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Help with CAD software

post #1 of 12
4/5/08 at 11:01am
Thread Starter 
Hi - can anyone in the architectural design world - help with identifying a CAD program that they would recommend - Velum, Auto Cad, etc- I'm an Industrial designer - doing more and more of this lately and have been looking to go deep in this area - i rum full blown G5 Macs for running graphic/packaging design software - lets leave the $ wide open for now - not interested in the homeowner downloads - thanks!
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post #2 of 12
4/5/08 at 11:42am
My field is archaeology and I've limited use with CAD software, but it seems in the UK at least autoCAD is pretty much the standard. A firm I worked for (3 years ago now though) tried cheaper software like turboCAD and easyCAD on trial and the CAD guys thought they had far less functionality and reliability so carried on with the autoCAD licence.
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post #3 of 12
4/5/08 at 1:06pm
as a mechanical engineering student I would recommend AutoCAD, however, if you want a looooot of functionality, try ProE. It's much more powerful.
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post #4 of 12
4/5/08 at 1:23pm
This is nowhere near enough information -- what type of projects do you work on? Will you be using a stylus? Is advanced surfacing critical to your application?
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post #5 of 12
4/5/08 at 2:17pm
Can any of you nerds explain what a surcharge is in the context of an arch or barrel vault? I'm having trouble finding a good definition.
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post #6 of 12
4/5/08 at 3:30pm
Are you going to run this on mac or pc. Advanced surface modeling & viz or consept desight work and drawings for building sites? Or any combination As the others here have stated we need more info.
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post #7 of 12
4/6/08 at 3:52am
my gf runs her own architecture (high rises mostly) and urban planning firm. I know nothing about the field and can check with her later on the details, but when I peer over her shoulder while she draws, she tends to be inside either Autocad or 3D studio max. edit - and one of my best mates just popped up online - he is also an industrial designer, ran it by him...chat pasted below: me - any suggestions? him - Depends what he wants to do...3d renderings, CAD drawings, what? me - no idea.....lets say both him - 3d renderings - start with Rhino, 3Dmax, or AliasStudiotools. Cad - AutoCAD 2007 should be ok him - well, also depends WHAT he is modelling him - surfaces, solids, organic forms, etc. Some programs are better than others depending on what you're modelling. Organic forms/surfaces = Rhino or Studiotools. Basic polygons or architectural stuff = 3Dmax is fine for a beginner. me - tks man
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post #8 of 12
4/6/08 at 4:00am
AutoCAD may be convenient, but there's something quite unappealing about designing using nothing but a computer screen and a mouse.
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post #9 of 12
4/6/08 at 4:10am
I used to think the same thing, LK (even though I started with AutoCAD when I was 10), but recently I've changed my tune. I work with one designer out of the pool at my employer's, and he absolutely is an artist in CAD. We use a more sophisticated 3D program these days, but what he does just blows my mind. I think that the trouble we'll encounter as we move forward in technology is that mediocre work will be more and more easily created by the masses, and frankly, as mediocre is so commonly accepted as masterwork, mediocre will become more prevalent -- but that does not obviate the reality of true artists in these new media; artists that push the boundaries of what is possible and expand our minds and horizons....anyway that's how I see it. ~ Huntsman
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post #10 of 12
4/6/08 at 4:17am
Quote:
Originally Posted by LabelKing View Post
AutoCAD may be convenient, but there's something quite unappealing about designing using nothing but a computer screen and a mouse.
ya, but youre odd Most of us would say there is something quite unappealing about socializing using nothing but a computer screen and a mouse, but you seem pretty content with it
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post #11 of 12
4/6/08 at 2:36pm




Pen and paper make nice drawings but it's much easier on the computer. Granted, it makes screwing up 100 times easier too.

How much do you want to spend on this software? Some of these programs are thousands of dollars per seat ( I think Pro/E starts at $4k ?)
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post #12 of 12
4/6/08 at 6:21pm
I used to draw CAD a few years back on a unix system, used HP-UX... I think your probably better using Autocad as this seems to be the Industry standard....ala MS Windows.
More specialist companys use there own programs, Car design teams use an IBM solution mostly... for 3d 3Dmax is good but most companies get bespoke solutions for this sort of stuff....
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