Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

Geoff wrote:
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than
AutoCAD
2005?

I had one a few years back called DesignCad. Seems like it was around
$399 for the 2D version, the 3D version was a little more. It worked
pretty well and was fairly easy to use. It helps to have a digitizer
board to go with it but not absolutely necessary.

Fred

This is asked several times a year. A search will reveal most common
suggestions,
however, I have recently been using AutoSketch 9. Made by Autodesk and it
works well enough for my uses.

Dave


"Geoff" wrote in message
ups.com...
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

On 7 Feb 2005 13:51:07 -0800, "Geoff" wrote:

Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

I've been using TurboCAD for several years and I like it. Last time I
looked, it was available in several flavors ranging from free to a few
hundred bucks. I started with the free version and decided I liked it
and upgraded to one that was ~$60-70 IIRC and haven't needed anything
more.

Published e-mail address is for spam collection only.
If e-mailing me, use jc631 at optonline dot net

-- jc

On 7 Feb 2005 13:51:07 -0800, "Geoff" wrote:

Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

What are your needs? AutoCad will let you design a 747 complete.
What did you have in mind?

Geoff wrote:
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

Try DesignCad. It has the power of AutoCad but costs less than $100.00.
it does 2d and 3d drawings. My wife has been using it for years doing
architectural drafting and I use it for shop projects and business site
plans.
Here is a link to their site:http://www.imsisoft.com/

Geoff wrote:
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than
AutoCAD
2005?
Hi Geoff,
I use an older version of TurbCAD (ver. 8.0 standard to be exact). I
picked it up 7 or 8 months ago for about $14 because it isn't the
latest and greatest version, but it's more than adequate for my
designs. It does 2D and 3D, auto-dimensioning and a whole lot more
that I haven't figured out yet. I got it because one of the woodworking
mags. recommended it and I decided that for $14 and since I was used to
drawing my plans by hand, even if I didn't like it I wasn't out much.
I hope that helps. Happy sawdust.
BC

Geoff wrote:

Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

Well, if you've got three grand to spend then Ashlar-Vellum Cobalt is pretty
nice.

Intellicad is a fair AutoCAD clone for $50-175 depending on options--you can
give it a free try at
"https://www.intellicadms.com/store/secure/intellicad-demo/download.asp".
If you've never been trained on Autocad though plan to spend a while
learning it.

http://www.freecad.com/ has a list of free and/or inexpensive CAD products
one of which might suit your needs. You might want to go through them
before you buy anything.

If you can find someone with a copy, many years ago Cadkey put the
fully-functional DOS version of their product up on their Web site as a
Christmas present to their user community after the Windows product had
become established--if you can find someone who has the download it's still
a very, very capable 3D CAD program--I'd email you a copy if I hadn't lost
mine.

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

AutoCAD "LT" about $700.

You really do not need the 3D perspective with diminishing points of view
for woodworking that AutoCAD offers.

"TeamCasa" wrote in message
...
This is asked several times a year. A search will reveal most common
suggestions,
however, I have recently been using AutoSketch 9. Made by Autodesk and it
works well enough for my uses.


Wow Dave , Auto Sketch 9. My last version of that program was 2.1 and that
version was pretty impressive. I have been using AutoCAD LT since leaving
2.1 AutoSketch.

I just found a 3d modeling package called SketchUp (www.sketchup.com). You
can download a full version that lets you use it for up to eight hours. It
seems to be really intuitive and easy to learn. There are demo videos on the
web site. I you have a high-speed internet connection, they'd be worth a
look. It does lighting, even seasonal lighting if you're doing architecture,
surface textures, and animations. It's around $450, I think. Give it a try
and see what you think.

Tom Dacon


"Geoff" wrote in message
ups.com...
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

"Bill" wrote in message
...
Geoff wrote:
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

Try DesignCad. It has the power of AutoCad but costs less than $100.00.
it does 2d and 3d drawings. My wife has been using it for years doing
architectural drafting and I use it for shop projects and business site
plans.
Here is a link to their site:http://www.imsisoft.com/


Hi Bill, I looked at Sketchup and decided that AutoCAD LT is still better
for me. I'll have to look at DesignCAD again. Old habits are sooooo hard
to break as I am quite comfortable with AutoCAD LT.

"Tom Dacon" wrote in message
...
I just found a 3d modeling package called SketchUp (www.sketchup.com). You
can download a full version that lets you use it for up to eight hours. It
seems to be really intuitive and easy to learn. There are demo videos on
the
web site. I you have a high-speed internet connection, they'd be worth a
look. It does lighting, even seasonal lighting if you're doing
architecture,
surface textures, and animations. It's around $450, I think. Give it a try
and see what you think.


