wondering if anyone is familiar with datacad...friend or foe. i have been told that it's similar to AC, but am scheptical. starting a new job in virginia in a couple weeks and would like to be somewhat prepared. any thoughts?
Devil Dog
Nov 16, 04 7:18 pm
i worked at a place who used DataCAD. it's a good program. it costs about $1000 per license where AutoCAD is $4000-5000. I can see why firms would want to use that instead of AutoCAD simply from the cost alone.
DataCAD does things differently than AutoCAD and it can be frustrating because it is different. When I last used it two years ago on version 10, they were just getting into using xrefs. You can import dwg files and can export at dxf so everything is compatable with AutoCAD based consultants.
It can do things that AutoCAD can't but didn't seem that troublesome.
The biggest difference is that you have to use a fair number of buttons and icons on your desktop and keyboard commands are usually a combination of the "ALT" key and some letter.
All in all, i thought it a worthy program for the cost, though frustrating at times.
Aaron Willette
Nov 16, 04 10:25 pm
DataCAD, eh? I'd have to say foe on this one.
I'm using it now, and to compare it to AutoCAD, you'd have to go back to R12. In DataCAD everything is a line, and once its drawn its drawn... no handles to stretch with, etc. Yeah, you can stretch something, but it can be quite the hassle and sometimes is easier to just redraw whatever you're doing. My office is making the tranny to DC11, which is finally starting to get closer to R13 or so. DataCAD has old-school embedded menus that are a pain to go through. The Xref system in DataCAD is sloppy and if you have more than two or three involved Xrefs in the file, its going to get choppy and slow. Oh, and there is absolutely no comparison between DataCAD and Architectural Desktop.
I'm a Mac person, and am not a fan of AutoCAD. Personally, I'd take Vectorworks over AutoCAD any day... but working on DataCAD makes me long for AutoCAD and its engineering-like efficiency.
mnesikles
Nov 17, 04 8:51 am
a decent program for the money....
it has several helpful tools and tricks that ACAD does not......but:
1) the interface and commands are not as intuitive as they are in other programs. there are deep command menus and unclear tool options.
2) there is no paperspace, thus you have to set up a separate "plot" file and xref the drawings to scale. (at least this is our office technique)
3) although you can import and export DWG files....it is not perfect or seamless.......blocks, linetypes, fonts, and 3d information don't transfer well. this is really only a problem if your consultants use ACAD
but again.....you get what you pay for, and in a couple of instances in DCAD, you get a little bit more (but not much). if you aren't doing alot of go-between with ACAD, I would say that you can do fine and save some money with DCAD.
archiphreak
Nov 17, 04 9:08 am
thanks guys. i don't know whether or not i should be grateful for frightened of the posts on this one. using acad 2005 in current office and it's awesome(eccept for the occasional bug here and there). this whole dcad thing sounds like something to wade through until i can convince "the man" to go to acad or microstation. thanks again. also, as i am starting soon, if anyone knows any shortcuts/tools/tips/hints, etc. for dcad, please let me know. anything and everything would be appreciated as always.
Aaron Willette
Nov 17, 04 9:27 am
For tips and whatnot, check the DataCAD Boston Users Group (DBUG). They have a web presence I believe, and I'm sure you can find some stuff there. Besides that, keep your caps lock on and learn the shortcut key commands.
Ddot
Nov 17, 04 9:41 am
I worked at a firm with dcad 9. Now work on acad 2005. There's no comparison. Everything is just a little crude in dcad.
As stated by others, the command menus involve a lot of steps, the xrefs are cumbersome, and the dwg exports never seemed to work like they should have. I remember having to get volo-view just to be able to use consultants drawings.
for the cost, you can't beat it. but there are going to be headaches. if you're moving to a firm that has good drafting standards and experiece with the program on bigger projects, you might not have a problem.
