SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
(OP)
Has anyone used both programs? My company is considering making a change in the sprinkler design and calculation software we use, and I would like to know what other users think of the programs, especially if there is someone who has used both.





RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC
www.mfpdesign.com
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
Does HydraCAD have any bugs or issues you have encountered? How does it handle large systems? Any issues with loops or grids?
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
The only bugs I really had with HydraCAD involved the fabrication listing. It was just the loose material always seemed to give me fits. I could get it to list the fabricated pipe at near 100% accuracy, but the loose material was about 50%. You just have to draw in a manner that HydraCAD wants the information. It is not complicated and shouldn't really require you to change much of what you do.
The calcs work pretty good. It has 2 way data flow, but once you return sizes to the drawing, it was more of a pain to go back and change the calcs later if you needed to modify pipe sizes. You usually had to manually modify pipe sizing in the drawing at that point. It was not a major issue, just something to know. I am not very familiar with the new SMART Tools by hydracad that allows it to generate 3D drawings for import to NAVIS and other programs.
With regard to AS and Autocad based, you do import and export autocad drawings. I take all DWG files from the architect and import them to AS to draw. If needed, I can take my AS file and export to DWG and provide to anyone who needs it. It also works very well on large projects. I have done a 600k sq ft warehouse without issues, 200k sq ft hospital floors without drawing problems as well as large schools and other things like that. I am not saying AS is bug free and perfect by any means, but it is a really good program and does play well with AutoCAD. AS was the main drawing program for the City Center project in Las Vegas as well, so it can be used to handle monster sized projects.
I think you would be happy with HCAD or AS as both are excellent programs.
Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC
www.mfpdesign.com
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
I will echo what TravicMack said about HydraCAD. The calculation program is great (personally I manually enter the nodes and info to avoid the trouble mentioned above when changing pipe sizes). The fabrication listing is excellent for welded mains and threaded branchlines but a shot in the dark for loose material, fittings, couplings, etc. For large projects sometimes it is necessary to break the file up if you are like me and use paperspace exclusively to plot. I have the entire job in one file typically and HydraLIST cannot process over 255 unique ID tags (ie main tags or branchline tags) IIRC.
I use the smart tools often. It works very well for BIM via Navisworks. We have done a few jobs using it and the results have been good.
Sorry I can't comment much on SprinkCAD. We chose HydraCAD because it costs much less than Autosprink and I thought a parametric 3D modeler was frankly overkill for overhead piping. Industry will evolve to a point where everyone is using parametrics, but there are too many old farts who will never switch to 3D so I gamble that the time for that is a ways off in the future.
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
However, both programs are excellent and you would be well served by either.
Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC
www.mfpdesign.com
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
The reason we haven't really considered AS is because of the type of work we do. We do a lot of large scale residential projects. In addition to lots of underground parking garages (which I think would be just fine in AS), we work on apartment/condo buildings. It is not uncommon to have a building with 5-10 different floor plans making up 50-75 units per floor. As such, we need to be able to duplicate the layout of each unit maybe 20 times per floor in various locations and orientations; and the process should be somewhat automated, or the design hours get out of hand pretty quick. Using Autocad and x-refs, the process works pretty well, but I am not sure how it would adapt in a program like AS. Does AS have auotmated functions that would allow me to design in just one unit, and place that same design in the other locations/orientations? What if I need to make a change after I have placed all those units? Can I update one and it will automatically update others? Or will I have to make the same change 50 times?
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC
www.mfpdesign.com
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
and no, I have no financial interest in AutoSPRINK.
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
Our company is at this moment using SprinkCAD v3.5 for 7 months and the guys just finished their advance class. What i heard it is like windows 7 and autocad MEP 2011. The newest tools, all the benefits of the latest version can be used and even Foam calculations can be made. All handlings can be done in an AutoCAD environment and without switching to another calc or prefab program. Everything is integrated in the SprinkCAD Program. I have never used it but from what I heard it is very nice.
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
I think the 3D features is good but will be very hard to get everybody on line to coordinate a job on 3D, this was a dream 15 years ago, and will work only if the bid spect will demand.Image the eletrician using 3D, they never put a piece of line in the coordinated drawing, sometime the bus duct.
I need help from you guys that are using this programs everyday, Will be a good choice to get the Sprinkcad or the AutoSprink? Is Sprinkcad still taking a long time to clean the drawings after listing? and about breaking all the pipe at each intersection?
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
I recently joined a residential fire sprinkler company and they are using a combination of autocad and hasshouse.
We draft each house individually and manually count fittings.
Which appears to be severely outdated compared to the other technology which is emerging.
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
However drafting by hand is a real pain. With HydraCAD they have a nice tool that counts fittings and spits out a .txt file with everything accounted for in a few seconds. Its very handy to have and worth it if you just buy the drafting software it should be included.
RE: SprinkCAD vs. HydraCAD
Heck, you could do it with any of the drawing programs. AutoSprink works very well for the residential systems I do, but I don't know if I would buy it for only doing residential systems.
Honestly, if all I did were 13D systems, I would stick with AutoCAD with a few lisp routines and probably get one of the lower cost calc programs. I think you could even write your own calc in MS Excel and make it come out just fine.
Travis Mack
MFP Design, LLC
www.mfpdesign.com