On 10/28/2012 04:33 PM, Doug wrote:
On 10/28/2012 03:06 PM, Mark LaPierre wrote:
On 10/28/2012 01:56 PM, Robert G. (Doc) Savage wrote:
Can anyone suggest an architectural CAD package comparable to AutoCAD for use in preparing layered drawings for residential remodeling?
--Doc Savage Fairview Heights, IL
I use Ribbon Soft Qcad. There is a free edition but I use the pro edition.
I looked at some of these things, and the free QCad is probably the nearest to AutoCAAD, but it's NOT AutoCAD--some of the commands don't work. And some of the features that you might need are not there. (I couldn't find "scale".) It's the same old problem-- any imitation CAD routine will cause you to have to learn all over again. If you have Windows, there are sources of (quite a bit) lower-priced AutoCAD. I won't go into detail but there are! You just can't call Autodesk for help! I will never understand why some of these ultra-high-priced outfits don't make older editions available for a reasonable price. AutoCad could sell the old Light version from 2000 or so for, say, $150, which is probably not much lower than when it was new, and make a nice buck out of people who will never buy the latest four-figure version--or the five-figure full-blown version.
--doug
Qcad has scale. From the help menu:
Menu: Modify - Scale Scale: sz Command: scale Description: Scales entities by a given factor towards a given center. This tool can create single or multiple copies of existing entities. Procedure: After starting the scale tool, the CAD toolbar shows the selection tools. Use them to select the entities you want to scale. Click the right arrow button in the CAD toolbar to continue. Set the center of the scaling with the mouse or enter a coordinate in the command line. The scale dialog is displayed (Figure 52). To scale the entities without keeping the original entities, choose "Delete Original", to copy them choose "Keep Original". Finally you can create a number of scaled copies at once, by choosing "Multiple Copies" and entering the number of copies in the text line below. Note that '9' will create 9 copies and keep the original - so there will be 10 instances of the entities in the end. The copies will have the same attributes and be on the same layer as the original entities. To change that default behavior, you can check "Use current attributes" or "Use current layer". Click OK to scale the entities. The selected entities will be deselected automatically.
The free community edition does not have all the features found in the Pro edition. You don't get what you don't pay for.