[SML] Vectorworks and AutoCAD

[Damon Gelb]

I bought an x-keys unit last year.  Programmed some standard as well as
multi input commands...makes for easy shortcuts.

On Jul 23, 2017 3:42 PM, "sdwheaton via Stagecraft" <
stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:

Can I throw a tiny tangent into this?  Whatever happened to using a
digitizer for AutoCAD input?   When I learned AutoCAD  I had a digitizer
with a 16 button puck, 16 commands at my fingertips without ever moving the
input cursor, so easy.  Drafting with a mouse is such a come down.

Stuart



Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device
-------- Original message --------
From: SAMUEL JONES via Stagecraft <stagecraft at theatrical.net>
Date: 7/22/2017 10:00 PM (GMT-05:00)
To: Stagecraft Mailing List <stagecraft at theatrical.net>
Cc: SAMUEL JONES <sjones at autoplotvw.com>
Subject: Re: [SML] Vectorworks and AutoCAD

In addition to what Andy Dunning said, a few things.
First becoming familiar with both programs is a plus.  Both are used in the
entertainment industry and being able to deal with both file types is a
plus.  However, mastering both will be taxing at best and normally mind
boggling.  I started out with AutoCAD 9 and stopped using AutoCAD with
version 14; all ancient history.  There is no question that I can draw
faster with VW than I ever could with AutoCAD  but that is because it is
easier for the new to CAD user to get started with VW.  That does not mean
that VW is more powerful or that mastering it is easy, but drawing with a
mouse is more intuitive than drawing with the command line.  It would seem
that you have already mastered the command line, and AutoCAD does have
provision for drawing with a mouse or pad, why would you consider changing.

The main advantage VW has is that it has more tools, more powerful tools,
specifically designed for entertainment lighting.  There are some
interesting and powerful third party AutoCAD packages like LD Assistant and
the European package, AutoStage, but VW remains the most equipped CAD
package to handle the entertainment industry.  That does not mean that
AutoCAD can’t be made to do what is necessary, but I can do it faster with
VW tools.  Then there is the issue of the .DWG file format.  All CAD
programs other than AutoCAD have to reverse engineer the file format in
order to deal with AutoCAD drawings.  This can be an issue, but in recent
years I have found VW and most other CAD programs up to the task.

As for "unintuitive arbitrary keyboard shortcuts”, these can all be changed
to whatever you want using the workspace editor; just select the “Edit
Current Workspace… under the “Tools/Workspaces” menu.  Make them as
intuitive as you want.

Is it worth plugging away?  If the only criteria is in which one can you
draw lines, rectangles, and circles faster.  Go with the one you are the
most comfortable with.  If the question is which one can you draw a light
plot, or rigging plot, and get all the data into and out of the drawing
most easily.  Keep going with VW and get help anywhere you can find it.

Sam

Samuel L. Jones
Developer of AutoPlot Tools for SpotLight
E-mail: sjones at autoplotvw.com
Skype: AutoPlotVW
=============================================================

On Jul 21, 2017, at 1:48 PM, Michael Sauder via Stagecraft <
stagecraft at theatrical.net> wrote:

Here's a quick question to break the summer doldrums.

This isn't a "which is the better program" question, but rather, "which can
you draw faster in." Right now I use both Vectorworks and AutoCAD, for
different purposes; Vectorworks is mostly for a plug-in, ConnectCAD, I use
to create signal/block diagrams.

I don't know VectorWorks nearly as well as AutoCAD, so I grant that I'm not
fully up to speed, but with all the mouse clicking and unintuitive
arbitrary keyboard shortcuts (where they exist at all), I just don't see
how I'll ever reach the same speed as with AutoCAD and the command-line.

Am I missing something? Is it worth plugging away at VectorWorks to get
more skilled?

Thanks,
Michael

--
Michael Sauder
Show Control Programming and Design
Email: michael.sauder at gmail.com
Web: www.shownet.io
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