TurboCAD
Mac Pro v 2. is a very welcome application
from
IMSI.
It is a 2D drafting and 3D modelling program.
Whilst TurboCAD Mac is perfect for the cost-conscious amateur / hobbyist CAD user, it is more than powerful enough to tackle many tasks. And most users in this category will have no problem producing accurate drawings for their building projects and planning applications. TurboCAD Mac Pro, on the other hand, will give the professional, and skilled technical enthusiast, advanced precision 2D and 3D design tools, photorealistic rendering, and unsurpassed file compatibility. According to the TurboCAD website “TurboCAD Mac Pro has all the powerful drafting and design features of TurboCAD Mac, plus additional powerful tools for creating complex 3D models, 3D OpenGL renderings, and over 11,000 2D/3D symbols and parts” TurboCad Mac Pro will import/Export to/from all of these file formats, CGM, DCD, DXF, DWF, DWG, EPS, HPGL, IGES, PICT (Mac format), PNG, WMF, and most other bit-mapped formats.
New features in Version 2
• Double Line Tool - The double line tool is perfect for drawing walls in architectural drawings. The double line automatically offsets to your chosen thickness.
• Fractional and Dimension Display - All data entry fields now support measurements in feet and inches and display the data in the same format.
• Transparent Snap - Window overlays now have transparencies that allow snap text to display as smooth, anti-aliased text in all situations. Additionally, snap text now displays clear when over shaded images too!
• DXF/DWG Support - Enhanced DXF/DWG translator for increased compatibility plus all new support for model and paper space.
Additional Features
• Bill of Materials
• Updated Modelling Kernel
• Transparent Section
• Partial Selections
• Show and Hide
• Multiple User Settings
• Wheel Scroll Direction
• Skins Folder
So, what’s TurboCAD Mac Pro like in use? Well, to my surprise, and delight, it is extremely easy to use and to learn, especially if you have used any other Computer Aided Design software before. If you have never used CAD software in the past then you may find the learning curve a bit steep. But there are plenty of tutorials on the internet, as well as very good help pages within TurboCAD Mac Pro itself.
I have never used TurboCAD Mac before, so I was ‘running blind’ in terms of tools and menu’s etc. It soon became apparent, however, that I had nothing to fear. Most of TurboCAD Mac Pro’s toolkit is self explanatory, and very much in line with any other CAD program. All drop down Menus are along the top with Tools down the left hand side. The remainder of the screen is mostly your drawing space. You have a constant record of exactly where you are in the drawing (x, y, z, co-ordinates). The Preferences - in the File menu - is very extensive, giving a wide range of choices for just about every aspect of the program, so as to make setting things up easy and quick. The View menu gives a wide range of viewing options, as well as Zoom options. Although I was pleased to discover that the wheel on my ‘Mighty Mouse’ could be used for zooming in and out.
The toolset is comprehensive enough. All the usual ACIS tools are there - net surfaces, ruled surfaces, skin surfaces and guide skin surfaces. You can even put a skin surface between two generating shapes with a supplied guide line. Solids, again, can be derived from profiles using Lathing, Extruding and Sweeping and can have true Boolean operations performed on them. Two of the aspects I found of interest, and potentially very useful, were inferencing and snapping. ‘Inferencing’, according to one technical dictionary, ‘is about computer applications making decisions about, and deducing (inferring) new information from information and resources already on hand’ The traditional method for Draftsmen was always to use a T-square and set square to produce drawings. Inferencing allows Cad programs to use information on alignments, intersections, radii, tangents and so on to make it much easier, and quicker to produce properly aligned drawings. Snapping can help greatly when drawing objects, such as lines and walls, that need to exactly attach themselves to other objects. TurboCAD uses Layers. Every new drawing has three layers: Layer 1 (for drawing), Dimensions and Construction. Dimensions is set up to hold your dimensions. The dimensions can then be turned off (via the Layers palette) to make the drawing more clearly readable. Construction is reserved for Construction lines. These lines are not printed, but are used as guides for your final drawing. The 3D capabilities of TurboCAD Mac Pro are very much in-line with programs costing many times the £199.99 price-tag.
As you must be aware, I have only glossed over the capabilities of TurboCAD Mac Pro. A look at the TurboCAD website, with its various links, will provide extensive information, with lots of drawings and other graphics. Whilst I have no immediate use for TurboCAD Mac Pro, I can think of many future projects that will now become much easier - and quicker! - now that I have this ‘power-tool’ in my arsenal.
So, the final verdict?
Well, as I have already stated, TurboCAD Mac Pro v 2 is the ideal tool for anyone needing a top class CAD program, whilst being on a tight budget. Or TurboCAD Mac if money is really tight. It would have been nice to have seen more in the way of on-line tutorials, as well as some examples/projects (especially in the non-Pro version) to help the inexperienced CAD user. Apart from that, I have no hesitation in highly recommending TurboCAD Mac/Pro to anyone. It is also extremely good value for money.
