Frequently Asked Questions

Get answers to common questions on working with formC@D. And send your questions for next person to see the answer to it.

General Questions

• Q.       Is formC@D a CAD software?
  A.    Yes, any design handled by computer software is basically called Computer Aided Design software.

    

• Q.       How do you create walls?
  A.    Creating walls are as easy as a mouse click. Click one area of the screen to start drawing walls and another click to desired way will prompt a dialog box to enter length, thickness and angle of the wall. Than all you need to do is clicking OK button to create your walls.

    

• Q.       How can I start a wall from an existing wall?
  A.    You just need to click on the tool to get a reference point from the either end of the wall. Than formC@D prompts a dialog box and creates L and R reference points on the side of the wall you selected for you to enter the exact dimension that you need to start your wall.

    

• Q.       Can I create pilasters? If yes which kinds?
  A.    Of course! formC@D allows several easy ways to create pilasters. Which kinds, almost any kind. We haven't received any type that formC@D couldn't create. Inner corner pilasters, embedded corner or wall pilasters, angled joint pilasters, quadruple nested pilasters, etc. In the event our users not able to create complex pilasters, our support team creates it for them and send it back to the customer immediately.

    

• Q.       Is it possible to create different pours?
  A.    Yes. It is as easy as a mouse click to locate construction joints and another click to set it's sequence.

       

• Q.       Is there a way to set different walls with same pour number?
  A.    Yes indeed! It is very common that contractor would prefer to avoid bulk heads and without any limitation you can include as many walls required within the same pour.

• Q.       How are the wall heights managed, like setting the TOW or TOF and footing steps?
  A.    Very easy. User locates the height changes via a mouse click and than after build command pressed, formC@D shades all with a different color. Than you just need to click on the shades to open the heights dialog box to enter wall height and/or TOF and/or TOW difference.

    

• Q.       Can I use Metric units or do I need to convert my dimensions before I start?
  A.    Of course you can. As a matter of fact you can combine both units if you need to. For example you can type 12m + 12'6" on the input box at the same time. formC@D will do the conversion for you and implement in Imperial inches on your drawing.

    

• Q.       Do I need to scale my drawings at any time?
  A.    Absolutely not. formC@D is based on 1:1 work environment as default. If you need to scale anything, it is available via scale function.

    

• Q.       How can I create Sections and elevations?
  A.    After you form your walls, you just need to click on the create section or create elevation button to see the section or elevation on the wall you select.

    

• Q.       Can I insert a existing drawing in to formC@D?
  A.    Yes. formC@D accepts dwg and dxf cad file formats on the Professional Edition.

    

• Q.       What types of structures and applications can I build with formC@D?
  A.    Almost any structures that you can form with Symons forms. Straight Walls, Circular Tanks, Pilasters, Columns, Angled corners, foot steps, construction joints, etc.

    

• Q.       Does formC@D generates Materials List?
  A.    Yes and it is as easy as mouse click. After all formed and desired modifications made, than you just need to click on the BOM button to see the materials list for each pour and consolidation.

    

• Q.       How can I transfer materials list to Excel or Word?
  A.    When the BOM displayed, you have buttons to export all visible to Excel or Word. formC@D actually opens programs and load the data in to the emplty doc or xls files automatically.

• Q.       How can I modify my walls or forms with formC@D?
  A.    We created a one button to modify almost anything on your drawing. We also included CAD modify tools for CAD work

    

• Q.       Can I insert text into my drawing?
  A.    Absolutely yes. You just need to click on the Add Text button and type the text you'd like to include with desired font and size. Than click on the drawing that you want the text to appear and second click to determine the direction of the text.

• Q.       Can I Dimension my walls?
  A.    Yes you can. We have several easy ways to include dimensions for our users to add horizontal, vertical, diameter, radius, angle, etc. They are all set to Architectural style in default.

          

• Q.       What if I need to add other parts and pieces to my materials list?
  A.    You can easily export your list to Excel and include your items before you send it to Job site or your customer.

    

• Q.       Do I need CAD package to deploy formC@D?
  A.    No. formC@D and all other releases are independent from other software out there.

    

• Q.       Can I include my layout templates and use with formC@D?
  A.    Yes you can. We have simple guidelines that you need to follow when you include your templates. We also offer customization for our customers.

    

• Q.       How come there is no Save command?
  A.    We have a Patented Auto-Save functionality in formC@D. Each step is saved to the file automatically to provide our users an extra cushion of protection.

    

• Q.       Can I formC@D to edit CAD files that I receive?
  A.    Yes you can insert industry standard CAD files in DWG and DXF format with Professional Edition.

    

• Q.       Is there a way to print in B&W?
  A.    Absolutely. There is a check box on the Print dialog box to convert the entire drawing to B&W.

• Q.       Can I insert my non-Symons CAD blocks into formC@D?
  A.    Yes you can bring any dwg and dxf files within formC@D's acceptance into your projects. You need to count those manually in the event they need to be part of the materials list!

    

    

• Q.       How is formC@D different from Design Fast?
  A.    formC@D has multiple system support allows users to form details with one system and walls with another. formC@D also has CAD functionality to avoid need of another CAD package. formC@D also support curved walls. formC@D uses standard Symons parts and pieces that Designfast didn't have. formC@D built in US English compilers, so our users understand the language and communicates us. We have over 70 other critical functionalities that Designfast doesn't have.

    

• Q.       How is formC@D different from other CAD?
  A.    formC@D is an evolution of CAD packages on steroids that continues to make the features and functionality of industry standards widely available and with a much more formwork related architecture. formC@D includes enhancements to setup and manageability to make it easier to perform formwork design tasks than conventional CAD packages.