A Review of Some Inexpensive CAD Alternatives

There's an assumption in the CAD community that anyone serious about computer design has to spend thousands of dollars for basic software and thousands more for add-on applications and libraries. But not all CAD software has to break the bank.

Is there still a place for these low-priced CADs or low-end CADs or inexpensive CADs or whatever you want to call them? What do you call these CAD packages for under a grand? Well, depending upon what your need is, you call them a pretty good deal, because one important thing to remember is that most of the products in this range have their roots as either being clones or knock-offs of higher end software versions.

With some new CAD systems, individuals and companies can spend between $5,000 and $15,000 for state-of-the-art software and all of the add-ons they usually require. But the systems reviewed in this article run between $100 and $1,000.

Traditional high-cost packages were developed to get the drawing on paper the first time and mimic the traditional drafting process. Now granted, the less pricey ones may not give you some of the bells and whistles that premiere systems advertise, but not all good CAD software has to cost a fortune, either. The items discussed here typically include vector drawing and editing commands in 2-D and, as prices increase, in 3-D. They have associative dimensions, symbol libraries and annotation tools. What some lack are built-in functions that, for example, extract hardware schedules and punch doors in walls. Without the complexity found in 3-D, you can keep the software a lot simpler because in most CAD packages about 90 percent of drawings are done in 2-D. These systems are also cheaper to maintain because you don't need any expensive machines to run them. A simple PC will usually do.

There are plenty of reasons to opt for low-cost software simplicity. 2-D tends to be schematic and 3-D is where you're actually working on the model. Small designers working on small projects may find all of the functionality they need in these systems. Some may be satisfied with 2-D drafting and have no use at all for the 3-D modeler. For example, some managerial and senior design staffs may prefer simple systems that do not tax one's technical prowess. Helping to avoid the morass of learning complicated software, the cheaper and easy-to-learn systems save training time and are popular among professionals who use CAD sparingly. Since these systems are smaller in terms of what they offer than the leading systems, they are less demanding on computer resources. Beginning businesses may want to try out a few low-cost CAD alternatives and get their technical bearings before committing to more complex and costly systems.

In addition, most low-cost systems can do translations to and from standard data formats. But what people should know when thinking about purchasing any type of software system is to look at its content. Know what you want to produce, don't think about it the first time you sit down to draw and need to make revisions and can't because the software you purchased won't allow you to. Be discriminating.

Vdraft, from SoftSource (Bellingham, WA), can work directly with AutoCAD file formats, which means that users can share work with other AutoCAD users without errors in translations. Vdraft has Internet tools for display and the ability to transfer AutoCAD files on the web for linking objects directly to the website. The system can directly read and write AutoCAD drawings and DXF files without any translation. Vdraft is simple for a new user.

"With Vdraft we basically rewrote AutoCAD from the ground up," says Gary B. Rorhbaugh, president of SoftSource. "What we did instead of cloning other systems is we simply took the concepts we had learned ourselves and applied them to Vdraft. The software's power is its compatibility. We really have built a better mousetrap with it."

Rohrbaugh says they made the steps in Vdraft shorter, which in turn makes it an easy-to-use system for those specifically in electronic drafting. Its memory will run on any standard Windows system, using about 8 megabytes if it's loaded and running with large drawings.

Tim Paxton, president of OfficeCAD (Bellingham, WA), who has had experience using several 2-D systems, says the only limitation with Vdraft is its 3-D CAD capabilities like reading solids. Paxton's company has been developing parametric CAD systems for the last eight years, but expanded into Vdraft because of its interface values - wanting something that was low cost, but that could also create drawings on the Internet.

Who would be good candidates for Vdraft? Because of Vdraft's offerings, Paxton says anyone generating architectural details and production drawings on AutoCAD. But for those whose needs are structural fatigue and thermal housing readings, they should go for something more 3-D.

"It's quite a robust program for editing drawings," says Paxton. "It does not have the weaknesses of other systems that can be invaded by viruses through downloaded drawings."

