SSDCP | | | Steel Detailing Software |

COMMON QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS ABOUT SSDCP

WHO USES SSDCP?

SSDCP is used worldwide by structural and miscellaneous fabricators/detailers, and by engineers/architects for creating shop details and plans.

WHO USES SSDCP?

HOW DO SSDCP PROGRAMS WORK?

SSDCP programs are "Parametric LISP Programs." They draw and do calculations from your input. This not only makes the programs EXTREMELY FLEXIBLE, but eliminates the time consuming task of picking "Block Pictures" from a library and piecing them together. Programs written by other software companies can be generic in nature. All SSDCP programs are specialized, dedicated programs for steel professionals.

HOW DO SSDCP PROGRAMS WORK?

DO YOU SUPPORT ACAD 2008?

Yes! New customers can order SSDCP for ACAD & ACAD LT 2008. Existing customers will have access to ACAD 2008 installations starting with the upcoming 2008 upgrade.

DO YOU SUPPORT ACAD 2008?

WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS TO RUN SSDCP PROGRAMS?

You must have a Pentium or AMD based PC running at 400 MHz or faster, and Windows 2000 or higher. You must have a minimum of 64 MB RAM, and an XGA (1024 x 768) monitor or higher resolution. You also must have ACAD R14 or higher, or if you are using an "LT" version, ACAD 2004LT or higher with LISP-enabler add-in by DRCAUTO, Inc.

WHAT ARE THE MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS TO RUN SSDCP PROGRAMS?

WHAT TYPE OF HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE DO I NEED TO RUN THE PROGRAMS?

HARDWARE: Any computer that will run AutoCAD is strong enough for SSDCP.
SOFTWARE: You will need AutoCAD Release 14 - 2008, or AutoCAD LT2004 - LT2008 (if you use LT you will need the DRCauto ToolKit. visit www.drcauto.com). Email info@ssdcp.com for more details.

WHAT TYPE OF HARDWARE OR SOFTWARE DO I NEED TO RUN THE PROGRAMS?

WHAT'S THE MOST RECENT VERSION OF SSDCP?

SSDCP 2005 was the most latest major update. It was released in November 2005 with subsequent patches issued until Oct 2006.

WHAT'S THE MOST RECENT VERSION OF SSDCP?

VISTA ... CAN SSDCP BE USED WITH VISTA?

YES! new customers can order SSDCP for Vista. Existing customers will have access to Vista installations starting with the upcoming 2008 upgrade.

VISTA ... CAN SSDCP BE USED WITH VISTA?

HOW MANY COMPANIES USE SSDCP?

As of late 2007, there are nearly 800 registered licensees using SSDCP, with almost 2000 individual licenses in the field.

HOW MANY COMPANIES USE SSDCP?

DO I HAVE TO BUY THE FULL BLOWN VERSION OF AUTOCAD? AUTOCAD LT IS A FRACTION OF THE PRICE!!

NO. A less expensive option is to use AutoCAD LT coupled with the LT Toolkit by DRCauto. Their combined cost (LT $900 + Toolkit $350) is much less than roughly $3800 for full AutoCAD. SSDCP programs run seamlessly in either.

DO I HAVE TO BUY THE FULL BLOWN VERSION OF AUTOCAD? AUTOCAD LT IS A FRACTION OF THE PRICE!!

IF I CHANGE ACAD VERSIONS WILL MY SSDCP PROGRAMS STILL WORK?

SSDCP ACAD Version Change kits are necessary whenever you move from an older version of AutoCAD to a more recent one. The Version Change kit is a new set of SSDCP menu files that are compatible with your new ACAD level. This insures that your SSDCP modules will continue to work properly. Email info@ssdcp.com for more details. The $95 charge will apply to each license being updated.

IF I CHANGE ACAD VERSIONS WILL MY SSDCP PROGRAMS STILL WORK?

I EMAILED SOME DRAWINGS I MADE IN SSDCP TO MY CUSTOMER, BUT THE FRACTIONS DON'T SHOW UP CORRECTLY... WHY NOT?

You need to send them the SSDCP font files with the .SHX extension - find them in the SSDCP folder. Or, you can click onto this link to download the font files. Tell your customer to put them in his AutoCAD/Fonts folder.

