13 replies to this topic

[dan fahy]

once i learn the system where do i go to find employment? what is the going rate for drafting and are there any standard contracts?

[Marti Broekemeier]

You can talk to any builders in your area, to see if they could use help. You could work as a subcontractor for multiple builders. You can of course look in the newspaper for help wanted ads. I don't know where you live, but I'm in Nebraska, in a small town, and you would probably make around $12 an hour to start with, if you had other things you could do for their business to fill up a full time job. I have worked for the telephone company doing maps of cables, for an inventor doing drafting for gears in an electric toothbrush (where I also worked on the assembly line when I wasn't busy drafting), and now for a custom home builder, where I meet with the customers, design the home, and estimate most of the materials.. You could make more in the city if you were quick and knew what you were doing. Experience is going to be the best thing for you. Get a job where you can use your talent, for a start, and move up from there. Read building magazines, design magazines, go to home shows - the more knowledge you have, the more valuable you become.

[Marti Broekemeier]

(And I have used Soft Plan since you used 3-1/2" discs to save plans! so that's a long time!)

[dan fahy]

hi marti

thanks for responding to my inquiry.

I have a lifetime of experience in const, some commercial but most residential. mostly for me it is getting used to the software. how long was the learning curve for you? when do you know if you are employable or not? is there any sf costs for drawing up plans for builders? are there any standard contracts used ?

thank you

dan fahy

[Keith Almond]

Softplan has quite an intuitive learning curve, and the basics can be picked up quite quickly. However, like any complex computer program, the longer you use it, the more features you will discover.

 

If you really need help, there are always people here willing to help.

 

"The only stupid question, is the one you didn't ask!"

[dan fahy]

thanks keith

so far I have been relying on support thru the help section and by phone and they have been very responsive and helpful ! it's nice to know there is more help available if necessary.

thanks again

dan

[Marti Broekemeier]

You have a big advantage with your history of construction. If you know how it is supposed to look and work, you just need to get your plans to reflect what is in your head. Sf prices for drawings aren't possible, there are too many variables. You are going to take longer to do the same square footage, because you don't know the program as well. Also, it has to do with educating the customer you are drawing for. I can do a rough draft of what I think they might want, then discuss and do a more thorough plan, and work thru changes as they make decisions. I usually don't let a plan leave the building without a down payment, unless I know the customer well. 

 

I would say that you need to be able to do a basic house plan, basement to roof, with at least a simple 3-D exterior view, and have some examples to show an employer, before you can even apply. 

 

Learning curve? Depends on how familiar you are with computers and using a mouse. I learned it all by deciding what I wanted to draw, and reading the book to figure out how. Now they have DVD's to show you. And classes. Should be a piece of cake if you have the time to devote! Make sure you get a more advanced mouse. It makes it much easier to be accurate in small details.

 

And - HEY Keith, I started with Softplan when you kept one hand on the F keys and there was a cheat sheet telling you what each one designated. Was that before Windows? What version could that have been....?

 

Marti

[Keith Almond]

You mean like this Marti ..... I remember those days ... This was the demo disk I got, just prior to us buying the first version. I'm surprised I still had it - it's probably worth millions to the Smithsonian now!

 

Just look at how far we've come.

 

 

This is how the screen looked ...

 

 

I think the first windows version was 8 - but I'm a little hazy going that far back.

[Marti Broekemeier]

 Ok, I can't cut, copy, or paste here, - I don't know how you attached the pics - but at my office, I found a 3-1/2" installation disk for SoftPlan Version 9 (which means that I have earlier versions at home). Version 9 says, Disk 1 of 12.

 

I still remember the sound the discs made when they were reading, kind of a hummmmmm-clunk sound. I have plans on those old discs that I should bring up to date. I know there is a way, but is there time and a point? I had a customer (husband and wife) 2 years ago, that wanted to build a house identical to the first house I designed for them. When I figured out how to print the old plan, it came out with a black background, and colored lines. I was just glad that it was possible. I hav a USB 3-1/2" disc drive that I used at that time, to be able to read it, but with the new technology, I don't know if it is still possible. Guess it doesn't matter, we can always just go and measure.

 

And back to Dan - looks like if you master the software, you will have a long lasting career, (we have), and I don't see the demand decreasing. 

[Keith Almond]

If you click on the MORE REPLY OPTIONS button, you get the chance to attach files

 

 

You can also add them into the body of the reply by clicking the "Add to Post" button .... or leave them as attachments.

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[randolph cohn]

keith,

 

the first windows version started with version 10.

 

v9 was dos -

I waited for v10 since I didn't know dos.

actually I was just learning windows when I bought sp/v10.

talk about a beginner in both computers and cad.

 

I did have 5 years of architectural school and lots of

time on "the BOARD" / never again.

[Keith Almond]

I've still got version 10 on my home computer. Too poor to upgrade it ...

[Marti Broekemeier]

First, I guess from seeing Randy's reply, that I must have learned the DOS version, and just kept upgrading from there. My first version was actually good because you could choose what you wanted to do (like draw a line, or erase) with your left hand by touching a the correct F key, then actually draw it with your right. That made it very quick. Similar to SoftTalk, but with two hands instead of voice. (F keys were originally on the left side of the keyboard in a group like the number keys)

 

Second, so, you have 10 at home and 2016 at work, Keith?  That would drive me nuts, looking for the place to click the mouse, and the place is non-existent. 

 

And I love that version 2016 automatically grabbed my plans and imported them!!!!! (the ones that were on the previous version anyway)

 

I still remember a friend who used AutoCad, and designed a house. Ran into major problems because you only used lines and other shapes at that time, (instead of walls and intelligent 3-D shapes), which meant you couldn't always see the relationship in size  - when the house was built by her specs, the toilet that she drew, wouldn't fit between the walls that she also drew!

 

M

[Keith Almond]

... so, you have 10 at home and 2016 at work, Keith?  That would drive me nuts ...

 

Yes, it drives me nuts too. I only use Softplan at home when I really need to draw something on the CAD. I also have AutoCad 2000i at home. Again, can't justify the upgrade cost to use them so rarely. However, if I had Softplan 2016 at home, then I'd play and experiment and really try to learn how this program functions, and what I can make it do. Not that it really matters, because my PC would fall apart laughing if I tried to load Softplan onto it. Like ... "Seriously, you don't really expect to be able to run that do you?".