Thread: Autocad

Can anyone recommend a decent autocad software to invest in mainly going to be used to draw up engineering components.

2d or 3D ???

i use Catia, its the bollocks.

Varicad is improving all the time.
One of the advantages is that all tollbox are included and no annual fee if you do not wish to upgrade...

It cost around 600 Usd what is a bargain compared to Autocad and Solid Works...

the compatibilty with the 2 majors cited above is good and always improving.

They always have deals to choose from for free upgrade years and such...


www.varicad.com

Autocad Lite minimum. (2d only)
You can download DesignCad for free and give it a try. I tried it looks like it has all the functionality of Autocad and is dirt cheap. But after 20+ years Autocad and Micro station. There really only one choice for me.

Originally Posted by jonboy

Can anyone recommend a decent autocad software to invest in mainly going to be used to draw up engineering components.

Yeah, i don't like the new interface, so I haven't upgraded our 60+ licenses.

Mind you, our ajor client insists we save as 2000 filetype.....

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Mind you, our ajor client insists we save as 2000 filetype.....

You have to love it when they say that. They expect you to keep up to date and they dont upgrade themselves.

Originally Posted by Thai Pom

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Mind you, our ajor client insists we save as 2000 filetype.....

You have to love it when they say that. They expect you to keep up to date and they dont upgrade themselves.

Doh!!!

Actually, I've recently been on an offshore job for a major (Talisman) in Malaysia and they wanted drawings for site reports done in word or converted to metafiles from CAD because apparently a lot of the supposed engineers reading the damn things didnt even have a dwg. viewer let alone autoCAD itself...

They still want all final deliverables in imperial as well.

I think we have to deliver them on stone tablets!!!

We use Autocad 2007 in our office. I don't know about the upgades for 2009. Autocad is pretty much the industry standard.

Just get them printed directly to PDF.

What you on for Talisman, I've had a few friends (piping designers) who formerly worked here doing something with Talisman for the last few years, some big topsides I think.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Just get them printed directly to PDF.

What you on for Talisman, I've had a few friends (piping designers) who formerly worked here doing something with Talisman for the last few years, some big topsides I think.

The Bunga Raya Field (out of Kuantan offshore Malaysia)

Originally Posted by Bobcock

Just get them printed directly to PDF.

Thats the way to do it !!! But dont forget to send a copy of Adobe Reader with it !!

Originally Posted by jonboy

n anyone recommend a decent autocad software to invest in mainly going to be used to draw up engineering components

ACAD 2000 is more than enough, unless you want to use parametric blocks, then move to 2007 or up.

Originally Posted by Bobcock

I haven't upgraded our 60+ licenses.

Just curious: what do you do to need 60+ ACAD ???

Employ 60+ Autocad draftsman, I'm the design manager for a company that designs, builds and installs Wellhead Platforms.

^ wow, I'd never thought you'd need so many draftmen to do that !

Cheers

Structural, Electrical, Instrumentation, Process, Piping, on design and fabrication side and engineers to review drawings (I have 3 licenses myself, one on my desktop and one each on both my laptops).

One small wellhead is over 1600 drawings and schedules these days are way way faster than in pre Autocad days.