Until recently, Computer-Aided
Design (CAD) had been virtually
ignored by all but the biggest
contractors. This is because CAD
has traditionally been expensive
(costly work station hardware) and
intimidating (complex software).
Small builders are busy enough
running projects without paying
dearly for the privilege of learning
"computerese."
Fortunately, CAD is no longer the
exclusive territory of those with sixfigure
budgets. Today, affordable
desktop computers offer processing
power that 20 years ago cost upward
of $100,000. You may already be
using a computer with enough
horsepower to run many off-the-shelf
CAD programs. If not, consider
upgrading your existing system or
buying a new or used machine. But
hold off on the hardware until you've
chosen a suitable program and
checked into system requirements.
CAD software has