Author Topic: May need to learn LDT  (Read 4169 times)

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jonesy

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May need to learn LDT
« on: March 23, 2005, 02:29:30 PM »
I know this may seem a silly question to you LDT people out there.

I may need to learn LDT for a  job.
How different is it from Vanilla ACAD.
I have been using ACAD since r11 so I am used to the look and feel of the plain version.
Would it take long to learn, and would I need a training course?
Is there any perculiarities to this software.

Any advice would be much appreciated
Thanks for explaining the word "many" to me, it means a lot.

Mark

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May need to learn LDT
« Reply #1 on: March 23, 2005, 03:33:49 PM »
Thank of LDT like vanilla acad with a huge express tools package thrown in. At it's core it's _just_ acad, nothing more. All the commands are the same as vanilla. LDT just has a bunch of customized apps to deal with terrain, cogo and alignments (baselines). As for learning it, depends on what you're planning on doing with it. I find the speed of LDT kinda peculiar, it's a hog IMO, even on this hotrod I have. :D
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Bob Garner

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May need to learn LDT
« Reply #2 on: March 23, 2005, 04:34:47 PM »
We use both LDT and vanilla cad in our office.  Our biggest problem is drawings prepared in LDT don't always show all the stuff created in LDT when you open them in vanilla cad.  For example, spot shots made in LDT won't show when the drawing is opened in vanilla.  Other stuff won't show, too.

G'Luck, Mate.

Bo

Dinosaur

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May need to learn LDT
« Reply #3 on: March 23, 2005, 06:35:29 PM »
All of the standard AutoCAD commands are still available with LDDT and the interface will be familiar as well  The greatest challenge I have faced with LDDT is in the terminology.  I used a competing program for several years and it was like a different language with LDDT.  This is true also within the help files and tutorials.  Unless you know exactly what you want the program to do and the correct command to issue, LLDT can be quite frustrating.  My advice would be to find the best training your budget will allow and don't be afraid to look outside of Autodesk for said training.  I can provide you with a contact if you wish.

Dent Cermak

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May need to learn LDT
« Reply #4 on: March 23, 2005, 06:49:38 PM »
The trick is to learn how to make LDT work. Bob, if I send you one of my drawings, you will see the spot elevations. Guaranteed.
OK, let's get into this discussion. My LDD3 screams after I first open it. I don't have the tons of custom lisp thingies that I'm sure Mark has added to his program. Mark's set up probaly only requires him to open LDD and then everything happens automatically. He's just impatient you know.
If your clients do not have LDT, then you must take special steps to make sure that the contours and spot shots show up. LDT uses AEC objects. Plain Jane ACAD and R14, etc don't, so you must adjust. It's a habit that when I have edited my contours, I explode them and then use the label routine. The file does not baloon to a mega dwg file. I also prefer to show my spot shots in "italic" ( read that as a 15degree obliqueing angle) and I use the decimal point to locate the shot on the ground instead of that nasty "x" thing. (Old CofE standard.) So I import the elevation, explode it, change it to romans style and add a 15 degree oblique. Thus not one of my clients has sent my drawings back crying that the contours don't show up. This happens regularly to the other guys in my office that don't want to take these steps.
Next thing, do you already know how to do the things that LDT does? Do you know how to contour? Do you know how to build a surface ? Do you know how to draw a line by direcrion using bearings, azimuths or deflection angles? LDT does this but it does not do so automatically. If you are not already a Land Development cad techie then you will go into brain lock. If you are a trained land development tech, you will wonder how you ever got along without it. I cannot even imagine doing a topo map in plain jane AutoCad.
So if you must jump in go to agtcad.com and look at the training cd's. They are geat, but pricey. About the same as a good week long training session, except with them you can train and retrain to your hearts content. I've just about worn mine out.

jonesy

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May need to learn LDT
« Reply #5 on: March 29, 2005, 07:13:50 AM »
Thanks for that insight Dent.

I am NOT a Land Development cad techie. The closest I have ever been is Civils Cad tech, but I sprint along using plain AutoCAD. I have taught 2d and 3d at the local college, so I am used to thinking in 3D, but I have never used 3d in a work environment. I think generally, I pick up programs quickly, so I am hoping I will be able to be up and running with minimal input, in a fairly short time.

At the moment, all this may not come to pass as the decision about this is still "up in the air"

I suppose it is just me, worrying about nothing again :)
Thanks for explaining the word "many" to me, it means a lot.