JHunter Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Hello everyone, My company is about to pull the trigger on ordering the CAD-Elec (TSI Software) application for AutoCAD 2010. I was wondering if anyone has any experience using this software, and if so, how does it compare to AutoCAD MEP 2010? A little background information...The company that I work for is an electrical contractor for commercial projects (Hospitals, Data Center, etc.). More contractors are requiring 3D drawings for BIM and coordination purposes. Is there any other software I should check out prior to ordering CAD-Elec? We really need something that will make coordination drawings more efficient to produce. Thanks for any info! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CadDan Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 If this helps you any, Helix Electric (a huge electric company that is here in Las Vegas) uses MEP. The following is a bit about them: Design Build Helix Electric is the industry leader in Design/Build and Building Information Modeling (BIM). With an increased demand for tighter construction schedules, early commitment to budget and a single point of accountability, Design/Build is the preferred project delivery method among the nation’s foremost Developers and General Contractors. The Design/Build department at Helix has successfully completed numerous high profile, award winning projects. (that's just to give you an example by what I mean when I say that they are huge) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea1307 Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 You should find out if it is compatible with autocad related 3d programs. doesnt do alot of good for cordination if it cant be opened/edited through one of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JHunter Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 CadDan: Thank you for the great reference. I have a good bit of knowledge and practice with AutoCAD 2007-2010, but when it comes to MEP, I haven't fully taken advantage of it. Perhaps, I can get my company to pay for some training. If Helix sees fit to use MEP as their design software, then so can we. Chelsea: The Cad-Elec program works within AutoCAD, so all your drawings are compatible with all Autodesk products (or so I was told). The program seems really innovate in the way they incorporate tags for elevations, ladder rack/cable tray, and easy 3d modeling, but perhaps I should just stick with what I more or less know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noahma Posted July 31, 2009 Share Posted July 31, 2009 CadDan: Thank you for the great reference. I have a good bit of knowledge and practice with AutoCAD 2007-2010, but when it comes to MEP, I haven't fully taken advantage of it. Perhaps, I can get my company to pay for some training. If Helix sees fit to use MEP as their design software, then so can we. Chelsea: The Cad-Elec program works within AutoCAD, so all your drawings are compatible with all Autodesk products (or so I was told). The program seems really innovate in the way they incorporate tags for elevations, ladder rack/cable tray, and easy 3d modeling, but perhaps I should just stick with what I more or less know. sometimes plugins for autocad have their own object enablers. VisionRez is a residential add on for Autocad Architecture that does just this. They created some very custom content that requires other object enablers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeGustus Posted September 18, 2009 Share Posted September 18, 2009 At our office we have used Autocad MEP for a few years now. The big plus for MEP is that it IS Autocad and the commands and tools should be familiar to you even if they are new to you. We recently bought CAD-Elec, it looked very promising but THE SOFTWARE DOES NOT WORK. Maybe CAD-Duct works but for the electrical side of this software, it is not functional yet. I have gone back and forth with their support team and have had no luck and our company is too busy to be paying to beta test software. Not to mention the hardware key and configur When TSI/MAP get the MAJOR bugs worked out the software has the potential to fill the gaps that Autodesk has in A-MEP and we will have software that creates very acurate, usable shop drawings for electrical construction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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