Former AutoCAD® Users Share Their Stories - We thank all those who responded to our summer newsletter and emailed their experiences of making the switch from AutoCAD® to SoftPlan. You may find it interesting to read what these folks have to say as you may have had a similar experience.

 
"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? "

Chris Proost
Head of Design Team
GW Homes, LLC
Mechanicsville, VA
 

“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.”
Michael Collazo
Division Production Manager
Pulte Product Development
Tampa, FL

 
"I have owned SoftPlan since Version 12 and have had several trainings, etc., with the program but had never "made the switch". The reason had always been that my workload is always heavy and the difference between the 2 programs entails a "paradigm shift" that I just couldn't wrap my head around in a cost efficient manner. In other words I couldn't afford the learning curve.

"I just recently received Version 14 and since my workload has fallen considerably, I am now taking 4 hours per day dedicated to learning to use this program so I no longer have to use AutoCAD. Version 14 is an incredible upgrade and I am excited to finally start using it every day. It is vastly different and doesn't come that easily for someone doing things the same way for so many years. But I am committed to making the change and am looking forward to all of the possibilities."

Gary McKeon
Drafting by Design
Silverton, OR
 
Please consider sharing your testimonials by contacting Rachel Clark at rclark@softplan.com or call 1-800-248-0164.