First, I know this is a hot-button issue, but just in case some subscriber
to this newsgroup can benefit from my observations, I'm going to lay them
out.
My experience range is in the lower end CAD graphics programs including both
TurboCad and Dolphin PartMaster.
IF you come at this with experience from other cad software, you'll probably
have very good reasons for liking the software you're familiar with.
BUT if you are starting from scratch, I've got to hand it to TurboCad for
having a very decent program.
The current version of TurboCad is V17, but I cut my teeth on V11 and
recently upgraded to V15.
(I usually stay an edition behind for economic reasons...)
Yes, there is a learning curve to mastering the commands, but the commands
cover an incredible range of issues.
If you try it, commit to learning THEIR way of doing things... It is
intuitive if you start with their mindset.
To clarify, it isn't autocad...
But then you're not paying autocad prices.
I really wanted to like Dolphin PartMaster, and God knows I stretched the
patience of their customer service department, but it never achieved the
level of results I needed.
V15 of TurboCad loaded effortlessly, and has an impressive array of features
including a CAM plug-in.
I own no stock, I get no commission, but if you're toying with getting a CAD
program, please do consider TurboCad.
I sincerely think it deserves better reviews than you sometimes see...
Chet

Chet wrote:

First, I know this is a hot-button issue, but just in case some subscriber
to this newsgroup can benefit from my observations, I'm going to lay them
out.
My experience range is in the lower end CAD graphics programs including both
TurboCad and Dolphin PartMaster.
IF you come at this with experience from other cad software, you'll probably
have very good reasons for liking the software you're familiar with.
BUT if you are starting from scratch, I've got to hand it to TurboCad for
having a very decent program.
The current version of TurboCad is V17, but I cut my teeth on V11 and
recently upgraded to V15.
(I usually stay an edition behind for economic reasons...)
Yes, there is a learning curve to mastering the commands, but the commands
cover an incredible range of issues.
If you try it, commit to learning THEIR way of doing things... It is
intuitive if you start with their mindset.
To clarify, it isn't autocad...
But then you're not paying autocad prices.
I really wanted to like Dolphin PartMaster, and God knows I stretched the
patience of their customer service department, but it never achieved the
level of results I needed.
V15 of TurboCad loaded effortlessly, and has an impressive array of features
including a CAM plug-in.
I own no stock, I get no commission, but if you're toying with getting a CAD
program, please do consider TurboCad.
I sincerely think it deserves better reviews than you sometimes see...
Chet

I also use TurboCAD and am generally happy with it. I started back with
V6 after needing some 2D CAD for a project and downloading the free 2D
version they offered at the time. Shortly after I got an email offering
V6 pro for $99 so it was a bit of a no-brainer. I'm up to V17.5 now.

In article ,
"Chet" wrote:
I sincerely think it deserves better reviews than you sometimes see...

Having bought TurboCad 2D/3D WAYYYY back in the day, specifically
because it ran on a Mac and claimed to export DXF files, I'm not exactly
inclined to give them any more money, since the "DXFs" it exported were
garbage (utterly unlike the drawing, unless perhaps it was "the drawing
after having been stomped on by Godzilla"), and they never released an
update to fix that. Given that this was supposed to be allowing me to
design on a Mac and then hand DXFs off to a PC running a router, not too
useful. As best I recall they spent several years pretending Macs didn't
even exist at that point rather than fixing their crap, though they seem
to have a Mac version again. Fool me once...

Looks like that was "V3" (circa 1995?) and they are now up to "V5" on
Macs. Not a whole lot of effort there. And still nothing to fix V3 in
their "online support." Ohh, they have some 3D tutorials there - not
exactly addressing the problem. If they were handing out free upgrades
to people who had wasted money on useless software I might try it again,
but otherwise "fool me once" stands...

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Ecnerwal wrote:

In article ,
"Chet" wrote:
I sincerely think it deserves better reviews than you sometimes see...

Having bought TurboCad 2D/3D WAYYYY back in the day, specifically
because it ran on a Mac and claimed to export DXF files, I'm not exactly
inclined to give them any more money, since the "DXFs" it exported were
garbage (utterly unlike the drawing, unless perhaps it was "the drawing
after having been stomped on by Godzilla"), and they never released an
update to fix that. Given that this was supposed to be allowing me to
design on a Mac and then hand DXFs off to a PC running a router, not too
useful. As best I recall they spent several years pretending Macs didn't
even exist at that point rather than fixing their crap, though they seem
to have a Mac version again. Fool me once...

