California Surveyors Forums

I am a chainman looking to get into a government organization in Southern California. I started a dialogue with a senior supervisor of surveys, and he has indicated that they are looking for people who can perform the entire field to finish process for providing a topographic survey. One needs to set up the job, collect the data, process and reduce the field data, and then map the data to provide the customer with the information that has been requested. Producing the end product is a very valuable skill.

Has anybody any recommendations on what CAD software makes the most sense to purchase on a limited salary so that I can learn these skills ? I haven't $6000+ to spend on Civil 3D.

Enroll is a college class - maybe math, engineering, CAD, etc. (one class will do). Then purchase the STUDENT license of AutoCAD C3D. Very inexpensive method to get C3D!

AutoCAD is by far the dominate CAD platform. Most are using or going to C3D.

I could not agree more with Stan's assessment.

While the actual mechanics of basic drafting are similar from platform to platform, the differences between all the rest and the database functionality of Civil 3D are huge.

A class may seem like a slow way to learn, but it will give you an organized path with measures of your progress. With a student subscription to AutoCAD Civil 3d on your own computer, you'll be able to hack and bash to your heart's content and learn on your own, too.

And...GOOD ON YOU! for your initiative. I took the same path to learning surveying nearly 30 years ago. I haven't regretted a single day of it so far.

Ian

Here are some links to some Open Source CAD programs:

https://opensource.com/alternatives/autocad

I have yet to test drive them for myself, and I expect them to be lacking in survey specific features, but you could use them to learn the basics of mechanical drafting which is the foundation of any good draftsman IMHO.

I can't argue with the recommendation for a college class and a student edition of C3D. Not many outfits run bare CAD, i.e. without some kind of survey-specific overlay. And if you plan to stick with large organizations -- public or private -- you'll probably be dealing with C3D. Smaller outfits, not so much; the initial and ongoing cost of C3D is pretty hefty.

If you really want to learn CAD -- rather than a CAD overlay -- I can give a hearty recommendation to BricsCAD. At $550 for the Classic version, it's by far the best AutoCAD replacement I've seen. The interface is practically identical, and the LISP implementation (if you're into programming) is actually better. I tossed out AutoCAD about a year and a half ago, and don't miss it.

I tried a couple of IntelliCAD offerings, and found them clunky, slow and prone to crashing, with poor LISP support. I can't recommend them, though the cost of entry is lower (less than $200 last time I looked).

Wow, thanks for the advice, all! That's the best part of this forum--people always willing to offer their insights and expertise.

I believe the student version of AutoCAD Civil 3D is a free download once a student email address is verified with the educational institution. The student license is good for 3 years.

Good to know, thank you.