FastCad 2.72 
     by Davis Tepper                                    

     FastCAD Version 2.72; Evolution Computing, 437 S. 48th Street, Tempe, 
     AZ  85281-9936; (602) 967-8633, (800) 874-4028, fax (602) 968-4325; 
     system requirements: IBM XT, AT, 386, or 486 and compatibles, hard 
     disk with recommended 2 megs free (but will run from floppies), math 
     coprocessor, mouse or digitizer; monitors: Hercules, CGA, MCGA, EGA, 
     MCGA, or VGA; printers/plotters: more than 100 dot matrix, inkjets, 
     lasers, and plotters; list price $795, street $420

     Historical background information on FastCAD shows some elements in 
     common with other CAD programs. Its creator was Michael Riddle, who 
     had earlier created what came to be known as AutoCAD in 1981 and 
     which FastCAD's makers now view as their principal competitor. 
     AutoCAD had been purchased by Autodesk, an office products firm, as 
     one in a collection of business automation routines; it took off to 
     fill a perceived and largely unmet need.  Riddle then developed 
     EasyCAD about 1982 as a lighter and simpler CAD program, a sort of 
     VolksCAD.  He realized that more power and sophistication were
     needed for commercial applications and in 1987, FastCAD evolved from 
     his EasyCAD.  Both of these are written in assembly lanuage, which 
     gives them lightning speed.  AutoCAD is written in C language.  The 
     compact assembly language base also means that FastCAD needs a bit 
     less than 2 megs on a hard disk.

     In July 1991, an associate and I attended the Computer Graphics Show 
     held at McCormick Place. Our intention was to find a reasonably 
     priced and well rounded CAD program for some of our firm's 
     architectural needs.  My friend had been using a CAD program for a 
     few years and had a lot of advice for a novice CAD user like me.  He 
     was familiar with most of the many CAD programs on display.  We saw 
     all sorts of systems, software, plotters, books, and lots of 
     accessories dealing with computer graphics.  We saw some very 
     sophisticated and powerful CAD packages.  We scoured the various 
     display booths in search of a moderate program suitable for my 
     hardware: a 386SX laptop with an external VGA monitor, mouse, and a
     Hewlett Packard DeskJet printer.  

     With all the choices I saw, it was very difficult to make a decision.  
     The fastest program on display that day was FastCAD.  It was 
     blindingly fast; don't blink or you will miss the redrawing of a 
     floor plan by this amazing program.  I was definitely impressed.  The
     people who staffed the booth were very good at their job, showing 
     what FastCAD can do.  They convinced me that this was the program 
     for me to try.

     Installing FastCAD on my hard drive was easy; the process is 
     menu-driven. It loaded without a hitch and I was able to draw 
     immediately, though not so well as the representatives at the 
     FastCAD booth at McCormick Place.  I went through the tutorials and
     learned the basics in short order.  My computer allows me to use 16 
     colors and in a couple of days I was using all of them effectively.  
     Line weight (thickness) was also very easy to master.  All of the
     basic commands were relatively simple to use.  

     Now feeling a bit more experienced, I decided to switch to the 3-D 
     portion of this program.  I had no trouble understanding the 
     well-organized manuals; I went back to them, poured over them, and 
     went to work.  I found a few problems in trying to dimension 
     drawings, e.g., trying to add dimensions to a wall that I had 
     previously drawn as equal to six feet.  There is a helpful grid on 
     the screen for reference, if desired, but it was still difficult.  

     FastCAD is relatively inexpensive, and can be run in any type of 
     DOS environment.  FastCAD is a little too fast for me, but it does 
     live up to its name.  All in all, I would recommend this program to 
     anyone wanting a quick CAD program.  An extension module is 
     available from the vendor which provides icon tablets and additional 
     drawing aids.

     Author Information:  David Tepper works for Mayes-Vostel, an 
     architectural firm specializing in designing banks.  He sells
     temporary custom bank facilities for use during the construction of 
     new or expanded facilities.