CAD

I came across the manual for TurboCAD Pro 14, which, obviously, I’ve had for a few years (since 2007, from memry). Late at night I use it as a wind down before bed, so I’m leafing each page, reading some, sometimes all the text.

I bought it because I was taken with its then new features; and it fitted the bill for a cheap, relatively functional CAD package that seemed to have useful 2D and 3D capability, it could do blocks, and useful rendering; plus it had some specific architectural functions and had model space and paper space, quite usefully. I was really after a more modern quicky than my very old AutoCad Light (version 1, I think), and the less old but very quick VisualCAD.

VisualCAD is a 2D-only package, but fast and flexible. Good basic drafting tools, line styles, and hatches. The big thing I liked about it was the keyboard shortcuts for pretty much every command, so one could mouse with one hand, and command with the other; darn quick.

I first saw this two handed input in an old IBM CAD package called CADAM.

I was interested in CADAM when researching CAD packages for a firm of architects in the late 1980s; well, not that interested, it seemed pretty limited in functionality, but its input was interesting. One hand operated a selection box with physical buttons for the root commands (place line, place circle, etc), and a light pen for placement on the screen; eech! But, compared to my knowledge of CAD, it didn’t quite do it for me. I compared it to Drawbase, which was quite useful, but only 2 1/2D, so called. CADAM was only 2D, so not going far for architectural work.

The package I had experience with, and favoured was Intergraph’s IGDS; I had used it in work on a large hospital project in the early 1980s and really loved a few things: the giant dual screen workstation with huge digitiser, multiple view windows (up to four each screen) which really helped navigate the design plane or cube and the ‘tentative point’ command that made object selection deftly fast; 3D was good too and its ability to see other files from the editable design files (reference files) was a brilliant productivity aid. Its command structure was also very fast and direct. It ran on a DEC Vax, badge engineered by Intergraph.

Anyway, at a small firm I joined we had Drawbase, which was OK, but, as I said, no 3D, although some quite useful editing functions; but the boss saw Microstation (a file compatible knockoff of Intergraph’s IGDS) and snapped up a license. Happily Intergraph saw the opporunity, and rather than attempt to stiffle Bentley via a law suit, bought into them and the rest is history!

I soon joined a larger firm of architects and they started looking for CAD. I was appointed the IT manager, and was sent off to find the system.

The contenders were Eagle, an awkward but powerful and flexible package, designed, I think, for the mining industry originally, CADAM, and Microstation. Intergraph was still competing with Bentley to sell its hardware, so I dealt with both Intergraph and MITS, Bentley’s dealer.

I also looked at DataCad, a package that is now at version 14 (15 now, Oct 2012), and still going strong. I think it was about version 3 back then, with a separate renderer called Velocity. The dealer had no idea as to how to sell to architects, and didn’t really touch Datacad’s capability, particularly the ‘data’ bit, which could have been a real boon for preparation of schedules and specification outlines if linked to material types.

Microstation still took me, however. Dual screens, multiple windows and a very flexible reference file system made it far and away the most productive system I’d encountered. We bought half a dozen licenses and we were off and away! I did some presentations for the dealers, extolling the virtues of CAD in general and Microstation in particular.

Soon after, I joined another firm of architects that had a Macintosh package called Minicad. I was not that impressed by it, and they were using it on a little 9in. screen Macintosh Classic: for productivity it was one step forward, two steps back!

A few years later I joined a large design and construct organisation that used Microstation: they must have run about 100 licenses, and had a presentation studio using Intergraph modeling software on a huge screen workstation: about 35in. Bentley had a ‘home use’ program than through which I obtained a copy of Microstation 95.

I recently loaded this up on my laptop, for old times sake: loaded perfectly in Windows 7; the old guide books I found also worked perfectly: it was a real nostalgia experience.

A few years earlier I’d also bought Datacad, at about v. 7, during the CadKey fire sale. Datacad had been acquired by CadKey, a mechanical CAD package. Cadkey didn’t understand how to market it, so offloaded it at very low prices. I’ve been with Datacad ever since, and now have 14 installed (about to upgrade to 15 Nov 2012): it has reference files and multiple views, which is a real boon, and I like the two handed operating interface, which makes it quite fast.  But, harking back to CADAM, I'd really love a separate function key keyboard that I could easily use with one hand without having to move all over the keyboard, and mouse the with the other. This would be much faster and more comfortable than relying on the Function keys on the conventional keyboard, particularly with their flexibility in Datacad.

Over the years I’ve collected quite a few CAD packages, some so old they won’t load anymore, others need DOS to run (CADKEY, Design CAD), and others are just cheap or freebies (Iron CAD springs to mind).

So my current CAD packages are: Microstation 95 for old times sake, Datacad 14 for production, Visual CAD to look at old Visual CAD files, TurboCad 14 Pro for a little modelling, and some 3D packages: Sketchup, of course, Amapi, from a magazine cover disk, TrueSpace: now available free, I think; and not a bad modeller. I've loaded up a few old modellers in Windows XP in a virtual machine, and want to do so with my old DOS Cadkey package, just to see how it goes.

I'd really love to get old copies of Microstation Modeller and Masterpiece to go with ustn 95, but as this would just be to satisfy my curiosity, I won't be busting a gut to obtain them.