QuickCAD 8

QuickCAD 8 Review

For people who need to begin designing right away but don't want to invest in a complicated, fully blown CAD program, QuickCAD 8 is the way to go. The most affordable CAD program offered by Autodesk, QuickCAD still comes chock full of features that allow users to create robust and compelling technical designs and diagrams. The learning curve for using QuickCAD 8 is minimal, and its Windows-based drag-and-drop interface is so simple that users will be up and running in no time.

Users can take advantage of design tools like AutoSnap, which allows for quick and easy alignment of objects. AutoSnap also speeds up the drawing process by letting you use multiple snaps at once. QuickCAD users can access and send drawings in the industry-standard Autodesk DWG design file format. New text features such as in-place text editing make it easy to annotate drawings. QuickCAD also supports rich text formatting, allowing users to achieve visual consistency between their QuickCAD drawings and other documents.

The truly valuable feature about QuickCAD 8 is its ability to provide different interfaces and functionality based on individual skill level. CAD beginners can let QuickCAD's simple beginner interface guide them through the initial stages of CAD design. As users become more comfortable with QuickCAD, they can easily take advantage of QuickCAD's three-level interface to add new features and functionality.

Additional features of QuickCAD 8 include the ability to import, export, and link files. Users can post their drawings on the Web using industry-standard design file formats such as DWG, DWF, and DXF. Users can also save to JPEG format for easy posting to the Web. Users can create hyperlinks that point to other drawings and/or Web sites. Microsoft Office documents can also be embedded in a QuickCAD drawing through the use of OLE in-place editing. More efficient file management is provided to users so they can easily search for QuickCAD files on their local hard drives, network drives, and FTP sites.

Overall, QuickCAD 8 is an easy-to-use, affordable alternative to larger, more sophisticated CAD programs such as AutoCAD LT 2002 and TurboCAD 7.0. Users will not be disappointed with its above-average feature functionality set and its intuitive three-tiered interface. For those looking for a bit more punch from their CAD software package, QuickCAD 8 may not be the answer. But if you're a CAD newbie, we highly recommend this simple and straightforward software package. --Rich Ting