New User Info
Information for New PowerCADD Users
Welcome to the world of PowerCADD! Whether you are an experienced PowerCADD user, or just beginning, there are a myriad of resources at your disposal that will help you learn the software, and help you express your creativity and communicate your ideas.
If you've spent any time on this website, you already know we're all about training and education and helping novice and expert PowerCADD users get the most out what we consider to be the best 2D CAD program on the market. There are a variety of resources available to you and the PowerCADD Learning Center section of this website is a great place to get started. We don't have all the answers but with almost two decades of experience we think we have a pretty good idea which end of the mouse to click 
In addition to the various bits and pieces on this website, here's an overview of how to get started quickly, easily and shorten the learning curve as much as possible:
Read and do every exercise in Chapter Two of the User Manual
We're serious! Chapter two is also a great refresher for veteran users as it often covers new features that are introduced with a new release of PowerCADD. Chapter two covers the fundamental interface and key components to get you up to speed quickly. We recommend having Chapter two open and PowerCADD running as you work through the step by step examples.
User Manual
The PowerCADD user manual is provided by Engineered Software in printed hard copy and digital PDF? formats and it contains a wealth of information on getting the most out of PowerCADD. If you have PowerCADD installed, check your 
or from the PowerCADD Canada Updates page
To help you put things in context, here is what Lloyd Evoy, President of Evoy & Associates and national PowerCADD distributor in Canada said about the manual in his press release to Canadian users describing the new features of PowerCADD 7:
The Physical Manual
A new manual better provides detailed explanations including an accurate table of default key commands and firewall ports that must be open for the software updater to work. The manual is abundant with Tips, Hints, graphics, and explanations of Advanced features that many may have missed in previous versions.
The manual displays this icon beside every NEW feature to ensure that you do not miss any of the numerous NEW features in v7.
caddpower.com responds: We consider that high praise from the first International Distributor of PowerCADD (then known as PowerDRAW) and one who has offered technical support services to Apple Computer and PowerCADD users since 1987. We take personal pride in those remarks given we were commissioned by Engineered Software to edit the old user manual and write all the new content for PowerCADD version 6. We continued that relationship with our work on the PowerCADD version 7 user manual; again writing about over 100 new features and fine tuning older content. To Mr. E we say 'thank you for the kind words'.
To get the most out of the printed manual we recommend having the PDF version handy as well. Use the search feature of the PDF file to locate the desired material quickly, then cross reference that with the printed documentation for one-two punch.
Software Updates
When you purchase PowerCADD, you get more than just your master CD and installation code. You also get access to any software updates for free.
- United States PowerCADD users should visit Engineered Software's website (authors of PowerCADD)
- Canadian PowerCADD users should visit the PowerCADD Canada website (Evoy.com, national distributors)
- Other International Users should contact your local distributor, countries are listed onEngineered Software's website
You can also use the automated Software Update checking built into PowerCADD which can be enabled by choosing
Ask Questions and Have Fun!
We'd be remiss if we didn't say that it's okay to have fun at work and PowerCADD can make that possible. Just visit any of the discussion boards listed in related articles in this section of our PowerCADD Learning Center to get a sense of what people think. Also make sure to check out the Drawing Room on Engineered Software's website where you'll find a wealth of information and real world examples posted by professionals just like you! It's okay to have fun at work and be productive -- just try not to smile to much or the boss may wonder what you're up to; if you are the boss -- go ahead and smile all you want
Ask the question how do I do this... rather than can I do this.... PowerCADD is robust enough that there are typically several ways to perform a given task.
Ask the question how would I approach drawing this by hand on my drafting board. PowerCADD is based on concrete metaphors from the real world and builds directly upon the traditional manual overlay drafting process. Apple computers also follow that same principle so if you're lost, just try going back to your roots and look for a solution that would follow that same logic.
To put things in context, if we learn something new we've had a good day, and we often consider this thought as learn new techniques or are presented with new and interesting questions by new and veteran PowerCADD owners:
I know I'm making progress when I look at the questions I have asked in the past and think to myself... how stupid was that
Enjoy your PowerCADD experience and please explore the rest of this website for more information. Don't forget that to see premium content you will need to log in (or signup if you haven't already done so) -- what you are reading hear is only a small portion of our site content.
We hope that helps
caddpower.com
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If you found this article or the website in general to be helpful, educational or a time and money saver you can show your support. Thank you ~ Brian (huc) Huculak
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Related getting started resource
If you're completely new to PowerCADD and want the fundamentals from how to draw a line to snapping we encourage you do review all the exercises in Chapter 2 of the manual
Starting in PowerCADD version 9, a direct link to the manual can be found in theHelp menu (Help Menu → Manual ). You can also find a direct link to the fundamentals previously found in Chapter 2 by choosing (Help Menu → Tutorial )
Of course we also offer personalized education, training, and support services to help you get up to speed as quickly as possible. Click here
to visit our CADDcare page for details.