David Cuthbert
Nov 17, 04 10:16 am
when did dataCAD become a $1000 program. I remember in school it was almost u$200 for the professional copy (granted this was undergrad and almost 8 years ago)
It is horrible though, its as intuitive as a mobile suit from the 5th dimension, just plain. It did have its plus for doing wire models tho (just that you couldn't manipulate them to save your live)
AutoCAD wins this one (actually no, IntelliCAD beats them both version 5 is out)
Aaron Willette
Nov 17, 04 10:37 am
I've been under the impression from people at my office that DataCAD runs about $500 +/- a seat, which could be its ONLY strongpoint as I see it...
archiphreak
Nov 17, 04 1:18 pm
ok it seams as if this is taking a turn for the worst.....but constructive :)
I think if you compare any CAD programme to the one you have experience with, the comments are obviously going to be bias, unless you're not satisfied with the one your using. CAD is a complex beast not many understand unless in an industry requiring CAD plans. That said, there are many CAD disciplines under Architecture & Engineering, DataCAD is the former. Therefore to engage with alternative CAD programmes, you have to understand the audience they've been written for. DC is for people with Architectural hats on & therefore is superior to many plain CAD programmes such as AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT due to embedded architectural functions. So you'd have to compare it to an equivalent Autodesk product.
For 2D works, I find DC very intuitive to use, so if you've had some experience with AutoCAD, I would just throw away that way of thinking for this more common sense approach. For instance, if you want to stretch something, there's a command/icon called stretch, if you want to enlarge something, just look for, yes you've guest it, the enlarge command/icon, so most commands/icons do have common sense names. It's bizarre every man & his dog seems to compare like for like AutoCAD functions to other CAD programmes & gets confused. Most CAD programmes just call it something different, most CAD programmes have an equivalent. DataCAD's paperspace is just simply called Multi-scale plotting used with Go-to-views, named so, as that's what in essence a Cadder is doing, i.e. drawing at scale 1:1 then deciding what scale it needs to be, (multi-scale-plotting) then just planting that view (go to views) on a drawing sheet, to simple for words.
Heads up Cadding or keyboard, DataCAD has both, I like heads up use keeping my eye on the screen, so I like driving it with icons. The interface is quite modern looking in my opinion but may need some "catching up with the Joneses" in terms of some snazzy graphics that the larger CAD companies have these days. Grip handles on CAD elements are a new-ish thing, DataCAD does not have, this will come I'm sure as it has with it's German turbo-charged version called SPIRIT also available for the English speaking market from STI-International.
Feel free to look at some video tutorials for both, see links below, the DC ones are a bit old & they need to look at this, the SPIRIT ones are more up to date.
I hire people as consultants to do my drafting, knowing full well they have stole the software from some large architectural firm. That way I never have to touch a keyboard or draw a line. I just tell them what I'm looking for and then edit what there doing with smudge marks on their computer screen or go all "Italian" on them and toss my arms about and raise my voice to a tone of anger. They make the corrections and then I let them go their way and I go mine. Next time I go find another sucker and do it again. So I guess you might say I use system "Cheat."
Just kidding, but I do know people on both ends of this kind of deal and it drives me nuts.
Just had a guy come to me last week wanting me to stamp his drawings. I asked him what his back ground and he assured me he had studied Structural Engineering. He handed me his beam check calculations done by computer, along with his drawings. I told him I would get back to him. Turns out it was an A2-occupancy. More I looked at the drawings I said this guy must be smokin something. Drawings were very vague to say the least. So went ahead and set up a meeting with him and the owner. Thinking I might be able to sell the owner on a for real design. Get to the place before they are open for the day and they are both there with glazed over eyes....talking a mile a minute. Walked around with them went back to the office gave him a full proposal. Called the owner ask if he had an email I could send the proposal to and he said, " I don't use computers, what is the Number?" So I told him what my fee was and he went all crazy on me, so I said lots of luck. I know what it is going to cost me to do this job, if it doesn't meet your budget you best find someone else.
Clayton Taylor
Nov 2, 14 4:48 am
Miles,
Yeah, a ten year "to do list", just got busy with work...still drawing vector lines from 2004... :-)
It would be interesting & a long shot, if the original author of that post was around & could share how the CAD situation turned out.....has much changed in the CAD world..??
Oh well, at least it was sincerely answered & may have some relevance for Cadders today.
Over & out,
Clayton
georgeaperezous
Dec 15, 17 5:28 am
DATACAD 16 is what I currently use in 2017. The greatest cad software that delivers profit to your business.
Why do you need Auto Cad.?
This does it all. 2d and 3d.
Sorry I highly recommend it.
I will be upgrading to version 20 soon. So don't delay.
