inserting blocks

Draw the objects in the block full scale.

Bob

Use something other than AutoCAD or it's clones ; }

Acad only really recognizes generic "units" of distance and then dresses them up to look like other, real world units. If you drew it "in inches", and import it to a draw "in meters" it will be 39.37 times "bigger" in a world that recognizes both these unit types for what they are relative to each other. Acad still doesn't do that after more than 25 years, and probably never will.

I'm an ACAD 2008 user. when I chose 'annotative' option under Make Block/Behaviour, everything went fine.

thanks bob ;-)

I always draw in millimeters and insert in the same units (am using my blocks, not someone else's ;-))...now with 'annotative' option checked (under make block dialog box), it works like a charm ;-)

latest, ACAD 2008. do you have it?

I am told that the newer versions have smaller dwg files. I had been lead to believe that they had rewritten the database in some fundamental way that made it more efficient.

now I am told that the only reason the dwg files are smaller is because COMPRESSION is built into the files. so, when you zip them you get nada compression, or thereabouts.

the only thing I could see from that, other than the processor running to compress and decompress on the fly while editing, is that it would encourage lazy drafting. assuming that large files DISCOURAGED lazy drafting.

any thoughts?

now you've got reason to upgrade ;-)

that's true. when you try to zip an autocad2008 dwg file, you will get only 12-16% smaller file.

when you've got DVDs for data storage and broadband internet connection for file exchange, the size of the file is not an issue anymore.

Other apps do the same thing, and it'll still take lots of RAM to open it.

Haven't you heard? AutoCAD is on the way out.

really? :D where, in your office? all professionals that I know use Autodesk products...what's your alternative? progecad and similar crapy applications? autocad is the most comfortable CAD program I've ever worked in.

I'm not talking about today, but soon. They want you to buy Revit....

Don't get around much do you? I use a 2D program called VisualCadd that can draw circles around any ACad program (pun intended) when it comes to ease of use and speed. Not to mention it will run on any Windows 32-bit version and doesn't require huge system resources and a huge hard drive.

And the cost is less than $500.

In a previous post ivana wrote... > really? :D where, in your office? all professionals that I know use > Autodesk products...what's your alternative? progecad and similar crapy > applications? autocad is the most comfortable CAD program I've ever > worked in. >

Don't get around much do you? I use a 2D program called VisualCadd that can draw circles around any ACad program (pun intended) when it comes to ease of use and speed. Not to mention it will run on any Windows 32-bit version and doesn't require huge system resources and a huge hard drive.

And the cost is less than $500.

err, no, I'm sitting on my arse all day, eating junk food and letting CNN (and Bob Morrison, of course) inform me about the outer world.

I'm a civil engineer and by nature of my job, I meet architects and talk to them on daily basis...vast majority of them uses autocad, several of them are autodesk viz users and only one is an arhicad user.

I tried to draw in intelli/proge/bricks CAD programs only to realize they're all a far cry from a productive software like autocad. not to mention lots of bugs, sudden disappearing of certain toolbar buttons etc. comfort goes along with price.

you don't want to pay for autocad? that's fine, but you won't sell the story to me that visualcadd is a better piece of software.

cost is SUCH a fun word. it means different things to different people. I am simultaneously on both sides of the fence on this one, but I have criteria.

DO I NEED IT?

just from what I have gleaned, the civil packages added in to autocad were a slower improvement. they focused more on other disciplines. so, I would expect a civil engineer to rank autocad lower than an architect. I DRAW SOME OF EACH, from time to time. archicad sucked, bodaciously. I began in DigiCad, some of you will now be laughing. laugh long and hard, it still hurts. but I am still not an autocad disciple.

that, and I don't know of anybody who fully exploits their CAD package, with the possible exclusion of Michael. So, you are really rating an entire package based on some subset of features, aren't you?

I was doing a little research (spying on another firm) this morning, and my source told me that he was on the most current version of autocad. he said "7". I said "what about 8?" after checking, he found out he WAS on 8.

I would bet my left nut that although he has worked in autocad for the past 15 years, and is NOT lazy nor merely a monkey in a seat, he does not actually USE 70% of the software package they are paying out the wazoo for. BUT THEY HAVE TO BE COMPATIBLE WITH THE REST OF THE WORLD.

this is an artificial cost - read "hype".

so hard to get a fair comparison when someone, anyone, has to invest so much time using a product so as to be able to get specific as to WHY one product is superior.