Cheap CAD programs

At the risk of getting verbally slammed, my advice is not to choose
your CAD program because of its cheap price.

CAD programs take a *LOT* of learning to become proficient. By the
time you are 20 or 30 hours into learning a "bargain" CAD program,
and you realize its a horror to use, or it can't accomplish what you
need it to do, what have you spent in combined cash + time? Even if
you value your time at $10.- an hour, your fifty dollar CAD is now a
$250.- wasted investment in time and money.

Ask everyone you know, people who use it to do the same tasks as you
do. An architect will use a CAD program very differently than will
a mechanical engineer, or an electronic engineer.

When you find the one that fits, take a deep breath, and spend the
money for it. In the long run, it will end up saving you money and
frustration.

There is hope for the terminally cheap (me)though, check ebay for
bargains on older versions of software. Before you buy (using all
the normal precautions whan buying anything on line) check into the
CAD programs web site and make sure the copy you want to buy is
legally transferrable, and still supported.

veeguy
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