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Carlos A.
Joined: 18 Jun 2004
Posts: 1
Location: Puerto Rico
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 Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:12 am Post subject: Claris CAD Conversion |
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 Lookin to buy new CAd for Mac program. Currently using Calris CAD, need program that can read my Claris files. I did try in a fellow Architect's office the PowerDraw that included the Claris CAd translator but could not open the Claris files. Any suggestions ? |
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Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 399
Location: Sterling, Virginia
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 10:28 am Post subject: |
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| doesn't caddpower.com offer a translation service? |
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huc
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 660
Location: ::caddpower.com:: (Aurora, CO)
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 11:35 am Post subject: |
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True, caddpower.com does offer translation services.
We received a direct email off list prior to this thread and provided additional comments.
Cheers
Brian |
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GaryV
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 217
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:23 pm Post subject: ClarisCad Conversion |
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PowerCadd 2000 will open ClarisCadd files. Thats why it will stay on my machine until it dies...
Gary |
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Bo
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 43
Location: Newport Beach, CA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 12:36 pm Post subject: Re: ClarisCad Conversion |
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| GaryV wrote: | PowerCadd 2000 will open ClarisCadd files. Thats why it will stay on my machine until it dies...
Gary |
And then you'll fork over a couple hundred bucks for an old Pismo PowerBook so you can keep PowerCADD 2000 humming along. Except for lack of a large screen and raw power, the FireWire Pismos are a damn reliable machine.
Bo |
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GaryV
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 217
Location: Walnut Creek, CA
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| Posted: Fri Jun 18, 2004 9:34 pm Post subject: ClarisCad Conversions |
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| I guess although it sill runs under Classic and 10.3.3! I still say that it could not have been that hard to keep the code in 6 rather than abandoning it, to help us out. Some of us bought PC in part becasue of this feature. |
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JohnMorse
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 294
Location: Birmingham, AL
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 6:34 am Post subject: |
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| Here's another vote for a ClarisCAD translator for PowerCADD. |
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huc
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 660
Location: ::caddpower.com:: (Aurora, CO)
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 7:55 am Post subject: |
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It doesn't seem unreasonable to think EngSW included the ClarisCad translator as part of the PowerDraw and PowerCADD product line to gain converts. However, given CCad has been dead +10 years, it also doesn't seem unreasonable to think the number of converts is dropping which would limit the need and desire to support an internal translator. Time and money to maintain legacy code seems like it can be better spent elsewhere, particularly since:
1) The ability to translator Claris Cad files is still available in the Stand Alone PowerDraw Translnator. for new PCadd users. While the stand alone translator doesn't run in OS X, it doesn't seem necessary that is should since the target market in this conversation is Claris CAD users who have hardware which will run the Stand Alone translator natively. This is a practical alternative for companies who prefer not to use translation service providers for time or cost reasons.
2) Most legacy PCadd users have had considerable time to bring production critical CCad drawings forward into the workflow as the CCad translator was included in all versions prior to PCadd 6. For those recent PCadd converts who may not have had sufficient time, keeping the old PCadd version around (still smart from an archive planning perspective) seems to be a practical alternative.
3) Opening archived legacy data, be they ClarisCad, PowerDraw, PowerCADD, WingZ, TrapeZe, WriteNow, MacWrite or AutoCAD, doesn't require a current version of any product to necessarily read the old file format. Why? The well planned archiving process includes a copy of the original software, and/or software to make the appropriate translation, and a machine to run it on. How far back that should read is a separate issue but the ability to work with and bring legacy data forward is available.
Direct support for Claris Cad via a translator may be a nice feature, but it seems like a value judgement needs to be made at some stage. It doesn't seem unreasonable that there is a law of deminishing returns with respect to supporting very old file formats.
It seems there are practical options to spending time/$ on maintaining a translator. However, if sufficient market existed and there was a reasonable ROI I'm sure EngSW or other 3rd party programmers would consider a OS X native Claris CAD to PowerCADD or other file format translator.
Just one take on things... I'm sure there are others.
