AutoCAD questions

[Warlock!]

I work in the construction industry, and one of my primary jobs is preliminary design work. For the last 14 years I've worked with a product called DataCAD, which is a great product specifically designed for architecture. It was easy to learn and has always worked flawlessly, but now that electronic files are being passed back and forth between myself and other designers/architects I'm running into too many compatibility issues with users of AutoCAD. I can convert AutoCAD stuff to DataCAD, but too many entities get effed up in the conversions.

I really don't want to re-learn a whole new CADD program, but I'd like to be able to read and lightly edit Autocad files with the least amount of effort. Is AutoCAD LT what I should be looking at, or is there an AutoCAD reader that I can use to get by?

Any info would be... well... informative.

[rosawendel]

autocad light would minimize translation issues. if you learn autocad light, you'd be halfway to learning autocad.

[Wheel-Nut]

Sounds like AutoCad LT is what you need. Autodesk does have a reader on their website, finally!!

I have used AutoCad for the past 16 years, Structural drafting, started with Release 9 and am now using 2007.

2007 is a memory hog so I'm sure 2007 LT would be the same. I'm running 1 gig of ram.


I'm thinking a new seat of 2007 LT is in the $1800 range but I could be wrong.

[Wheel-Nut]

autocad light would minimize translation issues. if you learn autocad light, you'd be halfway to learning autocad.

The only differences between LT and full blow AutoCad that I have noticed:

LT does not have 3D capability and is won't run our custom Lisp programs.

[rosawendel]

The only differences between LT and full blow AutoCad that I have noticed:

LT does not have 3D capability and is won't run our custom Lisp programs.

that's about it. i don't have experience with it. i think it's a locked-source program, which means it's not as configureable as full-fledged autocad.

[Cam]

Sounds like AutoCad LT is what you need. Autodesk does have a reader on their website, finally!!

I have used AutoCad for the past 16 years, Structural drafting, started with Release 9 and am now using 2007.

2007 is a memory hog so I'm sure 2007 LT would be the same. I'm running 1 gig of ram.


I'm thinking a new seat of 2007 LT is in the $1800 range but I could be wrong.

You are about the only one I have heard of using 2007... I deployed it where I used to work and we immediately found serious problems with it. We were only then advised by our Adesk dealer to quit using it! :yuck:

'lock haave a look at http://www.bricscad.com/ They have a downloadable trial version that you can play with and see how you like it...

[Wheel-Nut]

We were on 2004 but in AutoDesk tradition they were discontinuing support. We don't need the support but . . . . in order to upgrade from a release that is no longer supported you have to buy whole a new seat and not just an upgrade. AutoDesk sucks!!

I haven't had any problems except for the occasional FATAL ERROR!! We are running XP here and the program is loaded on each individual machine. Yes, we have a license for each machine. I like the new customization in 2007, other than that its just a warmed over version of an earlier release.

[rosawendel]

2007 had translation issues with 2006. we're skipping it.

[Cam]

We were on 2004 but in AutoDesk tradition they were discontinuing support. We don't need the support but . . . . in order to upgrade from a release that is no longer supported you have to buy whole a new seat and not just an upgrade. AutoDesk sucks!!

I haven't had any problems except for the occasional FATAL ERROR!! We are running XP here and the program is loaded on each individual machine. Yes, we have a license for each machine. I like the new customization in 2007, other than that its just a warmed over version of an earlier release.

AutoDesk = Second biggest monopoly among software companies. Licence for each machine? What a nightmare! It does have it's advantages but the licence server is easier to maintain. That is unless the hard drive crashes (that's now 6 out of 8 of the original IBM Deathstars now) and you don't have a bakup of the licence file, like happened to me 2 weeks ago. (Could have sworn I had a backup on my workstation)


2007 had translation issues with 2006. we're skipping it.

Yep... Even if you save as 2006 from 2007, the dwg is borked in 2006.

