iPhone app enables portable CAD drawing

SitePAD (pocket aided design) has been launched on iTunes and is designed to allow the user to draw and view sketches in CAD format. The user can upload and download drawings, to and from an iPhone, whilst out of the office. SitePAD was devised after Fresh Design Base recognised that there were major flaws with the early stages of any construction project. Early sketches of the work to be carried out were and are still being carried out with a pen and paper. Wherever paper is used, aside from the environmental implications, the results are invariably that information gets lost in transit, translation, or simply misinterpreted by a colleague. These problems all result in the same conclusion which is to return to site to re-record information. These constant visits to site are what we wanted to solve. Managing director of Manchester based Fresh Design Base, Timothy Barnard, said: "None of it's been easy and we've been involved in a steep learning curve from day one, but the economic downturn actually helped to give our product the focus and direction it needed but more importantly gave us an audience who were actually willing to listen. We now sell to a much larger market than first estimated, as people see the savings we offer". The software consists of two parts; the CAD drawing software on the device, and a web management facility. To summarise, the CAD file can be uploaded instantly, to the web account from the phone (using the mobile networks) and then accessed from anywhere, by anyone with a browser and internet connection. According to Barnard, this means that a two way instantaneous transfer of information is possible.