Looks like that was "V3" (circa 1995?) and they are now up to "V5" on
Macs. Not a whole lot of effort there. And still nothing to fix V3 in
their "online support." Ohh, they have some 3D tutorials there - not
exactly addressing the problem. If they were handing out free upgrades
to people who had wasted money on useless software I might try it again,
but otherwise "fool me once" stands...

Did you ever ask them for a refund after determining that the product
did not perform as advertised on your platform?

Now that Macs run a real (non Apple) operating system under the Mac GUI
(which I hate), there is a much greater probability that the current Mac
TurboCAD version works properly. You might consider trying the demo
version and confirming that.

"Chet" wrote in message
...

Ok... how easy or hard would it be to create a sheet, bend it to match a
polyline made up of lines and arcs or some other curve. Rotate it a fixed
number of degrees, trim off along a plane perpendicular to the original
plane, then trim off along a plane parallel to the original plane, and then
get the flat dimensions to cut a sheet to match.

"Ecnerwal" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Chet" wrote:
I sincerely think it deserves better reviews than you sometimes see...

Having bought TurboCad 2D/3D WAYYYY back in the day, specifically
because it ran on a Mac and claimed to export DXF files, I'm not exactly
inclined to give them any more money, since the "DXFs" it exported were
garbage (utterly unlike the drawing, unless perhaps it was "the drawing
after having been stomped on by Godzilla"), and they never released an
update to fix that. Given that this was supposed to be allowing me to
design on a Mac and then hand DXFs off to a PC running a router, not too
useful. As best I recall they spent several years pretending Macs didn't
even exist at that point rather than fixing their crap, though they seem
to have a Mac version again. Fool me once...

Looks like that was "V3" (circa 1995?) and they are now up to "V5" on
Macs. Not a whole lot of effort there. And still nothing to fix V3 in
their "online support." Ohh, they have some 3D tutorials there - not
exactly addressing the problem. If they were handing out free upgrades
to people who had wasted money on useless software I might try it again,
but otherwise "fool me once" stands...

--
Cats, coffee, chocolate...vices to live by

Wayyy back? I used CadPak 64 wayyy back in the day :-) I don't remember if
I ever learned how to draw anything on it though.

RogerN

Which "size" are you talking about? Designer? Deluxe? Pro? If Pro,
mecahnaical or the works?
I ask because I am still using TurboCad Pro V7 and am worried about it
running correctly on a Windows 7 machine. I think I like the idea of
staying one or 2 rev's behind, too.

Pete Stanaitis
----------------

Chet wrote:
First, I know this is a hot-button issue, but just in case some
subscriber to this newsgroup can benefit from my observations, I'm going
to lay them out.
My experience range is in the lower end CAD graphics programs including
both TurboCad and Dolphin PartMaster.
IF you come at this with experience from other cad software, you'll
probably have very good reasons for liking the software you're familiar
with.
BUT if you are starting from scratch, I've got to hand it to TurboCad
for having a very decent program.
The current version of TurboCad is V17, but I cut my teeth on V11 and
recently upgraded to V15.
(I usually stay an edition behind for economic reasons...)
Yes, there is a learning curve to mastering the commands, but the
commands cover an incredible range of issues.
If you try it, commit to learning THEIR way of doing things... It is
intuitive if you start with their mindset.
To clarify, it isn't autocad...
But then you're not paying autocad prices.
I really wanted to like Dolphin PartMaster, and God knows I stretched
the patience of their customer service department, but it never achieved
the level of results I needed.
V15 of TurboCad loaded effortlessly, and has an impressive array of
features including a CAM plug-in.
I own no stock, I get no commission, but if you're toying with getting a
CAD program, please do consider TurboCad.
I sincerely think it deserves better reviews than you sometimes see...
Chet

spaco wrote:

Which "size" are you talking about? Designer? Deluxe? Pro? If Pro,
mecahnaical or the works?
I ask because I am still using TurboCad Pro V7 and am worried about it
running correctly on a Windows 7 machine. I think I like the idea of
staying one or 2 rev's behind, too.

V17.5 Pro Platinum here, with Animation Lab add-on. Running on an XP
system currently. I had V15 on both Vista and 7 without issues.