Cheers
Brian |
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JohnMorse
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 294
Location: Birmingham, AL
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:01 am Post subject: |
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| For our situation, having an updated translator is the only really good option for accessing archived drawings. The others mentioned are marginally acceptable and become more and more unwieldy as time goes by. Every additional translation step or piece of hardware that is required to preserve access opens up a web of new routes for failure. This is certainly a looming problem from the user's perspective. I can't speak with any authority about the difficulty from the developer's perspective to maintain this feature in the software. What I do know is that the ClarisCAD translator available for PowerCADD 2000 worked just fine and right now we're only one (small? giant?) step away from that version of PowerCADD. Surely the further away we get, the harder it will be. |
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Matt
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 399
Location: Sterling, Virginia
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 11:40 am Post subject: |
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I have some sympathy for you guys who have a lot of legacy ClarisCAD documents. At the same time, ClarisCAD has not been a commercially supported product for some time. It would not seem prudent to me to be (financially) dependant on obsolete file formats...and sooner or later somebody will have to either re-create or translate those files into a format that you can use -- the need to bear that cost was decided for you by Claris when they stopped supporting Claris CAD.
Business is business all around. If your doctor was storing your medical records in a format that he was unable to access, what would you think of his policy? |
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huc
Joined: 13 Apr 2004
Posts: 660
Location: ::caddpower.com:: (Aurora, CO)
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 1:23 pm Post subject: |
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I find the math interesting in terms of length of support for the Claris CAD data set.
Based on my fuzzy memory, Claris CAD was supported by Apple and it's original authors commercially for ± 5 years (±1988/89 to ±1993/94). EngSW has supported the Claris CAD data set for ± 10 years (±1993 with Pdraw Translator and corresponding PCadd until PCD6 in 2003) -- 2x longer than it's original authors. In fact EngSW still supports the CCad format with their Stand Alone PowerDraw Translator so it seems there are still options for those who still need the bridge.
It seems there are some choices to be made. For example, I have a whole host of legacy data sets which can't be opened in modern software/hardware (not only drawing data sets). It seems I'm responsible for two general circumstances:
a) Plan and implement procedures to bring active data forward to current standards. This makes mission critical data available today or in a timely fashion to phase out old data sets.
b) Plan for the contingency of needing to open inactive legacy data if/when it's necessary. This may include the need to consider both hardware and software or having means to translate data.
It doesn't seem unreasonable that planning for the archiving and retrieval of data sets (regardless of type of data), falls to us. Knowing what the choices are and how to plan for those contingencies is all I can really hope for since so many things can change which are far beyond my control. |
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JohnMorse
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 294
Location: Birmingham, AL
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:05 pm Post subject: |
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If from our (users with 5 years+ of projects in Claris format) perspective, direct translation is the best procedure, then I'd like to know if it's feasible to continue providing it. ClarisCAD may have disappeared 10 years ago, but the Claris translator function in PowerCADD 2000 was viable and up to date a year ago.
I'm not the one that signs the checks here, but I suspect that having an up to date translator would be worthwhile to us even if it cost more than the basic CAD program. The alternatives are just too costly and too compromised. (Of course we are also planning for how to overcome the burden if no software solution will remain available. ) |
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Bill Stanley
Joined: 15 Apr 2004
Posts: 315
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:16 pm Post subject: |
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John, it is approximately like asking the Architect to continue updating all of his drawings made since the 1992 time frame to accommodate ongoing building code changes. It is damn expensive, no fun, and bright people cannot be hired to operate in the past. Nothing lasts forever not even buildings.
Plan accordingly.
Bill Stanley |
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Andy Caldwell
Joined: 14 Apr 2004
Posts: 85
Location: Sterling, VA
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 2:30 pm Post subject: |
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Carlos:
The one thing no-ones mentioned is how GREAT PowerCadd/Wildtools is compared to ClarisCadd.
Once you move up, you'll wish you had done it YEARS ago!.
The only caveat is make sure you have a nice new Mac to use PowwerCadd on.
Andy
_________________
Andy Caldwell, AIA |
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fred johnson
Joined: 04 May 2004
Posts: 57
Location: CT
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| Posted: Mon Jun 21, 2004 3:12 pm Post subject: |
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| I agree with Bill on this and I have sort of half way solved the problem with old Claris and Blueprint files. On off hours I made them into PDF's, and always now make a PDF record of completed projects and save on zips. OK, I can't change anything but viewing and printing is better than nothing. |
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