John Walkosak
05-13-2005, 05:00 PM
<img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcad008.jpg" /><br /><br /><b>Product Category:</b> Computer Aided Design (no, seriously...)<br /><b>Manufacturer:</b> <a href="http://www.givemepower.com">GiveMePower</a><br /><b>Where to Buy:</b> Available from the <a href="http://www.givemepower.com"> GiveMePower</a> website.<br /><b>Price:</b> PowerCAD SiteMaster CE US $995; PowerCAD CE Pro US $495; PowerCAD CE Classic US $249; PowerCAD CE Viewer US $99 <br /><b>System Requirements:</b> Windows Mobile 2003. 9932.7k for all components. It can be installed to a memory card.<br /><br /><b>Pros:</b><li>Opens Industry Standard CAD files;<br /><li>Tons of powerful commands;<br /><li>Great annotation capabilities.<b>Cons:</b><li>Oh come on; My screen is only 3.5";<br /><li>Really expensive (until you look at it as a business expense). Many of us use Pocket PCs because we are looking for a certain degree of mobility. Much of the software that people use in their daily work now has counterparts on the Pocket PC. But I spend most of my day using CAD software. Now with PowerCAD, I can take even this software on the move with me.<br /><br />Read on for the full review!<!><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><br /><span><b>Why CAD on a Pocket PC?</b></span><br />I am an Architect. Not a software architect, a real architect who designs brick and mortar structures. <br /><br />In this era, this means that I spend alot of time drawing on a computer using CAD (Computer Aided Design) to document and investigate my designs. I also have to spend time on construction sites, referring to these same designs.<br /><br />In the dark old days of the 20th century, I would have to refer to printed drawings on the site. Often during construction, things in the design will change, and I would have to mark these changes on the drawing, and then make the changes to the CAD file when I got back home. <br /><br />But thanks to the Pocket PC and PowerCAD CE, I can now take my CAD file into the field and view or change it on the fly. Better yet I can have a consultant or a vendor send me one of their drawings via email, and open it directly on my Pocket PC Phone.<br /><br />There are many ways that the software can be used, and to suit the user's needs, Power CAD comes in multiple configurations.<br /><br /><b>PowerCAD CE Viewer</b> (US $99) lets you, er, view CAD files. But you can also add comments to a drawing. So, if you are on a jobsite or in the factory, you can be referencing a design, and commenting on things that may need to change. All versions contain these markup functions, and when on the go, these will really be the most used functions. The software lets you draw freehand lines and comments, or use more formal callouts (leaders connecting to a comment box). Since this product is aimed at mobile uses, the third markup option is to use the PowerCAD VoiceNOTES. Typing the command "VN" in the command line prompts you to choose a location. When you click on the where you want to comment, you are taken to a screen where you can start a recording. When you are done recording, you are taken back to the plan view, and there is a new icon on the plan. Clicking on this icon plays back your comment. This is great when on the move, because you don't have worry about writing or typing, or really even looking at the screen. Just walk and talk! As I will discuss below, this was my personal favorite.<br /><br /><b>PowerCAD CE Classic </b> (US $249) gives all of the functions above, plus adds about 300 2D drafting functions and some basic 3D functions. Because there are so many different functions almost all of them are accessed via Keyboard short cuts. More about this later. This version gives the ability to make redlines in the Added, but beyond this you can also actually change the drawings. You can also start a drawing with one of the tools available in the Classic version.<br /><br /><b>PowerCAD CE Pro </b> (US $495) gives everything above, and adds the ability to incorporate LISP and C++ programming. This means that you have the ability to program in some functions to automate your work, like automatically design a staircase or automatically number rooms, etc. <br /><br /><b>PowerCAD SiteMaster CE </b> (US $995) includes everything listed in the packages above, and also has the ability to interface with a couple models of laser distance measurers. This is really an amazing combination of abilities that would allow me to make CAD drawings of existing conditions in the field. I can go into a building, measure all of the elements of that space with the laser measure, and this information is fed into PowerCAD CE Sitemaster, where it is automatically drawn. I just need to add some symbols for doors, etc and voila! I have an accurate CAD drawing. No more making sketches in the field and then using the CAD when I get back to the office. It saves me time, and time is... well, you know...<br /><br />These four different configurations provide tons of function and lots of options for my wallet.<br /><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Use in the Field</b></span><br />When I use CAD on my desktop, it is being displayed on a 21" LCD monitor so that I can see large expanses of my work and minimize eyestrain. The screen of my Pocket PC is smaller than the eraser shields I used when I hand drafted. And if you can remember manual drafting and eraser shields, than you are old enough that eyestrain is an issue.