TurboCAD 2D/3D - 4.0

I purchased, downloaded and installed TurboCAD v.2.0 SP1 (Build 657) about two weeks ago. I have been teaching myself to use it.

Problems: Tools don't always operate as expected. The interface is not very Mac-like.

Setting up a polygon and filling it turned out to be unusually complicated. Using the "Chain select" command, then the join command followed by color then fill pattern commands *in that order* produces a fill. Once you understand it, things seem easy; the first time was a bear.

Documentation is very weak. Trial and error works faster.

Good points: . It does work. It opens both binary (.dwg) and text (.dxf) autocad files, a very good thing. Some of the tools are easy and intuitive. I had a basic drawing done within about 3 hours of installing the program.

With some patience I have been able to do everything I set out to do.

For the money I feel pretty good about it. But then, this is not my day job.

Now and again I have a need to do some technical drawing and am currently getting ready to design a basement. I have Vectorworks that's getting a little long in the tooth, so I thought I'd try this package out and see if it offered newer features that Vectorworks may have not updated over TurboCAD. I am sorely dissapointed in what TurboCAD has to offer (or should I say what little if anything it has to offer). The manual sucks (offering no real advice on how to use the program, but merely describes the menu drop downs - which can be done without the aid of the book), the methodology for scaling is incredibly counter-intuitive and just the basic way it works is not very CAD-like. If you have CAD needs that are very basic this program might come close - but it's still nowhere near as good as a full blown package.