FWIW, I down loaded this program to try out and went to the site for a quick
overview of the program. The speaker on the demo stressed that Sketchup IS
NOT a CAD program, which the OP is looking for. IIRC it is a design
program.

The OP asked about CAD in the title and design in the text.

If you are looking to a software solution to aid in the
conceptualization of a design, then Sketchup is wonderful. Less good
if you are looking to use it as part of a CAD-CAM process.

On Mon, 7 Feb 2005 15:00:54 -0800, "Tom Dacon"
wrote:

I just found a 3d modeling package called SketchUp (www.sketchup.com). You
can download a full version that lets you use it for up to eight hours.

You might want to look at "Solid Edge" if into modelling. It has
comprehensive tutorials. However, this and other suggested software
is WAY overboard for non-trained draftsmen wo want to do simple
woodworking design ...unless writing the book. Most is just Tim the
Toolman grunting. Try DeltaCad for most purposes.

wrote in message
oups.com...
The OP asked about CAD in the title and design in the text.

If you are looking to a software solution to aid in the
conceptualization of a design, then Sketchup is wonderful. Less good
if you are looking to use it as part of a CAD-CAM process.

Will Sketchup so Dimensioning?

I'm a proponent of DeltaCad. It is quite intuitive and easy to use. You
can go to www.deltacad.con and download a 30 day trial version to see if you
like before you pop for the big $39.95 to purchase it!

Don Dando
"Geoff" wrote in message
ups.com...
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

"Leon" wrote in message
wrote in message
The OP asked about CAD in the title and design in the text.

If you are looking to a software solution to aid in the
conceptualization of a design, then Sketchup is wonderful. Less good
if you are looking to use it as part of a CAD-CAM process.

Will Sketchup so Dimensioning?


Will Sketchup do Dimensioning? Yes it will and very nicely too.
Larry
--
Lawrence L'Hote
Columbia, MO
www.llhote.com

"Lawrence L'Hote" wrote in message
news:wlTNd.54087$IV5.47965@attbi_s54...

"Leon" wrote in message
wrote in message
The OP asked about CAD in the title and design in the text.

If you are looking to a software solution to aid in the
conceptualization of a design, then Sketchup is wonderful. Less good
if you are looking to use it as part of a CAD-CAM process.

Will Sketchup so Dimensioning?


Will Sketchup do Dimensioning? Yes it will and very nicely too.
Larry

Thanks.

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 23:09:19 GMT, "Leon"
wrote:


FWIW, I down loaded this program to try out and went to the site for a quick
overview of the program. The speaker on the demo stressed that Sketchup IS
NOT a CAD program, which the OP is looking for. IIRC it is a design
program.

It does seem to have a mechanical design component.

In article . com,
"Geoff" wrote:

Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?


I am AutoCAD trained and find it bulky, overpriced and far from
intuitive. Who needs 6 ways to draw a line?
3D modelling is cumbersome and to get any rendering
performance/shaders/textures/ray tracing you have to buy this and buy
that, video cards yadda yadda.
To this day, I have NO idea where the hell the reputation came from.

I use Vectorworks. (aka MiniCAD...Mini as in "smaller than a MainFrame")
Available for PC or Mac, it exports/imports in all the important file
formats like .dwg, .dxf.
Full blown 3D, NURBS, the works.

http://www.nemetschek.net/

Sketchup is deceptive in its simple look and makes you feel like its a
slick modeling program and nothing more. I didn't really start
getting it until I had spent 6 hours with the program. The little
program Designcad has a whole toolbar devoted to selecting a wide range
of snap functions. Sketchup accomplishes the same thing without having
to have a toolbar or menu - its built-in to the way the program works
when you draw. Want to snap to a mid point? Just move your pointer
past the midpoint of a line and it says "Aha, you must be wanting to
turn on snap-to-midpoint function". Want to draw perpendicular to the
Y-axis? No need to turn on ortho mode. Just draw the line and kind of
move it around until the line turns green and you are on the Y-axis.
Want to dimension? Just click the dimension button than drag out a
dimension from a part of the drawing where you need a dimension and
position it where its most visible (or least obtrusive).

Yeah, I kind of like it, but Designcad is getting more interesting as I
learn more about it.

By the way, I sure respect liking the program you've learned and with
which you are comfortable. Years ago, I remember having long
discussions about the superiority of Wordperfect over Word. Then all
the word processing programs got so good, that it didn't matter any
more.

I think this could be a religious war, but we won't let it be because
we are more interested in building things. :-)

Bob

Don Dando wrote:
I'm a proponent of DeltaCad. It is quite intuitive and easy to use.
You
can go to www.deltacad.con and download a 30 day trial version to see
if you
like before you pop for the big $39.95 to purchase it!

Don Dando
"Geoff" wrote in message
ups.com...
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than
AutoCAD
2005?


