After spending a frustrating evening with the latest iteration of one of the mainstream CAD packages, I'm wondering if others are having issues with software based on IntelliCAD 7.2?
Why is it that the CAD software I'm using today seems far worse than that I used 20 years ago?
In 9 out of 10 cases when I have run into this wall, I usually find that the problem is that I am trying to do something "the way I have always done it" rather than the way the software now works. Most manuals are written in "Chinglish" and very difficult to follow or else they simply do not address what I am trying to do at all. It's not just Intellicad (I am not totally sold on Intellicad either at this point, but it is MUCH better than it used to be.)it's all of the current survey packages.
The software is getting more complex on a daily basis. Civil3D is a nightmare to any logically minded person. The good old days of grabbing a Users Manual and taking off on your own are LONG gone. Add to that the simple fact that the guy that sold you the software generally doesn't have a clue either, and you have one Mell of a Hess!!
For the software that I believe you are addressing there are but 3 options:
(1) Formal training at one of the software's "Colleges". This is expensive, but well worth the money.
(2) Getting with others in your area using the same software and comparing notes on how to do stuff. Create a mini-user's group.
(3) Check out the new training book at Cadapult.com. It's around $80 and covers a whole lot of stuff. It's set up for the Intellicad AND AutoCad users.
There is also a 4th option - get your money back, use what you are familiar with and keep it simple.
I'm still running AutoCAD 2004 / LDD / Map / after an earnest and nearly month-long intense effort to use $1800 worth of compulsory upgrade to Autodesk's Civil-3D 2007 a few years ago, something which I found to be a bloated, overly convoluted and complicated nightmare, particularly when thinking back as a youthful end user since Release 9 (pre-Windows). I haven't regretted staying with AutoCAD Land Enabled / Land Desktop 2004, have no issues running it on my Win 7 64-bit machine and if the post-2004 dwg provided by the colleague can't be opened, there is Autodesk's DWG TrueView [year] utility.
Why is it that the CAD software I'm using today seems far worse than that I used 20 years ago?
Yep!
Second that.
Autocad 12 was the apex of Autocad. Then they got off the DOS based program and went to windows. It's been all downhill since.
I finally found a good tech guy and he set up Autocad 2000 and newer versions on my computer and all the other computers in the office.
I now use 2000 for everything and almost never enter into the later versions. Just a few tasks that the new versions work better at. I used Autocad2010 for most of a year and found it just to be too slow.
Things just get done faster if I stick to 2000. If I could use raster images in Autocad 12 I'd be using it.
I work with an engineer that will not use the newer versions either. Like me, he says it just takes too long to accomplish anything and he can't fool around with it. He needs to get a drawing out the door.
THE Almighty Dollar
From a business point of view I can understand software developers that want to make their product appealing and usable to an ever-expanding range of clients. And I agree that is what has 'polluted' cad softwares.
For a good long time A&E design firms were the largest market. We enjoyed that because all the innovations were slanted toward design and print production. Now you have to search through endless columns of pull-downs just to find something that used to be right there on top. It's ghastly.
I have clients that require MicroStation and I have clients that require AutoCad. I'm fortunate (?!) enough to have access to both. But it only proves something that I said almost twenty years ago:
"Those of us that work in both are proficient in neither."
As long as I can get a print out the door I'm happy. But it does come with a frustration factor that seems to grow each day.
Just upgraded ourselves. Had been using SurvCad over ACAD 2002, since, well, 2002. Just bumped to Survey 2013 over ICAD 7.2. Lots of great new features, lots of bugs. Some of the bugs were pretty disastrous, like not being able to import aerial images properly (something we use on almost every job). But a new beta release was available pretty quickly that cleaned that up, and brought about some other bugs, such as not being able to view blocks properly...sometimes. If they will keep fixing it on a quick tempo, it might be okay. If they wait until Survey 2014 to get it right, I'm probably not going to be very happy.
The new surface editor is a far cry better than what I used in SurvCad XML. Exporting linework to Google Earth is going to give us new marketing potential. Projection tools are really slick. Plotting isn't nearly as easy as it was. I suppose you just have to weigh the pros and cons and see if it works for you. It's a shame there have to be any cons though.
I am quite happy using my copy of AutoCAD 2000i. And it even runs fine on Windows 7!
> After spending a frustrating evening with the latest iteration of one of the mainstream CAD packages, I'm wondering if others are having issues with software based on IntelliCAD 7.2?
>
> Why is it that the CAD software I'm using today seems far worse than that I used 20 years ago?
While I cannot speak for Intellicad at all I can say that the CAD software of today is nothing like the software of 20 years ago. Some people can continue to use the old outdated software that they are familiar with...after all...if it's not broke dont fix it. Right? Others, like me, can't afford that luxury(?). If you are sharing data with any medium to large sized engineering firm you have to be current on most every software platform or you aren't working for them. Yes, that poses some issues such as the extreme learning curve with most of the top end software such as Civil3d and $#$#* Microstation. Most principals or managers do not understand the levels of training necessary in today's market. So unless you have some extremely bright people working for you you're going to be in a world of hurt with each so called upgrade. We're experiencing learning curves with Civil3d on both the engineering and surveying ends. After the initial learning curve is done and you get to see what the software can really do I would never go back. You just have to break through that barrier and that can be frustrating.
AutoCAD 10 Can Do Everything I Need
With SurvCADD 10 it had features I still prefer.
But Carlson did not move too far away.
I believe with 2 letter quick commands on the command line, a full 12"x12" or bigger digitizer and a 16 button puck, work went very fast. Just because the computer processor is faster the work does not get done any faster.
Paul in PA