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Portable CAD doesn't necessarily mean having a copy of AutoCAD that you can use on site with one of the powerful mobile workstations reviewed here. Design applications are now available for Pocket PCs that can easily fit in a shirt or jacket pocket. Certainly you won't find the power, memory or storage capabilities to run a traditional PC-based CAD application, but an adept and sophisticated array of software makes it possible to do real work in the field on one of these diminutive devices.
The feature sets of both applications surveyed here, PocketCAD Pro 4.0 and PowerCAD CE Pro, are so extensive that I can do little more than list some of the salient features. Visit the vendors' Web sites to see how truly amazing these products are.
PocketCAD Pro 4.0
Arc Second, Inc.
www.pocketcad.com
PocketCAD Pro 4.0 is designed to be an easy-to-use, feature-rich CAD application for the Pocket PC. PocketCAD's extensive features make data creation, collection, viewing, and modification simple, easy and effective.
Based on technology from Autodesk and Bentley, PocketCAD is compatible with Autodesk DWG, DWF and DXF files as well as MicroStation DGN files. PocketCADfe EditTrak method of handling files ensures that drawing data doesn't get lost.
PocketCAD Pro 4.0 can display AutoCAD DWG and DXF drawings from Release 12-2002 and MicroStation V8 DGN files. Drawing navigation capabilities include pan, zoom in and out, zoom window, zoom previous and zoom extents. Users can query entities for properties and measure distance and angle between entities.
PocketCAD Pro 4.0 creates points, circles, lines, rectangles, arcs and both 2D and 3D polylines. Users can select point size and elevation and set points to define relative distances and directions, absolute x/y, relative x/y and freehand sketch. PocketCAD Pro 4.0 supports architectural, survey, engineering, decimal and fractional units. Users can create layers and blocks and blocks with attributes (blocks can also be exploded). Other tools handle annotations and labels-very useful in the field.
PocketCAD Pro 4.0 incorporates multiple Undo and Redo, dimensioning and the ability to edit drawings using extensive features, including multicutting edge trim and extend. The included...