Customer Reviews

Turbocad Mac Pro V3 2D & 3D Cad for Mac [Old Version]

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

I recently bought two packages of this application, one for a family member (a savvy Mac user but CADD novice) and one for myself, an experienced Microstation (Windows only) user. As always, there is a significant learning curve to any CADD application and I expected no different here. With few, if any, third-party references for the Mac version of TurboCad, all we have to rely on is the included help files, the PDF User Guide, and a few downloadable tutorials which are, in fact, hard to find.

I attempted to put together a simple sequence of topics (where to begin, what next, etc.) using the help files and user guide. First off, the help files are not accessible from the Help menu in TurboCad, but they do reside in the TurboCad application folder and are in HTML format so, no problem, we just open them in Firefox. It turns out many of the help files are "broken" which is perhaps why they don't appear in the Help menu. I am persistent, so I examined the HTML code (simple enough text files) and found that many of the included image files simply have the wrong filename. Rename the files or correct the HTML references, either way they're fixed.

Next I created a support ticket at IMSI asking about a fix for the help files. After quite some time with no response, I checked on the ticket and found it had been "resolved." I created another ticket to inquire as to the nature of the resolution: had the problem really been solved? The response I got went something like this (paraphrased):

'Your request did not appear to pertain to any resolvable issue; rather
it sounded like a bunch of complaining.'

So I replied that not only was the problem 'fixable' as I had repaired a couple of the help pages myself, it was a simple matter of editing HTML/text! This went on for several messages back and forth. Each specific question I asked was literally ignored until the very last response finally answered the main question: the issues (complaints) I raised would be fixed in the next release of the software, no ETA known.

The Mac version of TurboCad is built by another company and IMSI has no control. I've read some complaints about TurboCad support elsewhere just like I've read complaints about almost any product out there. However, their support for the Mac product is simply awful, even when compared to their support for their own venerable 'TurboCad for Windows' product line.

I am, to say the least, sorely disappointed. I even mentioned at one point in this futile exchange that I had yet to pen an Amazon review, thinking they (IMSI) might take the hint and at least pretend they were interested in the problems I was having. I take this platform seriously and would not lightly give a bad review, but this is without a doubt, some of the most condescending and worst "customer service" I've ever suffered.

I owe an apology to my in-laws for whom this was a Christmas present.

If you are looking for a Mac version of TurboCAD, don't buy this program - it isn't TurboCAD. It appears to have been produced by Punch software and the support from IMSI is of little help.

The first problem I encountered is that when zoomed in on a drawing, the screen display often becomes hopelessly inaccurate. Lines don't meet where they should, and snaps are way off the displayed line. Also the rendering of curves is very crude.

The showstopper for me (I've returned to Autosketch on PC) is that line thicknesses can't be controlled properly. Line thicknesses (Pen Weights) always scale when printed - there is no way to print them to a specified width. For example 1.00mm line thickness, shows OK on screen, when printed at a scale of 1:50 it becomes a hairline. To get an actual 1.0mm printed line, I have to set the pen weight at 50mm, which is useless on screen. There appears to be some confusion in the minds of the designers of this program. Genuine TurboCAD had a Width Scaling setting ('Device' or 'World'). TurboCAD Mac Pro appears to be fixed to 'Device' on screen, but 'World' on printing. This can't be changed - according to IMSI support this is an issue they are "working on".

There is a lot about this program that could be really good, but save your cash until they've got the bugs out. It is worrying that IMSI don't appear to want to get them out.

I think this program may be a fun and powerful CAD program; however, the User Guide has very few examples and there are no tutorials. It is impossible to follow the explanations because they a vague and not detailed enough. If you are a CAD user already, it may be possible to follow, but I would not recommend this program for the person who buys it for fun and does not have an "expert" close by. Also, the TurboCAD web site is void of help.

I tried TurboCAD for the Mac back when it was available for Mac OS 7. I was frustrated with the package and its support then and was hoping that things would have changed with this new iteration. But the old adage "You get what you pay for" is true here. This package (I have v. 3 for the Mac) works for 1:1 2-D drawing but if you are new to CAD, don't expect the documentation to help much. My biggest gripe is there is no easy way to scale a drawing to anything but 1:1. If you are drawing to 1/4 inch to the foot, the drawing is made at full size and simply reduced for printing. This means that, in order to get readable dimensions and proper line widths, you have to multiply all your pen, font, dimension style and other such attributes by your scale factor and re-set them in their various dialog boxes. Some of these parameters are saved with the drawing and some are saved as preferences, so if you mix scales in your work, you'll spend lots of time re-setting things. It seems like a basic, basic feature of a CAD package was overlooked here. I'm returning to Cadintosh, a great shareware package. The guy who wrote it answers support email himself and even revised the package in two days in response to an issue I had. I'm just glad bought this as a close-out and don't have more than $25 in it.

