ScuzzBlog: Diaries October 2019
Entry 13th October 2019: Post 01: Amiga XCAD - Computer Aided Design.
Amiga XCAD - Computer Aided Design.
I was never able to use the Amigas XCAD design software. The reason
being that all day long I sat at a computer using AutoCAD which was
the industry standard for architecture. It wasn't that simply cus
XCAD was inferior, but more the fact that having been at work all
day why would I come home and want to draw stuff with CAD.
I did install the software when I got it but it is pretty basic. For
true CAD design you need all the pen types assigned to a plotter
that can distinguish layers and the like. Also when you compare
something that costs a load more and needs the computer power and
graphics capability just to use it, then really a cover disk just
aint gonna cut it. CAD design software costs a fortune and for good
reason. Many of my drawings were worth hundreds of pounds, cus in
the grand scheme of things the drawing package is based on a percentage
fee of the value of the project. So if you were to have a million
pound project and a fee of 5% then that's ... £50000 and say 50 odd
drawings, then each has a value of minimum £1000 and you can't build
a building without them. So drawing software companies know that
their software can make money, so you pay loads for it.
The last project I drew was valued over £2 million so go figure.
Anyhoo, for a free bit of software then XCAD is a bit of fun that will
certainly teach you the basics. It's not that bad, albeit hard to think
why anyone would seriously need it. CD drawings work on different
levels literally. They can by two dimensional flat blueprint style
format. Then there is the three dimensional model form with actual
measurement of materials as part of the format. And finally the true
three dimensional animated walk-through types that give the viewer
a working model to test environmental factors such as lighting.
I will discuss CAD in a little more detail in the next blog. For now
here are a few of the software titles that were available on the
Amiga. My little adventure into CAD started cus I found these couple
of disks called Housebuilder. This is a very strange bit of software
cus it runs under 1.3 and requires DPaint III. Yet the date on the
software is 1998. Doesn't make any sense.
Amiga XCAD - Computer Aided Design.
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