I have the Pro-design Trimble software for use when I am designing. I paid around £2000 for the package and around £1000 a year to keep it updated so not cheap.
I have asked them on a number of times for some suggested facilities that the software will not do. I was told by a friend they do not listen to small customers like myself only to big spend customers. I worked for such a company one or 2 days a week who spent many thousands on their various software packages so when their sales people visited I asked them again for a number of changes. Basically I was told I could make the effort myself to work around what I thought were simple changes or no one else would use my desired features.
As an example I asked for the following.
1. Can I have an ATS interactive symbol. Yes I can use a switchboard for this device but I cannot connect a switchboard to a DB.
2. The default setting on the drawing is the supply at the top of the drawing. I would think 99% of drawings have the supply at the bottom of the drawing. I can change this but have to do so for each project. Answer from Trimble, " You could do this and save it as a template". So in other words we are not going to make the effort, you can1
3. Distribution boards are shown with the main switch at the top of the board when in reality they are at the bottom of the board. I asked again but got the brush off.
4. Distribution boards are numbered top right to the bottom and then top left to the bottom. The convention is top left to the bottom and then top right to the bottom unless of course it's a Wylex DB which is very strange. Apparently they might consider this change in a future version.
5. Can I have a facility for an LV ring starting at a switch board and running around a number of DBs. Answer No. Apparently no one else does this!
6. Can I have an active icon for as switch fuse and an isolator. No.
In contrast my friends at Modecsoft are very keen to listen to customers and when asked have included all these things. I have Modecsoft but I am to lazy to learn how to use it, which I am told takes about half an hour. I might spend half an hour learning it when my annual invoice for £1000 hits the door mat later this year.
What has prompted this post/rant is I have just reverse engineered a design for an existing data centre on my Amtech and I needed an ATS for a mains to generator change over and had to frig around to achieve this.
Has anyone on the forum been able to get Amtech to make a change to meet their needs?
Also Trimble if you are reading this Specsavers do hearing tests.
