Computer Drawing Boards
Architects and Building Trades Open Source Computer Assisted Design Software
Architects and drawing your home, office or even high end cottage. Not so long in the distant past a well equipped professional architect might well have had on hand as part of his craft: a T board square or parallel rules , a couple of plastic drawing triangles , perhaps some templates for drawing circles and the like , door swings and lastly a full container loaded with a collection of mechanical pencils.
Today thanks to the advance of computer technologies and software all of these are off the drawing boards. Computer aided design – CAD – in this case specifically CAD programs specific for architecture and architecture products are the building industry standard tool. Cad produced invariably flawless lines along with simply and absolutely perfect lettering in any font and in any color or color scheme needed.
On top of that computerized drafting and architectural CAD programs have become open source. Open source means that the base computer software code is made available to any software developer to work on. These aficionados can change and add to the software in any manner they wish – modifying, tailoring and improving the software as they wish or desire. It’s as if a million inventive minds are able to work on and update the software as they wish for their own specific purposes. Hence a great amount of tailoring and sophistication to the software can be done. Any changes that are made to the base software programs has to be made available and shared “freely”. Open source programs do not have to be free or no charge. The deal is that they have to be shared – even if it’s a commercial operation that has done the mods to their relatively proprietary efforts. The final product is usually free of charge to the user, although not necessarily. In most cases a donation is requested, for the purposes of the developer covering their costs and allowing for future software development efforts. In this day and age payment for the donation or “beggarware” is often accomplished via Paypal. The point is the tools that might be of prohibitive costs to an architectural firm starting out or even a simple individual wishing to start off or dabble in the field are available at virtually no cost or charge.
For the actual user employing such a Computer Assisted Design CAD program in their projects its all clean, quick and simple. Take for example erasing. Erasing is now done simply and quickly only by tapping the delete or Del key. Its as if the drafting skills of a bygone era that were so seriously drilled into those who trained as architects has been reduced to one simple task that even a relatively untrained technician can do. On top of that the beauty is that final results are quick. Changes can be made in a flash and as well can be shared with others working on the project – whether it be for a simple home or giant office complex. These changes can be shared in a snap instant regardless of whether the other building professionals are next door or half way around the world up there in the Canadian north. The speed of changes or any improvements to any building projects is thus quick and enhanced. It used to be the practical logistics of actually sitting on people’s desks, being forwarded and then mail delivery was a major limiting factor – stretching out the practical length of time that any changes could be made in. Not now with CAD and computer aided drafting techniques being used in the industry any changes made are accomplished in one single snap of time.
In the end these sophisticated yet readily available computer software programs have allowed for the simple timely advance and advances in the architectural fields and building trades.
About the Author
Lake Winnipeg Lake Manitoba Gimli Grand Beach Kenora Northwestern Ontario
Real Estate Cottage Vacation Properties Summer Rentals
Lake of the Woods http://www.sellyourmanitobacottage.com
Breezy Badger Ubuntu Linux
|
|
Office Photo Mugs Office with a desk and a flip chart….. |
|
|
Wacom Intuos4 Medium Pen Tablet $229.99 Professional photographers, designers and artists agree: Intuos4 pen tablet speeds up production time for photo editing, design and art creation. When working with digital assets, there isn’t a more natural tool than a pen for increased comfort and control. With 48.5 square inches of working area, this tablet provides ample workspace. Built with eight ExpressKeys and illuminated ExpressKey display… |
|
|
Boogie Board 8.5-Inch LCD Writing Tablet (PT01085BLKA0000) $34.00 SPECIFICATIONS: Feature:The iMPROV Electronics 90057001 8.5″ Boogie Board Writing Tablet is a pressure-sensitive LCD writing tablet that you can use for composing quick notes. It comes with a stainless steel stylus for creating your input and it also has a quick erase button to instantly reset everything you have written. Its casing and LCD is made from durable plastic material so it is safe to u… |
|
|
Wacom Bamboo Fun Tablet $109.95 Bamboo Fun lets you get hands-on with your creative projects, giving you the benefits of Multi-Touch along with the comfort and precision of Wacomâ?TMs ergonomically-designed pen. With Multi-Touch, you can navigate, scroll, and work with simple gestures in an area larger than on mobile devices or laptop trackpads. For precision work, pick up the pressure-sensitive pen to draw, sketch, … |
|
|
uDraw Game tablet with uDraw Studio: Instant Artist – Black $34.98 The black uDraw GameTablet/uDraw Studio: Instant Artist bundle is an unique way for players of all ages to creatively interact with each other and their Wiis. The wireless tablet has a tethered stylus and a 6″ x 4″ drawing area and integrates the Wii Remote into its design, drawing power from it. The drawing game uDraw Studio: Instant Artist leads players of all artistic levels in an exploration… |
|
|
uDraw GameTablet with uDraw Studio $31.99 Discover your inner artist with the uDraw GameTablet and uDraw Studio. The simple and intuitive uDraw GameTablet make it easy to draw and paint your own masterpieces and share them with your friends and family. From simple doodles or intricate masterpieces, you can learn to draw, paint, and color simple shapes with some of the basic tools; and experiment with painting styles, layers, and shading t… |
|
|
Brain Age 2: More Training in Minutes a Day! $9.94 … |
|
|
Myth: The Total Codex $19.99 Bungie Software shattered real-time strategy norms with its 1997 release, Myth: The Fallen Lords. Eschewing the tried-and-true formula pioneered by such classics as Command & Conquer and WarCraft, Myth broke through the shackles of resource management and unit creation and put strategy and combat at the forefront. In fact, perhaps Myth erected its own genre–the real-time tactical game. Myth: The… |
|
|
Real War: Air, Land & Sea $9.99 A real-time strategy game in which you command today’s armed forces. Terrorist forces are threatening the free world, and the only power capable of stopping them is the U.S. military. The outcome is uncertain, but as history has shown, leadership matters. You control the balance of power. Choose your side, marshal your forces, and make real war upon your enemy. Based on the official Joint Chiefs o… |
|
|
Chief Architect Home Designer Pro 10 $495.99 Chief Architect Home Designer Pro 10: professional software for home design, remodeling, interior design, kitchen and bath design, landscaping, deck design, and cost estimation for the serious do-it-yourself user. Home Designer Pro offers advanced design, building, and CAD tools with the ability to create blueprints, framing plans, roof plans, and more. Use the same tools as the professionals … |
Tags: art, computer drawing boards, design, inspiration, tools, web2.0