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SoftPlan Solutions for AutoCAD® Users
SoftPlan is a better solution for AutoCAD® Users because:
Professionals seeking a better tool for designing houses fall into one of
two groups, those that know how to run AutoCAD® and those that do not. Each group will evaluate
SoftPlan from completely different perspectives.
Current AutoCAD®users that make the switch to SoftPlan will experience
increased productivity. Simply put, a house can be draw faster in SoftPlan than in AutoCAD®. How is that? Since SoftPlan is object oriented, it is
essentially building the house in three dimension, as the plan of the house is being drawn. This
information is then quickly repurposed to create items like elevations, 3D renderings, and material lists. In
SoftPlan a wall is drawn as a smart object complete with all the properties of the physical wall -- the
length, height, thickness, and construction materials (top plates, drywall, studs, plates, etc.). In
AutoCAD® that same wall is drawn as a series of parallel lines
or planes that contain no "construction information" at all. Walls drawn to form a corner in SoftPlan
are automatically joined together based on the physical properties of the materials involved. Whereas, in
AutoCAD®, walls are joined manually with commands such as
fillet, extend, and trim.
For those not currently using AutoCAD®, SoftPlan is a clear choice based solely on how easy
SoftPlan is to learn. As it is a general purpose CAD tool, AutoCAD® is often taught in drafting classes at the high school
or collegiate level. AutoCAD® is certainly the most popular general purpose CAD
package but even the most adamant supporters would not characterize it as easy to learn. It is our
experience that when you were “back in school" was the time to learn AutoCAD®.
Many current SoftPlan users who were former AutoCAD® users tended to come to SoftPlan looking for 3D
renderings or material lists. Not only did they get photo-realistic 3D renderings and dead-on-accurate
material lists, but they ended up with an easy-to-learn and comprehensive tool that increased their
productivity.
AutoCAD® may even be the best program for certain disciplines
but for drawing houses SoftPlan is an easier to learn and easier to use tool, resulting in more comprehensive
documents in less time.
Read below for testimonials from former AutoCAD® users who now use SoftPlan:
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"I was taught in school (community college) on AutoCAD® and when I was hired out of one of my classes
to work for the instructor’s firm, I jumped at the opportunity. I worked there for several years using
AutoCAD® Architectural Desktop 14 and loved it. I was very proficient with it and was the one the firm
turned to, to get a job done for a deadline. I then decided to go into business with my dad and we
continued to use AutoCAD® until we went to one of the International Builder Shows. At the show we
looked at the Chief Architect® and SoftPlan booths and my dad was really impressed with SoftPlan. I was
adamant about not changing software and said, 'AutoCAD® is the Cadillac, why should we downgrade, Dad?'
While I was at another booth he slipped back to the SoftPlan booth and bought Version 9 on the spot. He
forced me to use it all the while I was still wishing it was AutoCAD®. But I have used it for the past
8 years or so and it works great. The more I use SoftPlan the more I love it and now can't live without
it. The improvements and additions to it with each upgrade are simply awesome! Tech support has always
been phenomenal in their response time and their ability to solve problems. AutoCAD® who? " |
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Chris Proost
Head of Design Team
GW Homes, LLC
Mechanicsville, VA |
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“I have worked for homebuilders for the past 10 years. As an 8-year user of
Autodesk® Architectural Desktop, I felt that the
residential market was being slighted over all those years by Autodesk®. And since my needs were to be able to
offer many services including presentation renderings, interior finish schedules, and
takeoffs, as well as a program that knows how to build a house, I knew I needed a different
program. After doing much research, I purchased SoftPlan 13 and now own 14. I have to say
that once I unlearned a few things from AutoCAD®, it was not hard to figure out. Though
I am weary that programs too simplistic are not a good thing either, SoftPlan was right where
it needed to be. In the beginning I was worried that I was going to hit a wall early on since
I am used to advanced functions of AutoCAD®. But instead, I am finding myself
looking for SoftPlan commands when using AutoCAD®. I have to say that I feel
‘free’ when I use SoftPlan. Not only can I draw faster in SoftPlan, but I can
draw actual wall components instead of an object that I name a component. And the
renderings are really eye catching. No need to redraw in SketchUp® or import to a 3rd party render
program. Best of all, my drawings look professional when they print. I am giving myself a pat
on the back for jumping on board when I did.” |
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Michael Collazo
Division Production Manager
Pulte Product Development
Tampa,
FL
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“I am an engineer living in the hurricane prone gulf coast of Alabama. What I do is take an existing
design that has been drawn in SoftPlan and make the structural changes to the drawing to withstand
hurricane conditions right within the program. I have used AutoCAD® for the past 20 years but I now use
SoftPlan, which I find has more capabilities. “
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Martin Pitts
Engineer
Montrose, AL
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