Simple cad/design software?

Can anyone recommend a simple cad-like program for making simple 3D designs? It doesn't need to be free.

From time to time I want to build something for home use. I usually use paper and pencil, but that has limitations.

My current project is a net for practicing golf shots in the backyard. There are nets available from various manufacturers. I want to build a frame out of PVC or wood or something to hold the net. It needs to fit the available net sizes, fold up for temporary storage, and disassemble for long-term storage.

It would be great to have a program that I could use to at least sketch out the project and print up a list of materials. Being able to see it in 3D would be great, but not required.

This site has a brief review of some programs.

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mentions Google SketchUp, but I think it is referring to SketchUp Pro, because it says it costs $500. Does anyone know how the free version compares?

Reply to
Prof Wonmug
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The free version does nearly everything. It's not broken and doesn't pester you to upgrade.

Reply to
Bert Byfield

You were on the right track, but you need to delve further. Operative search term, "comparison".

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Reply to
RicodJour

I googled Sketch up and go this ...

Google SketchUp - Free software downloads and reviews - CNET ... Google SketchUp is a free, easy-to-learn 3D-modeling program with a few ... Google SketchUp is a great way to discover if 3D modeling is right for you. ... download.cnet.com/Google-SketchUp/3000-6677_4-10257337.html - 90k - Cached - Similar pages

yields ...this

You were on the right track, but you need to delve further. Operative search term, "comparison".

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Reply to
Matt

TurboCad does a nice job and it isn't near that price. Might get last years low or no cost.

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TurboCAD 16 Deluxe is 129.95 on the web site.

They have been doing 3D of one sort to another since Win 95 and floppy.

Martin

Prof W> Can anyone recommend a simple cad-like program for making simple 3D

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Reply to
Martin H. Eastburn

I suggest trying the free version of SketchUp. If you find that it doesn't do everything you want, then find a package that can at a price you're comfortable with.

For getting started, free should be fairly comfortable. :)

Reply to
Morris Dovey

...and get the sketchup cutlist plugin:

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Reply to
Doug Winterburn

the pieces in their proper place - just drag the appropiate number of each part to the layout screen, select all of them and render the cutlist.

Just did this for the Rockler Murphy bed with bookcases. Saved a few sheets of expensive ply.

Reply to
Doug Winterburn

Have you used it? Would it be a good tool for designing my practice net? Will it let me design the "pieces" (support rails or poles, connectors, cross pieces, etc.) and then connect them?

Can it print a materials list showing me what I need to go buy to build it?

Do I get a 3D look?

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

I have a question for you. Assuming that you are a professor and/or have some teaching experience, what is your reaction when you give a reading assignment and a student asks you questions the next day that make it obvious that they did not do the reading?

That's what everyone here is feeling at the moment. Click the links in this thread and read. There are different versions of SketchUp with different capabilities, and there are plugins that vastly increase the capabilities.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

Do you know how it compares to the free version of Google SketchUp for fairly simple woodworking projects? I think I'm going to download and try SketchUp first, since it's free, but if I need something more, it would be good to know what TurboCad can do that SketchUp can't.

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Reply to
Prof Wonmug

You sound annoyed. Sorry about that.

First of all, this is a discussion group, not a classroom. No one is the student and no one is the professor. We're peers. One person may know more about one thing, someone else will know more about something else. We are trying to pool our knowledge so that everyone benefits. Different people will make different suggestions. The readers, including many who are mainly lurkers, will benefit from the entire discussion.

Secondly, you seem to have assumed that I am too lazy to do any work myself. This is a little arrogant. I suggest you get more psychological training to help you read minds, because you're not that good at it. ;-)

Bert offered some information suggesting that he had experience with SketchUp. I responded to that as I would if we were face to face. Feedback from an actual user is worth its weight in gold. I have downloaded and installed SketchUp and am working my way through the tutorials, but I can easily get in 2 minutes from an experienced user what might take me days to stumble through on my own.

Finally, my questions are very likely going to be beneficial to others who are following this thread now or might find it in the archives. Thje more complete it is, the better.

Now you are speaking for everyone? Did you take a poll or is this more of your intuitive skills?

It's probably best that you avoid any teaching roles. It sounds like you don't have the patience for it. ;-)

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

It's all too easy to assume that people with questions are familiar with the search tools. A Google groups search of rec.woodworking would turn up a number of threads with long and detailed discussions (complete with links to SketchUp models) by the folks here.

Here's a Google search link for SketchUp and SU on rec.woodworking (watch out for possible line wrapping):

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you find this helpful.

Reply to
Morris Dovey

Turbo CAD is CAD software, SketchUp is 3D modeling software.

There are a number of folks here who use SketchUp for woodworking endavors. Do a google news group search on "Sketchup" and you will find a world of discussion on the program and its uses.

Check here for some additional information on SketchUp and woodworking:

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are also quite a few here willing to answer your questions about using SU in your woodworking endeavors.

Typcially it takes about three tries with SU to get into doing woodworking. Some patience is required, but much less than with most CAD programs, so don't give up.

Reply to
Swingman

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Reply to
Swingman

It happens. I'm funny that way when people ask questions like, "Do I get a 3D look?" halfway into a thread about SketchUp. I dare you to show me a single page on all of the internet that gives any sort of overview of SketchUp and doesn't mention it's 3D capabilities. It is what SU is all about!

