Best CAD for Macs?

[dabirdwell]

Anybody have a favorite CAD program for Mac? My girlfriend will be buying a pro machine soon for design and architecture projects and there's no AutoCAD for Mac.

Thanks

[Doctor Q]

Check out VectorWorks ARCHITECT (http://www.nemetschek.net/architect/index.html) from Nemetschek. It has a professional price to go with professional features. They have education prices too. An architecture student I know recommended it when I asked him about your question.

[dicenine]

listen to the doc he is right Doctor Q picked the best but a cheaper one no where nere a good is made by microspot called mac draft usefull for quick concept like a dock or table but nothing comercial

[User X]

Is this program for OSX or OS9?

[Doctor Q]

VectorWorks ARCHITECT 10 is for "Mac OS 8.6 or later and CarbonLib 1.5 or later, Mac OS X 10.1 or later, PowerPC 604e or newer."

I was unable to find information about Microsoft Mac Draft.

[szark]

Originally posted by Doctor Q
I was unable to find information about Microsoft Mac Draft.

It's Microspot MacDraft (http://www.macdraft.com/), and it appears to be compatible with System 8.1 through OS X 10.2.

[big]

ummm, you are all sooooooooooooooooo wrong

engsw.com (http://www.engsw.com) AKA PowerCadd an actual proffessional Cad platform.

[Doctor Q]

Originally posted by szark
It's Microspot MacDraft (http://www.macdraft.com/), and it appears to be compatible with System 8.1 through OS X 10.2.
I'm laughing at my own mistake. I see so many typos in forum messages that I assumed Microspot was just a misspelling!

[Doctor Q]

Here are some other choices, in increasing order of price:

* CADintosh (http://www.lemkesoft.de/us_cadabout.html). $32 shareware from Lemke Software, the highly regarded makers of GraphicConverter. Mac OS 9 or X.

* RealCADD X (http://www.adX-Online.com/realcadd/realcaddus.htm). Written in REALbasic. $75 shareware. Mac OS 9 or X.

* SketchUp (http://www.sketch3d.com/sketchup.php). About $500. Mac OS X only.

* ArchiCAD (http://www.graphisoft.com/products/archicad/). I think it's about $4000, but only $100 for students. Mac OS 9 or X.

[dabirdwell]

What will we need to make sure we have to run Vectorworks? Could it be run well on an 800Mhz iMac with full RAM or do we need at least a dual 867?

[shadowfax0]

I use(d) Vectorworks in OS X on a dual 450, and it's perfectly spiffy. A dual 867 would be more than adequate, and I'm sure an iMac would probably do fine as well, but I feel that the program will benfit from avhing two processors. However what will make the most difference with a CAD program is RAM. Max out the RAM. I know when I use Cadkey 99, RAM was the deciding factor, I used it on a Pentium II running at 600 MHz, and it was dog slow...until I upped the memory. Also, being the program remembers a TON moves/unmoves, the program itself practically runs within the RAM. So in case I wasn't clear, GET MORE RAM! :D