TurboCad Pro

[stoutman]

Yes, please. Send it on down!

Thanks

Stoutman

Sawdust [e-mail]

[Battleax]

You need a manual for that program. If you don't understand it's basic concepts and work-flow you will struggle forever and rarely achieve the desired results. Jumping into 3D without a solid understanding of it's 2D operations is a dead end.

[Jim Giblin]

Can I get a copy of your drawing as well. I would like to see how other woodworkers are using a CAD program. I am particularly interested in see how you use 2D/3D viewports. I purchased TurboCAD 10.2 Pro a couple of years ago and must admit I am overwhelmed by most of TurboCAD's complexity. The documentation discusses each of the various commands but I don't have strong sense of how to put it all together. Its like reading a dictionary in an effort to understand literature.

[Layne]

I've been using Micrografx Designer -- now Corel Designer *sigh*-- for basic project drawings. I got the last *real* Designer version which is 9 before Corel basically revamped it into version 10 to make it look and feel more like CorelDraw. I got the version 9 upgrade cheap on Ebay.

Designer is more for technical drawing and Draw is more for illustration. Desginer, while not as powerful as the CAD programs works for me and it's easier to grasp and understand. I use it for 2D drawing. 3D is nice but not entirely necessary.

Like Leon said in order to use the programs it's good to know some mechanical drawing. I could understand and use the tools in Designer without having to read the manual, unlike Corel. That's why I liked Designer in the first place.

Layne

[CW]

As Leon has wrote many times, and I agree with him, CAD programs don't replace draftsman. They are just a tool used by one. With no drafting background, you end up having to learn to use the software and how to make a drawing at the same time. To places that you really need to visit. Don Cheke's website:

forum: you have no drafting background, a local college course would help. The drawing is on it's way.

[stoutman]

I thought I could pick it up. In the past I have had no problems learning new software w/o a manual. I tought myself Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere, Frontpage etc. pretty easily. This one looks like I need a book or a tutorial or something.

I went to Barnes and Noble and they had one book on CAD (cad for dummies) and it sucked.

Can anyone recomend a book for AutoCad 11?

>

[Mark & Juanita]

... snip

Definitely use the tutorials that turbocad provides. If you have absolutely no drafting background, you would be well served by going to your local library and checking out some books on engineering drafting. We used Earle's "Engineering Design Graphics" when I was in college -- it is a good overview of the whole design process.

+--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ If you're gonna be dumb, you better be tough +--------------------------------------------------------------------------------+

[CW]

I assume the Autocad was just a slip of the fingers. For Turbocad, the two best learning resources I know are: Don Cheke's site:

forum: of the tutorials on Don's website are for previous versions but they are close enough to be useful.

[stoutman]

Oops. :) Yes, I meant TurboCad.

Thanks!

[CW]

If you like Don's tutorials, be sure to send him a donation.. He's a great guy and has put an extraordinary amount of work into helping other people. It has only been fairly recently, and under the urging from a few of us, that he has asked anything at all in return.

they

[Greg G]

The books published by Riders are generally considered the standard for AutoCAD training - the last time I looked. I have several of them. The learning curve is still pretty steep.

FWIW,

Greg G.

[Leon]

Yeah Cad is different. I am one of thoes that can operate a lot of software with out a manual also.

I tought myself Adobe Photoshop, Adobe Premiere,

Well I agree a little here but you have left out one important thing here. You tought your self Frontpage. Sorta, you already knew how to read and spell. You need that basic working knowledge to set up a web page. ;~) Much like knowing the tricks in wood working, it really is much more than cutting boards, mechanical drawings require a basic knowledge also. Knowing how to draw and knowing what command to look for in a CAD program to perform a specific drawing task is half the battle.

This one looks like I need a book or a

I cannot really recommend a particular book as most books tell you how to get the program to do what you want it to do. While you think you know what you want to do, you may not. For example a draftsman drawing on paper knows how to cut measuring to a minimum and still be dead on accurate. There are tricks for drawing accurately to scale a 3rd view of an object with out using a scale when you already have 2 other views drawn. Knowing where to place the 2 other views and where to place the 3rd view is one of the tricks. There are countless short cuts that speed drawing and accuracy on paper. I would suggest like CW to take an introductory class to drafting in a local college. Not necessarily a CAD class but one where you draw with a pencil. I assure you that you will never regret it. Having had only 2 years of formal mechanical and architectural drafting some 30+ years ago I was able to easily learn many CAD programs including AutoCAD LT with out a book or instruction.

[stoutman]

Leon,

Check out my first attempt at a table (working on it SEVERAL hours today) in ABPW.

I tapered the legs, but I could only taper from one side. I couldn't get the program to let me taper BOTH inside leg edges.

How do I do that?

Posted in ABPW

[Tom Dacon]

Don's site is great! Thanks for the link!

Tom Dacon