DTSFab.com (Desert, Trail and Sand)
The Machine Shop => Everything Cad => Topic started by: artie on edge on December 29, 2008, 04:08:48 AM
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CAD (the old fashioned cardboard variety) has served me well for many years. However, I have been bedazzled by the productions I have seen here and other sites over the last few months.
Therefore I need to ask you well informed genitalia, oops, sorry gentlemen (and the odd lady), what program would be most suitable for me?
I would use it very infrequently and not for anything terribly detailed so I am questioning whether I need to spend $800 plus.
A quick Google has left me a little perplexed and in need of advice from my buggy family.... :'(
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I love Autocad because I understand it. I have tried other programs and they just frustrate me. whatever route you go, get a version with 3-d modeling. Stress analysis would be cool too. Just be prepared to take on a side job to fund your program.
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I have Alibre...
Don't know why I can barely turn it on...But they have a free online sample you could try
Fabr has it he should post up what he thinks...Right after he takes care of another post :P
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The pickles are great spec.I'll post up my "critique" soon! Alibre has come a long way since I first bought mine.It is now a very capable and much easier to use/learn CAD program. It's,IMO, a slightly less intelligent little brother version of Solidworks that allows you to buy as much or little as you need. Like most programs it has a few quirks that are maddening but overall it's fantastic.I recommend it.
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example
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Thanks guys, just downloaded the trial version... its play time!
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OR!!!! hair pulling time .
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ya Hair pulling...
That's why I sport a crewcut now :o
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Alibre
I Love It I Love It I Love It
mm: mm: mm: mm:
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OH???? Just wait till its' quirks start effin' with you! Just kidding -sort of-I love mine but the earlier versions could be a seriously frustrating PITA.
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Alibre
I Love It I Love It I Love It
mm: mm: mm: mm:
Wanna write a product review for those of us that know nothing? - I would like the POV of "I have no clue so I took the plunge...." That would be me if I did it as well.
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I'm a puter retard myself. I had a difficult time learning the earlier versions. I've had mine for about 4 years and have upgraded to the most recent versions when available. It does all I need now and much easier. Again if you have any problems with Alibre when you buy DO NOT hesitate to ask for help when you hit a wall.You will ,I guarantee it.
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Wow, a product review? