Software Review of:
DesignCAD 3D MAX Office
Upperspace 

DesignCAD  3D MAX
  

Figure 1

When I reviewed the pre-release beta copy of DesignCAD  3D MAX , I made some remarks about my computer crashing when using the program. I have not had a crash while working with the newly released version. I have come to the conclusion that the beta version did not really have any problems. Since, any CAD program has a very steep learning curve, my mistakes have been less so my computer is under a less of a strain. Second, and probably the real reason, my hard drive was nearing the end of its life and had become too full to handle large files. 

Also in that review, I worked  in the 3D mode. For this review, I worked in the 2D mode. As part of the office suite, pre-drawn symbols are included.  Since I am an Extra Class Amateur radio operator, I was interested in the electronics symbols that were included with the program. Figure 1 is is a receiver front-end I am designing. (I still need to work out the component, the current, and the voltage values).

This took about an hour to draw because of the pre-drawn symbols. The only thing I needed to draw was the lines connecting the symbols and the dots. By rotating and mirroring the symbols, I could place each symbol where needed. By window copying several components at a time, I could work faster as more of the drawing was done. I made a trifilamar transformer symbol ( which was not in the symbol library) by adding three coil symbols together.

One thing the beta version did not have that is included in the office suite is the symbol libraries. These can save a lot of drawing time. The drawing I did for this review would have taken about a hour more had the symbol library not been there. All the tools needed to make the symbols are there, but it would have taken almost as long to draw the symbols as it would to make the rest of the drawing. The architecture symbol library has several hundred symbols. There are both plain an elevation symbols that include joists, trusses, windows, lighting fixtures, doors, and on and on. The cabinet and electrical symbol libraries are also very long . There are also some very strange symbol libraries such as geological symbols and musical notation symbols.

Multimedia Training
Upperspace did a very good job with it training tutoring. It will take about ten hours to get through the lessons and not working the examples. The user who has never used a drawing program, had better spent a week with the training program. The first CD ROM is about 2D drafting and the second CD ROM is the fundamentals of 3D drafting. There are about five sections on each CD ROM and each section has three to ten subjects in it.  The subjects have interactions between the  lesson and the user. I did not go through all the lessons. But I was still able to pickup pointers — like the 3D axis which I had trouble understanding when I reviewed the beta. The only short coming with the lessons is that there are none dealing with the last three programs of the suite.
  

Figure 2

Scan Pro
I spent a lot of time working with this program. CAD programs use vectors to display objects and not raster which is used by paint and photo-editing programs. (Example :a pen plotter draws by vector, while an ink jet printer draws by raster.)  It has almost always been possible to get a vector drawing into a raster program by means of a screen copy, since a video display uses raster to display an image. Up to now if I had wanted to add an image to a CAD file, I would have to draw it. Scan Pro will take an raster file and change it to a vector file . The program can acquire  a file from a scanner, a digital camera, or an image file such as a JPEG. 

The first image in Figure 2A is a jpeg file that I made into a black and white image by means of a paint program. The second image is also done in paint program by means of image processing. The third image is done by Scan Pro. Look at the enlargement in Figure 2B of the same area in images two and three.

In the first enlargement, the line widths vary, and in some lines and areas there is a light gray tone. In the second enlargement, the line widths do not vary and there is no gray tone. A pen plotter could not draw the second image, but it could draw the third image.

The three images in Figure 2C shows the effect of changing the settings of the program. I feel that there is a short coming in the help section because the overall effects are not explained in detail. It would have help, if the program help told: if this effect is wanted use these setting. I really did enjoy the program. As I am trying to become better at pencil drawing, I find by changing a photo into a line drawing, I can free hand copy better from the line drawing that the photo. 
  

Figure 3

 Instant Estimator
Instant Estimator is use to submit bids for a job. It can also be used to figure out what it would cost someone to build something (Figure 3).

The top spreadsheet is a list and prices of various building materials and components. There are thousands of rows in this top spreadsheet. To make searching easy, the each item is given a category  and only those items displayed if the user wishes. The bottom spreadsheet are the items used in the bid. By clicking on an item in the top spreadsheet, a dialog box appears and asks how many of the item is needed. By filling in a number and hitting <enter> , the item and its amount is entered into the bottom spreadsheet and the cost is calculated. After all items have been entered, the program will give a total, which can be used for bidding, and several different types of reports can be printed. There is general lack of very good help as in the case of all these last program, but since most users know how to use a spreadsheet, it is not a problem.

Developer’s Toolkit
I did not spend any time with this program, because there would be not enough time for me to develop a program application that uses DesignCAD 3D MAX and write this review in time for publication. Also, I could never be sure that any problems was a result of the toolkit and not myself, the computer, or the programming language. So I will do something I don’t like to do, summarize the information on Upperspace’s Website. The tools used by DesignCAD 3D MAX can be used by programming languages such as: Visual Basic, Visual C++, Delphi or C++ Builder with the Developer’s Toolkit to make custom application program. There is a PDF document which explains how to get started. 

DesignCAD 3D MAX  Office is listed at Upperspace’s Website for $499. Except for the lack of help with the Scan Pro, I have had no major problems with the office suite. Given that the leading program is running a price tag near one thousand dollars for just the CAD program, this office suite is well worth the price for a small to medium operation that needs CAD drawing.

William Morgan is a self-employed locksmith living in Kerrville, TX. He has been a member of the Alamo PC User Group since 1995.