I have used DeltaCad for years. It is a good 2D drawing package for
$40.

So will a pencil and paper but there are better ways than either.

"Guess who" wrote in message
...
AutoCad will let you design a 747 complete.
What did you have in mind?

John did you get my email???

Brian

"John Carlson" wrote in message
...
On 7 Feb 2005 13:51:07 -0800, "Geoff" wrote:

Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

I've been using TurboCAD for several years and I like it. Last time I
looked, it was available in several flavors ranging from free to a few
hundred bucks. I started with the free version and decided I liked it
and upgraded to one that was ~$60-70 IIRC and haven't needed anything
more.

Published e-mail address is for spam collection only.
If e-mailing me, use jc631 at optonline dot net

-- jc

On Mon, 7 Feb 2005 19:39:54 -0800, "CW" wrote:

So will a pencil and paper but there are better ways than either.

I wasn't being facetious. Autocad is WAY over the edge for the
simpler needs of woodsmiths. Knowing more specific needs [2D, 3D,
modelling...] I'd give better directions.

....But forget it. This topic has run dry in any case.

Just incidentally, don't knock pencil and paper before oyu decide
"better". I used to teach construction drawing as well as math and
computer programming/applications, and have done and keep drawings
that are dead-accurate using simple drafting tools, as well as using
software [DeltaCad and Solid Edge for two.] Look up "the Carpenter's
Square" for a great book on layout, and then try to find the math
behind all of that. It's simple, and it works ...not the math, but
what it produced.

"Guess who" wrote in message
.. .
AutoCad will let you design a 747 complete.
What did you have in mind?

I am just asking, Does anyone use Linux?

I found this site for a woodworking CAD program:
http://lignumcad.sourceforge.net/doc/en/HTML/index.html
any comments?

I have not read any posts on this thread using CAD on a Linux OS. Due to
the nature of the beast, I would have thought any BSD derivatives like
Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD and so forth would be ideal for CAD, vector graphics,
CAD/CAM, etc. Yes, I know there would be sharing and presentation problems
for commercial use, but not for most of the users in the newsgroup.

But what the hey, if it works on Linux, with windowsX can Mac OS be far
behind?

Phil

"Geoff" wrote in message
ups.com...
Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

On 7 Feb 2005 13:51:07 -0800, "Geoff" wrote:

Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

Solidworks. Oh, wait you want cheap. Nevermind.

Solidworks 2005 now comes with an executable that appears to look just
like Autocad except it's not Autocad.

Still, you want cheap. Sorry, I can't help, I use Autocad and
Solidworks.

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 22:02:23 -0500, Robatoy
wrote:

I am AutoCAD trained and find it bulky, overpriced and far from
intuitive. Who needs 6 ways to draw a line?

I do. I use Autocad and Solidworks for a living. There's nothing
like having options when you need them.

3D modelling is cumbersome and to get any rendering
performance/shaders/textures/ray tracing you have to buy this and buy
that, video cards yadda yadda.

Not really. My copy of Solidworks 2005 works just fine here without
any special attention to the graphics card, though I'm aware it
*might* be a problem. For me, it's not.

To this day, I have NO idea where the hell the reputation came from.


What reputation?

I use TurboCAD. It has been highly rated in several reviews of CAD
software in woodworking magazines over the years. Best thing is that
it is available free as TurboCAD LE Learning Edition at
http://www.al-ki.com/tcad/download.php.

As with most CAD programs, it takes some time and effort to learn. It
does nice drawings once you learn it.

Mr Fixit eh

Leon, I was using QuickCad but they decided it was so similar to AutoSketch
they just combined the features and released version 9 and abandoned
QuickCad altogether.

It works well enough for my needs and it will also read AutoCad files. It
makes my job much easier.

Dave



"Leon" wrote in message
. com...

"TeamCasa" wrote in message
...
This is asked several times a year. A search will reveal most common
suggestions,
however, I have recently been using AutoSketch 9. Made by Autodesk and
it works well enough for my uses.


Wow Dave , Auto Sketch 9. My last version of that program was 2.1 and
that version was pretty impressive. I have been using AutoCAD LT since
leaving 2.1 AutoSketch.




Posted Via Usenet.com Premium Usenet Newsgroup Services
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"Lazarus Long" wrote in message
news
On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 22:02:23 -0500, Robatoy
wrote:

I am AutoCAD trained and find it bulky, overpriced and far from
intuitive. Who needs 6 ways to draw a line?

I do. I use Autocad and Solidworks for a living. There's nothing
like having options when you need them.

