Questions about ConnectCAD. Considering switching to it.
Okay for context I work in live events and I routinely have to put together wiring diagrams and router patch sheets etc for large events. Currently I use a mix of Visio, Excel for this. Been doing it this way for many years. Attached is an image of the types of diagrams I create.
But this is SO. MUCH. WORK.
I usually have Excel and Visio open at the same time and I go back and forth between patch sheets and diagramming constantly updating both to make sure they match. And it's not uncommon for me to make a mistake somewhere along the way. Also Visio is not exactly great at routing hundreds of cables and requires a lot of manual dragging around.
And when I need to make a new stencil or edit a stencil because of new gear etc, it's such a pain.
ConnectCAD seems like it may speed up this process significantly.
But.... I have some reservations. Wondering if anyone could answer some questions for me, before I fork out a crap ton of money to try this out.
How much customization is there for the "look" of the document? Every ConnectCAD diagram I have ever seen is hideous to look at. But maybe that is the fault of the operator, not the software. Actually most of my questions are basically related to this. Lol.
Can I make little icon style drawings for devices so a monitor shows as a monitor and a camera as a camera (see my attached drawing)? I find this makes the drawings much easier to read.
Can I hide unnecessary connectors and connector labels? I don't need a decimator or a Teranex AV to label every possible connection making the document much larger and busier than needed.
How easy is it to make dense diagrams? When I see Connect CAD drawings they are usually super spread out and take multiple sheets. I like to keep as much as possible on one ARCH E drawing so it can be hung up and referenced backstage. Is there a reason I never see this with ConnectCAD?
On that note I would also like to be able to have one big drawing with everything but then maybe separate out sub drawings that only have certain sections to give to specific operators and engineers on 8.5x11. I rarely do this in Visio because I have to basically start over and draw it all again for the smaller drawing which is a pain. Is this easier on ConnectCAD?
Can I generate router sheets where I can actually show what is being routed where and have those routes carry through across multiple routers cascading into each other? See attached router sheet example.
Is there a way to essentially break cable runs so they don't cross? I do this a lot with my drawings. I will have a bunch of cables connect to a colored arrow and then have a matching colored arrow on the other side of the run. This significantly cleans up drawings and makes them easier to read so you don't have dozens of cables all crossing paths. Does ConnectCAD have a way to do something similar? Again, look at my example. All the color codes triangles serve this purpose.
Any power users out there who can answer these questions would be awesome. And also welcome any other pro/cons people may have with switching to this software.