I was happy to see the Sokkia SDR33 as one of the options. MicroSurvey offers FieldGenius, their data collection solution, but MicroSurvey CAD will download data from most data collectors and total stations. I created a survey drawing in MicroSurvey, closed it, opened it with AutoCAD, and continued to work with no loss of data. The drawing files and true dwg format require no conversion to work between platforms. The IntelliCAD engine makes MicroSurvey CAD extremely compatible with AutoCAD. With MicroSurvey, compatibility is no longer an issue. Many firms choose to work with AutoCAD, not because it is the best solution for their workflow but because many of their clients use it. If you have never worked with a CAD system, the videos and help files can have you working in as little as a day. If you have prior experience working with CAD-based products, you should be very comfortable working with MicroSurvey CAD in as little as a few hours.
IntelliCAD makes MicroSurvey CAD extremely similar to the full AutoCAD engine.
IntelliCAD is designed by a group of software developers who work together to create a competitive and stable CAD engine for use with each developer’s specific applications. This is my first experience with MicroSurvey and with IntelliCAD, the drafting platform that MicroSurvey CAD runs on. Once I started drawing, I was amazed at how easy it was to work with. The more than 16 hours of included video helped me quickly get my drawing and project set up. In the lower corner is a shortcut to one of the many instructional videos located in the help files ( Figure 2). When the program starts, the project manager dialogue box opens in the middle of the screen. Installing the software was very quick, and the on-screen prompts were easy to follow.
The software key provides a huge advantage: It allows me to install the software on my office PC, my laptop, at home, or anywhere I need to get work done. This one is extremely compact and fits on my keychain very well ( Figure 1). We called them dongles back then and they were huge. The last time I remember seeing a software key, it plugged into the parallel port. Getting Started As I opened the case to install the software, I noticed that the disc included a USB key. I used the premium version for this review. These versions provide value options so that you buy only the tools you need without a lot of unnecessary extras to run the cost up. The basic version adds basic drafting tools required to produce a survey plat the standard version adds advanced drafting tools with a full cad engine and the premium version has advanced drafting tools and tools for creating and working with surfaces and drawing contours, in addition to design tools. Each version is a standalone product built on the IntelliCAD 6.6 engine, and each has complete surveying calculation tools. MicroSurvey CAD comes in three different versions: premium, standard, and basic. It’s a complete survey software package that provides field data downloads, processing and traverse adjustments, design, drafting, and printing. MicroSurvey CAD 2010 is the latest version of survey desktop drafting and design software from MicroSurvey Software Inc.