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[Cliff Rohrabacher]

for 2008, The Student package. Any one used it know of it.

[James Stokes]

I know I would like to have it but other than that not sure what you are asking

[Drew Bru]

I just finished Acad2008 training. I don't know about the student package, but the professional edition is nice. Not the easiest to learn if you don't already know Acad though.

[Bill Duncan]

Auto CAD is one of the industry standards CAD drawing programs. It is available in both standard and light versions. The student versions are a full function version of Auto CAD but you must meet certian qualifications in order to purchase it. (Such as a registered student, educational institution employee, etc.) and usually you have to sign an agreement that you will use the program as a learning tool and you will not use it for commercial use.
It is an excellent program with somewhat of a steep learning curve.
Hope this helps.

[Chase Gregory]

We're running Autocad Architecure 2008 as well as a few other programs.

IMHO, AutoCAD is not really a good one to use outside of a professional environment if you don't have to - unless you already know it thoroughly. We use it primarily for industry compatibility.

I'd recommend DataCAD, ArchiCAD or even SketchUP...

AutoCAD Student versions are DANGEROUS - to full version users. I don't even want to hire people who have the student version because we don't need the worry/liability.

If even just a student version component (like a single block/symbol) get's copied from a student version file into a full version file it corrupts it and puts the student version *stamp* on it. If that happens on a network and people start copying that block (like an owners logo, etc...) to other files you can very quickly contaminate an entire network. Then you may also be responsible for contaminating the offices of your consultants...not good.

AutoDesk allows one *remedy* for LIFE. Next time you're out of luck.

Our CAD vendor had a 120 license office that got contaminated - no idea how - could have been a file from an engineer or any other number of consultants - AutoDesk made no exceptions for that 120 license office.

I don't particularly like AutoCAD as compared to others we've used in the past, but we need to be compatible w/ our engineers and, simply, need to use what the Arch and tech schools are teaching our future employees to use.

Which means in 5 years well probably move to Revit.

I don't consider it a friendly program. But then again when I went thru Arch school we did all hand drafting so I'm inherenly cynnical...

Chaser

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

I'm having trouble getting my CADKEY Ver. 7.0 to run on my new box. I have a separate HD that I plug in alone (so I don't have to screw with dual boot issues) running DOS ver. 6. My old legacy DOS box finally craped out.

The program screen is missing all the control buttons and there is an echo to the screen from native DOS that shouldn't be there and makes no sense. I think it's the hardware that wasn't designed for DOS.

As a CADKEY user I'm likely to be happier with Solidworks but the full version is somewhat pricey and the student version expires after 24 months.

I have an old version of Solidworks but it only runs on Windows 98.

Scetchup isn't what I want. I have it - don't like it at all.

I have a Release 13 of Autoocad and I despise it. I'm told it's the single worse release they ever made. I bought a great huge tome of a book by Sybex that was supposed to help me learn the thing and nearly everything in the book is wrong.

So I'm looking for alternatives.

Honestly I'd much prefer a wire based 3-D program and skip all the solid modeling stuff.

[James Kuhn]

Honestly I'd much prefer a wire based 3-D program and skip all the solid modeling stuff.

I started using autocad r11 for architectural modeling using 3dfaces and surfaces before good solid modeling was available outside unix machines. It is far from an intuitive way of doing things but makes up for it in accuracy. Feel free to pm me with any questions.

[Brad Shipton]

Chase:
Have you seen many change over to Revit yet? We went with Tekla Structures, because it has more similarities to CAD. Quite a lot more expensive, and I can make great 3D models of things I want to build. The whole drag and drop of Revit is diff to get used to. Architects bending for Engs, things must be diff in the US

Cliff:
More current versions of Autocad are somewhat easier to use, but still have a lot of things to set to get to work correctly. If you dont have a formal background in drafting you might not like much about Autocad.

Brad

[Jim Becker]

Cliff, perhaps you should try DesignCAD, TurboCAD or DeltaCAD....all are inexpensive and quite functional. I designed my kitchen with DesignCAD, although I haven't used it since I bought SketchUp! (prior to the free version being available)

[Wes Bischel]

Cliff,
Can't help you out with AutoCAD 2008, but it might help others with recommendations if you mention what you want to use it for.
I've used AutoCAD since '86 (yes V13 was a real stinker). I moved to IntelliCAD when I had to pay for it out of pocket. I use Sketchup regularly now for projects and have been pleased with it's performance for basic visualization and technical drawings.

FWIW,
Wes

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Cliff,
Can't help you out with AutoCAD 2008, but it might help others with recommendations if you mention what you want to use it for.

Detailed, complex, dimensionally accurate, drawing.

Long ago when the big deal computer of the day was a Proteus with a 450 Meg HD and a whole meg of RAM ram (yah a WHOLE MEG can you believe the raw unstoppable power~??) and - - get this Zero Wait State. And the entrance price was $5000.00 . By today's standards it'd be a bad joke. But, then~ ~ ~ ~


I bought that computer loaded it with CADKEY and MultiMate Advantage II, and used that software in various jobs through it's various iterations through Version 7.0 for everything from designing ultra high vacuum components, manipulators, electron beam rastering guns, packaging machinery, valves, laboratory apparatus PH blood Gas flame photometers, (the world's first Pletier effect PCR machine), weapons systems, and of course my hobby.

I used it to solve for all my rather profound dyslexic math illiteracy issues as it facilitated all my complex geometry and all I had to do was understand materials sciences on a molecular level and know what functions and geometries I wanted and why. The software helped me to render it all in actual dimensions which took the math out of the equation for me.

I don't need visualization. I got that in my head. I want the 20 some odd decimal places of digital accuracy in three dimensions with hundreds of layers, colors, and the ability to store component part pieces for later and other uses.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Well so I bit the bullet and wiped that drive against the possibility of a buggy install. then I Fdisked, partitioned and formatted it and reinstalled.

Same problem.

I have an older Diamond monster video card that may work if i can get the legacy drivers for it.

Being obsolete is no fun

[Wes Bischel]

Cliff,
I can see from your requirements that Sketchup won't be of much help to you! Honestly, it sounds like you have what you need, it's more a matter of getting it up and running on your current system if possible.

Good luck with the set-up!

Wes

[Heather Deans]

I build theatre scenery, and many theatre people have started using Vectorworks- I'm not sure of the cost, but the company (Nemetschek) is friendly, and the program is great- It is object based as opposed to line based, which took a little getting used to for a former AutoCAD user, but super easy 3-D capabilities- starting w/ wireframe, but easily working up into super complex modeling. I pretty much go as far as wireframe, and stop there- but I've seen more if you want the capabilities for both. Honestly, I use it mostly for 2-d drafting, but the 3-d elements are very easy. Good Luck!