Professionals using CA and AutoCAD on a Project

I am a user of CA 12. I think that I am finally getting the hang of it as a slight increase in projects has increase my use of CA. The more I do with CA the more I find myself researching on the Tutorials or ChiefTalk how to do certain things. I can say that I am almost having as much fun with CA as I did doing pencil drawings.

However the one drawback I seem to have is that Engineers that use AutoCad complain profusely about my CA PDFs which is what I am able to provide them to work with. They are used to getting CAD files from other Architects and jumping in to Site Engineering, or whatever.

Does anyone else out there have this problem? Is there anything on the horizon with CA that will make it easier for those professionals we architects need to work with to work with the PDFs we provide with CA sot they can do their AutoCAD drawings, files.?

import/export dxf,dwg files...

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Does anyone else out there have this problem?

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I do not, by exporting AutoCAD native .dwg files, version 12 of Chief Premier also has the ability to name the layers by AIA standard naming conventions. When you say "CA12" do you mean Chief Premier Version 12 or do you mean something else please?

I usually send a PDF of my print layout along with separate views in 2-D AutoCAD .dwg and so get no complaints from Engineers and Architects.

DJP

I work with two engineers who allow me to do the structural drawings which they review and stamp. The first time it was a lot of work, but now that we have worked through the specific notes and details they like to use, I use their template to very quickly provide preliminary structural notes and drawings in PDF. format that the engineer can review and red-line. Once I have incorporated the red-lines they provide me with stamped plans. This process saves time for the engineer and money for us since we are no longer paying an engineer to re-draw something we already have drawn up.

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Originally Posted by William H Lynch

import/export dxf,dwg files...

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Yeah, what Bill said. I don't understand the issue, I've been exporting 2d and 3d .dwg(native Autocad) drawings and models since before the "X" versions with little to no problem and I ain't "Tech Savy". Is very usefull when I do contract field measuring and create an "As Is" or as currently built drawing for an architect that will be doing the design work in Autocad.

Of course, I'd rather not get their 2d dwg files back but you can trace them or use "lines to walls"(which I only briefly screwed around with once). Typically, I don't get drawings back.-BB

Softplan advertises "round trip" autocad capability but I don't know how that works with the 3d etc.

Softplan advertises "round trip" autocad capability but I don't know how that works with the 3d etc.

Brad:

it can work if Softplan is using industry standard BIM .....

Lew

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Originally Posted by David J. Potter

I do not, by exporting AutoCAD native .dwg files, version 12 of Chief Premier also has the ability to name the layers by AIA standard naming conventions. When you say "CA12" do you mean Chief Premier Version 12 or do you mean something else please?

I usually send a PDF of my print layout along with separate views in 2-D AutoCAD .dwg and so get no complaints from Engineers and Architects.

DJP

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I have Chief X2. My aging brain typed in CA 12.