Layout diagrams

[mrg198]

Not sure which section to put this in, but this seems as good as any.

 

I'm looking for help in finding software to do layout schematics for AV stuff on events. I am currently using Visio, but some aspects are a little 'interesting'. In particular I find it a bit hard to do dynamic links between boxes/photos of kit to link them up such that when you move something, the links move sensibly.

 

I want to be able to show schematic diagrams of how I plan to do an AV job with video/audio signal pathways shown between kit and ideally things like channel inputs on mixers, video signal types labelled nicely, pretty pictures of the kit as the 'boxes' etc.

 

What do other people use?

 

Thanks,

 

Michael

[stillgoingstrong]

Hi,

 

We tend to do noise for upto the 1000 mark and AV for 3 times that, so small fry compared to the larger companies, and I guess thats why we tend to either do a sketch with traditional pen and paper, although tends to be a sharpie on the back of an envelope, or if they're wanting a copy for risk assessment etc then we resort to the good old generic Microsoft Word.

 

I realise it's not much help, but you did ask :)

 

I have to admit I havn't seen Visio or similar, but by the time you have a dozen bits of kit on there, surely the pics would be too small to be of any use? Surely an extra sheet (or brochures) would be of more use, as either the clients know what the kit is, so don't need pics, or the clients don't know much about tech so they like lots of large pretty pictures. Just my thoughts, feel free to correct me.

 

Phil

[Crew.Steve]

Some years ago I was using Orcad, an application intended for electronic design engineers. It has a graphical interface which I used to layout lanterns picked from my customised library. It had the benefit that after sketching the layout it would print out an inventory, and if I deleted or modified the layout then the inventory would automatically be updated.

 

I guess there are other, similar packages around that could be utilised in ways not imagined by their creators!

[avdavesound]

I use stardraw a/v lite Linky here. great piece of software.

[dbuckley]

I thought I was the only weirdo misusing PCB packages. I use LabCenter's tools, and have used the schematic tool for building ethernet networking diagrams, and for AV type stuff. Whats really cool about these sorts of package is that they understand the subject matter, and will remind you when you plug an output into an output...

[gareth]

There's a lot to be said for TurboCAD. It's a really good CAD program, very flexible and capable, intuitive and easy to learn if you're familiar with the basics of CAD, and it's dirt cheap. Put together some symbols for the bits of kit that you need regularly, and you're away. The beauty of it is, when you reach the point where you feel you'd like to do a bit more with your drawing program than some basic layouts, TurboCAD has all the functionality you'll need unless you're getting into the realms of ridiculously complex 3D drafting.