Me too. I was formally trained for 2 years on paper with a t -square and
triangles. While I only use AutoCAD LT now and have never had any CAD
training in the 20 years of using CAD programs I have appreciated having the
shortcuts and options that help me use what I learned when drawing by hand.
I think many people that never learned on paper missed out on a lot of the
fundimentals of drafting and do not fully appreciate the advantages that
AutoCAD has.

On Tue, 08 Feb 2005 16:09:31 -0500, Anonymous
wrote:


Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD, does
anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD 2005?

Take a look at BobCad. My son is their tech support guru ... says it's
good stuff. Don't know if it suits your purposes, though.

Could you ask him why *none* of the Google links work?

One blurb: Save $100 -$500 doesn't tickle my financial palate.

Also, its CAD-CAM, and who the heck needs that in his garage workshop?

In article ,
Lazarus Long wrote:

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 22:02:23 -0500, Robatoy
wrote:

I am AutoCAD trained and find it bulky, overpriced and far from
intuitive. Who needs 6 ways to draw a line?

I do. I use Autocad and Solidworks for a living. There's nothing
like having options when you need them.

3D modelling is cumbersome and to get any rendering
performance/shaders/textures/ray tracing you have to buy this and buy
that, video cards yadda yadda.

Not really. My copy of Solidworks 2005 works just fine here without
any special attention to the graphics card, though I'm aware it
*might* be a problem. For me, it's not.

To this day, I have NO idea where the hell the reputation came from.


What reputation?


You like AutoCAD, I like Vectorworks. We are both happy.

Vectorworks Architect with a 64-bit (900MHz bus) G-5 Mac
for the price of AutoCAD...ohhkay..lemme think about that...

OOPS..thought about it....

Beta WAS better than VHS, you know....*ducking*

0?0

Rob

[If you're looking for a CAD program that's 3d-oriented, easy to use, and
extremely powerful, with a ton of features you may never use but which are
good to have just in case, try Rhino. If you need solids, parametrics, and
mechanical-design functions, look into Inovate from Ironcad. I've got both
programs at a steep discount from list prices.]

Andrew Werby
www.computersculpture.com



"Robatoy" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Lazarus Long wrote:

On Mon, 07 Feb 2005 22:02:23 -0500, Robatoy
wrote:

I am AutoCAD trained and find it bulky, overpriced and far from
intuitive. Who needs 6 ways to draw a line?

I do. I use Autocad and Solidworks for a living. There's nothing
like having options when you need them.

3D modelling is cumbersome and to get any rendering
performance/shaders/textures/ray tracing you have to buy this and buy
that, video cards yadda yadda.

Not really. My copy of Solidworks 2005 works just fine here without
any special attention to the graphics card, though I'm aware it
*might* be a problem. For me, it's not.

To this day, I have NO idea where the hell the reputation came from.


What reputation?


You like AutoCAD, I like Vectorworks. We are both happy.

Vectorworks Architect with a 64-bit (900MHz bus) G-5 Mac
for the price of AutoCAD...ohhkay..lemme think about that...

OOPS..thought about it....

Beta WAS better than VHS, you know....*ducking*

0?0

Rob

On 7 Feb 2005 14:02:14 -0800, "Fred" vaguely
proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

It's now around $60-70US from Amazon. I am using it, but still
learning. it has some funnies. People keep telling me it's my fault. I
am not so sure. but in general it's a powerful and useful programme.

I had one a few years back called DesignCad. Seems like it was around
$399 for the 2D version, the 3D version was a little more. It worked
pretty well and was fairly easy to use. It helps to have a digitizer
board to go with it but not absolutely necessary.

Fred

On 7 Feb 2005 13:51:07 -0800, "Geoff" vaguely
proposed a theory
.......and in reply I say!:

remove ns from my header address to reply via email

Pencil and paper?

Seriously, be careful. It's easy to let the CAD take over from just
getting on with the job.

Since I'd rather spend $3000+ on a Laguna band saw than on AutoCAD,
does anyone have a recommendation on design software other than AutoCAD
2005?

I was cleaning out one of those O' Sullivan entertainment centers
yesterday. It has doors on the bottom that slide open. I have been
using it has a bookshelf for all my computer software and books. And I
found Autodesks Autosketch Ver. 2.0 and a copy of Generic Cadd Ver.
1.1. Both in 5 1/4" disk format.

Are there still any 5 1/4" floppy drives around? Would like to see if
they still work.

Bill

Yes, you can still buy them. About $10.00.
"Bill Davis Jr" wrote in message
...
I was cleaning out one of those O' Sullivan entertainment centers
yesterday. It has doors on the bottom that slide open. I have been
using it has a bookshelf for all my computer software and books. And I
found Autodesks Autosketch Ver. 2.0 and a copy of Generic Cadd Ver.
1.1. Both in 5 1/4" disk format.

Are there still any 5 1/4" floppy drives around? Would like to see if
they still work.

Bill