Tag: autocad

AutoCAD LT, 2 Months Review

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I have been using AutoCAD since version 2007.
From 2007 I moved up to 2011. From 2011, I moved up to 2013. From 2013 I moved to 2014. Where i have been sitting. Until January 2018,
In January my work partner got fed up with his 2011 version of AutoCAD and decided to move to the subscription 2018 AutoCAD lt.
We tested AutoCAD LT by opening all of the past files we had worked on and saw no problem. In fact, the files opened much faster and smoother.
Took me a couple weeks of having to get my work partner to convert files down to my version, me taking almost 3 minutes to open files on my Ryzen 1800x liquid cooled machine while his Pentium 4 was opening the same files in under 30 seconds. So I had to give in. The cost was low and the installation went quick and tech support was there for all of my questions before I made the actual purchase. So far I haven’t had to ask anything. Googled a couple times but that’s about it.

This Pros and cons will be between using an older full version of cad, and a new full support LT subscription version. Yes I understand how that is not a fair comparison but it is what I have.
If you are looking to change from a full version older version to the new subscription version and just want to do the LT plan to save a buck each year, here’s what I have found
Pros
Opens much faster.
Uses video card to speed up use- Acceleration far better than previous versions of full AutoCAD
Drawings look better Lines no longer have the odd zigzag that we have all come to accept.

Cons
Bcount is gone in LT
Multiline or MLINE is gone. You can no longer draw 2 inch or 8 inch walls without drawing each layer of Sheetrock separately.
EATTEXT – gone
Lisp – Gone

I find myself searching the internet trying to find alternative methods of doing my everyday stuff.
There is nothing that wont break the agreement with AutoCAD and getting my account canceled.

It looks as though I will have to give BricsCad, ProgeCAD and NanoCAD another run through to see what is missing where and how can I fix it.
Looks like AutoCAD LT turned out to be too little of of what I need for it to be of any use to me. Let’s see how the return policy (I was told about over the phone) about holds up.
I have to have all functions that full version AutoCAD 2013 had. I design fire alarm systems for fire alarm companies all around Texas. There is plenty of importance in me being able to draw everything I need to draw, use function of all attributes and block functions I have created over the years. I have a large collection of fire alarm tools, blocks, and symbols.

Super Hero Symbols for Fire Alarm

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As a fire alarm designer who has pretty much simplified fire alarm design, I’ve decided to make a handful of super hero symbols that resemble fire alarm symbols for autocad.
Understand that I can’t really use all of their symbols, and I can’t really figure out how to make them all relate.
So I stuck with the basic symbols.
Pull station = The Flashish looking
Smoke Detector = Supermanish looking
Waterflow = Wonder Womanish looking
Strobe = Captain America-ish looking
Horn Strobe = Green Lanternish looking
Duct Detector = Dare Devilish  looking
Smoke/Heat Combo – Dead Poolish
Tamper SWitch – Thor Hammerish looking
……And a few more

Right click and save 1600kb.

Of course the symbols do not look exactly like the actual character’s logos. That would just be weird. It’s kind of nice having them resemble the real deal.

Feel free to use these when messing around. These are not to be sold because… Well you know. Neither of us is Marvel or DC.
These autocad block for fire alarm design are also not NFPA  170 (and likely ahj) approved symbols. These do not  come with any guarantee of passing plans review at all. They do come with guarantee that I doubt they will pass but I won’t bet on that.
They are however in  their own blocks and can be dropped right in your autocad template for messing around.
Enjoy.
Here’s some more free fire alarm blocks for autocad

If you’d like to see more of my  work go to firealarmdwg.com For a large bundled set of Fire alarm symbols and blocks. About ten years of work.

 

Comment below if you have any requests or suggestions.

Autocad Alternatives Test

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Decided to try a few alternatives to AutoCAD and see if I can cut my next upgrade costs.
Here’s the list of programs I found that seemed like the best options for replacing AutoCAD
I tried a few but these are the only ones that made the list.

Specs for the test computer
Windows 7 Ultimate 64
16 gigs DDR3
AMD 6300 six-Core Processor 3.5 GHz

For test reasons I used one of my Fire Alarm templates. Since it is full of my most common blocks and xrefs. This allows me to see if I can operate normally (or better) without any slowdowns to my daily tasks at work. My template is in DWT format and 1=1 scale.The template has 4 layout views that have viewports set to 1/8 scale on print.
I design in 2d only. My job is for permitting process, so no need in 3d design software. So this is a 2d drafting and design test only.

