CAD drawing issues

I am a Chief user since the mid-nineties and continue to buy upgrades because I love the product for design and presentation work.

That being said, I am thoroughly frustrated by the CAD module (and have been for a long time). A decent 2d module is essential to me in order to produce complete working drawings.

This morning I was trying to draw a simple detail for a built-in item on a remodel project. Two of the things that cause problems are:

- lines merging with other lines or arcs when I don't want them to

- trying to move lines or objects precisely using dimensions

I use the "edit segment" button to try to avoid the first issue. I don't know how to deal with the second one.

When an item is selected, dimensions pop up and are referenced to random objects in the drawing rather than the nearest one or objects on the same axis. When I try to manually place a dimension (particularly on angled objects) they will not snap to the objects I am trying to move and will not follow the angle of those objects.

Further, after an hour or so, the menu buttons for "edit segment", "snap to grid", "snap to object" and "snap to angle" all quit working. I saved the drawing, closed the program and reopened it. I can't get segments to join into poly-lines at all now.

Is anyone else having issues like these? Any idea how to fix or work around them?

Thanks,

You're not alone ... http://www.chieftalk.com/showthread....ools-SERIOUSLY

Try "transform/replicate" or select the item and start moving it the direction you want then hit the "Tab" key and enter to distance.

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lines merging with other lines or arcs when I don't want them to

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I don't have this problem very often. When I do, I just put the line on a different layer.

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trying to move lines or objects precisely using dimensions

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This can be frustrating. When the temp dimensions don't go where I want, I draw my own dimension and then delete it when I am done. I also use the transform/replicate dialog to move things more precisely. And, sometimes I use the line/selected line controls in the dialog to move or change things. Lot's of other ways to get what you want without always fighting the temp dimensions.

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Further, after an hour or so, the menu buttons for "edit segment", "snap to grid", "snap to object" and "snap to angle" all quit working. I saved the drawing, closed the program and reopened it. I can't get segments to join into poly-lines at all now.

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I've never had this problem but it sounds like a problem with "edit object parts" being turned on. If not, I would recommend calling tech support.

Your frustrations are well understood by me. I've been forcing myself to learn very specific techniques to get the work done. Though ingenious, CA is far from intuitively obvious.

Even though people are warning me not to place too much faith in the next CA version (X6), I have a feeling this re-work of their UI will bring much needed relief. I guess we will see.

CA needs to sponsor some GoToMeeting round table sessions so we can get a large user base showing 2-3 minutes demos of their work flow. I think that could be really useful.

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Originally Posted by gawdzira

CA needs to sponsor some GoToMeeting round table sessions so we can get a large user base showing 2-3 minutes demos of their work flow. I think that could be really useful.

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Totally agree - that could be a large source of issues. I guess at this point they should wait until after X6 if they are changing things around.