Advice on drawing programs for conversion

[candacechilds]

I am an architectural designer that has used the Archidraw program for the past 15 years or so. I would like to upgrade to a new drawing system that would be as comparable to Archidraw as possible so my downtime during the learning process is minimized. Can anyone give me some advice as to which CAD program might fit this bill? I do not need 3D capabilities, only 2D. I would appreciate any feedback and direction on this issue. Thanks, Candace

[good_m]

I'm not exactly sure what archicad is all about but if you're looking for a good residential program then I would suggest a program like Softplan (http://www.softplan.com). If you're looking for something more versatile then I would suggest Autodesk Architectural Desktop (http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=2956700). Although Both are great for both 3D and 2D they're both really easy to use for drawing walls and such. They both have a pretty diverse library of typical construction that can be added to. Not sure what more to tell you. The only thing that I would suggest is to contact each of the companies and give each a try. That suggestion goes for any program that you consider buying. Most reputable companies will be willing to give you a 30 day trial of their product before purchasing it.

Mike

[f700es]

I am an architectural designer that has used the Archidraw program for the past 15 years or so. I would like to upgrade to a new drawing system that would be as comparable to Archidraw as possible so my downtime during the learning process is minimized. Can anyone give me some advice as to which CAD program might fit this bill? I do not need 3D capabilities, only 2D. I would appreciate any feedback and direction on this issue. Thanks, Candace

Archidraw?? Never heard of it. I did a little looking and it seems to be a Mac program, correct? If you are on the Mac platform I would suggest looking at HighDesign - http://www.ilexsoft.com/products/
It looks like a very capable 2D CAD program. Not a bad price point either at $350 for the pro versiona nd $150 for the standard.