What Software for Layout

[Barefoot-Studio]

I'm looking to get input on the set-up of my small studio. What software should I use, where do I get it???

[zodprod]

Any kind of vector based software will do the trick.

Corel Draw, Smart Draw, AutoCad, Illustrator, Solidworks, Architectural Programs... I think you get the idea.

The nice thing about AutoCads, SmartDraw or architectural programs is that they will have tools that can help... measurement tools... etc. In the end it's up to you. How crazy do you want to go?

If you already know how to use one of these programs stick with that. It would suck to buy a $300 program to find out you need a solid month or more to learn to use it without getting frustrated.

[Barefoot-Studio]

Any kind of vector based software will do the trick....

OK, I have TurboCad LE which should do the trick.

[knightfly]

Ed, there may be an upgrade path available to you if you want/need it, in the form of the full version of TurboCad - I just bought Turbocad Designer 8.0, bundled with their 3D plan 7.0, at Staples for $39.95 - haven't played with it a lot, but looks pretty powerful, and you sure can't beat the price (short of being free)

Also, Autodesk has their Quick Cad entry cad pgm, about $60, one of the things about it is you can save as a JPEG, so you don't need a file converter to post to the web.

Peter just recently enabled PDF format here at my request, so another way to go for higher res drawings would be Data Becker's PDF Producer - it's about $50 at Staples, installs as a printer - so, any app you can print to, you can also make a PDF out of. Whatever CAD pgm you use, when you're done you just print to PDF Producer and save the PDF file, then upload it... Steve

[cadesignr]

Hello Steve, ha!, your 100 miles away and we go half way around the world to talk. Well, John gave me an invitation to visit, so HERE I AM. Another thorn in your briar patch
Ok, being a newbie, and computer dip, how can I post Autocad 2002 files here? For other forums, I had to go through a convoluted path by exporting it as .wmf metafile, open in another program and save it as a .jpg and upload to my wifes host server. Do I have to save it at a host server in order to attatch it here? Man, 3 months in a motel and I can't remember squat. Anyway, a little help please, and I won't bother you with this nonsence again.
Thank you sir.
fitZ
PS; Howdy John!

[knightfly]

Hey, Rick, my recommendation (for the moment, anyway) is in my previous post - go to Staples, get a copy of Data Becker's program PDF Producer ($50), install it, and "print" to it. The result is a PDF file, you can set the resolution to anwhere from 75 to 600 dpi (watch your file size, 150k max for now)

Cool thing about PDF producer is that it lets you make PDF's from ANYTHING that you can print from - word, lotus, excel, ANYTHING. Plus, it kicks the crap out of ANY raster-based proggie for resolution...

I'm gonna see about enabling DWF's here also, the reader is free at Autodesk's site.

Oh, Yeah, almost forgot - Welcome to the site (John makes me say that, don't go gettin' all mushy inside ---------

Sooo, found out yet whether your "Polish Barn" is really yours? Man, what a "Fuster Cluck"... Steve

[John Sayers]

Smartdraw is only $63 and you can import jpeg and resize them to any scale - I find that a great bonus here. You can save to jpeg, gif, DWF, PDF.

Hi Rick - glad you made it.

cheers
john

[knightfly]

Hey John, I finally downloaded the demo of SmartDraw and will check it out next week on nights (if things get a little less crazy)

TurboCad is hard to beat at only $39, but doesn't save in ANY raster-based formats. Bummer...

[cadesignr]

Hi gents, thanks so much. Maybe the days of convoluted conversion will be over. Ok, I'm going to try BOTH. I've wanted to get smartdraw for a long time. It's always a case of choosing which learning curve to work on. The 60 chord system or drawing. I've BARELY scratched the surface of Autocad, and I've been using it for a long time. Same way with the 60 chord system. Used 9th and 13th's for years before I found out they were brother and sister! Ha!
fitZ

[cadesignr]

Oh, almost forgot. Steve, I've quickly realized something around here. NO ONE wants to take responsibility for ANYTHING.

I went to the county and got a plat map. It was rediculous.
Showed the original city layout of Coos Bay. Whoever laid this out had thier head in the Coos Bay when they did it. Ha!
Have you ever heard of a vacated street? My house is directly at the end of a halfmile long street at 90 degrees from Hiway 101. Straight up a hill. And I mean up. Like the uhaul almost tipped backwards going up it.
Scare the flying you know what out of me. Anyway, the street becomes my driveway. The property was litterally cut out of the hillside so the street can't go any further. The map shows the street going right through my property and on up the hill It's marked "vacated". That one took a day to figure out. It also states a steel post marks the corners of the property. So far I've only found 2.
Well, the pole barn is technically on the other side of the street that doesn't exist It's my parking pad.
So I went down to my neighbors and asked him about it and got one hell of a history lesson of this street. Turns out this was one of the first streets to have it's own resevour, which is about 200 yards up the hill, and almost hidden by overgrowth. That was in 1925. When city water was brought in, the resevour was abandondon as a water supply and was forgot about over the years untill a big storm overflowed it and flooded the creek, which is right below the polebarn.
The city took the creek property, which the polebarn sits on, by Eminant Domain and proceeded to put a culvert in, which in later years became clogged and overgrown. Now, the owners below me are afraid of flooding again(not me )
and asked the city to fix it. Ha! They claimed it wasn't thier property, and if you wanted to prove it was, get a lawyer.
Soooooooo, now, no one wants or can fight the city, let alone me, so the pole barn is on property that doesn't exist.
Unless you go to court. Ha! Me? Court? Not in a thousand yrs. I'm done with that crap. So, I asked the neighbors, and they said the previous owner wasn't afraid to build on city land, so don't worry about it, cause it's right in the driveway. And NO ONE CARES. Hmmmmm, I don't know what I'll do.
If I don't fix it though and it falls on the neighbors or the creek, guess who owns it. I'll be damned if I'll be held responsible. I'm sure the city would say it's not theirs unless you prove it. So that is the delima. What is the saying about buyer beware.......
fitZ

[knightfly]

Damn, and I thought MY place was enough to piss off the pope - at least I know where the property lines are...

Not that I know crap about this, but doesn't the Title company have to give you a property description? How do you know WTF you bought?

What about if you ask the City (rhymes with shitty) specifically if, since THEY claim THEY don't own it, if they will stipulate in writing that YOU OWN it? That way, you can go ahead and fix the PB with the knowledge that the shitty won't be able to come back and take it away without pulling another "eminent domain" trip...

If you do that, I'd play it real cool and just say, "Hey man, I don't really CARE who owns it, I just want it clear (and notarized) one way or the other for title purposes..."

Those jerk-water coastal towns do that sort of thing a lot, friend of mine had some property around Lincoln Shitty that was across from a junkyard that was illegally dumping used oil, etc, and he finally ended up selling the property for a loss cause he couldn't get the inbred dickwads on the county commission to do anything honorable...

All I can say is, you musta ran over Little Orphan Annie's dawg in your last life, all the Karma you're draggin' around... Steve