Illustrator. It maintains teh vector qualities of a CAD file (can open and save as a dwg) and you can snap to the the lines. You can't do either in PS.

You can only use the bucket tool in PS to fill a selection, something the CAD file will not help you with. Plus, you can't edit the fill after words. In Ill you can move points around, add/delete points, etc. It's vector based and PS is bitmap based.

Whoever told you that doens't have a clue. PS is great for somethings, but not plans and sections.

Well, actually the instructor taught himself trough scott onstott's book "enhancing cad drawings with Photoshop". Wouldn't it be great to have the same book for illustrator?

illustrator is far better for the reasons trace gives above.

i also use in design for simple stuff, just because it seems to be less heavy on my machine, and i can do multiple pages in the same file...

I used it in Illustrator, but how do I go about merging cad with PS?

I can't even load a Cad file is Illustrator. . .

save as eps file and open in photoshop. it flattens the vector data into bitmaps and so not scaleable and you can get artifacts. but it works.

Thanks jump. GT, to load Cad files in Illustrator, save them as R-12 dxf.s usually on the desktop.

Illustrator. Better quality due to vector work. PLUS the layer system is more extensive in illustrator (it actually orders objects within layers, not just layers), and it keeps objects separate so that it's much more difficult to do irreparable damage to a precious drawing.

My Illustrator would not pull in a .dxf file (I have version 7.0, that may be the reason) I did bring it in as an .eps and it retained the line colors is Cad. It was all in one group so I ungrouped it and was left with individual vectore lines. So how do I add color? Thanks for the help by the way.

My favorite way of getting cad into illustrator is to print as a pdf - then open pdf in AI. So you lose the layers, but keep thickness and colors. The layers are easily recreated by selecting similar stroke and fill, then sending to a new layer.

Other advantage of AI is you can optimize the number of points on a polyline: under the object menu-> path -> simplify... I tend to use between 95-99% and 0 degrees settings in the dialog- works great on topo lines that have been over drawn by those damn surveyers.

PDFs do come into Illustrator nice and clean. Much better than opening the dwg.

You could use any of these methods.PDF, EPS, DWG files will all work and keep the line quality. Photoshop will rasterize your lines so you won't be able to do much with them once the file is in photoshop.

You can also just copy and paste straight from cad to illustrator, which is great if you need to make a quick change, or add an autocad hatch.

In the older versions of Illustrator, rather than use the .dxf, I went with the .eps. You can print to an .eps from AutoCad using the PostScript Level 1 printer. This, in some cases, is actually easier than opening the autocad file in illustrator (as you can do in the most recent versions of the program) because you can get it at the exact scale that you want it.

PS. Pete, I concur with everyone who has said that Illustrator is way better for drawings than Photoshop. I hope you didn't pay for that crash course....

it comes down to intent. photoshop was meant for photos. so i find it works best on rendering blockout type images or collaging them w/ photos. illustrator was built to create 2d graphics so it's inherently more suitable for plans, elevations, sections. etc.

i usually print the paper space to a PDF as then i get line weights. then bring the PDF into illustrator. you can add all your nice raster graphic scaled people.

oh. and with the paint bucket tool or magic wand in raster graphics, it's a PAIN if you have to go back and change the colors. it never gets everything perfectly w/ the aliasing.

in illustrator, i can select all the objects of a certain color and instantly change them w/ no problems w/ the edges.

sometimes if i need to get something colored quickly i use a hybrid photoshop/illustrator process...

i get the drawing from CAD into illustrator as described above, so that i still have good quality vector-based lines with lineweights...

then i take the file into photoshop to paint bucket colors and do any other special effects...

then i link the photoshop file into the illustrator file and lay the color image underneath the vector lines...

this way you get the speed of paint bucketing in photoshop with the line quality of illustrator...

however, if i actually have time to spend (which is rare), i prefer to do most of the work in illustrator for all of the reasons mentioned by previous posters..

you can fill colors in Illustrator CS2 using the Live Paint tool...very handy.

i used photoshop .. but i saved it as a high quality epd file so the pixelation is not very dominant ..

*eps file

in Illustrator CS2 you can actually use a tool called interactive paint, I believe to apply to a fill to areas. You select all of the lines/objects you want to be able to fill withing and then use the paint bucket as you would in photoshop

sometimes .. maing eps in layers ... and ofcourse using paint bucket also in layers help a lot ................ fast and easy .. illustrator ... lines are clearer any day ........... photoshop hassle free paint job is better ......

Just use Photoshop

Easier and faster.

thanks wiwi. i searched the net to find what you said!

architphil, that's a great technique. btw

thanks rsteath...

someone also mentioned that you can save a DWG as an EPS to get the file into illustrator... this is true, but if i remember correctly you will get better results by printing to an EPS rather than saving... not sure why it makes a difference... of course this only matters if you're using an older version since you can now open DWGs directly in illustrator cs...

if you could only know how to use one application - photoshop should be the one. it so elementary and everybody uses it.
once you master photoshop, start learning illustrator - it definitely has its advantages.