I EMAILED SOME DRAWINGS I MADE IN SSDCP TO MY CUSTOMER, BUT THE FRACTIONS DON'T SHOW UP CORRECTLY... WHY NOT?

WHY, WHENEVER I START A NEW DRAWING AND RUN SSDCP/SETUP, THE PROGRAM DOESN'T REMEMBER MY PREVIOUS SETTINGS AND SPECIFIES A METRIC DRAWING?

The drawing units must be set to Architechtural on a new drawing before running the SSDCP Setup program. This can be done by selecting Format/Units on the ACAD command bar or using the the ACAD new drawing setup wizard to create the new drawing. To have ACAD start in imperial, open the ACAD.DWT file and change units to be architectural instead of decimal.

WHY, WHENEVER I START A NEW DRAWING AND RUN SSDCP/SETUP, THE PROGRAM DOESN'T REMEMBER MY PREVIOUS SETTINGS AND SPECIFIES A METRIC DRAWING?

IS SSDCP COMPATIBLE WITH INTELLICAD?

No. But if price is the issue, remember that SSDCP works great within AutoCAD LT (when combined with the DRCauto LT Toolkit). If you use LT, or are considering LT, then SSDCP is a powerful option for you.

IS SSDCP COMPATIBLE WITH INTELLICAD?

I DON'T LIKE THE WAY AUTOCAD PRINTS OUT FRACTIONS. ( EX. 1'-2 13/16 ) DOES YOUR PROGRAM DO ANYTHING TO MAKE THESE FRACTIONS LOOK BETTER ?

YES. SSDCP uses custom fractions that look great. Check out the sample drawings in the demo or here on the site.

I DON'T LIKE THE WAY AUTOCAD PRINTS OUT FRACTIONS. ( EX. 1'-2 13/16 ) DOES YOUR PROGRAM DO ANYTHING TO MAKE THESE FRACTIONS LOOK BETTER ?

AFTER INSTALLING SSDCP OR ONE OF THE UPDATES, SSDCP OPTIONS WILL NOT RUN WITHOUT CRASHING.

On rare occasions, very old Windows operating systems may truncate filenames. To fix this, do the following: Rename PREFER~.LSP to PREFERENCES.LSP, PREFER~1.DCL to PREFERENCES.DCL, and SAFETY~1.LSP to SAFETY_CLIP.LSP.

AFTER INSTALLING SSDCP OR ONE OF THE UPDATES, SSDCP OPTIONS WILL NOT RUN WITHOUT CRASHING.

ICONS IN THE SSDCP TOOLBARS EITHER DO NOT DISPLAY OR ARE DISPLAYED AS SMILEY FACE ICONS.

The smiley face icons are displayed by AutoCAD when the toolbar icons cannot be located in the search path. Make sure that the SSDCP directories have been added to the AutoCAD search path and it has been moved to the top of the search path. Then reload SSDCP.mnu.

ICONS IN THE SSDCP TOOLBARS EITHER DO NOT DISPLAY OR ARE DISPLAYED AS SMILEY FACE ICONS.

CAN I START SSDCP PROGRAMS WITHOUT PICKING THEM FROM THE MENU? FOR INSTANCE, CAN I ASSIGN HOTKEYS IN ACAD FOR SOME OF THEM?

You can learn the executables for any SSDCP program by reading the SSDCP.MNU file. You can associate a hotkey command for any of the program executables. When you are looking for the menu file, keep in mind that the name of the MNU file differs for each version of ACAD. "SSDCP" is suffixed with the version of ACAD you are using. For example, the MNU file for R2000 would be SSDCP2000.MNU.

CAN I START SSDCP PROGRAMS WITHOUT PICKING THEM FROM THE MENU? FOR INSTANCE, CAN I ASSIGN HOTKEYS IN ACAD FOR SOME OF THEM?

WHEN I USE THE SLOPED OR SKEWED BEAMS PROGRAMS AND AM ASKED FOR THE BEAM MATERIAL TYPE, THE SELECTION BOX IS NEVER AVAILABLE.

Turn on CAPS LOCK. All programs should be run with CAPS LOCKS on, but especially the sloped and skewed beams program.

