The easiest transition for you would be to go for TurboCAD LTE, which looks and behaves exactly like your old AutoCAD LT, (although offering far more than AutoCAD LT) and then SketchUp for you 3D work. SketchUp is easy to learn and you will be able to import your 2D TurboCAD LTE drawings into it, so saving time. The two packages are completely compatible, so drawings can be swapped between. TurboCAD Pro LTE is £315 and SketchUp Pro £295, both ex vat.

The combination of the pair will give you far more than AutoCAD LT and at half the price and, of course, works in the same file formats as AutoCAD LT and many more, so no problems opening your old drawings.

Paul

The easiest way to start is with the boxed version of Deluxe v18, plus a 2D training book which also includes over 200 training films. The pair come to £109.80 on the shop here. The books are excellent and will get you going.

Paul

You can vary the transparency of colours, so perhaps if you made a ‘water’ pattern of several shades of blue and green, you could then play with the transparency slider in the colours pallet.
Alternatively look at http://www.textualcreations.ca. Don there has some good water effects, he brings pictures in from PaintShop Pro, (Ithink).

Lastly, you could take your pictures into SketchUp and using a photorealistic plug in make it look just like water.

Paul

You have two choices.

1 Buy TurboCAD professional Platinum. This will include two training books with over 400 training films, it also includes a training day in Winchester. If you first do a few training lessons from the books then book yourself on a training day, by the end of the day you will have a good idea of how everything works. This would cost £888 incl vat.

2 The alternative is to do your 2D work in TurboCAD Deluxe and then take it into SketchUp to create a 3D environment. The advantage here is that it is much easier and therefore quicker to get going. This will cost £634, but a training day would be an extra £200.

Personally, for you I’d go for the cheaper option.

Paul

How do I start, please advice

Michael
London
07903 550 528

Firstly I’d certainly not use AutoCAD, it’s too clumsy and really is old technology for your requirements. I’d suggest using a combination of TurboCAD Deluxe for the 2D CAD plans and hen creating your 3D design in Google SketchUp Pro. Neither of these packages would be too difficult to learn and they work together well. I have excellent 2 and 3D training books for TurboCAD and Aidan Chopra has excellent Videos on You Tube for SketchUp.
If you buy both together I can knock a few ob off the price.
Paul