Likelihood to Recommend AutoCAD is great for large-scale printing, simple drawing, and manipulating exports from
Revit to understand coordinate systems. We often use AutoCAD to create overlays that we then take into
Navisworks . Understanding AutoCAD is crucial when working with subcontractor models. I have subs who only work in AutoCAD and I use it to make sure their models will work in my process.
Read full review TurboCAD is well suited to a smaller budget, it is by no means the best there is but for the money, it fills the gap. Being an
AutoCAD &
DraftSight user I find the user interface a little old and the lack of common drafting industry shortcut keys a bit of a hindrance. However this product, TurboCAD gets the job done, other packages like
DraftSight do not even come with an active 3D option on the cheaper end, standard license whereas TurboCAD does, even though it's a little clumsy to use.
Read full review Pros The tools are easy to use and the learning curve is fairly minimal to be able to create blueprints. The 3D application is very fun to use and it is nice to be able to see your product instead of having to imagine what it will look like. The speed and accuracy in which students can create plans is a huge bonus. Students can plan their industrial art projects out and use their own set of plans to build them. Read full review Produces accurate drawings to scale, and with several ways to show the "views" to people in need of them at our factory. Relatively easy to use, once you understand the toolset. You can draw anything with it. Sending files to CNC machine shops to produce parts is easy with this program. Sending to mold making companies works out well. Just ask them what file format they want and TurboCAD can give it to them. James Arjuna Factory Engineer, Design Engineer, Research and Development Engineer
Read full review Cons User Interface Customisation: AutoCAD's user interface could benefit from more robust customisation options. Allowing users to rearrange toolbars, menus, and panels according to their specific workflows and preferences would enhance productivity. Enhanced 3D Modeling Tools: While AutoCAD is capable of 3D modeling, it's not as intuitive or feature-rich as dedicated 3D modeling software. Streamlining the process and adding more advanced modeling tools would be a welcome improvement. Enhanced Collaboration and Version Control: AutoCAD could improve its collaboration tools, such as real-time editing and version tracking, to facilitate smoother teamwork, especially in multi-disciplinary projects. Intelligent Object Libraries: AutoCAD could benefit from an expanded and more intelligent library of standard objects and components. This would save time for designers who often have to create custom components from scratch. Read full review Hard to get onto your computer Bad UI Rendering Read full review Likelihood to Renew Because rarely we [would] rather wait for a whole year to update, sometimes the new updates don't bring many new features and we are still ok with the current version. Also the change of interface is always something that takes time for every partner in the company to get comfortable with. So those are the main reasons we may want to keep the same version.
Read full review Usability The use case of AutoCAD as a CAD software is highly relevant today as it focuses or targets to tasks types which involve creating 2D drawings of a number of types like electrical drawings, hydraulic drawings, layout diagrams, floor plans, etc. thereby addressing a large number of industries like Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering and in most case Architectural Engineering as well
Read full review Support Rating AutoCAD has the issue of crashing or slowing down the design procedure once a heavy design that includes several disciplines or multiple families/blocks is involved. Customer services gets the feedback from the crash reports but this issue seems like it has never been addressed in the software updates past several years.
Read full review Implementation Rating the implementation was realy easy , to set up our workstation we pay for the licenses we are about to use , there was a little bit of delay to get the payment processed to receive the serial but after that the install runs without any problem , so you can fell secure there will be not issue with the implementation.
Read full review Alternatives Considered I have experience with
Autodesk Maya , and am familiar with their user interface with creating 3D objects. AutoCAD while from the same family, requires a steeper learning curve and more in-depth knowledge of the software.
I have experience with this software because it is the industry standard in the jobs that I applied to, and was required to the company that I interviewed for. Part of the interview process was a proof-of-work test to create a mock solution for a client, which would demonstrate knowledge and skill with using AutoCAD.
I have little experience with
CorelCAD , but I found AutoCAD to be more in-depth with your options and what you could create.
Read full review TurboCAD is a well-priced solution for a small business, it comes standard with 3D modeling compared to
DraftSight which does not. The user interface could be updated along with industry-standard shortcut keys but for the number of drawings we do, this package fills the gap. The DXF / DWG feature could be worked on too, as above, trying to get in line with other packages like
AutoCAD &
DraftSight would make the whole package better. All in all, I believe that TurboCAD has a valid foothold in the CAD industry.
Read full review Return on Investment AutoCAD has helped our smaller firm produce lots of finished products matching that of a much larger size firm. With its many features, we have been able to do so much more and meet deadlines that much faster. Since we do use AutoCAD, we're able to work with many other engineering firms to collaborate together to complete various building projects. We have many clients now who expect us to provide for them at the end of a project not just printed construction drawings but also the digital AutoCAD drawing so they can in turn use it for future modifications themselves. Read full review Having issues with new employees learning how to build our products. The images are extremely helpful, in terms of training and making sure the products are built to our high standards. Saves untold time, because our factory is in Holland and many employees speak different languages. The photo renderings, speak everyone's language. Improved prototyping. We send parts out t0 be made by CNC and they come back nearly perfect for our needs. We have not used the 3D printing technology yet. Been waiting for that to develop better. The only negative impact is that people are reluctant to learn it because it takes a certain degree of intelligence to understand it. But if you are an engineer, it is easy to understand. James Arjuna Factory Engineer, Design Engineer, Research and Development Engineer
Read full review ScreenShots