WHEN I USE THE SLOPED OR SKEWED BEAMS PROGRAMS AND AM ASKED FOR THE BEAM MATERIAL TYPE, THE SELECTION BOX IS NEVER AVAILABLE.

I WANT TO PRINT THE INSTRUCTION SLIDES SO I HAVE A HARD COPY TO REFER TO. I AM USING THE ACAD "VSLIDE" COMMAND, BUT WHEN I TRY TO PLOT OR PRINT, ALL I GET IS A BLANK PAGE. AM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG?

Nope. You're not doing anything wrong. Unfortunately, AutoCAD does not support the plotting or printing of slides. You can however, do a screen capture or print screen.

I WANT TO PRINT THE INSTRUCTION SLIDES SO I HAVE A HARD COPY TO REFER TO. I AM USING THE ACAD "VSLIDE" COMMAND, BUT WHEN I TRY TO PLOT OR PRINT, ALL I GET IS A BLANK PAGE. AM I DOING SOMETHING WRONG?

MY SYSTEM THAT HAD SSDCP ON IT HAS CRASHED AND I'VE HAD TO REFORMAT MY HARD DRIVE. DOES THIS MEAN I'VE ALSO LOST MY SSDCP LICENSE? WHAT DO I DO NEXT?

Yes, if your system crashes and you were unable to uninstall your SSDCP first, then your license for that machine will be lost. You will need to contact SSDCP directly to order a new replacement disk. In some cases you may be asked to first upgrade to the most current version of SSDCP. You will also be required to return your original license disk. If you were ALREADY running the most current level of SSDCP, a replacement disk will be sent to you for a nominal charge of $195 per license. If you were running an OLDER version of SSDCP, the cost will vary depending on your version.

MY SYSTEM THAT HAD SSDCP ON IT HAS CRASHED AND I'VE HAD TO REFORMAT MY HARD DRIVE. DOES THIS MEAN I'VE ALSO LOST MY SSDCP LICENSE? WHAT DO I DO NEXT?

WHEN I TRY TO SELECT A SHAPE FROM THE DIALOGUE BOX, THEY APPEAR AS "WEIRD" METRIC SHAPES. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

You have the BORDER layer frozen.

WHEN I TRY TO SELECT A SHAPE FROM THE DIALOGUE BOX, THEY APPEAR AS "WEIRD" METRIC SHAPES. WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?

I CAN'T GET THE "DRAW FLANGE HOLES" OR "DRAW SLOTS" TO WORK CORRECTLY. IS THERE SOME SORT OF TRICK TO THIS?

No trick... You have the BORDER layer frozen.

I CAN'T GET THE "DRAW FLANGE HOLES" OR "DRAW SLOTS" TO WORK CORRECTLY. IS THERE SOME SORT OF TRICK TO THIS?

WHEN I TRY TO UNINSTALL MY SSDCP 2005 LICENSE, I GET A MESSAGE SAYING MY LICENSE MEDIA CANNOT BE FOUND. HOW DO I UNINSTALL MY LICENSE?

You will need to reformat your license media, particularly if it is on a USB drive. Be sure to give it the volume name "SSDCPLIC". Once formatted, you should be able to uninstall without any trouble.

WHEN I TRY TO UNINSTALL MY SSDCP 2005 LICENSE, I GET A MESSAGE SAYING MY LICENSE MEDIA CANNOT BE FOUND. HOW DO I UNINSTALL MY LICENSE?

IS SSDCP STILL COMPATIBLE WITH ACAD LT2000 and LT2000i ?

Sorry no. Support for these older versions of LT stopped with the SSDCP 2003.

IS SSDCP STILL COMPATIBLE WITH ACAD LT2000 and LT2000i ?

HOW BIG IS THE LEARNING CURVE?

Our learning curve is barely a bump! SSDCP is very user friendly and works by asking the user a series of questions about what's being detailed... Once the questions are all answered, SSDCP does the rest. It's that simple! Hundreds of users can't be wrong!

HOW BIG IS THE LEARNING CURVE?

DO I HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT IN AUTOCAD TO RUN THESE PROGRAMS?

NO... The programs set up all dimension variables, layers, arrow head sizes and text height that will produce a professional looking drawing. You need only to know the basic commands of AutoCAD, such as : LINE, MOVE, COPY, ZOOM, ETC. As you draw with AutoCAD using these programs, you will acquire the skills needed through experience.

