Hello All: It seems that the principal "defect" of Delta Cad is that plotting and engraving machines cannot reproduce DC drawings without distorting the drawings. As Steve Lelievre pointed out, this makes it difficult to turn a drawing into the "real thing".
Several of you say that if a DC drawing is placed in Adobe Illustrator, then the problem is resolved. Last night I found the Adobe Illustrator website which goes into great detail explaining the program in a simple way. Give it a look: (www.adobe.com/products/illustrator/main.html). It shows samples of its many functions and capabilities. It seems to do even more than Delta Cad. (A.I. does colors for example). Also, although I haven't tried working with A.I. the samples look like it operates in a fashion very similar to Delta Cad and appears to be user friendly. Apparently, according to Tony Moss, Adobe Illustrator can completely replace Delta Cad. For example, you can import a Zonwlak DXF file into A.I. and then manipulate the drawing adding text and artwork just like you do with Delta Cad. (I don't know if A.I. can handle macros like DC; Tony say it can't do curves from formulae. See Tony's comments below). If this is true, then I wonder if Adobe Illustrator should be the dialists' drawing program of choice instead of Delta Cad? (I think I've just opened a can of worms here!) My important question is this: For those of us who need to engrave or plot sundial drawings, should we export Delta Cad drawings into Adobe Illustrator as some of you suggest, or should we abandon Delta Cad completely and just use Adobe Illustrator? I asked Tony Moss about A. I. My question and his answer follows: >You say (Tony) that you use Adobe illustrator instead of Delta Cad. Are you saying that >A.I. can completely replace Delta Cad? Is A.I. able to accept Zonwlak dxf >files? I'm wondering if A.I. is as easy to learn and use as Delta Cad. Tony Moss wrote: >It will import and edit DXF files. >Illustrator is an advanced graphics program which, on demand, will draw >any line at any angle, any polygon or stellated polygon of any number of >sides, any circle or ellipse etc. etc BUT, having drawn them it will >allow infinite combinations, distortion,mutual cropping, print any >multiples in a circle, reflect, skew, punk, bloat, place on a waving flag >or round a ball, cylinder or cone or whatever you care to think of. I >have yet to think 'I wish it would do that!'....because it will. BUT, >what it won't do, is convert formulae into curves as ~DeltaCad seems to >do. To switch or not to switch, that is the question! John Carmichael Tucson Arizona
