CAD Services: Finding the Good Ones

Let’s face it, there are thousands of CAD service providers. How do you find one that’s really good?

We now have proven ways
to garner opinions using incomparable technology. I’m talking about the
Internet. To answer the earlier question, all one has to do is go to
good forums related to architecture and either:

• See if anyone has asked the question already and gotten an answer (in which case your work is done) or, if not
• Register for the forum (most are free), ask the question yourself and wait for an answer.

To save you trouble, just before writing this post we searched the Internet for good engineering and architectural forums. Here’s a ready-made list for you:

Engineering forums:

www.eng-tips.com
www.engineeringforum.org
www.engineersedge.com

Architectural forums:

http://architecture.about.com/mpboards.htm
http://arch.designcommunity.com/
http://www.topix.com/forum/business/architecture
http://construction.com/community/forums.aspx
http://www.contractortalk.com/index.php?s=96b878c7ce987d772ed7d7dd75728bba
http://www.archsociety.com/

To search even further
for a good CAD services provider, you might try Yahoo answers. Just ask
your question; answers usually appear in less than an hour.

Once you have some names,
go through due diligence in evaluating the firms. Check communication
capabilities, speed, accuracy, timeliness, prices, CAD platforms used
and track record.

More on each of these in subsequent posts!

© 2006 - 2008 The Magnum Group. Reproduction of our content in any form without prior, specific written permission is prohibited.

Learn more about our Engineering drafting and architectural drafting services

Previewing or Plotting Certain Layouts Makes AutoCAD HANG!!

By R. Kamalathasan, Assistant Manager (Projects), The Magnum Group
We experienced another strange problem in AutoCAD this week.

THE PROBLEM

We received a base plan file from our client with several layouts and xref files to attach.

After finishing work on the drawing we tried to plot the file and found that…

AutoCAD hangs during previewing or plotting certain layout tabs!

WHAT WE DID

When we tried the ‘Audit’ command on the base plan file, we found 2 errors and repaired them. But when we tried to preview that particular layout tab, AutoCAD still hung.

Then we tried the ‘Recovery’ option on the same file. This revealed 2 more errors, which we repaired. But AutoCAD still hung during previewing or plotting that particular layout tab.

We decided to unload the xref file attached to that particular layout tab and again tried previewing the layout tab. The preview worked fine!

So the problem was due to the particular xref file attached to the base plan drawing. We decided to drill down into it.

When we tried the ‘Recovery’ option on the xref file, we found 21 errors! We fixed all of them, loaded the recovered xref file into the base plan and tried to plot the layout tab.

It worked great!

CONCLUSION

Please make sure that all the xref files as well as your working file are error free before plotting.

This will save you a lot of time and avoid getting into a nerve wracking situation if you are in a hurry to submit the drawings!

© 2006 - 2008 The Magnum Group. Reproduction of our content in any form without prior, specific written permission is prohibited.

Learn more about our Engineering drafting and architectural drafting services

CAD Services: All Shapes and Sizes

There are myriad CAD services worldwide and no two are the same. To make sense of this diverse landscape, here is a classification system.

Small, Inexpensive
This is the one or two-man show which is how many CAD services start off. The advantage of such a CAD drafting firm is that prices will be very low. The disadvantage will be low reliability, because of no labor redundancy… i.e., if one of the drafters falls sick, there is no one to take over and finish your drawings on time. Also, being small, the vendor could very well disappear overnight. This would happen if, say, the drafters were offered high-paying, risk free full-time jobs by a larger CAD services .

Medium, Moderately Priced
Here we’re talking about a CAD service with 50 – 100 people. This could be your  best bet. The advantage is there will be contingency staff to stand in when drafters suddenly take vacation; also, such firms usually have engineers and architects to supervise the work knowledgeably. The disadvantage is that prices will be higher than those of small firms.

Large, Higher Priced
These are CAD services with 100 – 1000 people working in them. The advantages are the same as in a medium-sized firm. Additionally, because the firm has deeper pockets, you may receive better discounts if you are a large engineering or architectural firm. Also, the service is likely to specialize in many CAD software platforms apart from the mandatory AutoCAD: they may have experience drafting in MicroStation, Pro-E or Solid Works, for instance. The disadvantage is that if you are a small customer, they might not be very interested.

When all is said and done, evaluate several CAD services carefully, making as few assumptions as possible.

Good Luck!

© 2006 - 2008 The Magnum Group. Reproduction of our content in any form without prior, specific written permission is prohibited.

Learn more about our Engineering drafting and architectural drafting services