Topic: ProgeCAD LT 2006

[hudster]

Has anyone had any experience of this program? http://www.progecad.com/ Mark posted the link on here.

I'm looking for a program for light CAD users, site operators & engineers to use, ProgeCAD LT 2006 sounds ideal, retains xrefs, plots to PDF, and DWF, handles images etc etc.
But I've never used it, or know anyone who has, we need to expand our CAD capability to include all engineers and want to do it as cheaply as possible without losing AutoCAD drawing support.

[Mark]

I installed and tested ( not thoroughly ) that and the CADOpia Standard version last Friday. The CADopia version was much more stable on my machine. CADopia also didn't have any problems reading/writing to a file created in C3D 2006.

[hudster]

i'm in the process of downloading the pro version, i'll let you know how it went.
I've also downloaded the LT version for evaluation.

Never heard of CADOpia, is that any good?

[Swift]

I have the pro windows version of BricsCad . Yes, I said 'pro Windows' because they also have a Linux version!

[Mark]

Never heard of CADOpia, is that any good?

I thought so. It also includes autolisp.

[Swift]

I was under the impression that all the flavors of Intellicad included autolisp and s(a)ds( or lisp in c)

[hudster]

yup, just tried it, the LT version does lisp.

Man it's good, i can't see a reason not for our company to switch to this for lite users/engineers to use.

[Mark]

Downloading BricsCad V6 Pro now!!

[hudster]

Found the first problem, my custom menus don't work because it wont recognise the ^C^C$I=ANDY.REV $i=* command, there must be a way round it though.

[MP]

ThingsToDoWhenIHaveTime.Add ( "Download BricsCAD" ) ;

[Dinosaur]

Downloading BricsCad V6 Pro now!!

BricsCad is solid enough that EaglePoint has an option to use its engine instead of AutoCAD.

[hudster]

Bugger, I was to be upgraded to AutoCAD 2006, now I may be getting ProgeCAD pro 2006, it's only £180, compared to the big outlay for AutoCAD we can equip the whole company for about the same as 1 AutoCAD seat.

I can't complain though, at least I'm getting upgraded.

[t-bear]

The only bug-a-boo I found with ProgiCAD was its inability to handle custom menus.  If someone finds differently, please let me know.  Other than that, it was very much an ACAD clone.....icons, toolbars...lisp routines, everything. I had no problem going from one to the other, opening ACAD dwgs in P-CAD & visa versa.  An excellent proggy for the $$$.

[MP]

Have any bitheads downloaded / installed this BricsCAD yet?

I'd like to know how well it does lisp, like entmake, xdata, dictionaries, ssget filtering, mapcar, lambda, apply, atoms-family etc. Obviously vl-stuff is out, but how robust is the vanilla lisp, that'd be the question.

Thanks.

[Swift]

I don't use lisp much (any) but the vba interface is very similar to acad.

Only problem I have with bricscad is my mouse pointer is extremely slow across the window and for the life of me I can't determine why.

[Mark]

Have any bitheads downloaded / installed this BricsCAD yet?

I'd like to know how well it does lisp, like entmake, xdata, dictionaries, ssget filtering, mapcar, lambda, apply, atoms-family etc. Obviously vl-stuff is out, but how robust is the vanilla lisp, that'd be the question.

Thanks.

I've got it, haven't installed yet.

From the web page "ActiveX, including in-place editing" included. 

[MP]

A person might get derned excited about this product if it can be automated to an appreciable level.

[hudster]

Looks like we will be getting this, I downloaded the pro trial version, does everything we need it to and a wee bit more as well.

DWFIN, PDFOUT, block manager, wintopo all built into the program.  we can have 10 network licenses for just over £1500 ex vat, a lot less than one AutoCAD seat.

If we can get some LT licences as well we could be even better off as we only need 5 pro licences for the CAD staff and the rest for engineers.

I still can't see what the catch is, there must be something fishy to make this program so cheap, or am I just too cynical?

[Mark]

Looks like we will be getting this, I downloaded the pro trial version, does everything we need it to and a wee bit more as well.

How did you get it installed?? ( that's if you're talking about bricscad )

I get a dialog box asking for a registration key to activate VBA, but is says VBA is not installed with the trial version. 

[Mark]

Never mind . . . 

[Swift]

i had problems getting the vba running once i bought the pro version of bricscad... I BELIEVE you can automate the trial version with standalone VB if you want to try it like that

[MP]

i had problems getting the vba running once i bought the pro version of bricscad ...

So don't buy the pro version? I don't get it.

[Swift]

no I installed the demo and then bought the program but the demo install doesn't install the vba so an uninstall is in order

[MP]

no I installed the demo and then bought the program but the demo install doesn't install the vba so an uninstall is in order

Thanks (I think).

:grazy:

[hudster]

We are going for the pro version of ProgeCAD, we don't use VBA a lot, the only drawback so far is a lack of vlisp commands, so some routines won't work for me.

But all in all I can't complain, for the work we do, I can't really justify the outlay for AutoCAD when this will do.

[hudster]

Ok, I've been looking on the internet and I've come up with 4 main versions of IntelliCAD.

