Best Post PowerCADD Residential Drafting Application?

[fred johnson]

Vectorworks allow you to do straight 2D drawing without creating a model or sheet layouts and viewports; most of my work is done this way. I do however take advantage of the many hybrid 2D/3D tools, wall tools, window tools, etc. which work both ways.

[patrickm]

I've had to deal with imported interior elevations from a 3d based program (not sure which). What a mess.

The thing is I can knock out a section of a building pretty quickly in PowerCADD. I don't need to try to make a section from a model --which is necessarily encumbered with non-essential and misleading information. We also begin our sections before the details of actual construction is known so we are able to show simple generic components with a PC 2d drawing that is not so simple if you have to create a 3d model.

So if a program allows me to do 2d drawing--with or without the benefit of a model, that's the key for me. Otherwise if I am using PowerCADD for this, why use anything else? The only reason is if we are force, by attrition, to give up PowerCADD.

Me, too. I've got a library of common section components (i.e. various sizes of continuous footings, various heights/width of stud walls, various depths of floor framing and types of joists, etc), that I can copy/paste and can crank out a section in no time. I much prefer my sections (akin to hand-drawn ones from 40 years ago) versus BIM type sections that included the thickness of each finish layer, etc, and are so detail oriented that they miss the boat on the big picture.