I am disappointed that IMSI hasn't fixed any of the weak points of the previous version (V2) in this version (Pro V3). Maybe I expect too much for under $100. Documentation is still useless. Tools work, and the tool set seems to be complete, but nothing is intuitive. For instance, you have to de-select all drawing elements before you can switch between some tools (but not all tools). Drawings created with V2, then imported to V3 come in at an unusual scale. At first I thought maybe it was a simple metric-to-American conversion, but the multiplier turned out to be 7.737. TurboCAD Pro V3 came with a rebate coupon which I sent to IMSI, and they acknowledged by email, but I'm still waiting for the rebate. TurboCAD for Mac bears almost no resemblance to TurboCAD for Windows (except for the weak documentation).

So far this has turned out useless to me, because the manual and online training resources are inadequate, in my opinion. The product may be fine, but I can't say, because I can't figure out how to use it.

I just bought this program and I'm not able to use it until they're open. you have to call them to get some kind of code to install it. This is not a Mac Friendly program. I've never had any problem installing any other program on my mac. I'm very disappointed with it.

After finally getting it up and running I'm even more disappointed. Its nothing like TurboCad for windows. Its just about unusable! I haven't been able to do anything with it. They Removed the "User Forums" There is NO customer support! In General I feel like I've been robbed!

I've used the windows version for years but can't even find the tool bars in this program.

TurboCad Should be ashamed of themselves for putting this on the market!!!

THIS PROGRAM ONLY WORKS ON OS 10.4 AND 10.5 -- IT WILL NOT WORK ON 10.6 SNOW LEOPARD (OR LATER)

That said, it is a terrible product. You would not want to use it even if you could. It is difficult to learn. It is impossible to use. And now it is obsolete too.

Horrible time installing this program. Had to change admin code after advise found on a forum. No usable tutorial. Don't waste your money

Long ago when Windows was very new I used AutoCad. I found it to require one to think about the construction of design elements in its own special way. And when you did that, it was not especially difficult to get things done. Not nearly as easy as doing something simple in, say, Adobe Illustrator, but not too difficult. Specifically, if one selected a tool and used it for a while, before long it was not difficult to have some idea what it did and how to use it.

I bought TurboCad Mac Deluxe 2D/3D (Version 6) because the dimensioning tools in my old version of AI are useless. And I'd like to get a little more dimensional control over my sketches. I loaded the software, loaded the bonus drawings, registered, got my key, all of which took about twenty minutes. Cumbersome, irksome, but it all did work. Then I started to play. I learned quickly how to make a circle. And with some work I learned how to set the diameter of the circle. So far so good.

Then I drew a square. Well actually, the square tool draws four line segments joined at the vertices. How does one control the size of a square? I looked for scaling tools and found none. So I decided to change the length of the lines. Fine. It extends each line out beyond the edge of the square. Fine, I thought, so I'll start over and use offset which allows you to copy a curve and move it a defined distance away. Turns out that defined distance is one inch. Couldn't figure out how to move it a different distance. No matter what I did, the offset was one inch. I looked also for rotate tools and skew tools. But couldn't find any.

I played with some three dimensional tools, too. I made some cylinders, but had no idea how what I did related to the output on screen. I succeeded in making a box. But as with the square, I could not figure out how to make it be any particular size without editing the vertices individually. I did learn how to use the Move Face and Fillet tools and found that they worked pretty well. I used the trim line tool and sometimes it worked as expected, too.

Too many tools, however, function in a way that is so counterintuitive that it seems like no amount of fiddling with them can produce any result that is both anticipated and sufficiently flexible as to be useful. Consider the twist tool, for example: Every time I used it it produced some unexpected and unusable result.

I tried loading the "Bonus Drawings" but found out that they are not available in this version of the software. Some Bonus.

After a few hours of banging my head against the wall I thought "Fine, I'll just read the manual." This is my action of last resort for programs so user-hostile that they simply will not give up any of their secrets by playing with them. Even Adobe's products have a number of occult features, but googling them always produces a good answer. I tried that trick here. And this is what I learned: there is no manual.

No Manual. No Manual. No Manual. see also No Manual.

You want to learn how to use this worthless piece of crap? Pay $50 to buy the tutorials. And if the tutorial is as good as the software, will you be able to construct the scale drawing you bought this software to do in the first place? I wouldn't bet on it.