New to PowerCADD, Demo User Questions

[ThreeDot]

Hello all,

I am new to this forum and PowerCADD, but have extensive experience with AutoCAD and VectorWorks. I am considering PowerCADD as my main drafting enviornment. I have a few initial questions.

1. The WildTools tools don't work in the demo. They seem to be loaded properly, and activated in the preference panel. I can see and use the palattes, even access the tool options, but cannot actually use the tool. Is this turned off in the demo version, or am I doing something wrong?

2. How does PowerCADD manage a set of drawings? Can drawings be referenced to sheets and used in a clipped viewport manner, like AutoCAD or VectorWorks?

3. Why does PowerCADD pin the page to the upper left corner?

4. How do you turn snaps on/off.

MacBook 2.0GHz 2GB RAM
OS X 10.4.8


Thanks,
Matt

[Alfred Scott]

Matt,

We had some kind of screw-up with the WildTools demo. I remember fixing it and I thought it was uploaded to the website, but perhaps not.

Alfred

[pbacot]

" does PowerCADD manage a set of drawings? Can drawings be referenced to sheets and used in a clipped viewport manner, like AutoCAD or VectorWorks? "

No. there is a reference utility but not as robust as XREF. You draw what you want in the scale that you plan to print in. You can create "sheets" which are just collections of layers in particular setups.


"3. Why does PowerCADD pin the page to the upper left corner? "

Hard to say. The drawing area is limited--it has to start somewhere. You can setup to print any page (look at page setup and "drawing size" and "show page breaks". but page 1 is always in the upper left. You can set up to print any part of the drawing area with "Print window" or "print selection"

"4. How do you turn snaps on/off. "

In drawing setup / snap. You can also temporarily disable snaps holding the command key down. There are other ways to activate snaps. You can use keyed snap activation (you hold a key down like "X" for interesection while performing operation with mouse).

[ThreeDot]

Thank you for your replies, but the answers are rather disappointing.

1. WildTools not working: As a new comer, I don't understand why WildTools is a separate plug-in that duplicates and ostensibly eliminates the need to use many PowerCADD's native tools. Although they are not working in the demo, it seems the WildTools are critical to day-to-day functionality. What am I paying for with the base PowerCADD package if WildTools seems so necessary? Why aren't they rolled together so development efforts are duplicated on two fronts?

2. Reference drawings: I think it goes without saying that not having a robust referencing system severely limits PowerCADD to small production teams.

3. Drawing pinned at upper left: I suppose it was an decision made long ago, but it proves very awkward in practice. As I zoom in with the mouse wheel, it does not zoom where my cursor is hovering, as expected. Instead, it shrinks toward the upper left corner, which is where I tend to keep my drawing tools, thereby becoming partly occluded. That, and it's simply more comfortable to work at the center of one's screen than the top left corner.

4. Snaps: There are certain snaps that I use commonly and frequently (end-point, mid-point, center, etc.) and other that I almost never use (%, grid, tangent, etc.) and wish to turn off entirely so as to not be distracted by them. It seems from your response, the all snaps are working all of the time unless I want to (a) temporarily toggle them off with the command key, or (b) force a snap priority by holding down a shortcut.

In so many ways, PowerCADD seems like a great piece of software. I am interested in a powerful 2D drafting environment. After spending a little time with the partially working demo, there are real deal-breakers lingering. Has there been any discussion on these issues with future releases?


Thanks,
Matt

[pbacot]

"As I zoom in with the mouse wheel, it does not zoom where my cursor is hovering, as expected. "

That's a characteristic of the zoom function as it stands. Definitely poorly implemented.

[pbacot]

Also I turn object snap off and only use the key snaps. It becomes second nature to use the snap you need.

[Rob C]

3. I suspect that the upper left corner as 0,0 comes from the original QuickDraw starting with the original Mac. In QuickDraw, 0,0 is the upper left corner of the screen, right is positive X and down is positive Y. I think it has more to do with writing text to a computer screen with a menu bar always at the top than with the needs of CAD work.

