CAD program - Where to begin

[CW]

[Brian in Vancouver, BC]

Martin;

I finally found and downloaded the Pro/Desktop CAD package. WOW! Thanks for the link. I am most impressed!

Now I just have to spend a lot of time to unlearn AutoCAD/IntelliCAD techniques and learn the 3D techniques in Pro/Desktop. This is a VERY NEAT package. Just what I have always wanted to do - be able to simply create

3D drawings of my woodworking projects. Can't wait to get my first one done. As I try to cut holes (dados, etc.) in my stiles, I find that I am missing some of the techniques to move to different work planes, etc. so I go back and redo the tutorials. (Better luck next time?)

Thanks again.

Brian

[CW]

Once you get used to it, you will find that buiding your project first on the computer saves a lot of mistakes and gives you the chance to see exactly what it is going to look like before you do it. All my projects are done in

3D (Turbocad Pro) first.

[Reaper]

[LP]

A book. "Autocad 2002: No Experience Required". By David Frey. ISBN 0-7821-4016-5.

It's essentially a step-by-step tutorial on how to draw the plans for a small cottage. But if you follow it, page by page, you'll learn all you need to know about autocad and can then apply it to your own drawings.

Rather lengthy, took me about a month @ 2hrs per day, but it was time well invested.

If you have a different versi>I'm trying to learn autocad. I cant even figure out how to tell the

[Leon]

..

On the later programs that use Direct Distance Entry, simply type "L" to start the line command, click a start point, drag your mouse in the direction you want to go, type in the distance, and hit enter.

[Mark]

Apparently I wrote something good earlier in this thread. It dealt with grid, snap, scale and how to start the drawing.

What Leon said, pick the start point, hit 'l', enter the length on the keyboard, make sure the lines going the right direction, hit enter.

Always snap the first endpoint of the drawings first line to a whole number.

Remember, the Esc key is your best friend, it terminates all active functions. If you find yourself going down a path you don't like use Esc and start over. Erase if you need. Don't worry, there is no eraser dust or indents in the paper to deal with. If you start a wrong procedure (I.E. trim instead of extend) use Esc.

I have resisted making a 'look how smart I am' posts because I'm not that knowledgeable. I've had a couple of classes but that doesn't make me a freaking Guru. But I do have a firm grasp of the basics, and the basics are what's needed to get started in anything. Ask any question, if I can answer it I'll be happy to.

Where do I begin all but the simplest CAD drawing?

With a hand sketch of the concept with the basic dimensions and such. It's like writing a term paper, some people have a solid vision and can start and work straight through, the rest of us should make an outline.

Oh Hell, I see my first post is here, OOps. Well, I took the time to write my opening, I'm not deleting it.

After posting this I went to get my sketching equipment. I hadn't even picked up a scale and I realized the above is wrong. It's the funny 3 sided thing with 10 scales and a ruler.

[Phil B]

I have a series of articles on my web regarding woodworking with CAD. It isn't complete but it might help some.

PMB

[Reaper]

[Leon]

[Mark]

Your right, what was I thinking? Apparently not on what I was writing.

'L' starts the command.

[Mark]

It was my mistake, pick the start point, hit 'l', enter the length on the keyboard

When I meant/ should have written :

hit 'l' (starts command), pick start point, enter length from keyboard, (Which is what you wrote).

I had it backwards.

[Frank Shute]

The `right direction'? What if you want to draw a line 30 units long at 75° from some point?

@30

[Fred the Red Shirt]

Bing! Libraries are how you save time in CAD.

Scale is pretty much a useless concept in CAD. Suppose you draw a

2 x 4 at half scale. For every CAD program I have used if you then go and use the autodimension feature the dimensions will be labeled 0.75" and 1.75" NOT 1.5" and 3.5". So draw the project in full scale, 1:1 then your dimensions will be OK and you can even measure as you go by using 'relative coordinates'. With relative coordinates every time you drop a point that point becomes your new origin and as you draw a line from that point somewhere on your screen there will be a display of how long the line is so that you can drop the end to where you want it.

[Fred the Red Shirt]

I use relative coordinates so that as stretch a line the length is displayed. I also use the orthogonal line feature all the time.

If I want to measure nonorthogonal lengths, I use polar coordinates.

There are many ways to do the same thing.

[Mark]

Right Direction, granted that wasn't the best wording. However I thought I was trying to help someone new get their first line down, and how to become familiar with entering distance from the keyboard.

The basics.

Far as polar settings not being correct for what line being drawn, I'll be happy to inform you on how to find the polar tracking settings. The settings can be changed after you start the line.

[Frank Shute]

I wasn't being critical of what you were trying to do, I was just supplying the original poster with some further info which might be useful to him & my comments about subscribing to a newsgroup were directed at him also.

Do you mean snap angle?

sn r

on my (archaic) version of LT.