ProgeCAD

ProgeCAD

ProgeCAD

Progecad’s website
Alternative to AutoCAD at a price range of just under $500
I installed the trial version so I can see if ProgeCAD has what I need for the drafting work I do
So far ProgeCAD does everything that autoCAD.

blocks inserted fine
Commands ran as they do in autocad

LibreCAD

AutoCAD vs LibreCAD

AutoCAD vs LibreCAD

LibreCaD’s Website
Free Drafting software alternative to AutoCAD
This is a much slower program and seemed to only work (kinda worked) with DXF files.
LibreCAD opened very slow and zero of my commands worked.
No idea why anyone would work with DXF, since DXF files load so poorly it makes you feel like you are in the middle of a memory dump.
LibreCAD wouldn’t load my blocks and would not load the DWT template file.
Lines were very hard to draw between hesitations and jumps in the program.

FreeCAD

FreeCAD

FreeCAD

Would not load a DWG file right away but would see one in folder.
Would not load DXF files and a message popped up saying to run some sort of importer, the first time I tried.
Import function in menu did nothing. Was not able to click that option.
I did however get a DXF file to open. Which opened very slowly.
The scroll function by use of the mouse wheel, worked smooth and fast. not hesitation whatsoever.
Weird thing is room labels and doors did not show up in the DXF file I used, though they are all there in other AutoCAD alternatives.
Could not copy symbols from autoCAD and paste them into FreeCAD.
No sign of layout tabs.

NanoCAD
nanocadvsautocad
Another Cad alternative that is on a “buy” only service.
I am currently using the trial version for testing and I have to say this one seems to run well and quite strong,
All commands and functions work.
If I want to insert a dynamic block, it inserts and the all of the options work as I designed them to.
NanoCAD looks like it has the best price range. From what I see the price starts at less than $200 and I see no higher prices so. NanoCAD seems to be the winner here.
Works with DWG and DWT template files. Good enough for me to like.
NanoCAD website.

Sketchup
Did not open dwg,dwt or dxf files
Sketchup is not able to be tested for my needs.
Inconclusive.

Fact is, for what I need, the free versions of AutoCAD alternatives just were not worth the download nor the install.

If I had to select one and someone else was buying, I would get the Progecad. The price is just a fraction of AutoCAD and every function I normally need is right there in ProgeCAD.
but if I was buying it for myself, I would pick nanoCAD. Everything just works flawlessly and the price is currently half the price of ProgeCAD.

Fire alarm Symbols Blocks – Free

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Addressable fire alarm initiating devices.

Fire Alarm Symbol Blocks

Fire Alarm Symbol Blocks

A few fire alarm cad blocks that have unique attributes and functions to simplify fire alarm design.
These are blocks that I have used in fire alarm design for a few years but recently revamped. These are the ones I backed up for just in case I don’t like my new changes. Since my new changes to the fire alarm blocks went well, I am going ahead and giving these away for free.
Please keep in mind that I also have more on my FireAlarmDWG.com website that are for sale. They have even more simplified and smoother functions.

If you are the designer for your company and you have sales members who need a better way to make bids, direct them to my Fire Alarm gimp brushes (free also) this will save you so much headache in designs.

Here are the fire alarm device symbols .

Fire alarm symbols Free

and just for fun here are some fire alarm blocks I made in Superhero fashion.

These autocad blocks can be dropped into your drawings or templates as you see fit.

The smoke detector and the pull station and the heat detector and duct detector symbols are all addressable. at the moment of insertion to drawings you will be prompted to title the device numerically that way you can get a running count from the moment you design. This allows your fire alarm system to have an exact format per plans. Not the other way around.

The horn strobe blocks have menus to select multiple options from. such as left facing or right facing. The horn strobe you see that is a typical wall mounted horn strobe, actually has a few features and the option to change to any fire alarm symbol you chose. This allows for change orders or changes per manager or ahj or customer.

Fire Alarm Template Update May 2015

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**Update**
The Fire Alarm Template has been updated  and is currently listed on This site with an updated photo.
Added an access control template (more robust that initial announcement).
If you are looking for the fire sprinkler template, please comment below.
**Update**

If you haven’t been following my other project, I have an Autocad template that I have been working for about 8 years. The idea of this template is to offer a low cost alternative to the people in the fire alarm industry and less costly alternative to simplifying their fire alarm designs.

The fire alarm Template I sell at The top of the page here Fire Design Blocks Is currently for sell.
Things that are being added to the next fire alarm template are blocks that have these features:
Horn/strobes-Strobes with candela rating and amperage, built in them.
fire_alarm_strobe
Both “the last strobe” and “the last horn strobe”. These blocks are their own block with multiple devices inserted that way you can drop the single device in a location and select from a drop down menu to change the orientation of the device and the candela. Yes you can still just buy each of these independently if you are not in need of the full alarm template with all fire alarm blocks added.

