Fellow Technoids:

I have used DesignCAD, in its various incarnations, for over 20 years.
Maybe I'm just used to it, but I find that it is easy to work with in
native 3D and keep the basic 3D conceptualization straight. The
interface makes intuitive sense. It has served me to make illustrations
for three books. I have the current latest version and it mostly works
perfectly - until now. I need to generate a Windows Metafile (.wmf) to
insert an image into either Ventura Publisher or Word 2007 to produce a
manuscript. Problem: my current DesignCAD now corrupts lettering in
callouts when I make the WMF conversion from a perfect image, so it is
useless for either publication program.

DesignCAD was bought by IMSI several years ago, as was TurboCAD, but it
is TurboCAD that gets top billing and priority. I have ordered the
Professional 3D version of Turbocad for $700, and it will arrive in a
couple of days. In the meantime, I have downloaded the free trial
version, which is somewhat like being dropped into the left seat of a
747 without a clue except the internal help. TurboCAD makes WMF files,
among a bunch more, but the main problem is to get going with it. I am
obviously very old and stupid, but it seems to me that the "working
plane" concept they use just gets in the way. I don't need no steenking
"working plane"; I just want to snap a line from A to B in whatever
funny plane that might happen to be in 3D space. I don't want to think
about "working planes" or switching coordinate systems. I can turn
layers on and off, change line colors, and zoom as needed to find my way
around in a crowded 3D space.

Where in past years I had excellent support, I can't reach anybody in
IMSI support or sales and I am displeased. I can get my money back, but
I am hanging high in the meantime.

So, does anybody have suggestions for a good 3D program that can make
WMFs? Any advice will be appreciated.

(Cry of anguish.)      Zeke Smith

Try Rhino. I think they have a limited demo.  I don't know about WMF's.
Does DEsign CAD export to iges or DXF?