[pgh1969pa]

WM 2003 SE is approaching the one year mark and PowerCAD still doesn't support VGA. Version 5.5 claimed to support SE when it was released months back but it doesn't. I'm not talking about forced VGA add-ins, but plain old default VGA displays. Now they say, "they're working on it" Pocket CAD stopped advancing their software a couple years ago so don't waste your time with them either. I gave up on expecting a good CAD viewer.

[pgh1969pa]

WM 2003 SE is approaching the one year mark and PowerCAD still doesn't support VGA. Version 5.5 claimed to support SE when it was released months back but it doesn't. I'm not talking about forced VGA add-ins, but plain old default VGA displays. Now they say, "they're working on it" Pocket CAD stopped advancing their software a couple years ago so don't waste your time with them either. I gave up on expecting a good CAD viewer.

[encece]

I'm not an architect...but I design Point of Purchase Store Displays and Packaging in 2D & 3D CAD all day long. I never used AutoCAD but I use an industry specific software called ArtiosCAD.

I remember the old Pen Plotters. Actually needing to glue them down on corrugated cardboand then cutting them out by hand. Now I cut using a CAD driven cutting/milling table.

This program (or the other like it) have always interested me...but the price is soooo high. Too high for an mobile application.

[Prevost]

John, have you tested PocketCAD? If so, how do you compare this to PowerCAD?

At least in price, PocketCAD is "easier" .

I'm a Civil/Structural Engineer, and I work as field inspector. After lots of searching, I found RepliGo a good way to take AutoCAD plans (given by the project's architect) to the field for fast reference at any place of a project, and this for several projects, so I am well acquainted with the advantages of having a way to benefit from PDAs in construction.

Obviously, redmarking in the field to report any needed changes to the project's architect, or to record as-build conditions, would be the natural next step in this evolution, and this is beyond RepliGo capabilities. Here is where PowerCAD and PocketCAD come into play.

I just have tuned PPCT today, so I still haven't read the full review. Did you make any remark on how easy is to deal with different colors of the lines under field conditions? For example, under direct sunlight?

[milo]

Good review.

I am a Mechanical Design Engineer and find myself measuring things up on site all the time. Most of the time it is for fairly simple designs to be fabricated by boilermakers. The feature that I have been searching for in a PPC CAD program is parametric sketching similar to the the sketching tools in Solidworks and ProEngineer. This would allow me to sketch up the machine, object or site, step in and get my dimensions, add them to the sketch, resizing and constraining it as it goes. There is nothing worse than missing a critical dimension and having to go back out to site for one single measurement.

Unfortunately all of the CAD programs for the PPC seem to be aimed at Architects and Civil Engineers.

Oh well.

[dshkipin]

As a field measuring professional and a General Partner at Prime Edge As-Built Services (http://www.primeedge.com) use of CAD applications such as AutoCAD has been a given for many years. With the technology advances in “Palm” type devices, emerged PowerCAD and PocketCAD, a very good thought for ever-mobile construction industry. In my experience, this technology is quite useful for certain application. What my firm does is usually an as-built of an existing office space, where various information needs to be verified such as wall lengths, reflected ceilings plan layouts, electrical outlet locations – entire sets of construction drawings at times. When existing CAD files are available for use, PowerCAD or PocketCAD combined with laser technology allows direct and, more importantly, instant understanding of the space and project in general. However, in my own experience, it is an absolute agony and a general inefficiency to work with PowerCAD while creating as-built CAD files from scratch. After numerous attempts our company found it to be more effective in using a somewhat a “hybrid” combination of using a link between laser equipment and a handheld device while sketching. Data gets transferred into AutoCAD application using PrimeLink, a simple software tool developed by our company. In a nutshell, technology is still new and definitely has a long future ahead of itself. Feel free to play with it, I think both PowerCAD and PocketCAD will give you a free trial. These two packages, by the way, are far more advanced then any others you may find at this time.

Dmitry Shkipin, Associate AIA
Prime Edge As-Built Services
www.PrimeEdge.com
www.AsbuiltEdge.com

[Prevost]

The question is, will this technology get mature BEFORE the Windows Mobile device dissapears?

I don't see anyone of us working on any of these software on a Smartphone's screen and OS... :roll: