CAD nerd thread, for those interested in CAD stuff

[highpocket74]

I'll open this discussion to not take away from Slowpoke's racing thread. Anyone with CAD questions or ideas can post here.

 

[Admin]

 

[Hondasxs]

Teach me.. would love to learn.
I have only used online service like emachine.

 

[CID]

Teach me.. would love to learn.
I have only used online service like emachine.

Adam490 said that Fusion 360 is still free to hobbyists. I'll start by saying that I HATE computers, with the white hot intensity of a thousand suns. I visited a Bonneville Salt Flats motorcycle racer and he showed it to me. He was living in an airplane hangar and had a CNC mill in his 'living room'. He drew up a part on his computer, downloaded it to a USB drive, plugged that into the mill and spit the part out, it took about an hour - I was gobsmacked.

He showed me a couple of online Fusion 360 how-to videos that explained a lot of the basic cuts available. So when I got home, I downloaded the free program and self taught myself - remember - I HATE computers but, for the first time in my life, they were doing something I could relate to, make ANY thing I could dream up and draw. My point - if I can teach my 70+ year old, computer hating butt how to use it, so can you. I had no one to ask questions, just the youtube videos.

I drew these motorcycle rocker covers within a few hours of first downloading it. Once drawn, you can spin it around on the screen and look at it from all angles just like yer holding it in your hands.

 

[highpocket74]

Teach me.. would love to learn.
I have only used online service like emachine.

The software now is so much better than when I was in college using autocad 10 for DOS in 1992! It’s a lot smarter too. There are some great free tutorial videos available online.

 

[Tramguage1]

Ok im in also! Not the most computer savy guy, but would really like to learn to run a basic CAD program.

 

[Buckshot07]

The software now is so much better than when I was in college using autocad 10 for DOS in 1992! It’s a lot smarter too. There are some great free tutorial videos available online.

Think I started on AutoCAD 12 in ‘94. Still using AutoCad to this day.
I have Solidworks as well but only to convert customer 3D geometry to the 2D profile we need at work.

 

[highpocket74]

If you have questions I may be able to answer them.

My experience:
I work for an engineering firm that services the Petrochem industry in SW Louisiana. We have refineries, ethylene, plastics, catalyst and other industrial facilities we contract with. My job is a piping/mechanical designer which includes designing the piping and equipment for various systems. To do this I use Autocad as the base cad software with Cadworx Plant as the piping 3rd party software. Cadworx is our intelligent software that builds 3D cad components from certain specifications. It takes a LONG time to get all the specification setup but after that we can roll with piping systems design. We also use Isogen with Cadworx/Autocad to automatically create piping fabrication isometrics from the intelligent parts of the 3D model. It took years to get Isogen setup to make piping isos that looked "nice". Out of the box Isogen makes the ugliest, but still dimensionally accurate, isometric drawings you have ever seen! Some big engineering firms don't care and it shows. We care and therefore over a long period of time continued to tweak the Isogen parameters to make better looking and clearer isometric drawings for fabricators.

We also have a Faro laser 3D scanner. This is basically an expensive laser range finder that can measure everything it sees in a 360 degree sphere. The individual scans are registered (stitched) together with Faro's Scene software using coordinates for the facility we are working in. Now we have what is referred to as a "point cloud". From there we import a single file containing the stitched scans into Autodesk Recap where we can view all the millions of laser dots that make an image of the scanned work area. The stitched scan files or Recap files can then be brought into Autocad/Cadworx and drawn over. Any single point can be identified by coordinates and selected by Autocad as an attachment point for new components.

The 3D scanning has revolutionized the way we work but reducing days of field hand sketching and measuring into minutes with unreal accuracy.

So during a normal drawing session I am running Autocad, Cadworx, Isogen, and Recap all at the same time on two 24" screens.

This sounds complicated and is every bit of that. Over the years we have become used to the workflow and the scans are now easier to work with. Probably the most confusing part of this process is setting up Isogen to run isos for a project. It's still not very user friendly or intuitive in the least bit. We have a procedure document that we have to follow step by step every time we setup a project because it's so confusing. If the connections are set correctly for the referencing specifications and other databases then you get nothing from isogen and have to trouble shoot the setup.

All this technology is helpful, most of the time, but I'm convinced I was born into the wrong drafting generation. I like the art of hand drafted plans. That took talent! This cad stuff ruined the artistic aspect of drafting.

After Hurricane Rita hit SW Louisiana in 2005, but without the news fanfare of Katrina a month earlier, I was called into work to help support restart of a local refinery. I was chosen because I could still draw by hand since we had no electricity to run CAD machines. That was fun for me!

 

[lee]

@highpocket74 thanks for posting your experiences, there is always somthing to learn from another's perspective on somthing you think you have a handle on.
I have 27 years with a transplant design engineering company, they are super paranoid about industrial espionage so I can't say much about the specifics, but I can talk about some of my experiences.
When I started we had about 1 CAD workstation for every 3 engineers.
They had the engineers doing 100% of the CAD work back then.
If you couldn't get on a machine you could stay late or break out the pencils.

Back then we used CADAM, it was a main frame based 2D only system.
I started out doing some actuator cable layouts in 2D.
Had to do dozens of 3rd angle projections to show the clearance around the cables in tight areas.
That was a painful slog to do all the cut sections to prove to the grumpy old evaluators that my design was ok.

And, as it was a Japanese company, they had a very specific way they wanted there drawings done.
Simply put, the drawings are a kind of art.
It was not enough to follow the drafting conventions, there where extra flourishes that made the drawing beautiful and therefore east to read.
Today we use Catia in 3D with add ons that do things like simulate cable bends and calculate stresses (FEA).
Now I'm one of the grumpy old evaluators and somthing is lost, the drawings are technically correct but you can't tell if the part bends in to or out of the page at a glance like in the old days.

Another thing that gets lost on some of the kids coming in to the profession is understanding that CAD is just a language, a method of communication.
The real heavy lifting is going on in the engineers head.
Too many times I see them get an assignment, go back to there desk and start making 3D shapes.
You need to understand what is needed, conceive a structure to meet that need and map out how to prove it will work before booting the CAD up.

I watched an episode of Dirt Lifestyle (on YouTube) recently where they where talking about fabricating vs bolting on parts for off roading.
Having experiance as a pipe fitter and a 3000 square foot shop helps, but it's not necessary.
There point being, having some basic tools and some motivation can get you started.
In the same way having an engineering degree might be helpful but it is not required to jump in and seeing what can be done with a CAD program.
Just remeber, it's like learning a new language, it will take some time to be proficient and your first efforts might read like Dr Seuss.

 

[Smitty335]

@highpocket74 thanks for posting your experiences, there is always somthing to learn from another's perspective on somthing you think you have a handle on.
I have 27 years with a transplant design engineering company, they are super paranoid about industrial espionage so I can't say much about the specifics, but I can talk about some of my experiences.
When I started we had about 1 CAD workstation for every 3 engineers.
They had the engineers doing 100% of the CAD work back then.
If you couldn't get on a machine you could stay late or break out the pencils.

Back then we used CADAM, it was a main frame based 2D only system.
I started out doing some actuator cable layouts in 2D.
Had to do dozens of 3rd angle projections to show the clearance around the cables in tight areas.
That was a painful slog to do all the cut sections to prove to the grumpy old evaluators that my design was ok.

And, as it was a Japanese company, they had a very specific way they wanted there drawings done.
Simply put, the drawings are a kind of art.
It was not enough to follow the drafting conventions, there where extra flourishes that made the drawing beautiful and therefore east to read.
Today we use Catia in 3D with add ons that do things like simulate cable bends and calculate stresses (FEA).
Now I'm one of the grumpy old evaluators and somthing is lost, the drawings are technically correct but you can't tell if the part bends in to or out of the page at a glance like in the old days.

Another thing that gets lost on some of the kids coming in to the profession is understanding that CAD is just a language, a method of communication.
The real heavy lifting is going on in the engineers head.
Too many times I see them get an assignment, go back to there desk and start making 3D shapes.
You need to understand what is needed, conceive a structure to meet that need and map out how to prove it will work before booting the CAD up.

I watched an episode of Dirt Lifestyle (on YouTube) recently where they where talking about fabricating vs bolting on parts for off roading.
Having experiance as a pipe fitter and a 3000 square foot shop helps, but it's not necessary.
There point being, having some basic tools and some motivation can get you started.
In the same way having an engineering degree might be helpful but it is not required to jump in and seeing what can be done with a CAD program.
Just remeber, it's like learning a new language, it will take some time to be proficient and your first efforts might read like Dr Seuss.

In my profession Plumbing, Cad Drain ISO's are worthless, they draw fittings that don't exist. So I have to redraw it to do a take off. I do ISO's for State Board of Health for plan review all the time for Plumbing Approval. We have a couple of Apprentices in there 4th year of school and learning ISO's from a teacher who says go on line and learn how. They came in one morning bewildered about ISO's, I told them give me a week and I will teach you everything you need to know about drainage ISO's, they thought they were going to get some shop time pay, HA! I ordered two tablets of ISO, it has all the angles lightly printed on the pages, I handed them the tablets and said training session over.

 

[highpocket74]

For those with an ipad, Shapr3D is pretty awesome software and fairly intuitive. They have decent tutorials to get you started.
I really want to learn Solidworks because the shop uses this. We do not have this at work.

Shapr3D website here

This is a bit of a stretch but it is very fun to use. I can even bring in scans as STL files to draw on top of (with a paid subscription).

 

[highpocket74]

Today I was notified that I was accepted into the Solidsworks Entreprenuer grant program. This provides me with 1 year of software, 2nd year at 70% discount and the 3rd year 50% discount. The shop I use with all the CNC machines uses Solidworks for everything and they say it's easier to learn than Autodesk products. At least I'll have a full year to see if that's true! I've wanted to try this for several years. Hope it works out for me and I can pick it up quickly.

 

[woodgrinder]

Solidworks is very intuitive. I think you will really like it.

 

[highpocket74]

Solidworks is very intuitive. I think you will really like it.

I sure hope it’s more intuitive than fusion! That’s not easy to catch on. Soon as I get my cad pc setup next week I’ll be able to tinker and watch tutorial videos.

 

[woodgrinder]

If you can, take their essentials training. I have known people that had their own engineering firms that told me they would like to take it again. I used Solidworks for probably 5 years before I took it and it helps a lot to explain things and learn the short cuts. I was a Solidworks Certified Associate which is their lowest level. It was very good training to study for it. I now only use Creo. We are at 4.0 looking to move to 7

 

[snuffnwhisky]

I can 2D CAD but not much 3D. Could use some help there. Even paying help lol.

 

[Jerryg]

I took 4 years of mechaincal drawing (as they called it) in my High School years. Drawing gears and blocks and such. I really enjoyed it and was one of the best in my classes. Always wanted to move to CAD but never did, Maybe I will give it a whirl if I can get my current computer to work with one of the programs.

 

[Jerryg]

Just tried downloading Fusion 360, didn't work.

I don't know if it's them or my laptop. Has anyone else tried recently?

 

[highpocket74]

Just tried downloading Fusion 360, didn't work.

I don't know if it's them or my laptop. Has anyone else tried recently?

It works. I have it at work. Laptop may not meet minimum requirements. Check that on fusion website.

 

[highpocket74]

I can 2D CAD but not much 3D. Could use some help there. Even paying help lol.

View attachment 299207

Ask away. In the autocad 2d world I can probably help you. I used to teach a leisure learning class for people that never touched autocad to get them going in 2d. The 3D world will blow your mind if your not already very good in 2d.

Number one I tell people to set cross hairs to go all the way across screen, 100%. That helps line up objects.

Send me a conversation and I’ll see if I can help you.

 

[CID]

Ask away. In the autocad 2d world I can probably help you. I used to teach a leisure learning class for people that never touched autocad to get them going in 2d. The 3D world will blow your mind if your not already very good in 2d.

Number one I tell people to set cross hairs to go all the way across screen, 100%. That helps line up objects.

Send me a conversation and I’ll see if I can help you.

It's your thread but I'd bet we'd all like to see that conversation. Whether or not we'd understand it is another issue. 😊