[Jim Branch]

We need to find a software package that can open Autocad compatible drawing files and allow us to freehand (probably with Intuos3 tablet) landscape designs and save back to *.DWG files. I have posted in the Corel Painter forum (Corel Painter Essentials 4 is bundled with the tablet), but nobody seems to understand what we are looking for.

My boss utilizes freehand drawing over paper copies of site plans that I create using Eaglepoint Landcadd.

Does anybody have any suggestions?

Thanks, Jim Branch

[papercutter]

I know you can export as a dxf, and maybe a dwg, from Adobe Illustrator. When my clients send me the .eps version of their logos, I have my little brother (graphic designer) convert it to dxf and send it back to me. I've never played around with Illy, but it's a vector-based program- it might work.

[Jim Branch]

Thanks, Dave...I'll consider Illustrator

I'm hoping to avoid a bunch of converting back and forth, but that may be
the only option eventually. Besides, if my boss can't get the hang of the sketching program, I will inherit the hardware and the software!

Jim

[papercutter]

Is the idea just to be able to create a "clean" CAD copy over top of his sketches? I don't know... when I've had to do that with other people's drawings, I just print them a basemap, let them scribble, and then scan it in as a .tiff and bring the image into AutoCAD. At two bucks a sheet printing cost, one dollar a sheet to scan, I'd have to be looking at a LOT of plans to justify the cost of new software.

You know... I don't know what capabilities Eaglepoint shares with AutoCAD, but I know that in AutoCAD I could export a scaled drawing to a high-level vector graphics file like .eps. I'd imagine you could even convert that to a raster image, mark it up in Photoshop or Corel, save it as a .jpg, and then insert the raster image in Eaglepoint?

OR... have you looked at BlueBeam PDF? You can export as a .pdf and mark up the .pdf with the tablet. I don't know the best way of getting that back to CAD, but it may be worth at least looking at.

[tfld]

Illustrator has the capability to export to dwg, but you dont really "draw" in illustrator, oddly. You typically use the "pen" tool which is drawing with a series of lines and editable vertices. I don't know the lingo so well, but I use illust quite a bit at home and work and it's really not conducive to conceptual design in most cases, better as a post production tool (labeling, diagramming, etc.)

I mainly use illustrator to create diagrams and lable raster graphics like plans sections and perspectives.

I also use painterX for alot of my drawings, works weel with tablet, but it's a little quirky (tends to just shut down out of the blue and the UI is crackheadish).

I use photoshop for probably 80% of my work for producing raster graphics like this..



I'm using a wacom intuos 3 at home and work. Still I use up ALOT of trace before I hit the wacom. Hope that helps..

-n

[papercutter]

What size wacom?

[tfld]

6x8 I think...mid sized one, I always forget. I started on the small one and loved it until I was given the larger size at work...everything about it feels better and more natural. I have tried the next size up, whatever that is, and it felt too bulky and took too much movemnt, IMO.

[papercutter]

That's kind of what I was thinking. I need to swap out my graphics card first, but after that a wacom's my next office purchase.