DesignCAD 3D MAX v.21 review

[irving2008]

You're missing my point... The days of 1 PC = 1 licence are long gone, that was true when PCs were very expensive but these days most users work seamlessly across multiple devices, but only on one at a time. It's a licence to use, not a licence to install.

Accept it's your right to licence as you see fit but you're going to alienate a large part of your target user base, which I would argue is the small business, intermittent user, hobby market. You might think you're targeting the Autocad market but for organisations that buy those products price isn't the only factor (in fact in my considerable experience as an IT consultant it's often a long way down the list as price per seat is always negotiable).

I would argue that the software product market is moving towards a free but perfectly usable version (typically lacking high end features such as file import, parametric objects, etc.), a 'pro' version with these features and then a chargeable support model for larger users.

[Magic]

Hi Irving,

Accept it's your right to licence as you see fit but you're going to alienate a large part of your target user base, which I would argue is the small business, intermittent user, hobby market. You might think you're targeting the Autocad market but for organisations that buy those products price isn't the only factor (in fact in my considerable experience as an IT consultant it's often a long way down the list as price per seat is always negotiable).

DesignCAD is an easy-to-learn and easy-to-use CAD package, and you can't say that it's targeted at a specific user base in terms of size or whether they are intermittent or home users. You can do just about anything with it, and you don't have to be an expert to use it.

My experience with IT-consultants and internal IT-departments is that they must justify their existence and make life as easy for themselves as possible. This means that they can only recommend something that's expensive (and then they get points for knocking the price a bit), and IT-departments usually recommend, what they already got even for jobs that only require drawing a few lines and a circle. So quite often you have to invest not only the £10,000 for the software, but you also have to hire an expert to actually draw the lines and the circle.

And please consider, how much money could be saved, if the public sector used DesignCAD instead of AutoCAD. Did you know that you can buy 17 NEW DesignCAD v. 23s for the price of an AutoCAD LT 2014 UPGRADE and 28 NEW DesignCAD 3D MAX v. 23s for the price of an AutoCAD 2014 UPGRADE.

If price is so far down the list, I'm wondering, why it's so far the first and only issue that you have.

I think that an honest price policy is naming the price and the conditions.

Others let you buy a family size software package, i.e. you have to have x number of users. Could argue that you actually pay for two, three or four users, but I won't.

[JAZZCNC]

Your wasting your time boys the Man's not listening.!! . . . . Any company that doesn't listen to it's User base doesn't respect it's Users so isn't worth investing time or money into, how much time/money is irrelevant.!!

[Magic]

Hi Jazz,

Your wasting your time boys the Man's not listening.!! . . . . Any company that doesn't listen to it's User base doesn't respect it's Users so isn't worth investing time or money into, how much time/money is irrelevant.!!

I don't think any of the above people are of our user base.

[JAZZCNC]

Hi Jazz,



I don't think any of the above people are of our user base.

NO EXACTLY but they could have been and lots more besides who certainly won't after reading your unyielding and quite arrogant replays.!

Forums are very powerful business tools in skilled hands, they can also be quite destructive to business and reputation in un-skilled hands and you Sir need to hone your skills.!!

[John S]

Hi Jazz,



I don't think any of the above people are of our user base.

Sorry ????????????

I paid good coin of the realm for the copy I had / have ?

And OK so it was a goblet and not a glass, still a useless tutorial unless you are aiming the software at glass blowers.

[Magic]

Hi John,

Sorry ????????????

I paid good coin of the realm for the copy I had / have ?

And OK so it was a goblet and not a glass, still a useless tutorial unless you are aiming the software at glass blowers.

You still have it, as I explained in an earlier post, but you're not using it, and it's not a question of whether it was a glass or a goblet. Page 39 of the Introduction to DesignCAD 3D MAX gives an illustration of the Sweep command as a wine goblet. There is no tutorial on neither milling nor turning a wine glass nor a goblet. That's all I'm saying.


Hi Jazz,

NO EXACTLY but they could have been and lots more besides who certainly won't after reading your unyielding and quite arrogant replays.!

