ECE Design Software Solutions for CADWorx®, AutoCAD® PLANT 3D, and Leica Geosystems

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BricsCAD: A True AutoCAD Alternative?

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Over the past few years, Autodesk® and its Dealer Channel have made some very surprising moves in the marketplace.

  • Someone you know has purchased a AutoCAD® Vertical or “Suite” at a “sweetheart deal” only to realize maintenance costs skyrocket the second year
  • Someone you know has tried to downgrade from a AutoCAD® Vertical or “Suite” because they don’t need all the tools only to realize that is nearly impossible given the costs involved
  • Someone you know has calculated the total cost of ownership in relation to the new Desktop Subscription only to realize it’s going to cost a lot more money in the long run
  • Someone you know has been offered by the Channel to “Invest” in Perpetual Seats ‘before they disappear’ as opposed to the Desktop Subscription because the Dealers know the truth too

It appears that Autodesk has clearly underestimated the amount of dissatisfaction created in the market with these recent policies.  It seems Users are finally ready for a change especially given some of the contentious negotiations taking place in the market.

But in the end, are we stuck with Autodesk® and AutoCAD® for all CAD Tasks?

Over the years, we have all seen many competitive products to AutoCAD®.  Everyone remembers IntelliCAD (which still exists today in some form or fashion) and Generic CADD on our DOS Computer.  Most AutoCAD® competitors have either disappeared, reside in a niche markets or are barely surviving.  None to date have flourished because they have all lacked the functionality in some form or fashion to overcome the barriers of change needed to displace AutoCAD® at any significant level.

barrierCan Companies find an AutoCAD Replacement with the overwhelming properties needed to change?

At a minimum, the product must have the following:

  • Rock-solid with a highly active development team
  • Same functionality as AutoCAD®
  • 100% DWG compatibility
  • Low or non-existent transition costs.

But to really overcome all barriers, the replacement package must have the following:

  • A price point that provides such a significant savings that the software can not be ignored
  • The functionality to leverage the home grown assets every company has including Block Libraries, Drawing Templates, etc.
  • The ability to leverage existing Document Management Systems, LISP Routines, VBA Routines, .NET Managed Code with little or no conversion efforts.
  • The ability to act seamlessly as a complimentary CAD Seat in any organization in order to build confidence and displace AutoCAD without injecting “change” or “concern” in the organization.

BricsCAD: A True AutoCAD Alternative

Although ECE Design relies heavily on CADWorx® and therefore AutoCAD®, we do perform ancillary tasks where an alternative would allow us to reduce our dependency on AutoCAD®.  After the pricing change, ECE Design realized we could no longer wait and needed to take a closer look for a suitable complimentary CAD package that would not impact the organization and have Native .dwg support.  One in particular, BricsCAD, came to mind as it relies on the Open Design Alliance (OpenDWG).  As a founding member, BricsCAD offers a full-fledged 2D & 3D CAD software program that has the exact same look and feel as AutoCAD® with a smaller footprint, significantly lower cost and additional features not even found in AutoCAD®.  Further, it offers LISP, .NET Managed and ARX programming functionality – All 3 of which ECE Design leverages heavily! 

With BricsCAD you really do get more for less.

Are you tired of exorbitant pricing and stringent licensing policies of Autodesk? Do you require a full-fledged CAD software that will leverage your existing assets and product .dwg files natively at a very low cost?

Download a copy of BricCAD and give it a try.  Let me know what you think,

Thank you,

Jeffrey Suffet

 

AutoCAD® 2017

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As many of you have no doubt noticed, Autodesk has released AutoCAD® 2017. By and large, CADWorx users generally take a slower approach to installing new versions of AutoCAD, but there are a few early adopters out there that might be interested in getting a jump-start on this new version.  Some CAD Admins are also looking to begin a testing process to vet AutoCAD® 2017 against their existing systems and software.

As of this writing, CADWorx is not compatible with AutoCAD® 2017. You can install it on your system for testing, but we’re going to have to wait for the CADWorx compatibility release which is usually out by the September Timeframe. Please note that we actually find this to be a good thing since by September AutoCAD SP1 is usually released! 

As a reminder, all new sales of AutoCAD® licenses are subject to Autodesk’s subscription-style pricing model, so if you did not get your standalone licenses prior to the cut-off date, you’re going to find the licensing to be a bit different.

Autodesk has an informative page on their website that details the different feature sets of the latest versions of AutoCAD®. If you are still running an older version of AutoCAD®, please take a look, as many new features and enhancements have been added in the last few years. ECE Design is committed to keeping up (and ahead of) the latest software versions and features and will continue to offer guidance and support on how best to integrate these features into your existing workflows.

Finally, for those of you who do non-CADWorx CAD, take a look at BricsCAD!

 

BricsCAD: A Lower Cost Alternative

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As most of you have heard by now Autodesk® has moved to a Desktop Subscription Licensing Model.  It’s a fancy name for “Leasing Only/Subscription Only” or as I like to call it “Right To Use” Licensing.  Basically, you no longer own the software and you are paying monthly or annually to use the license.  If you fail to pay then the license shuts down!  Vanilla AutoCAD® and the Verticals have already moved to this Licensing Model and the Autodesk® Suites are in the midst of transitioning.

On one hand, Autodesk® is communicating the following benefits to the market:

  • Try out new tools without making a big up-front investment
  • Better manage changing software and budget needs
  • Flexible term lengths

On the other hand, we have all heard the message from our AutoCAD® dealers to “Buy Perpetual Licenses Now” because over the long term they are more cost effective.  Very suspicious to say the least.

As the Number 1 CADWorx Dealer, we realize our CADWorx customers are tied at the hip to AutoCAD® for their Plant Design Projects. However, we also know our customers do more than just Plant Design!  

With that in mind, ECE Design has partnered with Bricsys to offer BRICSCAD!

Based on the Open Design Alliance Teigha® Platform (OpenDWG), BricsCAD is a full-fledged 2D & 3D CAD software program that offers professionals one of the most advanced and intuitive drawing and modeling solutions on the market. 

Add in its low price point and BricsCAD is beyond any other AutoCAD® alternative and AutoCAD® itself in some respects.  Available in two main editions and open to third-party developers (with a fully implemented API), BricsCAD is the CAD solution you have been searching for to replace your AutoCAD® seats that now require the Desktop Subscription Licensing mandated by Autodesk®!

View our new Product Pages or Contact Us for more information

 

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