Topic Title

I am looking for advice on purchasing DataCAD - would you recommend buying v11 now or waiting until v12 arrives?

I am not an architect, but I have designed & drafted our family home using an older version of DataCAD.

I doubt I will ever really use DataCAD professionally, it is just something I really enjoy doing. I have a pretty good handle on 2D, and would like to learn 3D presentation. Is there anything in the upcoming version that one simply must have or will v11 suffice?

Any guesses on when v12 will be ready?


Thank you,

Gordon Wekwert

If you not using it professionally I would hold off for v.12 for sure. It's got some great new stuff that has us regular users drooling. It's in the beta testing phase right now, and while I can't publicly speculate right now on a release time line, the original release "goals" mentioned by the Datacad back around Oct. was spring-fall 07. That's nothing set in stone but a good rough estimate I would say

Thanks Josh. It would be nice if they could pin down a release date, but I understand the process.

Please elaborate on the new stuff that has you drooling.

You can read up on a bit in this post and do a search for v.12 or ver.12 should give you some more results.

If you want to get into 3D, then have a go at Google SketchUp. It's free and once you get to the point where you want to import your model into DataCAD, you can upgrade to SketchUp Pro,

I would think it would be easier to start with DataCAD Light, for only $300. Then you could learn techniques that are actually a part of the DataCAD program. Then if you want more, go to 12 if it's out, or 11 and upgrade later for a reasonable amount. The $300 applies to the purchase, if I read the webpage right.

I've tried modeling in SketchUp and, while is is nice to push & pull rectangles, the inability to separate what is on and what edits is annoying. The say it is not a 3d drafting program, but a modeling program. I'd much rather draft in 3d in DataCAD.

Dwight,

I do not think that DataCAD 11 Light can be upgraded to DataCAD 12, maybe I'm wrong.

Thanks for your suggestions.

Upgrade is not the question, I'm saying that the graphic interface, the techniques to do stuff, the ability to draft in 2D and 3D will be very similar in DataCAD 11Lt to that in DataCAD 12, much more similar than trying to learn SketchUp and then buying DataCAD 12 when it comes out and then having to learn another new program. If they continue the same deal they have for v11, the webpage says the $300 you spend for the light version applies to the full program. So you don't lose any money to buy the light version now and a full version later. On the other hand, some versions of SketchUp are free. I just didn't find it intuitive to use; lots of others love it.