The Merits of a formalized procedure (benchmark) for evaluating computer-aided design drafting systems

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Author	Search for: Vanier, D. J.¹
Affiliation	National Research Council Canada. NRC Institute for Research in Construction
Sponsor	Search for: Canadian Construction Research Board; Institute for Research in Construction, NRCC
Format	Text, Article
Conference	Learning From Experience / Avoiding Failures - 4th Canadian Building Congress Programme Abstracts = Comment é viter les désordres en tirant profit de l'expérience - 4iè me Congrès Canadien du Bâtiment Programme Résumés: 1985-10-6, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Subject	computer aided design; drawing equipment; evaluation; cad; computer aided design and drafting (cadd); cadd systems - evaluation; expert advice; materiel de dessin; evaluation
Abstract	A myriad of Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) programs claim to address architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) requirements. Individual firms have great difficulty in evaluating and selecting a drafting system that will increase the productivity and effectivity of their organization. A formalized Benchmark procedure has been developed to assist purchasers in the evaluation of CADD systems. The procedure is thorough and time-consuming and should be used only at the final stage of the selection of a CADD system. The CADD Benchmark is designed to test most drafting features, as well as a number of more complex CADD operations, such as: area calculation, bills of material, and data base manipulation. It is directed at facilities management or space planning, but the software features tested cover a wide variety of drafting requirements for most building disciplines: plotting, zooming, dimensioning, scaling, rotation, filing, and symbol creation. This paper discusses the merits of a formalized evaluation procedure, cites examples of earlier work in this field, and outlines the Benchmark procedure in depth. In conclusion, although the evaluation method is time- consuming, the Benchmark procedure assists in the selection of CADD software for the building industry by providing expert advice to first-time purchasers, by testing a wide range of CADD operations, and by producing quantifiable results necessary for CADD system comparison.
Date published	1985
Language	English
Peer reviewed	Yes
Identifier	IRC-P-1464
NRC number	NRCC 27896 NRC-IRC-3961
NPARC number	20375707
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Record identifier	c5df79bc-a95e-41cb-abd0-ec7c60bbf9a5
Record created	2012-07-23
Record modified	2020-06-06

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Date modified:: 2026-07-20