TurboCAD - 4.1

I purchased, downloaded and installed TurboCAD v.2.0 SP1 (Build 657) about two weeks ago. I have been teaching myself to use it.

Problems: Tools don't always operate as expected. The interface is not very Mac-like.

Setting up a polygon and filling it turned out to be unusually complicated. Using the "Chain select" command, then the join command followed by color then fill pattern commands *in that order* produces a fill. Once you understand it, things seem easy; the first time was a bear.

Documentation is very weak. Trial and error works faster.

Good points: . It does work. It opens both binary (.dwg) and text (.dxf) autocad files, a very good thing. Some of the tools are easy and intuitive. I had a basic drawing done within about 3 hours of installing the program.

With some patience I have been able to do everything I set out to do.

For the money I feel pretty good about it. But then, this is not my day job.

Now and again I have a need to do some technical drawing and am currently getting ready to design a basement. I have Vectorworks that's getting a little long in the tooth, so I thought I'd try this package out and see if it offered newer features that Vectorworks may have not updated over TurboCAD. I am sorely dissapointed in what TurboCAD has to offer (or should I say what little if anything it has to offer). The manual sucks (offering no real advice on how to use the program, but merely describes the menu drop downs - which can be done without the aid of the book), the methodology for scaling is incredibly counter-intuitive and just the basic way it works is not very CAD-like. If you have CAD needs that are very basic this program might come close - but it's still nowhere near as good as a full blown package.

I have made a frustrating attempt to use the Tcad 2d and 3d for Mac OS X demos.
I had wanted to use the 3d to visualize a possbile new cabinet shelving design, but found the interface completely unintuitve and waste of my time. I have no previous CAD or 3d experience.

TCad 2d - We had planned on using this to sketch up 2D files for steel rule die production requests to a service provider.
I swear it is also the most unintuitve !#$#@$%$%. I could not even draw out basic square gemometry and move around and interact as I would expect. I would have better luck with AppleWorks draw appication or pen and paper for that matter. Huge disappointment.
Maybe proficient CAD users would pick this up quick, but then they'd probably stick with their high end product at the office, eh ?