autocad for mac - thoughts on productivity?

[gary_struthers]

For years I have used Autocad Architecture on a PC. I found the "smart" tools (walls, doors, windows, detail component manager) to be very useful and an asset in terms of productivity. I now find I am in a Mac based office and I am looking at Autocad for Mac to evaluate the idea of moving the office to Autocad. I have downloaded the trial version and it seems to me that Autocad for Mac is very different and has none of the smart tools available. I am curious how people deal with drawing walls, inserting doors and windows, and just dealing with productivity in general? I am not sure I am willing to give up productivity issues just for the sake of having a .dwg format. It seems to me that Autocad for Mac more resembles Autocad Lite than it does Autocad.

[rkmcswain]

gary_struthers wrote:

It seems to me that Autocad for Mac more resembles Autocad Lite than it does Autocad.

That would be generally correct. AutoCAD for Mac could be considered a subset of AutoCAD for Windows, since it is missing a lot of features that the Windows version has.

There are no verticals (Arch, Civil, etc) for the Mac version.

[gary_struthers]

so what do autocad users on mac do for things such as walls, doors and windows? what about the ability to insert details or detail components from a standard tool pallette?

[maxim_k]

AutoCAD for Mac is not AutoCAD Architecture - it is PLAIN AutoCAD and even more: it has functional limitations compared with PC version of AutoCAD.

So you can not claim the application what it is not obliged to do.
In other words each specific AutoCAD for Mac user solves the problems related to its area of activity on their own.

You asked about walls, doors and windows - well I think I can resolve this problem by utilizing custom AutoLISP application(s) and custom block libraries in the design workflow.

Maxim

[rkmcswain]

gary_struthers wrote:

so what do autocad users on mac do for things such as walls, doors and windows? what about the ability to insert details or detail components from a standard tool pallette?

Purchase the hardware that supports the software you need to run -- as opposed to purchasing the hardware first and then hoping the software you need runs on it.

IOW, you'll need a PC to run AutoCAD Arch, or a Windows emulator for your Mac.

[justshutup]

Purchase the hardware that supports the software you need to run -- as opposed to purchasing the hardware first and then hoping the software you need runs on it.

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Well played, sir.  I wish others would understand this as well.  

[gary_struthers]

"Purchase the hardware that supports the software you need to run -- as opposed to purchasing the hardware first and then hoping the software you need runs on it."

I think you may be missing the point. This is not a matter of starting from ground zero and purchasing hardware and software at the same time. The office is fully equipped with mac's on a network with a mac server and backup system. I don't think I want to advocate to change all that over to pc. However I do think we could stand to use a more sophisticated design program than what we are currently using. Having looked at autocad for mac, coming from a pc background, I don't think the software is at all similar beyond the .dwg file. So, I am curious as to how others manage this is the architectural profession? Have people found ways to work around the differences, or are they simply not aware of the differences because they have only ever been on the mac platform and only know autocad for the mac platform? Thus far the feedback from this thread has really only confirmed that which I believed to be true, it has not shed any new light on the matter for me.

It seems to be that the better option would be to run windows on the mac and simply go with the tried and true version of autocad for windows. I suspect however that this approach would have its own issues as well.

[rkmcswain]

So far, the facts revealed in this thread are:

* AutoCAD Architecture does not run on a MAC

* AutoCAD for Mac is a subset of vanilla AutoCAD for Windows (neither are AutoCAD Architecture)

* If you insist on using AutoCAD for Mac, then you'll need to find, program, or purchase the extra tools needed to do the things that you are familiar with in AutoCAD Architecture

As to your question "I am curious as to how others manage this is the architectural profession?", you may have to inquire in a different location since there are no replies from this particular group of users here in this thread. You might ask in the AutoCAD Architectural forum.

[maxim_k]

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@gary_struthers wrote:

...So, I am curious as to how others manage this is the architectural profession? Have people found ways to work around the differences, or are they simply not aware of the differences because they have only ever been on the mac platform and only know autocad for the mac platform?....

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I think the most of Mac users who need Architectural design application (able to create walls, parametric windows and doors, etc.) are using other than Autodesk software: Vectorworks, Archicad (of course if they are not using Autodesk verticals via virtualization software or on Boot Camp partition).

Maxim