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Capable, affordable, and not just for architects anymore.
Imagine a hybrid CAD application that combines the familiar interface and 2D capabilities of AutoCAD LT with some of the power of a 3D package such as Autodesk Inventor. Imagine, too, getting this basic 3D power for roughly the price of the 2D package. Does such a thing actually exist? Yes, it does. It's called TurboCAD 9 Professional and it retails for $695.
Until recently, I was under the misimpression that TurboCAD was just for architects. But it also provides a number of solid and surfacing features that mechanical designers will appreciate. Don't expect to design really complex, organic, freeform surface objects, though, because these are a stretch for TurboCAD right now. A company representative said that surfacing capabilities will definitely improve as TurboCAD continues to mature and compete with the likes of SolidWorks and Inventor.
One of the reasons I thought that TurboCAD was more oriented toward architectural design is because a number of menu items, such as walls, relate specifically to architecture. TurboCAD v9 also includes an architectural symbol and material library and 1st Pricing, a price quote system. This installed by default on my workstation but showed up as an option when I installed TurboCAD on my laptop.
I'd like to see a toggle that lets you switch between architectural and mechanical design modes. The two modes could be handy for small manufacturing operations that use TurboCAD Professional to design mechanical parts as well as shop floor layout and machine placement. Dual use of the application would apply to a minority of users, but it could be a helpful tool.
GETTING STARTED
TurboCAD supports Windows 98/ME/ 2000/XP/NT 4.0, and the minimum hardware requirements are a Pentium II workstation with 128MB RAM, 55-220MB of free hard disk space depending on accessory applications you have installed, 64MB of swap space, a super VGA (1024x768) display, a high-color (16-bit) graphics card, and a 4x CD-ROM drive.
At first I found the user interface to be a bit cluttered, but got comfortable with it in short order. As a long-time AutoCAD user, I thought I'd regret TurboCAD's lack of a Command line, but I got over that...