Mike,
You could not have worded it better.
I completely agree with you.
... A frustrated user.
"Mike Abernethy" wrote in message
news:BF03814F5B55EC6D56A4021C5F398B9C@in.WebX.maYIadrTaRb...
> I am new to ABS2004 and after completeing the tutorials and reading the
> concepts guide cover to cover, I have come to the conclusion that it is
very
> adventageous and important to design the electrical drawings and
circuiting
> (red lining on paper) prior to starting the CAD drawings.
>
> Am I correct in this observation?
>
> We design " on the fly" so to speak. We design on the screen as we go. We
> will start laying out MEP items in design development drawings before the
> floor plans are completed and usually have all of the lighting,
receptacles,
> ceiling diffusers, ductwork, plumbing fixtures, etc... located on the
> drawings before we ever size or assign any circuits, panels, piping sizes,
> or select any lighting fixture types or manufacturers. We then continually
> revise and update our design development drawings into our final
> construction drawings.
>
> Rarely do we sketch out the piping, circuting, or ductwork on paper before
> drawing it in its final form. We almost never select final equipment
> selections Units, Chillers, Pumps, Switchboards, Transformers, until the
> last few weeks of the project.
>
> It appears to me that too much intial setup and defining of systems and
> equipment is required early-on in the project and that the later you wait
to
> define these things, the more complicated it is to accomplish it. (an
> example is circuiting using wiring)
>
> I would be interested in hearing from other designers as to how flexible
and
> user friendly they find this package to be and any insight as to how to
> establish a decent flow to the design process.
>
> Mike Abernethy
>
>