These are 4M, BRICSCAD, PROGECAD and CADOPIA.

Prices are all much of a sameness only about £100 from lowest to highest.

My problem comes about now I have to recommend one, I'm swaying towards progecad, but I'm woried about it's stability.

Anyone have any recomendations about which one to use, and why it's better.

[Dinosaur]

The fact that BricsCad has been chosen as an optional CAD engine for EaglePoint software speaks a lot.  EP involves some very complicated land development design tasks.  I have not heard anything negative about any of those choices.

[MP]

4M's intellicad engine core is a version behind the others if I'm not mistaken.

[Mark]

Have any bitheads downloaded / installed this BricsCAD yet?

I'd like to know how well it does lisp, like entmake, xdata, dictionaries, ssget filtering, mapcar, lambda, apply, atoms-family etc. Obviously vl-stuff is out, but how robust is the vanilla lisp, that'd be the question.

Thanks.

entmake = yes
xdata = yes
dictionaries = yes
ssget filtering = yes
mapcar = yes
lambda = yes
apply = yes
atoms-family = yes

 

[LE]

Have any bitheads downloaded / installed this BricsCAD yet?

I'd like to know how well it does lisp, like entmake, xdata, dictionaries, ssget filtering, mapcar, lambda, apply, atoms-family etc. Obviously vl-stuff is out, but how robust is the vanilla lisp, that'd be the question.

Thanks.

It is good [just that].

[MP]

entmake = yes
xdata = yes
dictionaries = yes
ssget filtering = yes
mapcar = yes
lambda = yes
apply = yes
atoms-family = yes

Thanks Mr. T! I assume it's just vanilla (no vl* stuff), but maybe I'm too pessimistic. Anything in that dept Mark?

[MP]

It is good [just that].

Thank you Luis.

[Mark]

Thanks Mr. T! I assume it's just vanilla (no vl* stuff), but maybe I'm too pessimistic. Anything in that dept Mark?

Nope, no vl- stuff. The SDS sounds pretty cool though.

SDS communicates with the user and BricsCad via LISP (akin to the way that ADS works with AutoLISP® and other CAD systems). However, SDS greatly augments the capabilities found in LISP with a much more powerful command base that can also access the operating system. This allows you to create even more sophisticated custom solutions. And, because SDS applications are compiled, they are typically faster than LISP applications.

[LE]

Thanks Mr. T! I assume it's just vanilla (no vl* stuff), but maybe I'm too pessimistic. Anything in that dept Mark?

Nope, no vl- stuff. The SDS sounds pretty cool though.

SDS communicates with the user and BricsCad via LISP (akin to the way that ADS works with AutoLISP® and other CAD systems). However, SDS greatly augments the capabilities found in LISP with a much more powerful command base that can also access the operating system. This allows you to create even more sophisticated custom solutions. And, because SDS applications are compiled, they are typically faster than LISP applications.

Yes, I still use ADS, actually arqcom [a company I work as a consultant] bought the license of the core code of intellicad, we tried to introduce civilcad into their engine as civilcad plus, but at the end... the project was abandoned, all the code was translated to work and run into bricscad engine....

[MP]

Nope, no vl- stuff. The SDS sounds pretty cool though.

SDS communicates with the user and BricsCad via LISP (akin to the way that ADS works with AutoLISP® and other CAD systems). However, SDS greatly augments the capabilities found in LISP with a much more powerful command base that can also access the operating system. This allows you to create even more sophisticated custom solutions. And, because SDS applications are compiled, they are typically faster than LISP applications.

Definitely interesting, thanks for that note Mark.

[MP]

Yes, I still use ADS, actually arqcom [a company I work as a consultant] bought the license of the core code of intellicad, we tried to introduce civilcad into their engine as civilcad plus, but at the end... the project was abandoned, all the code was translated to work and run into bricscad engine ...

Definitely interesting #2, thanks Luis.

[Swift]

While I am by NO means an expert on c/c++ I believe that sds can be compiled with almost any compiler and run ... unlike arx

[Mark]

The example they give with the install is in .dll form. The header file for sds was not found in the install, of course that's probably on purpose. My standard install of Mingw has all the other header files so I'm guessing your right Swift.

[Jakes GrandPa]

Ok, I've been looking on the internet and I've come up with 4 main versions of IntelliCAD.

These are 4M, BRICSCAD, PROGECAD and CADOPIA.

Prices are all much of a sameness only about £100 from lowest to highest.

My problem comes about now I have to recommend one, I'm swaying towards progecad, but I'm worried about it's stability.

Anyone have any recommendations about which one to use, and why it's better.

I also am an information seeker. Does anyone know if there is a raster image manipulation add in, similar to ACAD's CadOverlay, that will work with any or all of these?

[JohnF]

There is another version of IntelliCAD at Cad Manufacturing Solutions CMS web site http://www.intellicadms.com/

All the versions of IntelliCAD are supplied from the IntelliCAD Technology Consortium ITC and most of the sellers add something different to their version.

The free download includes Lisp, SDS etc.

The Pro versions add VBA and Raster Images.

The Pro+ versions add ASIS Solids.

I trust this helps.

[jjs]

http://www.autodsys.com/ one more to consider