DO I HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT IN AUTOCAD TO RUN THESE PROGRAMS?

HOW MUCH WILL MY PRODUCTION INCREASE WITH SSDCP?

That's hard to say... It depends on how you detail now and what sorts of detail work you do. However, many of our users have been loyal customers for years and swear by the SSDCP programs for all of their structural and miscellaneous detailing work.

HOW MUCH WILL MY PRODUCTION INCREASE WITH SSDCP?

WILL THIS PROGRAM MEET ALL MY NEEDS FOR STRUCTURAL AND MISCELLANEOUS DETAILING OR WILL I NEED TO BUY ANOTHER PROGRAM EVENTUALLY?

No single program can do everything for everyone. SSDCP is no different. However, it IS one of the most versatile systems you can get. While stair and handrail work has gained SSDCP its most notoriety, it can also handle a wide variety of structural tasks. In fact, SSDCP started life as a structural detailing program. Today, SSDCP encompasses over 190 different programs that cover a broad range. If your jobs tend to involve a little of everything, SSDCP will probably be all you need. If your structural work demands the additional power of a stand-alone system, you may want to consider using CadVantage's CVSpro for structural and SSDCP for miscellaneous.

WILL THIS PROGRAM MEET ALL MY NEEDS FOR STRUCTURAL AND MISCELLANEOUS DETAILING OR WILL I NEED TO BUY ANOTHER PROGRAM EVENTUALLY?

I WANT TO SELL MY SSDCP LICENSE TO SOMEBODY ELSE. CAN I? WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

Yes, as long as you abide by the following conditions:

1- A transfer can only happen through us for it to be official and to qualify the new owner for tech support and upgrades.

2- The license being transferred must be CURRENT and have been current for at LEAST ONE YEAR.

3- The license disk being transferred MUST be sent back to us, and WE will check to see it has been uninstalled. We'll then send a brand new install of the latest version to the new owner. If it hasn't been uninstalled, the owner must buy a new license disk for $895 (or current price at that time).

4- The fee to transfer a license is $195, plus any applicable upgrade fees and version change fees, of course, and must be paid by the original licensee prior to transfer.

5- If a companyowns multiple licenses, it must sell them all at once. They can however, be sold to different companies.

6- The transfer fee applies to EACH license transferred. In other words, if a company has 2 licenses and is transferring each license to 2 separate companies, there are 2 charges of $195 involved. If they are both being transferred to the same company, only one $195 charge. If the original licensee owns multiple licenses, they must ALL be sold.

I WANT TO SELL MY SSDCP LICENSE TO SOMEBODY ELSE. CAN I? WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

IF I BUY ONE FULL SSDCP LICENSE NOW, HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A SECOND LICENSE AT $895?

Forever! Even if you don't have a full license, you can always purchase additional licenses for the low price of $895!

IF I BUY ONE FULL SSDCP LICENSE NOW, HOW LONG DO I HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF A SECOND LICENSE AT $895?

I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE SSDCP USING A BUSINESS LEASE. CAN I?

Yes you can! SSDCP now offers leasing plans that may be an attractive alternative to a regular lump sum purchase. To find out more, visit our LEASE INFORMATION page!

I'D LOVE TO BE ABLE TO PURCHASE SSDCP USING A BUSINESS LEASE. CAN I?

I SEE THE 30-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IS NOT OFFERED IF I LEASE. WHY NOT?

There are a lot of legal and financial reasons why SSDCP cannot offer the 30-day money back guarantee with a lease, but the simple answer is that the lease company doesn't want people leasing software, returning it, and thus converting the lease into cash. This would put the leasing company at risk, and they would be unable to offer leasing options to SSDCP customers.

I SEE THE 30-DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE IS NOT OFFERED IF I LEASE. WHY NOT?

HOW DO I REACH SSDCP?

1923 South Blvd., Studio B

Charlotte, NC 28203

Our phone number for sales, administration, and tech support is 704.370.0840, and our fax number is 704.358.1801. We can also be reached by sending email to info@ssdcp.com. Our normal business hours are 9am to 5pm eastern time, Monday through Friday.

HOW DO I REACH SSDCP?