I had to pick between two CAD packages for a big city project

Our firm got a contract for a new library in Tacoma, and I had to choose our main drafting software for the job. It was between sticking with our old 2D system we all knew, or switching to a full 3D BIM package that promised better coordination. I went with the 3D option, thinking it would save time later. After six weeks, we are way behind because the learning curve was huge and clashes kept popping up. I'm starting to think we should have done the basic layout in 2D first. Has anyone else switched tools mid-project and regretted it?

3 comments

3 Comments

evan_green521mo ago

Man, that sounds rough. We tried a big switch like that last year and it was a mess. Ended up running both systems side by side for a bit, which helped a lot. Did your team get any proper training on the new software?

holly_reed551mo ago

Running both systems sounds like a huge hassle though. Is the new software really that much better to go through all that trouble? Sometimes these big tech changes feel like they're just for the sake of change, not because the old way was broken. Training is good, but it doesn't fix a bad tool. Maybe the old system was fine and they just needed a few small fixes instead of a whole new mess.

simonp761mo ago

Yeah @evan_green52, how long did you run both for?