But, I missed ViaCAD (Asher Cobalt / Concepts Unlimited back mostly when I used it) too much not to get re-involved in it as well for personal projects. It's what companies involved in construction/architecture are using. (The rendering/animation app I used back then, EIAS - Electric Image Animation System, seems poised to make a comeback attempt any day now, too.)įor my career (I'm coming back to BIM/CAD/3D from years in IT), I needed to learn Revit.
#VIACAD 2D3D REVIEW SOFTWARE#
I upgraded my license and things are pretty quiet, but I guess I'm ever hopeful for 'underdog' great software products. Of course, Revit has lots it can do in its own right, but if you want just good solid 3D modeling (of a more mechanical rather than organic nature), I've never seen anything (again, limited current knowledge) match ViaCAD (and I assume SharkCAD) in terms of UI and workflow. These days, there are a lot more choices, and I don't profess to be an expert on the options, as I haven't kept up, but having just gotten my Revit certification, let me tell you that the user-interface and modeling tools in ViaCAD are much easier to use and more productive. I think it was either products like this, or SolidWorks level tools if you wanted to do 3D solids. We ran circles around what anyone was doing with AutoCAD at the time. I started using it back in the late '90s when it (Vellum Solids) was added to Ashlar's 2D lineup (well, I suppose you could draw 3D, but it wasn't 3D solids, with solids tools). You will have over 275 tools for 2D drafting and a complete set. I can't speak too much to the current state of things, as I just re-upgraded my license after many years away (different career), but at one point, it was pretty competitive and had a really active community (so I assume it was relatively widely used, even if not by the big firms). TurboCAD Mac Deluxe 2D/3D provides solid modeling technology found in many higher-end products.
If you lose too much of a stable user-base, then your resources diminish in keeping the project up-to-date (feature wise), or even support, etc.
#VIACAD 2D3D REVIEW SERIES#
Then, smaller companies or individuals who don't need the certain features or compatibility, might use a better tool as their 'secret weapon' to be more productive and win some jobs.Īlso, when the big players like AutoDesk didn't have much in the way of competition for its predecessor - Ashlar's series (Vellum Solids, Argon, Xenon, Cobalt, etc.), or even into the Concepts Unlimited years - it was more popular (though never got too big, I suppose). It tends to be big companies using 'industry standard' products/tools, either because they need some particular feature, cross-company compatibility, or they just don't know better. I've seen this time and time again in various industries, especially with software.
#VIACAD 2D3D REVIEW PRO#
Even pro users can increase their proficiency. First, keep in mind that the best products don't necessarily win. With ViaCAD's friendly user interface, even brand new users can launch and begin designing immediately.
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