Horn/Strobe Block
Dynamic Title block. To change settings for all of the title blocks. Such as job name, jurisdiction, notes for technicians.
fire_alarm_title_block
Initiating devices with addresses ready to type in.Smoke detectors,heat detectors,control modules,relays, and pull stations. You just insert their block and you will be prompted to type in the address. There is also a version of the fire alarm devices for each that does not have this option, if you are just doing a quick mark up.
smoke detector block
All of the previous blocks and template features are still included in the new fire alarm template. The difference is a small handful of blocks have been altered a pretty good amount. In this case it would be in your best interest to keep both templates if you qualify for a the new template after purchasing the current template.
The date of launch for the new fire alarm blocks template will be June 1st. at that date the price will go up to $450. For now the price is reduced to $375.

The plan is to create a new post on this site explaining how to use the fire alarm Autocad template and insert the blocks to optimize your fire alarm design to reduce design time, and increase accuracy of fire alarm design.

The fire Sprinkler template is for title block and legend attributes to simplify the initial set up of fire sprinkler design.
The access control template works much like the fire alarm template.

How to Make a Template in Autocad

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My Autocad templates are full of blocks that I have created and named to make the jobs that are repeated similarities, much easier and much more correct and uniform. I made these templates to simplify repeated drawings that have the exact same floor plans or layout and use the exact same equipment. The equipment is in separate blocks to be layed out per each individual locations unique requests. Maybe this is what you are looking for for your Autocad template.
For this “How to” I am using Autodesk Autocad 2014 in classic view.
If you have never made yourself a  template file for Autocad and have a reason that you may need to use the same design on multiple occasions and be able to pull up the default version of the Autocad design with ease. Then this might help you.
In the most simple way, right click any cad file and select “rename” and change the file from DWG to DWT. save. Then place the file into your templates folder.

In a more complex way but not real bad.
Open a cad file, then go to the menu area and select “save as”. Now name the file and below the area you name the file is “file type” select “dwt”. This will automatically place the new Template file in your templates folder when you select “save”.
cad-menu1

Now to load the template, you select file in top left of your screen, then select “new”. and in there will be your template file that you just created.
You can update the file as you go along, just be sure to select “dwt” each time you update the template.. And select “dwg” when you have designed something that will not be your default.

How to Create Blocks in Autocad

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Let’s start with creating  a simple block for this post.
Creating a block is a good way to to lock a set of items in one place to prevent deletion of useful items during editing. creating a block is also useful if you want to use that same block multiple times and call that item back up again with the quickest methods.

First you have to draw the item you want to be in a block.

Once the item is drawn, you can now highlight the item you just drew in cad, and then either right click and select “paste as block” or if you are on a newer version of autocad, you have to turn on the menu at the top of the window . once the menu is activated in Autocad, select “edit” in the droop down menu you will see “paste as block” select “paste as block”
pasteblockmenu

You have now created a block.

Now double click that block. and you will see  block editor open. The block will be highlighted in the list of blocks. The name should be random alphanumeric and symbols.
blockedit

Let’s name that block something you can remember.
Now at the top of that list there should be a space you can type in. The blocks name will be in that spot. Go ahead and copy that name and close the block editor.
Now in the command area type “rename” a new window should pop open.
renameblock

In the area that says “Old Name” paste in the name you copied, or you can scroll down the list of blocks on the right until you see the name of the block you want to rename. In the field below “Old Name” simply type in the new name of the block and press “Ok”.

You have now created and renamed a block in autocad.

you can easily call the item up with the “Insert command” or just type “i” and press enter.

Please let me know if this was informative enough, or simple enough or not.