Fast, efficient and accurate and automatically brings in dwg. Files and text in a flash.
wondering if anyone is familiar with datacad...friend or foe. i have been told that it's similar to AC, but am scheptical. starting a new job in virginia in a couple weeks and would like to be somewhat prepared. any thoughts?
i worked at a place who used DataCAD. it's a good program. it costs about $1000 per license where AutoCAD is $4000-5000. I can see why firms would want to use that instead of AutoCAD simply from the cost alone.
DataCAD does things differently than AutoCAD and it can be frustrating because it is different. When I last used it two years ago on version 10, they were just getting into using xrefs. You can import dwg files and can export at dxf so everything is compatable with AutoCAD based consultants.
It can do things that AutoCAD can't but didn't seem that troublesome.
The biggest difference is that you have to use a fair number of buttons and icons on your desktop and keyboard commands are usually a combination of the "ALT" key and some letter.
All in all, i thought it a worthy program for the cost, though frustrating at times.
DataCAD, eh? I'd have to say foe on this one.
I'm using it now, and to compare it to AutoCAD, you'd have to go back to R12. In DataCAD everything is a line, and once its drawn its drawn... no handles to stretch with, etc. Yeah, you can stretch something, but it can be quite the hassle and sometimes is easier to just redraw whatever you're doing. My office is making the tranny to DC11, which is finally starting to get closer to R13 or so. DataCAD has old-school embedded menus that are a pain to go through. The Xref system in DataCAD is sloppy and if you have more than two or three involved Xrefs in the file, its going to get choppy and slow. Oh, and there is absolutely no comparison between DataCAD and Architectural Desktop.
I'm a Mac person, and am not a fan of AutoCAD. Personally, I'd take Vectorworks over AutoCAD any day... but working on DataCAD makes me long for AutoCAD and its engineering-like efficiency.
a decent program for the money....
it has several helpful tools and tricks that ACAD does not......but:
1) the interface and commands are not as intuitive as they are in other programs. there are deep command menus and unclear tool options.
2) there is no paperspace, thus you have to set up a separate "plot" file and xref the drawings to scale. (at least this is our office technique)
3) although you can import and export DWG files....it is not perfect or seamless.......blocks, linetypes, fonts, and 3d information don't transfer well. this is really only a problem if your consultants use ACAD
but again.....you get what you pay for, and in a couple of instances in DCAD, you get a little bit more (but not much). if you aren't doing alot of go-between with ACAD, I would say that you can do fine and save some money with DCAD.
thanks guys. i don't know whether or not i should be grateful for frightened of the posts on this one. using acad 2005 in current office and it's awesome(eccept for the occasional bug here and there). this whole dcad thing sounds like something to wade through until i can convince "the man" to go to acad or microstation. thanks again. also, as i am starting soon, if anyone knows any shortcuts/tools/tips/hints, etc. for dcad, please let me know. anything and everything would be appreciated as always.
For tips and whatnot, check the DataCAD Boston Users Group (DBUG). They have a web presence I believe, and I'm sure you can find some stuff there. Besides that, keep your caps lock on and learn the shortcut key commands.
I worked at a firm with dcad 9. Now work on acad 2005. There's no comparison. Everything is just a little crude in dcad.
As stated by others, the command menus involve a lot of steps, the xrefs are cumbersome, and the dwg exports never seemed to work like they should have. I remember having to get volo-view just to be able to use consultants drawings.
for the cost, you can't beat it. but there are going to be headaches. if you're moving to a firm that has good drafting standards and experiece with the program on bigger projects, you might not have a problem.
when did dataCAD become a $1000 program. I remember in school it was almost u$200 for the professional copy (granted this was undergrad and almost 8 years ago)
It is horrible though, its as intuitive as a mobile suit from the 5th dimension, just plain. It did have its plus for doing wire models tho (just that you couldn't manipulate them to save your live)
AutoCAD wins this one (actually no, IntelliCAD beats them both version 5 is out)
I've been under the impression from people at my office that DataCAD runs about $500 +/- a seat, which could be its ONLY strongpoint as I see it...
ok it seams as if this is taking a turn for the worst.....but constructive :)
Straight from the DataCAD website
To all,
I think if you compare any CAD programme to the one you have experience with, the comments are obviously going to be bias, unless you're not satisfied with the one your using. CAD is a complex beast not many understand unless in an industry requiring CAD plans. That said, there are many CAD disciplines under Architecture & Engineering, DataCAD is the former. Therefore to engage with alternative CAD programmes, you have to understand the audience they've been written for. DC is for people with Architectural hats on & therefore is superior to many plain CAD programmes such as AutoCAD or AutoCAD LT due to embedded architectural functions. So you'd have to compare it to an equivalent Autodesk product.
