| Cadence |
Vdraft |
September 1998 |
|---|
Most designers cut their engineering teeth on AutoCAD. They're used to its commands, buttons and menus. Because of familiarity and productivity, it has been difficult to introduce other CAD systems into the business. It has also been expensive because of file incompatibilities. But what if the command set were the same, cost wasn't a factor and file translation was not an issue? These factors are addressed by Vdraft Personal Edition.
The personal version discussed in this review differs from the full version in three ways: price, limited viewing abilities (only five drawings can be viewed at one time) and type of user allowed (the personal version is for personal or student use only and is not authorized for use by a company or a corporation). Also Vdraft Personal Edition has a new approach to the compatibility issue, it doesn't use translation; it loads AutoCAD DWG files in their native format.
Complete compatibility has been elusive for many CAD systems. Many AutoCAD users have customized AutoCAD by creating their own linetypes, fonts and symbols (blocks). Vdraft handles linetypes much the same as AutoCAD does - it relies on a linetype definition file. Fonts are also handled in a familiar way, and blocks are brought in without exploding or translation. Vdraft loads AutoCAD DWG and DXF files in their native format and doesn't rely on translation, which can be error prone. The only caveat as of this writing is that Vdraft 1.51's compatibility is limited to AutoCAD R12 files. However, according to SoftSource, Release 2.0 reads and writes R14 files and is scheduled to ship September 1.
Vdraft is easy to use and affordable. Its object-oriented user interface varies from AutoCAD by using fewer menus and dialog boxes.
Vdraft also reads AutoCAD's backup format (BAK) and Vdraft's backup files without renaming any file extensions. You can also load and save earlier versions of AutoCAD files, from version 2.5 through R12. Vdraft handles external references without a hiccup. You can drag and drop drawings and XREF's from Windows Explorer into Vdraft and work with them at the same time. In addition, Vdraft's Paper Space viewports work the same as AutoCAD's.
If you prefer to type your commands, you will notice that AutoCAD and Vdraft commands are the same, with just a few exceptions. Even the Space bar and Enter key can be used to repeat the last command. Other terminology is also the same, including layers, blocks, arc, lines and so on.
Clicking the right mouse button when you're in the middle of a command causes a pop-up menu to appear beneath the cursor. It contains command options that can modify the active command, as shown in Figure 7. The pop-up menus are context sensitive so that their content changes based on the active command. Some commands have been combined into a single dialog box because they all perform a similar function. Because of these usability enhancements, you can begin to use Vdraft in a relatively short time.
Vdraft Personal's Multiple Document Interface (MDI) compliance lets you work with up to five drawing files at a time. The full version will allow a hundred files opened simultaneously, as shown in Figure 8. You don't have to wait for one drawing to finish loading before you can begin loading another. I found this to be a major time saver.
Because Vdraft's user interface is object-oriented, you can get entity information by resting your cursor on a block, line or any other object, causing a small tip box to appear that contains data about the object.
Other capabilities that enhance your productivity include Object Grips, a STRETCH command and Offset and direct numeric entry. Project grouping lets you group project files so you can load them all at once. Setting a value for Length Snap causes the length of a line to be constrained to multiples of the length value you set. You can locate a point based on distance from anything in the drawing by using Offset from Feature, which also lets you locate a point that is midway between two others, or draw a line through a specific location. Vdraft also includes an UNDO command along with a dialog box that lists the commands you can undo. So, you can pick the command to which you want to return.
Another significant difference between Vdraft and AutoCAD is that Vdraft doesn't include AutoLISP, ADS and ASE. You can, however, customize Vdraft using Visual Basic, Visual C++ and Delphi, or write scripts using Vdraft's scripting tools that use the same syntax as typed commands. The easiest way to write scripts is to copy commands from the UNDO list into your script dialog box. Vdraft provides some 3D capabilities that are equivalent to AutoCAD R12's (for instance, 3D wireframes but not 3D solid models), but concentrates most of its capabilities in two dimensions. Also, Vdraft will not support digitizing tablets as input devices.
You can publish drawings to the Web via Vdraft's Internet and intranet tools. A plug-in is available that enables your Netscape or Microsoft browser to view and manipulate drawing images. Three types of drawing formats can be published: DWG, DXF, and SVF (Simple Vector Format). When viewed with the plug-in, the graphics appear in vector format, so you can zoom in without losing the sharpness of the objects. You can also copy and paste from Web-published drawings right into Vdraft. Other capabilities include layer, manipulation, zoom and pan. If you're using the SVF plug-in, you can place text annotations and hyperlinks in your Web-published drawing that link to sites on the Web. Because Vdraft is MAPI compliant, you can send a drawing from Vdraft to another user as an email attachment.
I found Vdraft to be a full-featured CAD system with most of its strength in 2D capabilities. It also includes some 3D commands and objects that are adequate for some design applications. The system is easily learned whether you are an AutoCAD user or not. If you decide to supplement an AutoCAD-based office, a manual and online tutorial for AutoCAD users in included with the software package. This system should fit the needs of most drafters, but you should check it out for yourself, based on your requirements.
[Editors note: SoftSource is planning R13 and R14 support with version 2.0 of Vdraft, scheduled for release September 1, 1998.]
by Dale E. Evans