The TurboCAD Version 6.5 from International Microcomputer Software, Inc. (Novato, CA) has several features found in some of the more pricey members of the CAD family. It has a self-healing wall tool with associative blocks, improved paper space/model space, geometric alignment aids, distinct file formats, advanced Raster-to-Vector conversion, an integrated database and full customization of interface toolbars, menu and keyboard. The software also can share DWF/DXF files and use 3-D Primitives including Cone, 3-D Mesh, Wedge, Cylinder, Polygonal Prism and Torus. For under $1,000, users can now buy both 2-D drafting TurboCAD Professional as well as TurboCAD Solid Modeler. The TurboCAD Solid Modeler is a parametric, feature-based program that can easily compete with the likes of midrange CAD packages, offering drag and drop textures, lofting and shelling and photo-realistic rendering. But what is truly unique about this program is its voice-enabling technology. TurboCAD also can interact with other CAD systems and allows the user to perform multiple tasks at once.

Mike Keeney of Silvestri Enterprises (Reno, NV) has been a TurboCAD user for the last eight years. Silvestri is a full-scale machine shop that designs and manufactures tools for the golf industry so it can in turn use them to build better golf clubs. They don't build them; they just design the tools used to build them. With the TurboCAD, Keeney says he can model a tool and put all of the pieces together in the computer before sending out to the manufacturer - catching any mistakes on the computer rather than paying for it in the milling process. It is an extremely easy system to learn and master in a short time, which was important since at that time Keeney had no previous CAD experience to rely on.

"I have used AutoCAD and these other high-end machines, which have a lot of neat toys on them, but in the real world the mom and pop machine shops really don't need all of the fancy stuff," Keeney says. "A reasonably versed CAD user can draw circles around an experienced AutoCAD user as far as productivity."

Keeney says after using it for a month or two that he was much more productive than with almost any other CAD program out there. That's key for his business because he can't afford to spend all day drawing one simple little part when he could draw it in a couple of minutes with TurboCAD.

"I can take a concept and turn it around and build it 100 percent scale. I can see exactly what it is in building and make changes along the way, and as more ideas come about we can make an improvement here and there," he says. "As far as that is concerned, it is a very important part of our process."

SmartSketch 3.0 from Intergraph Computer Systems (Huntsville, AL) is affordable software that does precision drawing and diagramming based on the latest Window's technology that allows engineers, designers, architects and draftsmen to work smarter. It offers tools for creating facilities management plans, building services schematics, electrical engineering, fluid power diagrams, and network and business diagrams. Smart Sketch can link and embed 3-D files created with AutoCAD and Microstation. SmartSketch itself is a tool for 2-D precision drawing and design. There are no plans right now to develop the software as a 3-D product, as there are other Intergraph products which offer 3-D functions.

SmartSketch is a CAD neutral application that can be integrated with AutoCAD.

The software allows you to view, annotate or combine different formats to create a hybrid file, without file conversion. The system requirements for SmartSketch are 64 MB RAM recommended, 70 MG free disk space for minimum installment, CD-ROM, and Microsoft Windows or higher. The system is available for $495 with upgrades available from previous versions (such as the Imagination Engineer 3.0) for an added $149. SmartSketch also is one of the easiest tools to learn for creating a wide variety of 2-D drawings.

Bob Collaizzo, a senior engineering specialist for Foster Wheeler USA Corp. (Clinton, NJ), has been using SmartSketch as an engineering application because he was looking for something that could integrate other systems besides CAD graphics.

"Engineers want an application where they can integrate the spreadsheet right onto the graphics screen," says Collaizzo. "SmartSketch lets you cut and paste right onto the SmartSketch document itself, allowing you to have a combination of graphics and data. That's the direction the industry is going - the buzzword today is datacentric."

Right out of the box, SmartSketch's limitation is that the data is not able to drive the graphics, as well as graphic limitations for those using Microstations. But these can be remedied largely through using some visual basic programs, which the company's programmers are working on, says Collaizzo. VectorWorks from Nemetschek North America (Columbia, MD) offers all of the tools you need for basic design projects. Among the pluses this system has is that it can run fast on older computers, is compatible with a variety of platforms, has ease of use, has reliable 2-D file conversion and is both reliable and inexpensive. But what if your shop uses mainly AutoCAD - can VectorWorks work alongside the system? According to the creators, the answer lies with your specific needs.

