Nice CAD; Nice price
Written: Jul 19 '02 (Updated Jul 24 '02)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Good, inexpensive CAD
Cons: Sometimes quirky; no relational settings
The Bottom Line: For light-duty CAD, this is a fine package.
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| charlesj68's Full Review: DesignCad DesignCAD 3000 |
Background
I have been using DesignCAD since before it the name was DesignCAD! ProDesign II was the first version I used and the year was 1986. My parents bought it for me as a high school graduation present for me to use in college. This was on an Original 4.77 MHZ IBM PC with a CGA video card! Okay, enough reminiscing! Over the years, I have continued to upgrade until today I am using DesignCAD 3000.
Use
DesignCAD works with the concept of creating geometric figures based on points that you set. For instance, a circle may be based on a center and a radius, on two points on the edge or tangent to two lines. So most operations are a sequence of select element (circle, oval, quadrilateral, etc) and set some number of points. Point can be set using absolute coordinates (a fixed X, Y, Z grid), relative coordinates (3 inches over and 17 inches up from where I am right now) and circular or polar coordinates. There are separate 2D and 3D modes, which is nice for when you really do not need the features of 3D.
The majority of my projects in DesignCAD are plans for woodworking projects. I generally create base plan in the 2D modes then expand that into a 3D visualization to double check how the project was looking. In this role, the program does very well.
I also used it to create the floor plan and various internal and external elevations of the house we built in 2001. While working on the floor plan went well I was not impressed with the 3D visualizations of internal views. This is not a big complaint, as this functionality requires some specialized architectural focus; something that you are not likely to run across in a general CAD package.
Quirks
Like any productivity package, DesignCAD has its share of quirky behaviors that the user gets so used to that they do not even notice after a while. However, sometimes there are features that are so annoying that one never quite adjusts. For me there is only one, the Trim Line function. You use this function to trim off a line based on where it intersects with some other line or curve. The default behavior is for the program to trim off the part of the line that is the shortest. Unfortunately, my method of drawing stretches it roots back to paper, pencil and triangles, so I tend to use many guidelines on my drawings to keep my visual bearings. So I would much prefer to select the portion of the line to keep myself, rather than having the program figure it out for me. That option is available, but cannot be made into the default. A trivial point really, but it still drives me wild at least once a day!
What I wish I could do
DesignCAD is not a high-end CAD package, but one high-end feature I really wish for is relative point control. That may not be the industry name, but here is what I mean. I would love to be able to draw a line, then create a second like that I specify is 1.618 times the length of the first one. Then continue to create other elements in some proportional system based on the other elements already present. Then later when I changed the original line by some amount then all the elements that were dependent on that measurement automatically adjusted themselves based on their relationship to it.
Update - 24 July 2002
At the request of another member, I'm going to discuss a feature which is missing from DesignCAD, but which I really wish was there.
At work we use a very powerful CAD package called Pro/ENGINEER. This tool costs in the thousands of dollars, and is worth every penny. What I called "relative point control" above is called "Parametric Relationships" by PTC, the makers of Pro/ENGINEER. For a quick comparison between how the big boy does it, and how DesignCAD does something, let's create a little example.
I am going to create a block, with a hole through it. In DesignCAD I select the Rectangular Solid tool, set a point with the mouse, select Set Point Relative and enter X=10, Y=5, Z=15. Now I have a 10" by 5" by 15" block. Now I point the mouse back at the starting point for the block and select the Cylindrical Solid tool, choosing Set Point Relative and entering X=5, Y=6, Z=7.5, Set Point Relative again with X=0.5, Y=0, Z=0, and Set Point Relative again with X=0, Y=-7, Z=0. This defined a 1" diameter cylinder from 1" above the block to 1" below the block, centered on the X and Z dimensions. Now I use that cylinder to create the hole by selecting Solid Subtract, clicking on the cylinder and then clicking on the block. *Poof*, the cylinder is subtracted from the block and we have a hole in the block.
To do the same thing in Pro/ENGINEER I first select Create Rectangle, click on the drawing surface and drag out to X=10 and Z=15. I select this rectangle and then choose Extrude Profile, entering 5 in the dialog box. *Poof*, the rectangle has become a block. I now grab the Select Face tool and select the top face of the block. This face is now a Workplane, and I choose New Sketch under the Workplane menu. Now choosing Create Circle I draw a 1" diameter circle on the block. Now I choose the new cirle and select Project Profile. In the dialog that pops up I can tell it to subtract material as it goes, that it should go all the way through and that the projection direction is down. Hitting OK I get a hole in my block.
So far so good, two different approaches, but we got to the same end result. Now the fun comes in. With DesignCAD I can add dimensions to the drawing. Height, width, length, X,Z coordinates of the center of the hole, and so on. In Pro/ENGINEER I can do likewise, although they are called Dimensional Contraints. But now that those are in place the real power of Pro/ENGINEER comes out. I select a dimension, say the radius of the hole. After selecting I right-click and there is a properties sheet for the dimension. I change the property from 0.5 radius to 0.375 radius and presto, the hole shrinks. It is still centered and all the dimensions automatically adjusted! You see in the Parametric model that Pro/ENGINEER uses the dimensions are not just an element of the drawing, they are actually tied to the parts they are measuring. Change the dimension and the part adjusts. Adjust the part and the dimension adjusts. In DesignCAD I would just have to redraw from scratch.
I hope this little example better illustrates what I wish I could have in DesignCAD. The stripped down version of Pro/ENGINEER is called Pro/DESKTOP and sells for $995. The full-power baby doesn't list a retail price, you're supposed to call a salesman. (If you have to ask, then you can't afford it, comes to mind!) If DesignCAD could somehow include Parametric modeling in their package I would be the happiest CAD guy in Colorado ...
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
charlesj68
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Member: Charles Jones
Location: Loveland, Colorado, USA
Reviews written: 15
Trusted by: 0 members
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