SketchUp > DoubleCAD Workflow for Con Doc Output
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Hi Guys,
We have a few long threads going here looking for a companion program to SketchUp when it comes to Construction Documentation and many options have been mentioned.
For those our you that have not yet found your ideal solution you might like to give DoubleCAD a try http://www.doublecad.com/. It comes in two flavors, XT and XTPro. XT is free with no limitations and offers many features, probably more than enough for the casual user that just needs to knock out the occasional dimensioned / speced Con Doc. XTPro's main attraction is the External References ability. This feature will save a lot of time when it comes to Con Doc revision drawings. Looks like they must have taken a que from Google with the Free and Pro
versions.Initially on reading about DoubleCAD I noticed, "works like AutoCAD" being mentioned a number of times. This started a few alarm bells ringing for me as I have no love for AutoCAD. I have had to use it and always regarded it as boring work! However after delving deeper I was pleasantly surprised to see that its not an AutoCAD clone as it shakes hands with SketchUp very well, more so in the Pro version, as you can jump back and forth doing the design work in SketchUp and letting DoubleCAD do the 'boring' work with a little input via Xrefs.
I have watched William Manning's SketchUp > DoubleCAD Workflow Overview video which is a screen capture of a Webinar he gave recently. William admits he is SketchUp long-term user and dare I say, a newbie to DoubleCAD! This for me made his talk more interesting as he does not assume that the viewer knows the ins and outs of DoubleCAD. You can watch the video here, http://www.doublecad.com/Products/DoubleCADXTPro/ProFeatures/FileInterop%20%20ampXrefs/SketchUpWorkflow/tabid/1455/Default.aspx
I am advised that there will be more Webinars coming up soon and I look forward to learning more. These announcements will be made here, http://www.doublecad.com/Support/LearningCenter/Webcasts/tabid/1418/Default.aspx
Currently DoubleCAD is only available in Windows, pity! I do not know if there is a Mac version on the cards as yet but will try to find out. One option for me, a Mac user, might be to run DoubleCAD via CrossOver http://www.CodeWeaver.com as it would eliminate messing around with BootCamp, Parallels and the like.
I have a feeling that I will now not stop looking for that Con Doc production application that works well with SketchUp
Mike
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Mike
I have tried DoulbCad, DC 1 the first version and the update DC 1.1 and found both lacking.
I originally bought TubroCad14-Deluxe Upgraded to 15,total cost $150 US. However TC 15 had some quirks that made it frustrating to use. Like three key click to start and finish each end of a line if you had any of the snaps turned on.
So I downloaded DC 1and found that some of the quirks in TC15 were gone and there seem to be an improved interface. So I started trying to use DC 1.
DC 1 seem to stop for no reason, requiring me to close and start again. And the start up screen would hang up at 99%, preventing the program from starting. All very annoying.
However, after trying to work with it, I found the documentation weak; some items just didn’t make since on how they were to work. The documentation would show screen shots that did not appear in the program. Just try editing a multiline text element. So I downloaded DC 1.1, the update.
In DC 1.1 the start up screen always has closed allowing the program to start, documentation did not change; and I can say there were some improvements. A nice program for free. However it still had some quirks that I found time consuming.
I noticed that TC 15 had a new version, TC 16. So paid the upgrade price. Now TC 16 seems to have taken the best of DC 1.1 and greatly improved from TC 15 in some other areas.
Improved drawing with snaps on. No more unnecessary mouse clicks jus to draw a line. To me TC 16 is well worth the money. Even if DC 1.1 is free, my time isn’t, so a free product that cost me undo labor is not free to me.
An on a personal note, I had a person at DC email me and set up a phone time to talk about the program. So I set home waiting. No call.
So it is almost a good product for free especially if you have no time constraints, however, if you want to truly good program to make construction document out of, try TC 16.
Ken
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Ken, what did you think of the Su2DC, and DC2Su xref features. For me this is what makes the software outstanding.
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Geee, Ken, looks like you have gone through a rough time. As Honolulu says it the Xref that I think makes DCPro worth checking out.
Mike
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Mike you are right to say that DC is not an Autocad clone, there are differences, some are a little peculiar but many better. At the risk of sounding like a Doublecad blinkered fanboy, I have had no problems with Doublecad, it runs fine on my average spec laptop. I have drawn some enormous siteplans in it and brought in fairly large SU models. After using Autocad for a decade, DC seems just as stable. I agree with Ken that DC's text editing (and the snapping) is a law unto itself, but for free I can live with that.
In comparison to the other cad programs I have used / tried to use in conjunction with SU, I think DC is closer than anybody else has got to a seamless SU to working drawings workflow.
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Hi guys, thanks for the heads up of DC. I have been interested in how it fairs with SU but never really gotten around to spending the time to play..... Thanks for the link to the webinar, Mike, I will have a look in the morning.
