[Date Prev][Date Next] [Chronological] [Thread] [Top]

RE: [PSUBS-MAILIST] CAD packages

Ray,

In that price range, I think you'll find 2D is fine but 3D is not. I've used two of the three you mention, quite extensively.

I used Turbocad, or should I say fought with it for a year, although it was v7 not 8. The 2D and 3D programs are actually two entirely separate applications. The 2D was good, but Turbocad 3D was the most frustrating thing I've ever used. Conceptually it was good, in fact probably better than some much more expensive 3D programs I've tried, but it was hopelessly buggy. There was one bug in particular that drove me nuts because it would totally ruin my drawings, yet it only appeared once they reached quite a significant level of complexity -- in other words, once I'd invested days and days in them. It inserted spurious lines all over my drawings, and they were un-deletable. So to summarize, Turbocad 2D was fine but 3D I would not recommend to my worst enemy.

Quickcad is also cheap, but its from Autodesk, who make the high-dollar AutoCAD. You can absolutely tell. I've been using it now for several years and have yet to encounter a single bug. Its terrific... only 2D but absolutely easy to use and well built. The outline drawings of Solo on the site are a few of the many I've done in Quickcad.

rgds,

Alec

-----Original Message-----
From:	Ray Keefer [mailto:Ray.Keefer@Sun.COM]
Sent:	Thu 9/12/2002 7:04 PM
To:	personal_submersibles@psubs.org
Cc:	
Subject:	[PSUBS-MAILIST] CAD packages

Hi,

I dropped by my local friendly computer store to look at their CAD packages.
The sales drones were not much help and just looking at the boxes didn't
help either. 

The PSUBS archive does not conclusively point at one package over another.

Which is the best CAD package? I mean best for submarine
applications like plumbing, 2D and 3D hulls (structure), schematics, ....

The user interface has to be well thought out with no bugs.

The choices I have to choose from are:

	DesignCAD Express	$40
	          Max		$80
	TurboCAD Ver8           $80
	         Ver8 Designer  $30
	AutoDesk QuickCAD       $50
	
Regards,
Ray

winmail.dat