I’m now on my own, after working for small firms for years. I’m well versed in AutoCAD, but think it is WAY too cumbersome for the needs of an LA. I’m switching (& very seamlessly, I might add) to VectorWorks. It has all of the tools, but not too many of the extras we won’t ever use. It also has a great setup for material quans/pricelists, plant & materials symbol palette, etc. It also allows you to import/export files in .DWG format, which is proprietary to AutoCAD, and create 3D models similar to SketchUp. And it’s less than half the cost of AutoCAD. But both are great if you are working closely with engineers or architects.