Watching with keen interest. -
@linea said:
Mike you are right to say that DC is not an Autocad clone, there are differences, some are a little peculiar but many better. At the risk of sounding like a Doublecad blinkered fanboy, I have had no problems with Doublecad, it runs fine on my average spec laptop. I have drawn some enormous siteplans in it and brought in fairly large SU models. After using Autocad for a decade, DC seems just as stable. I agree with Ken that DC's text editing (and the snapping) is a law unto itself, but for free I can live with that.
In comparison to the other cad programs I have used / tried to use in conjunction with SU, I think DC is closer than anybody else has got to a seamless SU to working drawings workflow.
Jon, do you find the text editing and snapping buggy or is it a matter for you of getting used to it, in other words is it consistant? BTW, I do agree with Ken, just because something is free it doesn't nessessarily mean its worth taking into one's arsenal but DC would appear to be the first genuine attempt at SU 3D to 2D (Con Doc) output that I've seen so far.
I am in contact with William Manning, the guy that did the webinar. We will be doing a Questions and Answer session on DoubleCAD's development shortly. William advises that Mauritz Botha, their Chief Technical Officer will be handling the Q&A. Mauritz is a member here and goes under 'mbotha', maybe we could steer him to this thread to clarify the issue with the text editing and snapping. I will send out an SOS
Mike
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Mike- thanks for alerting us to this. DC is on my watch list too. I downloaded the free version when it came out and have used it a bit an found it enough like Acad to keep the learning curve down but haven't been serious about making the switch - (too many co-workers and consultants to deal with).
I have been following the news from DC and saw this interoperation with GSU mentioned but this video shows some real promise and power coming.
The x-ref reload is very powerful. Not sure if it can work the otherway - say a detailed Walden Pond cabin created in DC can be as simply transfered as a Sketchup model. Maybe in the DC Pro version?
I will keep a look out for additional videos. Thanks again for the heads-up.
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Jim, yes I can see where you are coming from with regard ACad 'Die Hard' consultants. As regards the reverse process, I don't know as yet but will check it out. Hopefully we will have Mauritz here shortly to answer these questions.
Mike
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Mike said
@unknownuser said:
Jon, do you find the text editing and snapping buggy or is it a matter for you of getting used to it, in other words is it consistant? BTW, I do agree with Ken, just because something is free .. but DC would appear to be the first genuine attempt at SU 3D to 2D...
Mike I don't think the snapping and text editing is buggy, it just has some idiosyncracies that I found a slightly unusual way of working. I suppose if I hadn't ever used another cad program, these things wouldn't seem idiosyncratic and I'd just accept that that is the way. Ultimately though these functions in DC do work so there is no problem.
@unknownuser said:
I am in contact with William Manning, the guy that did the webinar. We will be doing a Questions and Answer session on DoubleCAD's development shortly
William, on his own, is head and shoulders above Autodesk's technical support. He has personally emailed me several times because he has read queries I have had about DC on this forum, all of which he could answer. Certainly beats Autodesk's technical support where the stock answer used to be "Yeah, Autocad doesn't do that...."
Jim said,
@unknownuser said:
... found it enough like Acad to keep the learning curve down but .. (too many co-workers and consultants to deal with).
Jim, really try it. I have done a couple of large projects in DC now including multi-layered, multi-xref monster files and I've found no conflict sharing files with colleagues using Autocad.
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Linea,
Thanks for the insight on full function and file sharing. This is definitely an application I will be transitioning to.
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Sorry I didn't join in on this over the weekend, but my internet went down (made for a great weekend actually).
@ Ken: sorry for whatever happened with the support issue. If you need support and have trouble like that again just PM me here or post on http://forums.doublecad.com and I'll make sure you're taken care of. Sounds like you're happy with TC16. Your DC problems are odd though -- I haven't encountered them.
@ Linea: thanks for the compliments and support.
@Jim: regarding Xrefs, it is only one-way. You can't Xref the DoubleCAD file into SketchUp. But it is 2D CAD designed for documentation, so typically you wouldn't want to do that unless you wanted an elevation or something that you could bring into Layout for a presentation.
Also, creating an Xref is only in the PRO product. If you have an Xref in the drawing you can open it and update it in the free version, but can't create new Xrefs there.
I'm not sure that the Xrefs are the most powerful aspect at this time. We're adding a lot of functionality to them to make Xrefs more robust. I believe the "drafting palette" functionality that we've done in the PRO version is perhaps the best time saver. It is a feature normally found in MCAD products for sectioning and documenting mechanical parts, but we've taken the concept and extended it to surface models like .SKP for architectural elevations, floorplans, sections, and more.
Thanks for the thread here, and thanks for the interest. We really want to move rapidly in development, and are listening carefully to what people say, so thanks too for comments and feedback.
-- William
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