DataCAD 17 Professional = $1,295.00 http://www.datacad.com/index.html
AutoCAD Architecture = $5,240.00 http://www.autodesk.com/
For 2D works, I find DC very intuitive to use, so if you've had some experience with AutoCAD, I would just throw away that way of thinking for this more common sense approach. For instance, if you want to stretch something, there's a command/icon called stretch, if you want to enlarge something, just look for, yes you've guest it, the enlarge command/icon, so most commands/icons do have common sense names. It's bizarre every man & his dog seems to compare like for like AutoCAD functions to other CAD programmes & gets confused. Most CAD programmes just call it something different, most CAD programmes have an equivalent. DataCAD's paperspace is just simply called Multi-scale plotting used with Go-to-views, named so, as that's what in essence a Cadder is doing, i.e. drawing at scale 1:1 then deciding what scale it needs to be, (multi-scale-plotting) then just planting that view (go to views) on a drawing sheet, to simple for words.
Heads up Cadding or keyboard, DataCAD has both, I like heads up use keeping my eye on the screen, so I like driving it with icons. The interface is quite modern looking in my opinion but may need some "catching up with the Joneses" in terms of some snazzy graphics that the larger CAD companies have these days. Grip handles on CAD elements are a new-ish thing, DataCAD does not have, this will come I'm sure as it has with it's German turbo-charged version called SPIRIT also available for the English speaking market from STI-International.
Feel free to look at some video tutorials for both, see links below, the DC ones are a bit old & they need to look at this, the SPIRIT ones are more up to date.
http://www.youtube.com/user/datacadvideo
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPVzFDsbrR58KHpt915PZsQ
Over & out,
Clayton.
Dude, are you still in 2004? This thread has been dead for a decade.
Miles...so is the drafting pencil...
I am a dedicated user of System B.
Miles,
I hire people as consultants to do my drafting, knowing full well they have stole the software from some large architectural firm. That way I never have to touch a keyboard or draw a line. I just tell them what I'm looking for and then edit what there doing with smudge marks on their computer screen or go all "Italian" on them and toss my arms about and raise my voice to a tone of anger. They make the corrections and then I let them go their way and I go mine. Next time I go find another sucker and do it again. So I guess you might say I use system "Cheat."
Just kidding, but I do know people on both ends of this kind of deal and it drives me nuts.
Just had a guy come to me last week wanting me to stamp his drawings. I asked him what his back ground and he assured me he had studied Structural Engineering. He handed me his beam check calculations done by computer, along with his drawings. I told him I would get back to him. Turns out it was an A2-occupancy. More I looked at the drawings I said this guy must be smokin something. Drawings were very vague to say the least. So went ahead and set up a meeting with him and the owner. Thinking I might be able to sell the owner on a for real design. Get to the place before they are open for the day and they are both there with glazed over eyes....talking a mile a minute. Walked around with them went back to the office gave him a full proposal. Called the owner ask if he had an email I could send the proposal to and he said, " I don't use computers, what is the Number?" So I told him what my fee was and he went all crazy on me, so I said lots of luck. I know what it is going to cost me to do this job, if it doesn't meet your budget you best find someone else.
Miles,
Yeah, a ten year "to do list", just got busy with work...still drawing vector lines from 2004... :-)
It would be interesting & a long shot, if the original author of that post was around & could share how the CAD situation turned out.....has much changed in the CAD world..??
Oh well, at least it was sincerely answered & may have some relevance for Cadders today.
Over & out,
Clayton
DATACAD 16 is what I currently use in 2017. The greatest cad software that delivers profit to your business.
Why do you need Auto Cad.?
This does it all. 2d and 3d.
Sorry I highly recommend it.
I will be upgrading to version 20 soon. So don't delay.
Fast, efficient and accurate and automatically brings in dwg. Files and text in a flash.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha