dsbenevento
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- Location
- New York
does anyone of any good software for electrical plans that are not too expensive?
electrical plan software
- Thread starter dsbenevento
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- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
Re: electrical plan software
I have been using Visio Professional with great success, for risers, site plans and floor plans. I used to use autocad, but found it too hard. Visio is based on "stencils" that you select and drop into your drawing. I have a stencil for meters, disconnects, fuses, etc. Then I can take a standard excel spread sheet and insert into the drawing for a materials list.
I have a title block set up that pulls its information from the page properties data, and fills in date, page, drawn by, etc. This program is used a lot by telecom folks for takeoffs.
Make sure you get the professional version.
I have been using Visio Professional with great success, for risers, site plans and floor plans. I used to use autocad, but found it too hard. Visio is based on "stencils" that you select and drop into your drawing. I have a stencil for meters, disconnects, fuses, etc. Then I can take a standard excel spread sheet and insert into the drawing for a materials list.
I have a title block set up that pulls its information from the page properties data, and fills in date, page, drawn by, etc. This program is used a lot by telecom folks for takeoffs.
Make sure you get the professional version.
Re: electrical plan software
I use AutoCAD at work, and Visio at work and home. I agree with Tom Visio is easier to use. Visio is a lot less expensive than AutoCAD. Only problem with Visio is other companies like A&E firms use AutoCAD and cannot use the drawing format.
I use AutoCAD at work, and Visio at work and home. I agree with Tom Visio is easier to use. Visio is a lot less expensive than AutoCAD. Only problem with Visio is other companies like A&E firms use AutoCAD and cannot use the drawing format.
- Location
- Bremerton, Washington
Re: electrical plan software
Good comment Dereck. I can import AutoCAD drawings, but the export to dxf or dwg does not seem to work well.
I sometimes paste the drawing into MS Word as a graphic. Converting to adobe pdf is a another good way to export
Good comment Dereck. I can import AutoCAD drawings, but the export to dxf or dwg does not seem to work well.
I sometimes paste the drawing into MS Word as a graphic. Converting to adobe pdf is a another good way to export
Re: electrical plan software
I use this for job dwg. and it works well. http://www.deltacad.com/ Inport and export is limited. Easy learning curve, and you can build your own symbol base.
I use this for job dwg. and it works well. http://www.deltacad.com/ Inport and export is limited. Easy learning curve, and you can build your own symbol base.
Re: electrical plan software
However I agree the export to JPEG, GIF, WMF, and PDF work will and are sizable in Window products.
If you know a college student have them pick up AutoCAD LT or Visio Pro for you at their campus.
[ February 18, 2004, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: dereckbc ]
I do not like the import AutoCAD feature built into Visio, export for that matter. It takes forever. The layers, dimensions, objects, paper size seem to get scrambled.
However I agree the export to JPEG, GIF, WMF, and PDF work will and are sizable in Window products.
If you know a college student have them pick up AutoCAD LT or Visio Pro for you at their campus.
[ February 18, 2004, 08:05 PM: Message edited by: dereckbc ]
Re: electrical plan software
dereckbc,
Be very, very careful with those student versions of Auto CAD! From R2002 and on the student versions have a plot stamp that pastes in big letters that the drawing was created by a student version on all plots from that file. There are huge threads about it on the Auto Desk discussion forums. Legitimate files can be corrupted by an employee taking a file home that was created on a legitimate version and modifying it with a student version. As soon as he hits save the file is forever un usable for commercial applications. Many firms have had trouble with this because you don't know anything is wrong with the file until you go to plot. If any entities of that file were used in other files they are now "infected" too. Entire data bases have had to be cleaned up at great expense. Just thought you should know.
dereckbc,
Be very, very careful with those student versions of Auto CAD! From R2002 and on the student versions have a plot stamp that pastes in big letters that the drawing was created by a student version on all plots from that file. There are huge threads about it on the Auto Desk discussion forums. Legitimate files can be corrupted by an employee taking a file home that was created on a legitimate version and modifying it with a student version. As soon as he hits save the file is forever un usable for commercial applications. Many firms have had trouble with this because you don't know anything is wrong with the file until you go to plot. If any entities of that file were used in other files they are now "infected" too. Entire data bases have had to be cleaned up at great expense. Just thought you should know.
dsbenevento
Member
- Location
- New York
Re: electrical plan software
thank you all for your input
thank you all for your input
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