AutoCAD LT ?

[markf]

I'm upgrading my system. My ACAD upgrade possibility has expired so I need to buy a new copy.

 

I do all of my work in Max but get drawings e-mailed to me in ACAD .dwg. I typically delete the stuff I don't need and import the Elevations, Floorplans etc into Max.

 

LT is allot less $ than a full version.

 

My ? is will it work for me as needed? It appears to be very complete but doesn't support 3D. One concern that I have is wether it would handle the occaisional topo map with the contour lines at the various Z elevations.

 

Can anyone offer any advice or experience on this?

[vizwhiz]

http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rls=GWYF,GWYF:2006-50,GWYF:en&q=drcauto

 

This is a google search result for 'drcauto' direct link is

 

http://www.drcauto.com/

 

i have never used This, i dont Think autodesk 'officially' 'supports' This (no way = 0)

but Their website says That it is autocad LT 2008 compatible and other etc versions

 

it might be worth checking out, Tho

i Think it supports autolisp, because

 

Then you could use The 'flatten.lsp' routine To make elevations Z = 0

if That is what you are Trying To do (maybe not a good idea for Topo)

 

upgrading To a full ver$ion of autocad may co$t more but it would $olve

a LOT of po$$ible problem$ in The long run if There i$ any way That you

 

could at all po$$ibly afford it

 

**

 

hope This helps

 

randy

[msasu]

May try BricsCAD, too - that's another cheaper alternative to AutoCAD.

 

www.bricsys.com

 

Have a nice day.

[msasu]

The second issue, AutoCAD LT doesn't offer any customization solution, and this includes AutoLISP. So if you use some custom/third-part routines will not be able to have it available in LT.

The above BricsCAD have support for AutoLISP, but not if VLX compiled. ARX aren't supported at all.

[Paul Twyman]

I used drcauto with LT at my old work. It's a bit weird, it opens acad in it's own window!! but it does seem to get around a lot of the small things that LT doesn't have that you can't really justify spending the extra on the full version for if you work mainly in 2D.

[markf]

Thank you all for your helpful replies.

 

I'm not sure what I'm going to do. I don't like the idea of $3,500 just to receive drawings so I can get them into Max. But $800 for ACADLT + $450 for drcauto so I could use the occaisional lisp is allot of $ for a less than optimal solution.

 

I really just use ACAD for recieving drawings and preparing them for import to Max, where I just use them as templates to model over.

 

Looks like I'll be paying the man something / cost of doing bidness.

[aaron-cds]

LT is all you need. The 3d data will open in LT, you just won't be able to create 3d elements. I use LT 2006 for opening client cad files. LT is too expensive for what we use it for.