[Wheel-Nut]

We have 5 seats all running 2007. We have 2 seats running 2007 LT. One guy was running 2006 and had zero translation issues when he upgraded to 2007. 2006 was already using the cui file.

I was running 2004 and had to manually translate my old mnu file. Not a big deal but a little time consuming.

We still save our drawings back to 2000 format. We send our drawings out to steel detailers that are still running 2000.

[Ankf00]

Parametric Technology or System Dynamics Research, FTW.

[Warlock!]

Thanks for teh info, y'all.

Sounds like AutoCad LT is what you need. Autodesk does have a reader on their website, finally!!
I downloaded that and it will get me by for the time being. LT looks to be the way to go... thanks.


2007 is a memory hog so I'm sure 2007 LT would be the same. I'm running 1 gig of ram.
Do you know if 2006 is of similar hogginess? I still see '06 sprinkled around thru some store when I do a search...

[Wheel-Nut]

I personally never used 2006 but I would suspect it too needs lots of memory.

[rosawendel]

this may or may not make sense: 2006 is to 2007 as r12 is to r13.

when opening an average size file, i get a memory usage of about 112,000-120,000k using 2006.

[Wheel-Nut]

I wish I still used r12 . . . we skipped r13 and went to r14, 2000, 2004 and now 2007.

If I looked at the right thing, I am using 600k opening a smallish drawing, 160k.

[ChampcarShark]

May I suggest MS. Paint :gomer: :gomer:

[Boatdesigner]

I use Ashlar-Vellum software, Graphite and Argon. Never could figure out the AutoCad stuff, not very user friendly. I have translation issues with AutoCad as well, but can usually make it work. Ashlar has a free viewer program on their website that I use with clients, no translation issues at all then!

[Wheel-Nut]

How much $$ Boatdesigner? When I first learned computer drafting I was taught VersaCAD, no longer in business. When I started working the company used AutoCAD so I had to learn on the fly. I always thought VersaCAD was more user friendly, even in the DOS days when I started CAD work . . . .


What type of boats do you design?

[Ankf00]

If you're doing 3D modeling I'd recommend Solidworks before AutoCAD, it's parametric, icon based, ridiculously user friendly, plenty of add-ons for various specializations.


and the licenses are cheaper too :confused:

[Wheel-Nut]

3d is for making pretty pictures to show the bankers. In the real world 2d is the only way the work gets done!! :D

[Ankf00]

2D is for those who want to update 15 different drawing views every time they make a single change

:gomer:

:p

[Wheel-Nut]

Job security

[Ankf00]

Communist :p

[Opposite Lock]

3d is for making pretty pictures to show the bankers. In the real world 2d is the only way the work gets done!! :D

That's pretty true in my line o' work. In fact, I'm working on taking this to its logical conclusion, and only drawing in 1d now. So far the clients haven't been extremely receptive to the graphic part of the presentations, but I do save alot of drafting time.

[racermike]

I am using 2006 Full here at home, and love it.

You have any questions I am available as well (have plenty of time).

I have been using Autocad since R12-DOS.

[Cam]

Got called into the old salt mine on Tuesday to deploy 2008. Set it all up then spent the next 3 hours watching it copy the data off the DVD over and over again! Yup, it's a bug documented in KB, but like I would check there before doing a deployment I have done half a dozen times before! :rolleyes:

[FTG]

This is free.

http://www.solidedge.eu.com/isapi/pagegen.dll/pages?campaign=home&page=free_2d&lang=en

If you can't handle 3D, you might as well use an abacus, pencil and ruler.

[Wheel-Nut]

I have been using Autocad since R12-DOS.

AutoDesk's best version, IMO.

[racermike]

AutoDesk's best version, IMO.

I still type in all my commands, lol, rather than use all the pretty icons. Its just quicker for me to do so. At least you can still edit the PGP file to set up your hotkeys the way you like to.

You can tell an Autocad R12 user, as we are typing much more than a new user.