Life after/beyond PowerCadd?

[SteveMouzon]

Where is the PowerCADD 10 beta?

It is wherever it was when Todd stopped working on it.

OK, so it's not like there's a group of beta testers who were working with Todd on 10, right?

[lava]

OK, so it's not like there's a group of beta testers who were working with Todd on 10, right?

I don't know if there is or isn't. I am not in a beta group.

[pjmeli]

…
Opened one in formZ which has always been good to me on importing and exporting DXF's & DWG's
Then used formZ to export as DWG
…

I have a question regarding Form Z if you use it…
Been fiddling with the trial version of Pro and I can't get consistent results in the Draft module…
Is it just buggy or is it PEBCAK?

Paul

[S. Shubin]

I have a question regarding Form Z if you use it…
Been fiddling with the trial version of Pro and I can't get consistent results in the Draft module…
Is it just buggy or is it PEBCAK?

Paul

Originally their drafting side of the program didn’t seem all that great. So I just never focused on trying to do any output with it

I’ve always used the program for what most people do with it. Some kind of architectural visualization or rendering. Modeling

But I do use the modeling side of the program with my Leica Disto S910. It’s great for bringing in DXF’s. And then I could send that DXF out to HighDesign for instance

But you got me kind of curious. It’s been so long since I even opened up the draft module. Just now I fired up and took a look at their latest version of draft

TIP — as with both formZ and HighDesign, once you start to drag something out, you tap TAB (may be more than one time to get to the field you want) and key in the amount and then hit tab again and key in again if necessary, and then when you’re satisfied, hit return or enter

What exactly is it that you’re trying to do with formZ Draft? Maybe I can help

[pjmeli]

What exactly is it that you’re trying to do with formZ Draft? Maybe I can help

I'm considering learning to use it alongside Sketchup, which I've been using for nearly 20 years
Not comfortable with the direction Trimble seems to be going

I watched the YouTube video on using Draft but I have intermittent trouble with frames that either don't show the model view as I have it set up, the frame doesn't update changes in the model and sometimes it goes blank, like it's losing the reference.

After that inserting new frames are blank even after I reference/update a model view

I think more than anything before I waste $1000 I'd like to know from someone that uses the Draft module that it works…
Guess I better watch that video again…got 15 days left on my trial period

Paul

[S. Shubin]

FormZ has a particular way of working

Once you get used to it, it ain’t that bad

For instance, if you apply the union tool to an overlapping circle and square, It may look like things were not unioned together — but they were.

What has happened is the original objects were ghosted (upon Union). And if you just move the cursor over part of the outline you will see how they are unioned together. You have the new unioned part overlapping the original parts that are now ghosted

You can use the unghost tool on the original objects and then delete them, If you want.

Or you can go up to the edit command and down to clear all ghosted

Or you can just leave the ghosted parts where they’re at

ALSO — Make sure you have the tool options palette visible or open when you select things

[S. Shubin]

Paul,

Go ahead and call formZ tech-support. I’m quite sure they’re going to help you out even if you are on a trial use. In fact I would be surprised if they didn’t. The guys are real nice over there. Tell them exactly what’s happening and let them walk you through it

AutoDesSys Inc
(614) 488-7984

Again I have nothing to do with formZ other than being a person that has paid full price for his copy

[S. Shubin]

Paul,

I just spoke with tech-support over at formZ. The guy said you can send your file over to them. And he’ll take a look at it. So if for some reason you can’t communicate by phone, send a file and words describing what your having a problem with, and they’ll help you out. They’re real nice guys

[S. Shubin]

I watched the YouTube video on using Draft but I have intermittent trouble with frames that either don't show the model view as I have it set up, the frame doesn't update changes in the model and sometimes it goes blank, like it's losing the reference.

After that inserting new frames are blank even after I reference/update a model view

I think more than anything before I waste $1000 I'd like to know from someone that uses the Draft module that it works…

Paul

I don’t remember working with layout before. If I did it probably was next to nothing. I’ve always just worked with formZ modeling

So I watched 15 minutes of the YouTube video ‘New formZ Layout 8.5’

Then I called tech-support and I spoke with a guy and asked him questions about frames and panes, drafting and layout. I probably spoke with the guy for about five minutes till I felt I had some kind of a basic understanding.

I opened up a new formZ Pro file or document and created some stairs with the stair tool.

I then opened up a new layout. And I used the multi frame tool and I just went with the default views

I then deleted the upper left frame

Went back to the model and created a scene

Went back to layout and selected the single frame tool and made a frame in the upper left where I had previously deleted one

Then in modeling — proceeded to draw a cuboid coming out of the side of the upper flight of stairs. And then drew a column coming out of that cuboid and then another little column. All along I would make saves in the model. Then I would switch to layout and upon switching to layout directly after saving the model change, a dialog box would pop-up notifying me of a change made and I would just press OK in the lower right

Then the layout would open up and the new changes would show in the four different frames

Now the model I had was a basic model.

But I could understand that if you have a pretty involved model, that sometimes things can get buggy.

Seems to me, that when I have tried some programs and used their TRIAL versions, that sometimes those things just were buggy for some reason

So here you have gotten the experience from a guy that although he’s used formZ in modeling for a long time, well he hasn’t used layout really ever before to speak of. And so this was new to me.

It worked for me. It worked when making changes to the model. Changes to the model would reflect properly in the different frames within layout

You should send your file to tech-support at form Z. And if you can, call them. Or just put in words, what the problem is when you email them your file

Directly below is the dialog box that pops up after I make a change to the model, when I click on the layout
.

EE55E8F5-D727-4970-8F8F-E91B630CAB2C.jpeg (365.13 KiB) Viewed 18135 times

[pjmeli]

Directly below is the dialog box that pops up after I make a change to the model, when I click on the layout

Yeah I get the same dialog. When I click OK nothing happens some of the time. Right now the current Layout/model combo is unresponsive…
Maybe it's because I imported a Sketchup model (via dwg) to practice on.

I'll try creating a new model using only Form Z…

Thanks

Paul