Welcome to the miniCAD Version 5 Learning Centre. Use these resources, in conjunction with miniCAD Help, to make the most of miniCAD 5.

Why miniCAD ?

miniCAD is a new way to work with the spatial world. 3 dimensional coordinate geometry presented in a clean and straightforward interface. The really good news is that miniCAD is different.

Starting in 1995 with a simple design we have looked at the problem of accessing spatial data quickly, easily, and in an interface that just makes sense. Now with the help of the Microsoft .NET Framework we are taking miniCAD to the next level.

Today vs. the past

miniCAD is focused on ease of use, so by default we only show you the minimum required to get the job done. This means no more "learning curve" barriers. 30 to 60 minutes is all the time you need to spend to get a new user up to speed.

miniCAD is NOT an all singing, all dancing, CAD Drafting package. We provide a plot to DXF option to enable you to draft your finished plans in the package of your choice. Of course most of our customers will use only one product!

Getting started with miniCAD

After installing the demonstration program, browse the program's Help documentation and the content of the learning centre to familiarise yourself with the general features of the product. Browse the tutorials. Experiment with the drawing features by drawing common figures, calculating areas and volumes, annotating and plotting.

Insert an image. You can geo-reference the image (geo-reference is a scale, translation and rotation). Then trace contour lines, or other features, to perform volume and surface area calculations.

Connect a GPS, Total Station or Digital Level to your PC's serial port to capture coordinate data directly. All these tasks can be accomplished with only a few clicks.

Importing Data

miniCAD accepts raw data in various manufacturer's formats as well as common interface formats, such as DXF, CivilCAD Ascii, LandXML, 4D Ascii. CSV coordinate data from GPS devices or spreadsheets may also be imported.

Exporting Data

miniCAD stores data in the interface formats DXF, CivilCad Ascii and LandXML. The native format, *.mcd, is used internally. CSV coordinate data may also be exported.

The future

There are many paths miniCAD can take:

• Get involved. Suggesting a new feature

  Feedback from our user community is one of our most valuable resources. Be a part by performing a review, or critique. Why not suggest an improvement or new feature?
  
  

• Customise miniCAD

  Licence our source code or develop an Add-In module. You can customise the miniCAD experience to suit your organisation.
  
  

• miniCAD in Education

  Apply for a free Academic Licence to use miniCAD in your learning institution. miniCAD is also freely available for personal use.
  
  

• Join the Mapsoft Family

  We are always looking for people to get involved in the miniCAD development experience. If you would like to assist in testing, translation or even .NET software development register for a free developers licence.
  
  

Other Resources

The software landscape is changing a lot faster than most people realise. At Mapsoft our goal is to help our users navigate this landscape. We'll point out new directions and suggest alternatives for your business or institution. Keep this site bookmarked or register online for our monthly emails.




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