Designers You sicken me

Posted onAuthorTruXter

I am not talking about interior decorators who call themselves designers when all they do is coordinate color and move chairs around. I am not talking about the clowns who conceptualize stuff and grab an under-paid lackey to “make it happen”. I am talking about the over paid lackeys. The ones with autodesk or autocad and designing buildings for large corporations spitting out a building with perfect dimensions. Your drawings sir look wonderful. Your drawings breath the ever existence of symmetry while coordinating flow of traffic yet still staying well with in codes. but.
It’s the stupid stuff you do to your cad files. Why must you all use some strange blocks and layers with in the blocks. I understand the use of layers, but it only makes sense to use the layers if you do not put walls and furniture on the same layer while putting the doors and plants in the same block. You guys sicken me with your redundant over use of blocks. Okay… we get it. You can make a block. Any idiot that can right click can make a block.
And you no good for nothing designers who like to pull your practical jokes by going into paper space zooming way the heck out, finding some spot far from the display area and dropping a tiny dot …… You sir need to be kicked in the face.
and you Cad file creators who like to put xref within an xref within a dwg, but you only send out your dwg file in emails as if you are supplying the world with your greatness. You know that you are an idiot that likes to use xref files. everyone knows you are an idiot that likes to use xref files. Will you please for everything sane, if you send out that dwg,COPY EVERYTHING THAT YOU SEND, AND YES CREATE THE FOLDER THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE IN BECAUSE WE HAVE TO REBUILD YOUR USELESS LAZY CRAP WHEN WE GET IT.
And you idiotic people who hire them and say that you are happy the other guy is so thorough for going the extra distance in design, STFU, just STFU. Do not speak to someone who can work the damn program and have some authoritative mentality with your bulldog wanna be face, you have no idea what you are talking about. You need to be tripped and stomped for the level of disrespect you just displayed. You sir are an idiot, just give me my money like a good little monkey as I ignore you hoping you make another designer laugh at your arrogant ignorance.
Please. Quit milking the design with your redundancies. Unless you just do not want to share your cad files with others.
Fire sprinkler designers. You clowns have so far over complicated your designs to increase your purpose in the fire safety design business, it takes another add-on software to complete what you need, you can barely work that program and you can do nothing with out it. Stop making it look like it’s more than it is. Crap runs down hill, you get paid on Fridays. That simple.

Look designers. You just have to come out and say it ” I can do it, you can not, that’s why you pay me”. and raise your fee, no sense in this big dramatic show. You kind of bother other designers with this stuff.

Fire Alarm Cad Template

Posted onAuthorTruXter12 Comments

fire_alarm_title_block

(Give me a like on a social site or share this with a friend, I don’t have a 2000 pr team, it’s just me here)
I have been working on a template in autodesk for a year or so, trying to eliminate all issues. I have not yet prevented everything that I may encounter, but I have reduced the amount of issues that can come. So no this is not a perfect download. It is how ever as close as I have come this far. Fire Alarm Legend and Title Block is now for sale only. There are tons of websites that help you get the Symbols for you legend and there are many sites that give you fire alarm sprinkler addons for autodesk autocad. There is very little for fire alarm. So it is a rough start.

Most of this is my own work, but much of this is what I have gathered around the internet doing searches In Google and Bing and Yahoo and Ask. There just was not enough out there for me to get the job done. What you see there in Layout view is nothing compared to what is going on  in Model. Everything you see there is through view ports. All of my view ports are built to scale.

The trick is to drop all images into the square above the  title-block  and then scale it so that it prints out to scale. there is a second view port in layout view that opens to that location.

If you are in need of this whole Fire Alarm DWG file, let me know I will set it up for upload and message you when it is ready.

There is a huge original version of this, so what you are seeing in those two pdf files would be the light weight trimmed down most used items version. There is a huge one with everything I can possibly use, that would look like a train wreck though.

******update*****
I have the cad file listed for sale. I will be emailing the DWG DWT file to every person who pays for it.

All prices are marked and made easy.  Major credit cards and paypal are welcome, If you require any other method of payment, use the contact form on that page.
Simply because I would prefer to sell the thing for at a lower price for the basic and limited tools.
There is a full version with full tools and all addons to make it easier to complete your fire alarm
design in cad. Oh and the one I had here on the site, Is about 10 versions old.
The new one has a few Candelas tools in it already and many block features that most people do not even know
exist.
This Template comes with a my personal created method to measure Candelas , Smoke coverage, a battery calculation addon that I created, Blocks for every device to me inserted, and instruction manual with short cut codes for calling the block.
This Fire Alarm Template has everything I use on a daily basis and will shorten your design time, reduce room for error and simplify fire alarm design so much that you can give someone a computer with this template and they will be designing fire alarm systems like a pro, as they read the “HowTo” file.
So Simple, even your boss can use this .DWT file.
If you want a copy just reply with a comment, all messages here are filtered so they will not post till I approve them.
All personal information will not be shown here.
******update*****

**update** This post is 4 years old. There have been many updates to the fire alarm template. It is no longer free. I have listed it for sale. The update to this is located here Fire Alarm Design Made easy

(Here is the 2014 version of the fire alarm template)
and here is the fire alarm template version from 2015 (Videos showing function) <– NEW
Also please notice I added a fire sprinkler template and an access control template with symbols.

Autodesk Autocad help

Posted onAuthorTruXter

Working for a company that requires me to use autodesk all the time I some times run into stuff I do not yet know. So i have done tons of searches for helpful stuff to make my Job/career of work on a computer, a little more stable and simple. So i have collected a bunch of links, I should share with you.

Heck if anything this will surely be aback up of my cad autodesk help links.

Autodesk faq 

The book

Addons

more addons

aid pdf is good for converting pdfs to cad. Gotta buy a key after like 30 uses or 60 days or something though.. Works better than most pdf-dxf converters… but make sure to clean the pdf before converting it.