Hello all,
I'm a student at the moment, and I'm taking a couple of courses in AutoCAD 2016. Though we're being taught on PCs, I downloaded the student licensed version for my Mac, and I think it pales in comparison with the PC version in terms of intuitive layout and ease of use. A lot can be customized or course, but a lot of what I'd deem to be important features can't.
In a professional setting, is PC the standard? Just want to know which one I should spend most of my time getting used to!
Thanks,
Cary
I've never seen a company use MAC for cad. I'm sure some do, but I've never seen it around here...
Design companies are fond of MAC products.
Carlson started out on MAC and when the ram became a limiter in the early 1980s they and everyone else turned to Windows and have not looked back.
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Cary M, post: 368372, member: 11598 wrote: is PC the standard?
Just figuring it up. 27 years. 13 different companies. 2 countries, 3 states. In all that time I've never seen a MAC used to do CAD. In fact, I can't remember seeing a MAC in any of those offices outside of the marketing department.
I do know of one guy, a salesman, that used a dual boot mac for his engineering/surveying applications. Yes, you could say that PC is the standard for engineering.
Cary M, post: 368372, member: 11598 wrote: Hello all,
I'm a student at the moment, and I'm taking a couple of courses in AutoCAD 2016. Though we're being taught on PCs, I downloaded the student licensed version for my Mac, and I think it pales in comparison with the PC version in terms of intuitive layout and ease of use. A lot can be customized or course, but a lot of what I'd deem to be important features can't.
In a professional setting, is PC the standard? Just want to know which one I should spend most of my time getting used to!
Thanks,
Cary
One word:
Virtual Machines
(Well, OK, two words).
Best of both worlds. Run Windows (any flavor) on a Mac. Use whichever platform runs the software you use the best.
By the way, I've rarely heard the terms "AutoCAD" and "intuitive" used in the same sentence. Oxymoronic.
PC is definitely the standard. I've seen a few people over the years run AutoCAD on a Mac. It was just vanilla AutoCAD, not any of the vertical applications like Civil 3D, Land Development Desktop, Map, etc... and none of these people were employees of any of the companies I worked for.
I have friends that use AutoCad C3D on Macs BUT they must dual boot to use windows on their Mac. I understand that while there is a Mac version of AutoCAD there is NO AutoCAD C3D for Mac.
My wife has a Mac and while it is excellent hardware she has a hard time with it after having used windows for so many years. I now have to buy her a new windows laptop so she will stop cursing the *#@* computer.
T.W.
Thanks for your input! I wondered, because the Mac version of AutoCAD 2016 feels like a consolation prizeÛ? the layout is clumsy and cramped, and I think there are even a bunch of features missing. I'm not in a position to get hold of a whole new laptop, so I think running Windows on the Mac is the way to go.
Thanks!
Update: I've since partitioned my Mac's hard drive and installed Windows 7 (my Mac's kinda old) just to run AutoCAD and any sister programs. Much better!
Thanks for all your help!
Have you looked into Parallels Desktop? I have not run it myself, but it looks like you can run windows programs (like AutoCAD) inside the Mac ecosystem without rebooting. What the performance would be like, I would like to know.
I considered Parallels, but for my older Mac I didn't want to sacrifice performance so I went with the separate partitions. It all runs very smoothly like that, but I can see the booting/rebooting getting very tiresome in a professional setting. Also, there seem to be some minor compatibility issues; for example, my Mac's 'Delete' key doesn't actually delete in AutoCAD, so I find myself right-clicking to erase. I could probably fix that by plugging in a full-size keyboard though.
I've heard good things about Parallels, it's supposed to be pretty seamless, so when the time comes to upgrade my laptop I'll definitely look into it.
Cary M, post: 373260, member: 11598 wrote: I considered Parallels, but for my older Mac I didn't want to sacrifice performance so I went with the separate partitions. It all runs very smoothly like that, but I can see the booting/rebooting getting very tiresome in a professional setting. Also, there seem to be some minor compatibility issues; for example, my Mac's 'Delete' key doesn't actually delete in AutoCAD, so I find myself right-clicking to erase. I could probably fix that by plugging in a full-size keyboard though.
I've heard good things about Parallels, it's supposed to be pretty seamless, so when the time comes to upgrade my laptop I'll definitely look into it.
