AutoCAD, gets the job done
October 28, 2019

AutoCAD, gets the job done

Anonymous | TrustRadius Reviewer
Score 8 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User

Overall Satisfaction with AutoCAD

AutoCAD is used for floor drawings for our asbestos and lead inspections and abatement projects. It is also used for our engineering department for remediation design plans and to show where soil and groundwater contamination is expected on a site. We also use AutoCAD for Soil Management Plans, our Phase I and Phase II Environmental Site Inspections.

Pros

  • Allows for different layers to be turned on and off which allows more efficient drawing times.
  • Allows a border to be created that can be carried out onto multiple layouts, so when information is changed or added to the template, it is changed and matches all the other layouts so you save time when creating multiple drawings.
  • Can change the color of a layer which will change everything in that layer, so you don't have to go through and change objects one by one.

Cons

  • Making page setup/changing a page layout easier would be nice, now it is a challenge to change a page layout.
  • Switching from layers, turning layers on and off from the drop down option is frustrating because once you click on a layer to turn it on, the drop down box goes away, so you have to reclick on it, then find our layer again and continue what you are trying to do. Would be nice if the drop down box stayed open until you clicked outside of the drop down box.
  • Helps us visually show soil contamination, groundwater extents and impacts that might be on a site.
  • Helps our contractors clearly see where in a building an abatement will occur or where hazardous substances are located.
AutoCAD is more for architecture/building designs which is what or Industrial Hygiene department uses and since they are the larger department, that is what the company decided will be used company wide. ArcGIS has more environmental features and the ability to do statistical graphing and statistical drawings which would be helpful in some of our reports, but otherwise, AutoCAD achieves what our company needs it to do.
Some of the help options are confusing and/or you need to read through feeds to find what you are looking for, but the answer is usually out there. I find that I tend to just google a question than use the AutoDesk help or other help options that are provided by AutoCAD since some of the dialog is a bit too technical for me.

Do you think AutoCAD delivers good value for the price?

Not sure

Are you happy with AutoCAD's feature set?

Yes

Did AutoCAD live up to sales and marketing promises?

I wasn't involved with the selection/purchase process

Did implementation of AutoCAD go as expected?

I wasn't involved with the implementation phase

Would you buy AutoCAD again?

Yes

Suited for floor plans and building plans as well as showing utilities, landscaping locations and blueprints of a site. Would be nice if it could geolocate so that the drawings are in almost a "real" setting. I know you can link your drawing to a Bing basemap, but the basemap doesn't always work or you need to update and if you are past the period that you can update then you are just out of luck.

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