It is a 2D drafting and 3D modelling program.
Whilst TurboCAD Mac is perfect for the cost-conscious amateur / hobbyist CAD user, it is more than powerful enough to tackle many tasks. And most users in this category will have no problem producing accurate drawings for their building projects and planning applications. TurboCAD Mac Pro, on the other hand, will give the professional, and skilled technical enthusiast, advanced precision 2D and 3D design tools, photorealistic rendering, and unsurpassed file compatibility. According to the TurboCAD website “TurboCAD Mac Pro has all the powerful drafting and design features of TurboCAD Mac, plus additional powerful tools for creating complex 3D models, 3D OpenGL renderings, and over 11,000 2D/3D symbols and parts” TurboCad Mac Pro will import/Export to/from all of these file formats, CGM, DCD, DXF, DWF, DWG, EPS, HPGL, IGES, PICT (Mac format), PNG, WMF, and most other bit-mapped formats.
New features in Version 2
• Double Line Tool - The double line tool is perfect for drawing walls in architectural drawings. The double line automatically offsets to your chosen thickness.
• Fractional and Dimension Display - All data entry fields now support measurements in feet and inches and display the data in the same format.
• Transparent Snap - Window overlays now have transparencies that allow snap text to display as smooth, anti-aliased text in all situations. Additionally, snap text now displays clear when over shaded images too!
• DXF/DWG Support - Enhanced DXF/DWG translator for increased compatibility plus all new support for model and paper space.
Additional Features
• Bill of Materials
• Updated Modelling Kernel
• Transparent Section
• Partial Selections
• Show and Hide
• Multiple User Settings
• Wheel Scroll Direction
• Skins Folder
So, what’s TurboCAD Mac Pro like in use? Well, to my surprise, and delight, it is extremely easy to use and to learn, especially if you have used any other Computer Aided Design software before. If you have never used CAD software in the past then you may find the learning curve a bit steep. But there are plenty of tutorials on the internet, as well as very good help pages within TurboCAD Mac Pro itself.
I have never used TurboCAD Mac before, so I was ‘running blind’ in terms of tools and menu’s etc. It soon became apparent, however, that I had nothing to fear. Most of TurboCAD Mac Pro’s toolkit is self explanatory, and very much in line with any other CAD program. All drop down Menus are along the top with Tools down the left hand side. The remainder of the screen is mostly your drawing space. You have a constant record of exactly where you are in the drawing (x, y, z, co-ordinates). The Preferences - in the File menu - is very extensive, giving a wide range of choices for just about every aspect of the program, so as to make setting things up easy and quick. The View menu gives a wide range of viewing options, as well as Zoom options. Although I was pleased to discover that the wheel on my ‘Mighty Mouse’ could be used for zooming in and out.
The toolset is comprehensive enough. All the usual ACIS tools are there - net surfaces, ruled surfaces, skin surfaces and guide skin surfaces. You can even put a skin surface between two generating shapes with a supplied guide line. Solids, again, can be derived from profiles using Lathing, Extruding and Sweeping and can have true Boolean operations performed on them. Two of the aspects I found of interest, and potentially very useful, were inferencing and snapping. ‘Inferencing’, according to one technical dictionary, ‘is about computer applications making decisions about, and deducing (inferring) new information from information and resources already on hand’ The traditional method for Draftsmen was always to use a T-square and set square to produce drawings. Inferencing allows Cad programs to use information on alignments, intersections, radii, tangents and so on to make it much easier, and quicker to produce properly aligned drawings. Snapping can help greatly when drawing objects, such as lines and walls, that need to exactly attach themselves to other objects. TurboCAD uses Layers. Every new drawing has three layers: Layer 1 (for drawing), Dimensions and Construction. Dimensions is set up to hold your dimensions. The dimensions can then be turned off (via the Layers palette) to make the drawing more clearly readable. Construction is reserved for Construction lines. These lines are not printed, but are used as guides for your final drawing. The 3D capabilities of TurboCAD Mac Pro are very much in-line with programs costing many times the £199.99 price-tag.
As you must be aware, I have only glossed over the capabilities of TurboCAD Mac Pro. A look at the TurboCAD website, with its various links, will provide extensive information, with lots of drawings and other graphics. Whilst I have no immediate use for TurboCAD Mac Pro, I can think of many future projects that will now become much easier - and quicker! - now that I have this ‘power-tool’ in my arsenal.
So, the final verdict?
Well, as I have already stated, TurboCAD Mac Pro v 2 is the ideal tool for anyone needing a top class CAD program, whilst being on a tight budget. Or TurboCAD Mac if money is really tight. It would have been nice to have seen more in the way of on-line tutorials, as well as some examples/projects (especially in the non-Pro version) to help the inexperienced CAD user. Apart from that, I have no hesitation in highly recommending TurboCAD Mac/Pro to anyone. It is also extremely good value for money.
IMSI TurboCAD Mac Pro Software Review