The "zoom in now" and "zoom out now" commands do depend on the cursor location. That's what I use, not the scroll wheel. (I mostly use a Wacom pen anyway.)

[How Goes It]

I don't understand why WildTools is a separate plug-in that duplicates and ostensibly eliminates the need to use many PowerCADD's native tools.

On the surface, a number of PowerCADD tools and Wildtools appear to be the same, but many of these tools work differently. For instance, the PowerCADD Rectangle is better for typing in absolute values. The Wildtools Rectangle Tool is better for keying in relative values. Where the PowerCADD Rectangle requires you type in a minus value when needed, the Wildtools Rectangle Tool does not. Also, if you want to save a little more time, assign a command to each of these tools.

As far as the drawing being pinned to upper left ---
I am not using a scrolling mouse (never hooked it up) so I can't speak to that method of zooming, but as far as working from some place other than upper left, well you can easily establish your own user's coordinates, known in PowerCADD as Local Origin. An easy way to do this is to just drag out a new origin out of the place where the two rulers meet, in the upper left. To reset 0, 0 to upper left, double click on that same intersection of the rulers. Another way to set this is to click on the Show button in Drawing Setup. You will see where you can set the Local Origin. You might also want to read about Global Origin.

But back to the zooming with the scroll wheel -- if a number of people post their need to have this fixed, I would think Engineered Software would address it, hopefully not too far in the future.

Realize that there are a number of ways to zoom in PowerCADD/Wildtools. Rob told you of Zoom In Now & Zoom Out Now. There is also a Previous Zoom. One I have used for a long time, is a function called Zoomer. You can read about it on page 6 of the Wildtools Manual. On top of what has already been mentioned, there is also a zoom tool, and zoom in and out menu items, and commands you can assign to these. And of course there is always the Reduce To Fit and Normal (100%) menu items, and key commands for these items on top of an Overview window of which you can drag a rectangle within (this does a zoom which is reflected in your drawing window). Lastly, you are able to save Views, and assign key commands to these Views.

Having a better functioning scroll wheel would certainly be preferable. But I wouldn't let that scare me away.

It seems from your response, that all snaps are working all of the time ...
All snaps can be set to off, without having to use the command key. Then you can use the snap you want, by holding down its' key. To do this, go to the Layout Menu, down to Drawing Setup, click on the Snap button, and deselect Object and Grid under Snap. But once you get use to the program, you shouldn't find snaps to be any hang up -- they work fine. I would leave object snap on, and turn grid snap off in Drawing Setup, that is, unless you need a grid snap.

[oldguy_longley]

ThreeDot

Understand that I am not a PowerCADD user (but and AutoCAD user), however I do folloow this forum and PowerCADD . . . well I have my reasons.

Snaps:
As been suggested here, such as by How Goes It, you turn snaps off and use the command key. How I am not sure what all this entails, but think of it this way. Even in AutoCAD, with several running osanps set, in a crowded work area sometimes you will find yourself typing a sanp override at the command line. Example, I use quardant snap as one of my running snaps, and very so often I require a center snap - you simply over ride with a "cen" ant the command prompt line. Point is, as an AutoCAD users gets use to certain snap overrides and settings - on this one area, give it time to fet use to the PowerCADD command key structure. Like learning a second langauge, takes a while to become fluent.

Drawing Pinned Upper Left:
So what? Upper Left, Lower Right - it's just a matter of convention. Bottom line, there is an area to draw in.

