. You can find a link to a large selection of AutoDesk products at http://architecturalsoftware.jdlarchitects.com.

Now, of course, AutoDesk will tell you that this IS because their program is superior to the others. This may be the case, but you will get differing opinions from all sorts of designers, architects, and engineers. Many of the complaints, including my own, are that AutoCad is not very user-friendly. This is definitely the case.

The program is so powerful, that it could take someone decades to master it’s features. Often, it is so much easier to just use the features you know, than to keep digging into it’s vast feature sets…you could literally spend all of your time trying to learn all of the programs features, but you would never get any real work done.

That being said, I have used AutoCad for 13+ years now, and if it is used correctly, with the proper sheet setups and reference files, your workflow can be as efficient as with any architectural software product.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, even if there are debatable issues about architectural software quality and user-friendliness, it just doesn’t make sense to me, to use anything other than AutoDesk’s products. I may not be enthused about it, but I have to ensure that my workflow is efficient. The unnecessary hoops to jump through when using CAD software that only 5% of the world is utilizing, is not practical.

I want my file structure to be maintained on my consultant’s end, and since the design process requires back-and-forth transferring of files throughout the process (sometimes dozens or even hundreds of times on large projects), it is obviously an unacceptable solution if you have compatibility issues to deal with.

Yes, there are plenty of design teams fighting their way through this process, but the problem is that their upper management, on the average, are not savvy enough to current software applications to care about “how” their production happens…they just care that it gets done. What they don’t realize, is that if they implemented proper workflow usage of architectural software, they could save literally hundreds of man-hours on each job.

With a shaky economy worldwide, companies are striving to boost productivity and remain competitive. As international markets decline, improved efficiency makes it possible to realize profits as others struggle to remain afloat. Software to collaborate AutoCAD files is a simple, effective way to streamline business procedures for maximum returns. Workers collaborate on projects without delay to increase the company’s bottom line.

Modern companies are different from the corporations of yesterday. In decades gone by, everyone worked in one office between the hours of 9 and 5. Schedules were rigid and everyone was expected to be at their desks. As businesses grew and railroads were built, large corporations had their offices in main headquarters and opened smaller offices throughout the country or world. Communication became more challenging as businesses expanded. Updated telephone systems were introduced. Computers became part of offices everywhere throughout the 1980s and employees learned to work on the World Wide Web.

By the 1990s, everyone was online and realizing the benefits of communicating through the Internet. Computers were connected through in-office and external office networks. Because of Internet and computer networks, businesses and workers had more flexibility. Collaborating without speaking or seeing one another was a fast, easy way to get work done from anywhere in the world at any time of the day or evening.

Not just a fancy typewriter, computers were able to generate complex house plans, engineering reports and drawings of all kinds. Computer aided design (CAD) was developed for personal computers in the late 1980s. CAD uses computer technology to aid in designing, drafting and technical specifications of all kinds. Different CAD systems are used for various types of work depending on the profession of the user. Projects are shared through online autocad files so people can work together no matter where they are located.

Affordable CAD programs changed the face of drafting. Productivity increased as CAD operators were able to do the work of up to five drafters working traditionally. Engineers learned CAD programs and started to do their own drafting. Technological advances in the beginning were expensive and often only available to large corporations with the financial resources to pay for them. Modern software applications make it possible for businesses of all sizes to increase their productivity on multiple CAD platforms.

Single host cad file management keeps track of all AutoCAD files from a single central platform. Without delays or installations, workers collaborate on projects immediately. Searching, revising and reviewing is done without interruption or leaving the office. Workers can be in the same building or located across the globe and work together on projects without losing time. Instead of scheduling meetings, booking conference rooms or depending on snail mail, everyone gets the job done immediately. Ideas flow freely, productivity increases and businesses become more competitive during difficult economic times with the right software.