James, doesn't the way C3D has been marketed and sold frost your preserves,
even a little bit? I know that you have made a "committment to let things
go"---no doubt, in the end, for those who have made the investment and
decide to stick it out, that is the ONLY way it's going work. But, from
where I sit, right now, that "letting things go" generates an unsavory image
in my mind of a dog rolling over onto its back, spread eagle, as if to
acknowledge, with a broken spirit, that it's subject to the whims of the
master. I smell corporate opportunism here, and it doesn't smell good.
If formal training and an "Autodesk Consulting" implementation package is
the solution to "feeling better" and to stop the "head banging", I sense
that a lot is being held back from licence purchasers so it can be
additionally sold to them to make it all work. Although, I must say, it
seems pretty clear that it doesn't all work. If there is a clear strategy
to making something like the corridor surface boundary routine work
consistently well (right from first alignment definition), WHY ISN'T IT IN
THE DOCUMENTATION??? I mean this is like paying the full price for a
"complete" hammer without a handle, with the promise that the handle is in
development and will be released in the future---and, by the way, can you
help us design it?.
This reminds me of what is happening in agri-biz: seed is being genetically
mainipulated to REQUIRE the fertilizers that the seed company also produces.
On the molecular level, the fertilizer "unlocks" the seed for germination.
Am I wrong? Come on! We're talking about a piece of software, here. A
tool. A tool to make what we can do manually more efficient. Neither I nor
the company that I work for are on a quest to help make the best CE software
out there---that's the job of software developers. I just want to get my
work done! We didn't get a C3D license to get on the beta-testing program;
we got C3D to assist in our work. Instead of feeling like Autodesk is keen
to proudly make a great tool, like in the old days of tool-making, I feel
like I'm merely a statistic in some Autodesk bean-counter's marketing
strategy, aimed at increasing the profits for shareholders. On the other
hand, I think that the C3D development team has a very hard row to hoe, and
I sincerely believe that they are doing the best that they can.
Yes, "this product is a long way from complete", but it is being sold as
being complete. James, you're blithly putting a big chunk of the
responsibility for making this product a well-functioning tool on the users,
the customers, the folks who shelled out big cash for an already
fully-functioning tool. Autodesk should know about and fix most of those
"problems" before they promote the thing as complete. They should sell us
the hammer WITH the handle, as advertised. As I said, we "ordinary users"
just want to get our work done.
With intense ambivalence,
--- Evan
"James Wedding" wrote in message
news:4853217@discussion.autodesk.com...
I'm not sure what project you know of, but now you know of two. We submitted
plans to the City of Dallas last week that never saw the LDT project path.
Keep up the comments, I'm quite curious what others are finding regarding
their own situations. I've never been referred to as a requirement before
(thanks, Bill,) but I don't think that's really true. What is required is a
commitment to let things go, do as much as you can, learn as fast as you
can, and accept the fact that this train is coming.
I don't think any of you are blind to the fact that LDT hasn't grown
meaningfully in three releases. For better or worse, if you're on the
Autodesk platform, C3D will be the CE tool of choice in the future, and
sooner than later. You're all aware of it, and simply must convince your
firms to change or die. I don't mean simply in the sense that it's easy, but
simply in that there is not another option if you want to stay on the dwg
standard.
This group continues to be the lifeline for many users, myself included, but
you're all correct, you are going to need formal training to make C3D work.
Maybe even a solution from Adesk Consulting in terms of an implementation
package. Look into it, you'll feel better, and you can quit banging your
head against the wall.
PLEASE, keep asking questions. This product is a long way from complete. Dan
and his team are watching, and are working to solve your problems, but you
won't get solutions to problems that no one knows about.
--
James Wedding, P.E.
Technology Manager &
Associate
Jones & Boyd, Inc.
Dallas, TX
XP/2 on P4-3.4/1G
LDT 2006 & C3D2006