WildTools.:
Now there I have to agree with you. It (Warning Alfred - a generalization is about to follow) seems that most "reinvent" (albiet better) the standard PowerCADD tools. You'd almost think EngSw would implement some of those 'improved' functions themselves - or atleast "Buy the Company"


I have to admit, I too would miss viewports, Xref's - Clipped Xref's. But remember, to be fair in an evaluation, 1) No 2 CAD products will be the exact same 2) You have been "Rubbing Your Head and Patting Your Belly", and now you must "Pat Your Head and Rub Your Belly" as the old line used to go. Some find it hard at first the get the left and right hands going in a different motion

OldGuy

[John Cruet]

[ThreeDot]

In response:

1. Alfred, any news on a demo version with functioning WildTools?

2. I disagree that more powerful referencing will not make PowerCADD a better program. In AutoCAD, for example, I often draft several logically grouped drawings (i.e., details, elevations, plans, sections) in a single model space drawing. These drawings can later be distributed and fit across sheets. If I want to work on a foundation detail, I simply open my foundation details base drawing where ALL drawings are accessible, and there is no need to open/edit each sheet. I find it a much more efficient way of working, and there is no drawing clarity lost.

As a partial aside, I would argue that the PowerCADD ideology of drawing is more antiquated than AutoCAD. PowerCADD (like MiniCAD and VectorWorks) made an assumption at the beginning, opposite to AutoCAD, that architects and engineers understood drawings as a sheet of paper on a drafting table. You tape down a sheet of X dimension, calculate the best scale to fit the drawing(s), and begin drawing at scale. It assumed that AEC wouldn't (or couldn't) make the leap drafting table to abstract CAD drawing as it literally emulates that drafting table. While it may have been a good model when first generation of AEC transitioned to computers, we have since become comfortable with abstraction. BIM, a seperate conversation altogether, illustrates the next logical level of abstraction, where you model an entire building digitally and fit its parts to sheets as necessary.

That being said, I'm no lover of AutoCAD or BIM, and even ink/mylar draftspersons can crop a "viewport" to compose sheets.

3. --

4. Now I understand the snaps a little better. No problems here.

A few new questions:

5. The table tools seems unusable in real world situations. Is there no way to add, delete, or modify cells, rows, and columns once the table is placed? Am I missing something? The online help page on this tool is broken.

6. Is there a way to map line weights to layers and/or colors?

7. Is there a way to rotate hatches without making a new one? Or allow a hatch to rotate with its bounding object? Hatch scaling does not appear to work in the demo version, and the online help is outdated.


Thanks,
Matt

[CJH]

I am curious as you apparently are quite proficient in Autocadd, why are you looking at a different Cadd application-is it to move to the Mac platform, or are there aspects of Autocadd that you want to move away from?
Hatches can be manipulated by first using 'Tool/Convert to Objects' -this separates the hatch from the bounding polygone (which was invisable and will now be visable), the hatch can now be rotated, have attributes such as line weight and color changed. Delete the bounding polygone if you don't need it.

[Alfred Scott]

Matt,

It appears you are working with an out of date version. Please download the current PC/WT demo and it will work fine.

I've been in NYC for the past few days.

Alfred

[ThreeDot]

CJH,

You're correct, I am proficient at AutoCAD. I taught it to undergrad architecture students while I was in grad school, and have used it for many years at my job. In many ways, it's a good piece of software. I use Windows at work, but at home I'm all Mac. I've got several freelance projects on the horizon and need to get up and running on my own machines. Out of school, I worked for a few years in a Mac office running VectorWorks 8.5. I like VectorWorks okay, it's cumbered by it's own baggage and seems confused of late. I prefer FormZ and SketchUp for 3D, and am looking for a 2D CAD solution with good interoperability with AutoCAD (for trading files with consultants). PowerCADD looks like a great drafting tool, except for my questions about workflow.

Alfred,

I just downloaded a fresh copy of PowerCADD and WildTools from the web site. I made double sure to purge my previous install and preferences. Still exhibiting the same problem. WildTools appear to be loaded, I can access their preferences and dialogs, but cannot draw with them. I've tried it on my Intel MacBook and G5 PowerMac, same problem on both running OSX 10.4.8.


Matt

[Derek]