<br /><br />This was my primary concern when I started to use the program; would there be enough screen to be able to actually do anything useful? The answer is both yes and no. <br /><br />The easiest way to use the program on the go is to use the redlines and vnotes functions to make notes in the field. This method needs only the stylus, and is easy to do while walking. <br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walkpcad-menu1.PNG" /><br /><i>Figure 1: The Draw menu with the markup flyout </i> <br /><br />The use of the traditional CAD features for editing drawings or making new drawings is a little more dicey. Having the drawing area open with the on-screen menus and having the on-screen keyboard open resulted in a sliver of work space. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcadmenu.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 2: The main menus all displayed </i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcadcoordinput.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 3: Inputting Coordinates </i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcad009.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 4: Plan with menus displayed</i><br /><br />It was rather like trying to read a set of blueprints thru a straw. This is not a reflection on the developer, but just the reality of a PDA. GiveMePower does a good adapting to the screen, but it is what it is. However, using an external keyboard and a Bluetooth mouse provided a very desktop like experience, and I found it rather easy to use. <br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walkpcad-elev1.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 5: Zoomed in close enough to see detail on a plan</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcad008.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 6: One of the menus in use </i><br /><br />When I thought about it, this seemed to make sense to me. When I am walking around the job site, it is nice to be able to have multiple files with me to be able to reference and make quick notes. It allows me to replace carrying rolls and rolls of drawings with my Pocket PC. It is also great to be able to edit this information when I can find a place to sit.<br /><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Starting from Scratch</b></span><br />It is possible to create a drawing from scratch with the software. There are several wizards which will let you set up a new drawing. It reminds me alot of the ubiquitous AutoCAD.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcadscratch.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 7: The new drawing wizard </i><br /><br /> <img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcadwrzd3.jpg" /> <br /><i>Figure 8: Setting the angles of measurement </i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcadwzrd1.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 9: Setting Dimensions </i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcadwzrd4.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 10: Setting up sheet size </i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/pcadwzrd5.jpg" /><br /><i>Figure 11: You can even set up a titleblock </i><br /><br />As you can see from the screenshots of the wizards above, there are a couple of settings for paperspace. <br /><br />This was one of by biggest surprises. Paperspace and modelspace on a Pocket PC. While it is a bit hard to see, this means that I won't have to radically change formats to get the drawings into the Pocket PC. <br /><br />For those who don't use alot of CAD, paperspace and modelspace are different ways of viewing the CAD information, usually taking a CAD model which is drawn at real world sized and drawn scaled down to fit on a plotted drawing.<br /><br />I was, unfortunately, able to bomb my system. I am using an HP iPAQ 6315 (I know, feel my pain) and when I try to load any files in the 2 megabyte or higher range, my iPAQ basically crashed. This is probably basically just a function of the PDA, but it was rather annoying nonetheless.<br /><br /><PAGEBREAK><br /><span><b>Yeah, but how do I get this roll of drawings into this little computer...</b></span><br />The last thing I should discuss is getting drawings from my desktop to the Pocket PC. By default, PowerCAD uses it's own file extension of .FLX. However, almost the entire CAD world uses the ubiquitous AutoCAD .DWG or .DXF file formats. When installed thru the desktop, Activesync is configured to translate .DWG to .FLX. So it is a very easy matter to drag and drop the .dwg files straight into the Pocket PC. But if I am away from my desktop, or want to put the drawings directly onto a memory card, the software can translate the file type on the fly.<br /><br /><img src="http://www.pocketpcthoughts.com/images/web/2003/2005walkpcad-elvdwg.JPG" /><br /><i>Figure 12: A drawing emailed to me by a consultant </i><br /><br /><span><b>Conclusions</b></span><br />CAD on a Pocket PC is an ambitious undertaking, but GiveMePower has done an incredible job with their PowerCad CE series. While this is certainly not for everyone, if you have a need to reverence CAD drawings while on the go, this just might be the software for you.<br /> <br /><i>John Walkosak is an Architect specializing in the design of hospitals and health care facilities throughout the northeast (<a href="www.hfpambuske.com">www.hfpambuske.com</a>)</i>