Customer Reviews

QuickCAD 8

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

I am an electrical engineer who generates 2D cad drawings when not writing computer control systems code or managing a project. As such, I always find I am rusty with the command line commands in AutoCad after being away from it for weeks to months. I have developed a dislike of AutoCad as a result. After having for years struggled to reclimb the learning curve with both the DOS and Windows versions of AutoCad I went in search of a cad product that would be user friendly, without the need for remembering the command line commands, and use a Windows tool bar interface with click and drag.I have found the AutoDesk product QuickCad makes excellent professional quality electrical and P&ID drawings. However, when attempting to save a QuickCad file as a DWG file, several things get lost in the translation.
Specifically, text size does not translate to Autocad as it was created in QuickCad. If one can live without the need to translate QuickCad files into AutoCad files, this is a very good cad package at a great price.

Both QuickCAD and Autosketch are Autodesk products. What makes Autosketch worth more than QuickCAD? The Autodesk web site does not compare the two. I have downloaded the manuals for both. They are almost identical, page for page. There is one exception. The Autosketch manual has a chapter (Chap 15) titled "3D Effects". QuickCAD does not. The 3D effects are "extrusion" and "isometric".

In addition, I am told that Autosketch can be used with one or two file formats that QuickCAD cannot. The additional file types in Autosketch are; Import: SKD and CAD and Export: DWF.

I hope this saves you some research time. You have to decide for yourself which to buy.

I searched all over the web to find a CAD program to fit my small budget and to expand my CAD skills. Finally, I struck gold when I found the QuickCad program. At first the program seemed a bit overwhelming and I was wondering, "Where do I start?", but after studying the tutorials, I felt quite comfortable with the program. I love the drag and drop features and the several architectural libraries. This program makes hatching, adding layers and textures a breeze. So far, I have designed my fantasy bedroom and den to my dream house. What I really like about the program is that my drawings look quite professional, despite the fact that I have'nt had a CAD course in a few years. Granted this may not be the huge AutoCad program one would expect but for the money you get more than what you pay for. Novices and professionals alike will enjoy this program.

I was interested in switching to the Computer for my design needs, but I was sure that I needed a way around AutoCAD R14 to start. But at the same time wanted to have the compatibility.
Quickcad 8 was the answer, It lets me play around with a simple interface (1 of 3 actually, depending on your skill level). Got myself started with the included and simple 2 minute tutorials and I was on my way.
With a little patience, it took me about 3 weeks to get comfortable and go about my business of interior design smoothly. If your looking at drawbacks, well, 1) I can't load 3D designs created by the more sophisticated Autodesk software, and 2) I have to load the *.dwg autocad symbol libraries one by one and save them in Quickcad format *.cad, for later use.
Overall, it's a great tool for those of us who want to keep it simple.

I've used quickcad since it was a dos program called Drafix in the 80's. It grew into a windows application and at one time was a $700 program and then was bought by autodesk, improved vastly and price cut so that anyone could afford it. I used it for generating geometry that goes into a CAM program for CNC milling. I also use it for 2D that I import into Rhino for 3D work. It is very efficient and simple, but has many capabilities.

This software appears to be suitable only for drawing floor plans, with doors, desks, washrooms, etc. The illustrations of a derailer on the carton and of mechanical and electronic components in the 59 page Getting Started manual are misleading (dishonest may be more to the point). There are no symbols for spur, helical, bevel, or worm gears; there is only a symbol for a bolt. There are no symbols for a transistor, capacitor, coil, or any other electrical component.

Both the Getting Started manual and the on screen Help instructions are poorly written - they are often incomplete, vague, and ambiguous. Telephone help consists of listening to
"Your call is important to us." over and over.

Do not buy unless you want to lay out a floor plan for a home or office.

I had to disable my Norton Software before Quickcad would even start up.I found out later that Autodesk provides a fix on their website for this. Next, after getting the program to finally run, it would give me a "floating point error" and shut down in the middle of my drawing. This has happened several times already. There were other unexplainable program lockups also. All I can say good about QuickCad so far , is the package the software came in looks nice. The help manual provides little information for those who aren't already familiar with Autocad. The website support was little help and this is a part of the email they sent me; "Safety Net is a pay-per-incident technical support program for Autodesk desktop products available to customers in the US and Canada. For US $65.00 per incident, you may call 800-225-6531 from 6 am to 5 pm, Pacific Time, Monday through Friday to receive direct technical support from Autodesk. We accept all major credit cards." So if you have problems with Autodesk products expect to pay for help. Why would I want to pay $65 for help in fixing a $44 dollar program? My suggestion is to save your money and don't buy this product.

QuickCAD 8 is an amazing program. It has easy to use functions and its compatability with Autocad is incredible. It takes very little time for the program to load, and once it does the program is just awsome. Great features include its Windows like interface and that it doesn't take up much memory on your computer.

I am upset I bought this, there is no instruction available for learning it. The Getting Started book does NOT give enough information to get started. The user guide (300 pages available only on the CD or as download) is not written for a beginner. Autodesk says after the getting started book you can start drawing; well I have read the book cover to cover and I am not able to make the settings for a floorplan or draw a line for one wall. I have spent hours trial and error without success (and this after taking an intro to CAD class in interior design). Autodesk is misleading at best, and they have no customer support, not even an email listed on their website. I wasted my money!

I've read many reviews that seem to have issues with Autodesk or Autocad. IMHO, for less than $50 what do you expect? If you don't purchase the full versions, don't expect this stripped down one to do as much it's big brother. If you're looking for a small footprint application that will help you with design and drawings, this is the application for you. It does have a pretty steep learning curve so be patient. I just purchased the application, went through the 2 minute tutorials, and have already designed and created my next wood shop project.