Forums are very powerful business tools in skilled hands, they can also be quite destructive to business and reputation in un-skilled hands and you Sir need to hone your skills.!!

Well right now I feel very much ganged up upon by the old hands of this forum, so what do I do?

[JAZZCNC]

Hi Jazz,

Well right now I feel very much ganged up upon by the old hands of this forum, so what do I do?

Oh you poor victim here have a cuddle..

Seriously now your POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS are TELLING YOU #### WHY#### or WHAT is STOPPING them from buying your software. It's not rocket science from here to come up with the correct policy that allows users to have the experience or product they need.

Cropwell is very typical of CNC users who have multiple machines with one not being connected to internet for stated reasons who drop back n forth between each. They are rightly grieved or loathed to buy 2 licenses when they are the sole user of the software.

The feedback from these forums is priceless information in skilled hands and you'll find much better reception and willingness to help or spread the word with a more listening approach than unbending arrogant approach.
We "OLD HANDS" don't gang up or Pick on anyone unless we have good reason and John S gave good cause and you gave BAD ATTITUDE even then we weren't Ganging up just giving the reasons why we think your MONEY GRABBING Policy is RUBBISH.

REMEMBER your pushing your stuff on PUBLIC FORUM and when the results good you'll get all the whistles and praise your seeking but you'll also equally get GREAT BIG load of Booing and jeering when it's not.
The skilled ones take the realistic Boo's and turn them into cheers and chalk the unrealistic ones down to Dick heads you'll never make happy. . . . There's very few real Dick heads around here.!!

It's your choice to either provide a solution to keep or attract customers just like it's there choice to give your software the Finger and click on a competitors offerings.!

Edit: Just to highlight how much power the "Word of mouth" affect makes.!
There's a very helpful fellow in China by the name Of Chai who sells CNC components and over 6yrs I personally know to 300-400 sales made directly from me, just one single person, recommending him. That doesn't include my purchases nor does it include the guys promoting him on this Forum, and the reason they and I do it is because he's fair and helpful. Imagine what business he gets from many like me.!!!
Now on the same Note I get asked Many many times about Cam and Cad software and every CNC machine needs both to work just like the Components it's built from so there's no reason for this same Word of mouth affect not to work.? . . . . BUT in reality it doesn't WHY.???

BECAUSE (most) SOFTWARE COMPANY'S ARE GREEDY. . . . . . I'm restricted to just a few I can recommend.!! . . . .Yours WONT be one.!!

[irving2008]

Ok, I'm out...

You don't know me and I don't know you, but I've always worked to save my clients money and time and as part of that TCO is key, price isn't the only factor. I have integrity and professionalism as an IT Consultant and I object to your generalisation, but I'm not going to get into debate. You've set out your stall, the market will vote with its feet... and its not about price, its about attitude and recognition of the way people want to work.

Incidentally, and I'm making no comparisons about functionality because its not at the same level (yet), I'm using a package, Inard CAD Pro, on my Android tablet which costs £6 and does 95% of what I need and is by far and away the easiest 2D CAD package I've ever used. More to the point the author and I have had some really constructive discussions about functionality and he's been really responsive about adding new features.

And for a few lines & a circle Powerpoint or Visio will suffice and is usually already present on many office PCs so your assertion is disingenuous to say the least. In fact I've rarely needed a true CAD package for most small jobs.

Hi Irving,

My experience with IT-consultants and internal IT-departments is that they must justify their existence and make life as easy for themselves as possible. This means that they can only recommend something that's expensive (and then they get points for knocking the price a bit), and IT-departments usually recommend, what they already got even for jobs that only require drawing a few lines and a circle. So quite often you have to invest not only the £10,000 for the software, but you also have to hire an expert to actually draw the lines and the circle.

[Magic]

Hi Irving,

I should love to discuss functionality, which is actually, why I enrolled in this forum, but so far all I've had are moans about pricing, licensing and the fact that we don't do a printed manual.