Drawing encryption

[iain9876]

http://www.cadtutor.net/corner/2007/november.php

Now I know I might be a bit controversial here, but drawing encryption sucks......big time!

Why?...well...if you have a drawing...and god forbid it fell into the wrong hands....hang on..wait a minute...even the thought of that is ludicrous!

ok then...maybe the agrument is sending it to work between persons involved in a project..encrypt it so they cant change it......umm...so why not just use pdf???....no?

Ok then....howabout the argument is keeping your secrets and ideas in separate drawing layers...or maybe you just dont want people extracting information or changing anything you may have created......well if your talking in terms of sending a drawing to a contractor or subcontractor to work on a drawing or take off quantities and your scared they may change something......then this has to be on trust....no encryption will take care of that, if they do...then they will only do it once!.....Infact encryption will only breed mistrust ..better still...if your in doubt, dont send them any drawing at all.

To me encryption is an autocad gimmick, they are clutching at straws to make the software more appealing, are they taking us for fools?....:?

Drawing encryption.....for cryin out loud...dont be so freakin pathetic!

[Raggi_Thor]

I agree.
But you know PDFs can be converted to DXF/DWG...

[NBC]

i don't think your views are controversial in the slightest.
encryption does indeed suck.
why anyone would use it in autocad is way beyond me.

[Noahma]

I can defiantly see why its there, we don't use it. The one thing we would do is to use it as a way to keep our butt out of trouble if a client decides to build the house before our construction sets are issued. Up until the point we add the red wet stamp labeled construction set issued, we are still actively working and changing that particular house design. We have had clients take and build off of non-construction sets before, and it creates a HUGE legal mess.

[iain9876]

I can defiantly see why its there, we don't use it. The one thing we would do is to use it as a way to keep our butt out of trouble if a client decides to build the house before our construction sets are issued. Up until the point we add the red wet stamp labeled construction set issued, we are still actively working and changing that particular house design. We have had clients take and build off of non-construction sets before, and it creates a HUGE legal mess.

Surely your drawings are either stamped "For Information only", "Preliminary" or "For Construction" respectively depending on the stage of the design......
Why would encrypting the drawing make any difference except for annoy either your client or contractor.
Encryption is not the answer in your case, it sounds more like bad communication between you and your clients!

If your client builds before construction drawings and building warrants are issued, how can this be your fault?

Couldn't you use notes on your drawing to reinforce the design stages and therefore legally protect yourselves?