progeCAD (AutoCAD clone)

[PeteGallo]

Lets begin a discussion on progeCAD.

[Mike Nash]

It drives me nuts watching the little pickbox chase the crosshairs around the screen!

[ger21]

It drives me nuts watching the little pickbox chase the crosshairs around the screen!

Sounds like a video driver issue. Can you turn off hardware acceleration in ProgeCAD somewhere? If you can, that'll probably fix it. Or try updating your videocards drivers.

[Khalid]

Its complete copy of AutoCad even the file extension too... Amazing...I think AutoDesk launched that with name of ProgeCad...Amazing...

[PeteGallo]

As I posted on another forum in a progeCAD discussion:

"I have been using progeCAD Pro. for about a year and a half now and I just love it. It's full 3D, solids, rendering the hole nine yards.
Yes it pretty much is an AutoCad clone I realized this when asking for help on my CAD designs in the AutoCAD section of various forums. The solutions the members would reply back with, work exactly the same in progeCAD.
I did have an issue with support a while back but they have since stepped up their support system.
I am truly surprised that more designers have not jumped all over this software. I guess if the workplace is paying for ACad there's no need for an inexpensive alternative"

[PeteGallo]

It drives me nuts watching the little pickbox chase the crosshairs around the screen!

De-select some of your entity snaps if you have to many selected it can be a real hairball.
You can also fine tune your snaps in
-Entity Snap Settings-

[Old Megawatts]

This is regarding progeCAD 2008 Smart. I have downloaded the free version of this software for evaluation. I am a longtime user of AutoCAD, however, since retiring I can't afford the full version of ACAD. I now have ACAD LT which is of course 2.5 D. PorgeCAD is the first Cad program that I have found that feels like ACAD. Can one of you users tell me if the units can be changed from metric to inch in the free version? I have tried every way that I can think of to do so and save it. I can import a layout from ACAD LT into porgeCAD and work in inch mode with no problems, however as soon as I close the drawing I am right back in metric. Perhaps I am too thick in the head to figure this out.

OM

[ger21]

Try typing UNITS. That's how you do it in AutoCAD. But actually, in AutoCAD, the only thing that inches or mm's controls is the scaling of inserted blocks. A unit is a unit, it shouldn't matter if it's inches or mm's. Draw a 6" square, draw it at 6 units. Draw a 6mm square, draw it at 6 units. both are drawn the same size. Are you having dimensioning issues?

[PeteGallo]

Hello, OM

Gerry is correct one unit is anything you interpret it to be. For example I work in metric so I interpret 1.0 unit as 1 mm.
However you can view your dimensions in a fractional format for example 2 and 7/8 (inches). This can be set under the menu Dimensions, heading Dimension styles, units tab, and the drop down menu next to format, here you can choose fractional. Also choose at least 3 decimal places or your dimensions will be rounded to a hole number.
One thing I might add progeCad Pro. 07 did have an issue with not saving your setting in dimension styles.This may also be the case with your version, you would then have to go in and change it to fractional when you restart progeCad. I am running progeCad Pro. 08 and they have fixed this issue.

[Old Megawatts]

I am well aware of how to set units etc. in ACAD. However, it didn't want to work in the progeCAD 2008 Smart that I was evaluating. As I work mostly in decimal mode as the drawings that I do are mostly for machine work to three places, it was frustrating that no matter how I set the units, it wanted to display everything in metric. This morning, I downloaded an update to the program and installed it. That cured the problem. Evidently there was a bug in the program.
Thanks everyone.

OM

[AutoCAD-Intelli]

This is regarding progeCAD 2008 Smart. I have downloaded the free version of this software for evaluation. I am a longtime user of AutoCAD, however, since retiring I can't afford the full version of ACAD. I now have ACAD LT which is of course 2.5 D. PorgeCAD is the first Cad program that I have found that feels like ACAD. Can one of you users tell me if the units can be changed from metric to inch in the free version? I have tried every way that I can think of to do so and save it. I can import a layout from ACAD LT into porgeCAD and work in inch mode with no problems, however as soon as I close the drawing I am right back in metric. Perhaps I am too thick in the head to figure this out.

OM

I am sure you already tried the Units command to set your units?

Once you set them they should stay set when you save and end your drawing. If they don't it is either a design "feature", an oversight, or a downright dirty defect.

If the are not staying set, perhaps you should report it on www.progecad.com in their Smart! user forum. I know, having first hand knowledge of the company, that they want to find out all and any defects that unfortunately might be in their products. Do you know that progeSOFT put out 22 different releases this last year alone to fix minor problems in progeCAD IntelliCAD?

For any of you out there that use AutoCAD but can't afford the money to purchase it ($4000.00, yep you read that right) or to keep subscriptions up with the marketing juggernaut Autodesk, there is an alternative. progeCAD costs about 1/10th the cost of AutoCAD and there is no learning curve for AutoCAD users, it is that close to what you are used to including AutoLISP, the same exact drawings, no conversion, and a few things AutoCAD does not have like import PDF files, and coming soon, output to google earth!

Download a free 30 day trial at www.icadsales.com.

[ImanCarrot]

Also choose at least 3 decimal places or your dimensions will be rounded to a whole number

Very good advice... it cost me a day's machining to sort that about a year ago, I just couldn't figure out why the dimensions weren't right (I was using LINE from END to 1.234,0,0 for example).

One of them *doh* days again