I prefer Fusion myself. Parallels tries to "Macletize" the Windows OS...making everything intermingled...directories etc. Fusion on the other hand does have shared directories, but I think it's a much cleaner virtual environment for Windows. And dual booting isn't necessary. Windows loves RAM though, so if you can max out your old machine, do so, and allocate a ton of the memory to the Windows side, if you decide to go this avenue.
I've run ACAD in Carlson and also Intellicad full strength with no discernible lag at all.
rfc, post: 373322, member: 8882 wrote: Parallels tries to "Macletize" the Windows OS...making everything intermingled...directories etc.
I upgraded my Mac to 8gb RAM and an SSD, it runs pretty well, but I know how quickly that can all get eaten up by newer programs. For now I'll stick with the dual boot, but I'll look at Fusion too when the time comes to pick a more permanent solution. Not sure that I like the sound of intermingled directories etcÛ? clean and clear-cut is definitely preferable. Thanks for weighing in!
Cary,
I'd go back through this forum and check all the cad related threads. There are some great tips hidden in there.
You need to know how to import ascii files, set up the datum, create point groups, draw break lines and create surfaces.
I'd estimate that's 90 % of what is typically required in the average survey shop.
If you want to get into construction layout you need to know how to read plans and solve difficult geometry, and cross referencing all the structural, MEP, and architectural dwgs with the details, sections, part plans, elevations and RFIs.
Higher level requirements would include coordinate transformations, accuracy analysis, and least squares adjustments.
Learning how to draw the jobs will teach you how to be more efficient in your field work.
Good luck. You're off to a great start.
Thank you Scott. It makes total sense that understanding each stage of the process will help to streamline the other stages. I appreciate the info re. survey shop skills too, this is exactly the kind of stuff I'm after. I'll also be sure to look through older posts!
"Not sure that I like the sound of intermingled directories etcÛ? clean and clear-cut is definitely preferable."
You pretty much nailed it. Unfortunately, the wonderful ecosystem of Apple makes it nightmarish for us that appreciate Macs and OSX but have to use primarily PC orientated programs. For lighter programs like AutoCAD VMware works decently enough. You can do a trial and see if you like that more than bootcamp and rebooting. It's all a PITA, either way you go.
You also hit on the "consolation prize" factor. Around 2013 or 2014, straight AutoCAD for OSx (native) became decent enough that is was tolerable, but still lacked braindead simple functions. Example, copy or paste with basepoint - missing.
I'm coming from the architecture side, not surveying, so think lots of 3d programs and rendering in addition to CAD. I've killed two laptops - bootcamp or virtualization, drivers etc. don't play so well and the computer runs hot, logic board fail. Things get buggy.
For ed, you'll be fine and I think you said you can't get another computer now so no worry. I've settled the DIY PC route for all the Arch stuff, and an Air for personal and business. With dropbox or the like, it's pretty simple and stress-free.
I've seen the toll 3D rendering takes on a computer, albeit 15 years agoÛ? Haha, came back upstairs after an hour to find a half-rendered sphere, an error message, and a 3-degree hike in room temperature. I may ultimately do the same as you if the Mac can't keep up with all the surveying programs, and just have a separate laptop for running all that stuff - but I'd like to keep it to one device if possible. Like you said, it should be fine for ed in the meantime.
Cary, I have my old MacBook Pro (2.4 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4 GB RAM) running Windows XP using VMware Fusion. I have AutoCAD LDT 2009 installed there and it runs like a dream. Absolutely zero issues. Of course, I don't use LDT anymore (or WinXP for that matter). But, if you have a Mac with enough RAM for Win7 (You'll want to have minimum 8 GB, preferably more), you can run Windows 7 via VMware Fusion as well. And Civil3D should run in that environment just fine. I haven't tried it (I haven't updated any of my Macs since 2010 since they work absolutely fine for what I do with them), but the "buzz" around the interwebs is that Fusion is the emulator of choice to run Windows on Mac OS X without dual booting.
Thanks for the heads-up; sounds like we're running about the same kind of machine. Like you, I hate updating - tried Mavericks and my mid-2010 Pro started grinding, so rolled it back to Mountain Lion and haven't budged since. If it ain't broke...
It would be nice to have everything in one space as far as file transfers, sending an email while I have the program running in the background for reference etc. That said, I know my way around Windows and it may just be easier and simpler to have a separate work laptop. Then again, by the time I need a dedicated work laptop I may be in a position to get the latest and greatest Mac, that will run everything under the sun AND give me a back-rub while doing so.
When the time comes (minimum a year from now) I'll re-evaluate what I need. Thanks for all the info!
