DesignCAD 3D MAX v.21 review

[Magic]

Hi all,

Has anyone seen this DesigCAD 3D MAX review, it is extremely positive.

On the web search that produced it, and on the "side by side comparison" listing, it's dated 2013, even though it seems to be for only V21.

DesignCAD 3D MAX v. 21 - TopTenREVIEWS

Note, please, that the review is for version 21, and we're now at version 23.

You'll find a free trial version of DesignCAD 3D MAX v. 23 here: Magic CAD/CAM - Demos

[cropwell]

Has anyone tried out this software? I have downloaded the demo version to transfer across to my CNC computer and find it will not install due to digital signature problems. Also printed copies of the manual are not available. For me the magic is fading rapidly and if the software support is not responsive to get the demo version running, then the spell will be broken.

[John S]

I bought a copy but then found out it's only one license, pay again for a copy to run on the laptop full price, no discount.

Tried to explain about roving licences but they were not interested in listening. My bad for not doing homework deep enough but they will never catch me again.

[cropwell]

So you don't even get a CD, it's all done by download then ? No good for me if I can't move it across to my CNC computer, which I keep standalone. The internet is not needed and the system is remarkable stable without all those irritating updates.

I have the feeling that I won't be wasting any more time with DesignCAD.

Rob-T

[Magic]

Hi John,

I don't understand, how you can expect a piece of single user software to let you work as a roving license or even giving you a discount on your second license on a piece of £69.95 software.

I googled the term "roving licenses" and got two hits only for the exact term, only one of which was for software (the other was headed "Supreme Court Rejects Roving License to Detain People Incident to Far-Away Search".

But to avoid anyone else feeling "cheated", the license states one license per PC.

[irving2008]

Actually the practice of allowing multiple installs for one user is not uncommon even for low-cost software. Price is irrelevant, it's the useability factor. If I can't use a product on my main PC as well as my laptop then I simply won't buy it. Most software suppliers now recognise that a single user has multiple devices... Or that a single device can run multiple instances of the software in virtual machines - I often work on more than one project at a time...

Examples:
" With a single-user license, you can install QuickBooks on 1 computer and on 1 additional portable computer (e.g., a laptop that you own and use in your business) as long as both devices are used by the same person. ONLY that specified person can access and use QuickBooks on both computers."

" You can install Quicken on up to*three*computers running the same operating system,*as described in their respective*Quicken End User License Agreements. *You do not have to purchase additional copies of Quicken to install it on the second and third computer."

" The end user license agreement (EULA) for our products allows the simultaneous installation on two computers, as long as only one installation is used at any given time."

" If you own, or are the primary user of, a single-user or volume license Adobe product that is installed on a computer at work, you can also install and use the software on one secondary computer of the same platform at home or on a portable computer. However, you may not run the software simultaneously on both the primary and secondary computers.

No more than one user can use a single-user license Adobe product."

"
Simultaneous Installation

A single SynthEyes seat license can be installed and used on a second machine only if all of the following conditions hold:
You are the actual owner of the SynthEyes license—and each machine on which it is installed, AND
You are the only user of those machines, AND
They are being used for the benefit of the same business or person."

Hi John,

I don't understand, how you can expect a piece of single user software to let you work as a roving license or even giving you a discount on your second license on a piece of £69.95 software.

I googled the term "roving licenses" and got two hits only for the exact term, only one of which was for software (the other was headed "Supreme Court Rejects Roving License to Detain People Incident to Far-Away Search".

But to avoid anyone else feeling "cheated", the license states one license per PC.

[Magic]

Hi Irving,

I believe that it's a question of pricing policy, and I think that IMSI/Design and Magic Systems have every right to have their own.

If I can't use a product on my main PC as well as my laptop then I simply won't buy it.

You can use DesignCAD on your main PC as well as your laptop, you just have to have two licenses.

To both Irving and John: Which other CAD software do you use, does the license let you work on more than one PC on one license, and how much did it cost you?

[cropwell]

It is the difference between making a sale to a person and not making a sale.

For a piece of software a publisher has to decide on what makes an offer attractive enough so that sales volume recoups development costs and then turns into profit. Make it so poor that punters say 'stuff you' then you can consider yourself stuffed.

You have little to lose by allowing a licence term that allows installation on a PC and a laptop as most people would just do it anyway, and those that wouldn't on principle, would look around for something else before making a decision.

[Magic]

Sorry for the trouble, Rob.

We added a "program signature" validation pass to the DesignCAD 3D MAX v. 23 installer to give people more confidence that DesignCAD hasn't been corrupted, and to avoid Windows 8's "This program is from an untrusted source" messages.

So far it's been a hassle for us; without an internet connection Windows doesn't seem to recognize the security certificate used to "sign" the builds.

We're still looking into how to solve the problem *without* having an internet connection.

The internet connection is needed during installation only, not while running the programs afterwards.

As to manuals it's true that we don't provide printed manuals except for the 50 page Introduction to DesignCAD 3D MAX, if you buy the program from Magic CAD/CAM on a CD-rom. This is purely a question of cost.

However, if you go Start > DesignCAD 3D MAX 23 you'll find a 30 page Getting Started Guide as well as the 290 page Reference Manual in .pdf format, and if you go Start > ContourCAM, there is the 125 page ContourCAM User's Guide in .pdf format of which chapters 7 and 8 are 2D and 3D tutorials.

[cropwell]

The machine that I run the CNC process (from design to realisation) has a very lean version of XP Pro. I have taken out as many Windows components as I can, Networking being the main one. Without networking I don't need Antivirus. I also don't get interruptions and a cold boot takes 35 seconds and a shut down takes 7 (I have a SSD) because I don't have Microdaft and Java and Uncle Tom Cobbley checking for updates I don't want. The system is stable, I want it to stay that way.

I am loath to connect this machine to the internet just to load a demo of a program I may later reject, anyway the program has to run on the machine eventually, so it is a waste of my time even looking at it on another computer.

And one final comment - Search for DesignCad on Amazon and note the price.