Stardraw selected LDI 2001 as the launch platform for its latest lighting design and documentation software. Stardraw Lighting 2D is an all-new offering from the London-based software company and replaces the Stardraw 2DV3 package which has been available since 1998. The Windows application boasts a library of over 8,000 symbols of fixtures and truss, regular monthly updates of new symbols and program features, advanced reporting and an interface that is "so easy, even a salesman can use it."

David Snipp, Stardraw’s managing director and head of development, described some key elements: "This code has been under development and evolving for eight years so it’s very robust, reliable and above all, fast. With Stardraw Lighting 2D we've added a lot of advanced features and implemented a subscription-based philosophy, in line with Stardraw Audio and Stardraw AV. Our users place a lot of value in receiving new symbols in a timely fashion, and the cutting-edge architecture we use allows us to add new features very easily. For example, we have just added a utility which identifies any serious problem, whether it's caused internally by bad data from an imported file, or externally by bad device drivers, and Stardraw will mail a comprehensive report back to the developers. This means we can fix any fault without our users having to spend time on the phone, and fixes are always posted within 48 hours. This new version immediately notifies users whenever updates are available from our website."

A significant new step with this software is the ability to produce flexible reports in MS Excel based on customizable templates so that a single drawing can generate bills of materials, pricing schedules, cable schedules and a host of other useful data. Stardraw Lighting 2D is fully compatible with AutoCAD and can read write and edit all DWG and DXF files.


Latest Issue. . .