Right out of the box, VectorWorks provides all of the tools a designer needs - basic mechanical design tasks, landscaping, art-to-part construction. The system is really fast. The drawings have great clarity and depth, and as long as you have at least 32MBs of RAM you're not going to wait long in traffic waiting for things to download.

VectorWorks imports and exports DWG and DXF from AutoCAD releases and can read older CAD files all the way back to AutoCAD 2.5. If you do need 3-D capability - for client presentations or design mechanics - the software can handle it. The software's SmartCursor carries menu information, replaces the need for construction lines and can change shape with function.

Those who use the system draw in 2-D and model in 3-D. The user can have as many as eight drawings open at any one time. VectorWorks has all of the basic 2-D drawing tools you need - such as Hatch patterns and True Type fonts. It is possible to work in 3-D by rotating 2-D shapes, using 3-D primitive cones and spheres and specifying a z-dimension as you draw in plan. VectorWorks retails for about $600 and with the optional RenderWorks (which gives you near-photorealistic images) you simply add another $225 to the cost.

NASA has used Nemetschek's Vector-Works CAD program to develop a miniature spectrometer design at the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. Mass spectrometry is a powerful analytical tool that is used to identify unknown compounds, to quantify known material and to elucidate the structural and chemical properties of molecules.

NASA scientists needed a CAD program that could simplify complex geometry in developing the new miniaturized mass spectrometer. In order to define geometry, most CAD packages require that the element be selected first, then the command issued. Other systems work in the reverse. These systems require a considerable amount of time and effort to define basic geometry, which interferes with the conceptual development process. Instead, VectorWorks works the way a designer thinks. Its user interface has a SmartCursor that frees the designer from complex commands that have been known to impair creativity in other CAD packages. The program also ships with thousands of symbols that save time because they can be cut and pasted. Users also can add their own symbols to the library.

NASA used VectorWorks to simulate ions moving on the same trajectory as they were deflected by a magnet onto paths that varied depending on their molecular weight.

Engineers used the SmartCursor feature to define arcs tangent to the original paths of the ions with a radius that reflects their mass. They selected the endpoint of the line representing the original path simply by moving the cursor to the area and selecting the relevant construction - the endpoint of the line. The program, guessing what they were trying to do, locked the cursor on the endpoint. NASA engineers then defined the arc and defined a line tangent to the arc simply by moving the cursor near to the arc and selecting the tangent construction.

"The first version of the mass spectrometer was flown in a recent rocket experiment to study the Earth's Ionosphere at a 200km altitude," says Fred Herrero, Technical Lead in the Technology Integration office at NASA. "The improved visualization through the use of VectorWorks CAD in replacing mathematical equations saves time and leads to more creative designs."

When should a company move on from these systems to their more expensive cousins? Well, it depends on where they are trying to go with their designs. For example, if their need is primarily to communicate their designs to others, then they should stick with the low-cost software. But if they need to take that data and migrate it into a higher data centric model, where they need to keep track of a lot of ancillary data in databases and maintain it through the life cycle of a design, then a higher-level system is in their future. For example, in the mechanical arena if you are trying to do RP and want to have a model that truly represents the one you are working with, then 3-D is for you. Companies that use the less expensive software also can save loads of money because all they need to do is deliver a design in electronic form, which also can translate into a cheaper product since the software maintenance overhead for these systems tends to be low.

For more information contact Gary Rohrbaugh of SoftSource (Bellingham, WA) at (360) 676-0999; Tom Greer of Intergraph Computer Systems (Huntsville, AL) at (256) 730-3136; Pam Symank of International Microcomputer Software, Inc. (Novato, CA) at (415) 878-4025; Dan Monahan of Nemetschek NA (Columbia, MD) at (410) 290-5114 and Fred Herrero of the Goddard Space Flight Center NASA at (410) 290-5114.