Let's take a quick gander at what a bare-bones search of 'SketchUp' offers up.

# Google SketchUp A 3D sketching software for the conceptual phases of design. sketchup.google.com/ - 7k - Cached - Similar pages - Downloads

3D Warehouse SketchUp 7 Training

Pro New features in SketchUp 7 and ... Product Tour Products More results from google.com =BB # Google SketchUp Google SketchUp Pro 7 is a suite of powerful features and applications for ... Download Google SketchUp 7 and create, modify and share 3D models for free. ... sketchup.google.com/download/ - 8k - Cached - Similar pages - # SketchUp - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Many different 3D and 2D exporters are available in SketchUp for uses such as rendering. This model was made in SketchUp and rendered in Kerkythea. ... en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SketchUp - 58k - Cached - Similar pages -

Does anything jump out at you? Anything that has a 3 followed by a D? Either there is a major laziness problem or you have serious reading/ retention issues.

No one is the student? No one is the professor? Are you kidding me? There are people on this group with skills I couldn't touch. I might not agree with their diversions into politics, etc., but there's no way that they are not 'giving a schooling'.

You are asking for a quick bring-me-up-to-speed education. Four out of the first five replies all pointed to SketchUp and provided exactly the information you were asking for and included links.

You did not read the links that were posted as they answered your questions. So, either it's laziness or...?

I see the confusion. You consort with people that offer advice without ever having had experience with the item in question. I have yet to find anyone on this newsgroup that does that. If they have no personal experience, they say they have no personal experience. It keeps things simple.

If you had Googled this newsgroup you would have known this, known that there are plenty of people here with lots of experience in SketchUp and that no one is intentionally trying to mislead you.

You mean the archives you didn't search? There are people on this newsgroup who swear by SU and use it for all sorts of applications. There are long running debates here on whether it is a panacea for all things design, or an amazing niche product. You would know this if you had done even the most basic Usenet search.

Since you are a 'nucular' physicist, Google "Sketchy Physics". Click on a link - any one of them will do, then, here's the key part, _read_ the stuff. Then come back and tell us how _wonderful_ it is. I promise to act surprised.

I do not suffer fools gladly. Other people are more polite than I am. If you need hand-holding and spoon-feeding you should probably either grow thicker skin fast or seek out a touchy feely newsgroup to help get your feet wet with Usenet.

Reply to
RicodJour

Whst can I say. We have a different mindset.

Now we know that my mind-reading skills are better than yours.

Wow. You not only read minds, but you are also able to infer from that pretty much everything about your victim's while life. That would be an amaxing skill -- if only it worked.

And you get to decide who that is, right?

Clearly. The question really ought to be: Is anyone less polite?

Unfortunately, you don't get to decide what I do or don't do. I know that's a big disappointment.

Indeed you did. How is all this working out for you?

I'm done now. You can have the last word.

Reply to
Prof Wonmug

I quit upgrading my TurboCad at version 10, so I can't speak to version 16. If you'll take that into consideration, I'll echo Swingman. TC is a much more full featured 3D CAD system than SU. As such, I found TC's learning curve somewhat harder to climb but, once climbed, it's more versatile.

A specific item I recall is the dimensioning, formatting and production of shop drawings. I wouldn't call it a "piece of cake" in TC, but it does a fairly nice job. If you need dimensioned shop drawings, SU is somewhat cumbersome, and the dimensioning package isn't nearly as versatile as TC. If you don't need or use shop drawings, then that's a non-issue.

Another specific that I remember TC having the edge of SU is in the category of non-rectilinear sections. The set of curves and 3-d geometry operations, addition, subtraction, etc. is more general with TC. SU makes many assumptions about what it thinks you want to do. Many time, SU is right, but there are times I find myself going from Chicago to New York by way of Atlanta because of those "I know what you want" assumptions.

I'd almost compare the two as similar to a comparison between Visual Basic and C++. Visual Basic (SU) does a lot of things for you behind the scenes that C++ (TC) doesn't. You may not want those things done by default in a particular application, but, if you do, developing the application can be faster in VB/SU than in TC/C++.

I'd like to give you a more detailed, point-by-point comparison, but I'm way non-current both in version and recent experience with TC (and VB and C++ also for that matter). My last use of TC was designing my Gazebo several years ago. It did a fine job with a lot of weirdly shaped, non-square, components. For something of like complexity, I'd reinstall TC and refresh my expertise. For simpler tasks and conceptual modeling of furniture and cabinetry items, my go-to is SU. I'm currently working on an 80x28x20 walnut wine cabinet for my oldest son and SU is the tool I'm using for the conceptual layout and design.

One thing I really like about SU is a wide variety of plugins. One I find very useful is an interface to CutList Plus that exports an input file for Cut List. The SU model has to be made with that in mind, but that pair, CL and SU, does the vast majority of the things I need for my shop projects.

Tom Veatch Wichita, KS USA

Reply to
Tom Veatch

Unless those dimensions are in inches, your son is drinking _way_ too much wine! ;)

Will you be posting the SU file online? I'd like to see it. Finished product, too, of course.

R
Reply to
RicodJour

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