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I will agree that AutoCAD isn't that hard to learn, and the symbols can be made and saved. I am coming from the direction of someone who is new to the software. If you work with the software almost everyday, Then you will have a different understanding of the software then someone who does a couple of good sized jobs a year. I don't think Dynascape will slow you down even as a pro, but it will definately speed things up when you are a beginner or use the software occasionally. It would also be hard for someone just starting out to make all the symbols that they would need quickly. It isn't that hard when you know what you are doing but this kind of software has a learning curve and Dynascape tries to help, the other good thing about Dynascape is the tutorials, they are great and will get you up and running in a couple of days.
The biggest problem with Dynascape is that it is bundled with the Iris program, I don't see a need for this in a smaller business that is just looking to put out good designs. They had sold it seperately in the startup version and others, but they would take away some of the features and symbols. As a small company that isn't interested in Iris, it would be nice if they sold a full version of Dynascape on its own.
The direction that I am coming from is someone who is a landscaper and not a designer by trade. If you will be sitting at the computer 8hrs a day, 5 days a week my advice may not be good for you. I am speaking for the person that is a salesman, foreman, laborer, driver, equipment operator, businessman, boss. Someone who isn't going to be using the software all the time but still wants to put out a good design. The tutorials come on the DVD so you can always go back and watch them again if you forget how to do something.
I will say again that AutoCAD isn't really any harder then Dynascape but its the built in features, symbols and probably most of all the tutorials that will get you up and running faster. I think we can all agree that if we sat two people down that never have used either that the person with the Dynascape will be able to produce a drawing in a much shorter time because of these few differences.
I can see your point also, if you have access to a class or two and have the time to build your own symbols, the AutoCAD Lt version is also a good option. Some people may have the experience of CAD, and then it is also a good solution. Again, I am talking about landscapers that want to do their own designs on a computer.
Walter
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