I am trying to replace my Surveying Software & was wondering if anyone has ever tried to configure Draftsight for survey drawing. I have been using PROCOGO for calculations since about 1993 & may just update that but my CAD is history. I see the Army Corps of Engineers is using Procogo, if I am not mistaken. It was a major gov. entity as advertised in their ad for a surveyor. It stated that experience with Procogo was desirable. I have worked with the Carlson full Civil Suite. All I do these days is surveying & it was 90% or more civil. It would do everything but drive the truck but was not very user friendly & the folks I worked for didn't see the need to provide any training. I do a few as-built surveys which can be very detailed but I try to target large boundaries & I like State Plane coordinates. I don't collect thousands of points a day & the necessary coordinate conversions can be calculated quite easily on a desktop or hand held calculator. I guess what I am trying to say is I am looking for good basic surveying software without a lot of bells & whistles. I am using Windows 7 now but I am not happy with microsoft so I am looking at other operating systems. I think the "7" means they are going to abandon you in seven years. I also prefer "Stand Alone" Software.
I am not trying to "Badmouth" anybody. Obviously, the right tool for me is not going to work for everybody but surveyors & engineers are usually very knowledgeable about computers & such & I would welcome any suggestions or information.
Thank you,
Geo.
> .... I have worked with the Carlson full Civil Suite. All I do these days is surveying & it was 90% or more civil....
It seems to me that Carlson Survey would be for you, then.
If it's Cad as the principal reason then I'd go for Bricscad.
It's rock solid. Keeps going where Intellicad grimaces and caves in.
There are heaps of available LISP routines to simplify life and a user base that is ever so helpful.
If you have a decent COGO and don't expect that side from Cad program then it's worth considering Bricscad. Price is cheaper than Carlson.
I have MicroSurvey. Another Intellicad driven program like Carlson.
You mention moving from Windows. Not sure if you mean Mac or other (Linux)
Bricscad runs all.
Not sure about Intellicad driven MicroSurvey or Carlson.
If you want to spend a lot more the embedded AutoCad version of MicroSurvey (expect same for Carlson) is a different program.
My experience with it was very good. Head and shoulders above Intellicad. But there's the price to consider.
Grab a demo of Bricscad.
There's also a lot of applications for Bricscad by third party developers.
All the best with your choice.
I hate to sound like a cheerleader, but I've been so impressed by BricsCAD that I need to endorse Richard's comments. After using AutoCAD for over 20 years, I finally got fed up with the Autodesk pricing model and vowed to switch to something else. My first attempt was with CMS IntelliCAD, but it was a performance dog and its AutoLISP implementation was only fair. (My workflow relies heavily on AutoLISP automation.)
I soon went back to using my now out-of-contract AutoCAD installation for production work, but after several months I decided to give BricsCAD a try. I haven't looked back. Performance is snappy, the AutoLISP implementation is superb, and the price is almost negligible. I've had to tweak a few things like printer settings, but I'm working productively and haven't fired up AutoCAD in months. (In fact, I can't - during a hard drive upgrade I managed to hose my AutoCAD install, and since I'm out of contact Autodesk won't provide authorization codes.)
Two thumbs up for BricsCAD!
Hi Norman,
Thank you for your reply. Oregon is very pretty. I was in Washington State as a kid & went salmon fishing with Dad out of the Columbia river. I see you are in Oklahoma now. I've been to Oklahoma too. Didn't spend much time there but the folks are very nice. A bank in Oklahoma was the only place that would cash my military separation check when I was on the way home from Vietnam.
I don't think you are diagnosing my needs correctly. I already have a cogo program, what I need is CAD. I can get an update for my cogo but not my CAD program, I would keep it if I could. Carlson runs in autocad or intellicad. Other than being too expensive & overkill for what I need, I have nothing against intellicad. I'll pass on autocad. Actually, I met the owner of Carlson personally, Mr. Carlson I assume. He came to the office where I worked recently. Very powerful stuff & Mr. Carlson is a fine gentleman. I just prefer to spend my time studying GPS & geodetic science as apposed to trying to figure out complicated software.
There are a multitude of CAD programs out there & some are free downloads. I am willing to pay for what I get but have often wondered why certain entities are allowed to violate U.S. antitrust laws with impunity. As you may know, Draftsight was developed by Mr. Graebert & his associates. I think they call one of their products iSurvey or are affiliated with the same. I am not an expert on the company or their products, that is why I am asking for information. It has been stated that these folks offer some very powerful alternative software. I have found that the best way to gain knowledge is to ask questions.
That's encouraging Jim. Which package do you have? Sounds like my next upgrade.
Thanks, that's the kind of information I was looking for. Brics CAD was on my list of CAD programs to look at & it sounds like it may be what I am looking for. I have been working with CAD since the first day it was invented. I have used a AutoCAD clone (for the lack of a better description) but never AutoCad. I had a cursory introduction to Intellicad but didn't work with it long enough to really learn it. I was drawing plats with the autocad clone in a few hours but the company that made it didn't last. The head engineer (only engineer) where I worked briefly (I have been self employed since 1983) said intellicad was autocad but I am not sure he knew.
Add another big thumbs up here. BricsCAD has earned its place here we find it a very nice, stable alternative to WellKnownCAD. It starts up fast and has a clean interface that matches our desktop (unlike dark or darker choices).
With the licensing options (or lack thereof) that WellKnownCAD is pursuing, I forecast a bright future for BricsCAD. We recommend it regularly, locally and globally.
Looks like it's going to be BricsCAD. I assume it has a decimal foot units option. What survey interface/ CAD programs are you using with it? Just about anything will import a ASKII file. I have Traverse PC but have never used it. The only reason I haven't given it away is it may have some application for geodetic work or topographic surveys but it would drive me up the wall trying to do a complicated as built with it. They won't give me my money back but I'll sell it cheap!
CHARLIE / aka Geo
ascii in BricsCAD?
> ...Just about anything will import a ASKII file..
Will BricsCAD import ascii point data? For the surveying community that would seem to me to be a big selling point...yet there is no mention of that function in all their published data.
Can anybody familiar with BricsCAD let us know?
Which version did you obtain (classic, pro, platinum)?
Were you able to get any of your existing 3rd party packages running?
ascii in BricsCAD?
> Will BricsCAD import ascii point data?
I'm sure that, just as with AutoCAD, you would need some outside help to achieve that. But it's not particularly difficult. Once upon a time I wrote a LISP that would read a P,N,E,Z,D file and insert POINT blocks( the old SDSK type) at each location, with a point number, elevation, and description attribute.
Terry is selling Dotsoft to go along with your BricsCAD to take are of those sorts of things. Seems like BricsCAD + Dotsoft would run you about $1200 a copy.
>... said intellicad was autocad ....
Intellicad is enough like AutoCAD that an experienced user of AutoCAD can sit down and go right to work on IntelliCAD on day one. But they are definitely different programs.
ascii in BricsCAD?
Native Bricscad no, but applications written for such do.
I run Dotsoft applications.
They are very good and yes you can import Ascii files.
Dotsoft is one of those developers who I've found makes rock solid applications that don't clash with Bricscad. It's a very painless install. Some other routines /applications aren't that painless in my opinion.
The default prototype drawing is architectural but you can easily change to a decimal or better yet change all the settings to your liking and save your own startup template.
For ascii import you can even get the lower cost BricsCAD Classic version (like Jim) and find lots of free import lisp code on the web. For the ability to run more heavy hitting add-ons consider the Pro version.
They have a 30-day evaluation you can download and can work with (so do we).