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HighDesign Users in the UK...?

Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2022 9:57 am
by jonno_g
I'm looking at migrating from VectorWorks (well, it's quite a while since I used that, in any event) to HighDesign, but before I commit to the purchase and make the transition I was wondering if there are many UK users (or a specific forum)...? Trawling the User Forums, I haven't come across anything.
Additionally, I'd be thinking of outsourcing some simple drawing work (to someone interested and England-based), initially, to assist me with setting up a few standard templates, but also selecting fills, textures, and standards specific to materials, technology, and building regs in the UK (specifically, England).
Any feedback, or offers of assistance will be welcomed :-).
DM me if you prefer.
Regards,
Jonathan

Re: HighDesign Users in the UK...?

Posted: Thu Mar 31, 2022 10:17 pm
by axys
I'm in England. I've not heard of any UK specific group. This site is the obvious one, but it's fairly quiet, with occasional bursts of posting. I've had HD for many years, but haven't used it much for quite a while - I use SketchUp + Layout, but only for 2D, which I know isn't the best use of SketchUp but I've developed a workflow which works for me as a sole trader Architectural Technologist. However, it's far from ideal and, as they have moved to a subscription model, it's not something I'm going to continue paying for. I'm tinkering with HD again, especially now that you can draw at 1:1 on a drafting sheet (as I do at the moment in SU).

Re: HighDesign Users in the UK...?

Posted: Sat Apr 02, 2022 10:40 am
by jonno_g
I started out, just more than 30 years back with MiniCAD (you drew on it as you would a drawing board - fantastic!), that became Vectorworks, and with each subsequent update it has become progressively more complex and expensive, now out of the reach of most single-practitioners - such a pity, as it was (and probably still is) really very good.
HighDesign is the closest CAD software to VW I have managed to find (although, still considerably more 'clunky' than VW, I think, but that may just be a lack of familiarity). As I really have no use for BIM in my line of work, it is a better/more affordable prospect (on the Mac) than anything else out there I have looked at.
Although I have used SketchUp since it's very early days, once I was forced to abandon VW, I also kept trying Layout - and, in turn, abandoning it as I find it particularly frustrating and unreliable: it's just a really badly written piece of software, missing many basic tools (such as a measure tool, and guides - all tools you would think they would carry across from SU!). It started out as an add-on, but now they (Trimble) are heavily pushing it as the production-tool solution. Additionally, not allowing users to create and share plugins has really hampered its development (the thing that really rocketed SU into the forefront of mass 3D design).
So, I find myself at a difficult juncture - stay with SU/LO, or continue with SU for design and modelling, and start from scratch with a new CAD package, such as HighDesign... it seems you are in the same space.

Re: HighDesign Users in the UK...?

Posted: Thu Jun 29, 2023 4:55 pm
by skybound13
MinCAD was the first CAD application I used when I started working for myself, I really liked it, used it for about two years before it became Vectorworks. An architect friend had emailed me something about HighDesign, after a few email to Ilexsoft and a conversation with a HighDesign user active on the forum I decided I’d give it a try. That was 15 years ago and I’m still using HighDesign for all my architectural drafting so I’d say it was a good decision.