Turbocad Deluxe V14

List Price: $99.99 Discount Price: $18.99

Features:

• TurboCAD is the Industry's Most Versatile and Consumer-Friendly CAD Available on the Market Today; Packed with Professional-Level Design and Drafting Tools, TurboCAD Lets You Create Everything from Architectural and Mechanical Drawings, to Hobbies, Crafts and Art
• Graphic Design + Multimedia Software; for PC
• Media Format: CD
• Minimum Hard Drive Space Required: 300MB; Minimum RAM Required: 512MB
• Published by IMSI Design

Accessories:
PC World	Windows Vista: The Definitive Guide

Customer Reviews:

Works great, easy to install, I'm very happy with this product. [Posted on 2007-10-08]
I ordered TurboCAD Deluxe V14 (for Windows) because my family and I needed a good drawing program that could calculate things like area and angle and that didn't cost the earth. I had used AutoCAD about 10 years ago and knew that it had those capabilities, but I was reluctant to pay the hundreds of dollars required for just AutoCAD LT. Fortunately, TurboCAD Deluxe 14 does all that I need and more, and for a very reasonable price.

TurboCAD Deluxe 14 has a very smooth and quick installation. As with most programs this size, the user is allowed to choose a minimum (2-D tools only), standard, full, or custom install. A full install includes a software development kit for more custom applications.

Also available with the installation is a separate building materials scheduler for architects and builders who want to quickly produce a quote for a project. This program is included on the TurboCAD Deluxe 14 CD.

There are two more CDs that come with the package. One is a very comprehensive TurboCAD tutorial, which starts from the very basics (how to set your screen for 1024x768 resolution), and goes through all the standard CAD drawing features (layers, snaps, grids, dimensioning, etc.) and into more advanced topics like custom templates. The other CD is a library of common CAD symbols.

TurboCAD Deluxe 14 itself is very nice to use. The interface is about as configurable as you can imagine, with standard toolbars that can be moved all around the screen, docked at the sides, minimized, or whatever else you want, and the ability to create custom toolbars. All the standard CAD tools are available, such as layers, multiple types of snaps, dimensions and standard units, different types of lines and line thicknesses, creation of standard polygons, different ways of drawing circles and arcs, etc. Symbols for all these tools are pretty intuitive. I haven't tried the 3-D modeling options yet, but I'm expecting they will be as easy to use as the 2-D tools.

IMSI, the company which makes TurboCAD, offers additional add-ons and plug-ins, as well as a user's forum and a blog on current issues.

All in all, I am quite happy with this program, and I look forward to exploring its possibilities.

Very complex, needs more instruction for architectural. [Posted on 2007-12-21]
The install was easy. The program is VERY different from Autocad, which makes it harder if that's what you've worked with in the past. It looks like the program has a lot of potential, but it would be extremely helpful if Turbocad would break down Architectural, machine design, and other uses with mini-tutorials that would help you get started! Most designers (we're architectural/engineering)don't have time to get involved with a program and learn it from scratch.

Brandt Junker
Anodyne Services

Chief strong point is its low entry price. [Posted on 2008-01-22]
I learned CAD via AutoCADR9 and got disgusted with AutoDesk by ACADR13.
TurboCAD was a pleasant substitute. The major drawback was a steep learning curve to get acquainted with TCAD, as its formalism is very different from ACAD.

Installation is typical, with a registration step required within thirty days on insertion onto your hard drive. One note for CAD beginners: Get as big a monitor that will fit in your workspace. The typical engineering CAD interface is very cluttered. You could configure your interface to eliminate all the tablet features, but you'll bring them back as you go through your drafting tasks, anyway. The actual drawing area is quite small on smallish (15 to 17 inch) monitors. Be advised.

With TCAD12, came online tutorials, which answered many questions, like how he heck do I do whatever in TCAD? TCAD12 was also the first version to supply an excellent rendering engine, and TCAD14 sports enhanced
rendering and textures. Your TCAD14 package will have a CD-based tutorial, but go to the website for more helpful lessons.

TCAD14 will open and edit, layer for layer, any AutoDesk format DXF/DWG file. However, some TCAD-edited files may not display properly in ACAD.

If you are new to CAD, the supplied documentation and online tutorials will get you started in engineering drafting. You must spend a lot of time learning these new skills; CAD proficiency has no shortcuts. If you came from an AutoDesk background, be prepared for a lot of frustration; you will have to unlearn many ACAD tricks.

However, consider how much money you have saved by avoiding AutoDesk.

How it works. [Posted on 2008-02-15]
To me the main criteria of any software product is how intuitive it is. This product falls in the top category. I was up and running fast and producing drawings. I am now assimulating the finer points to be more productive.

Great CAD software [Posted on 2008-10-01]
If you can't afford AutoCAD, this is the software for you. It does all I need and it's very affordable!

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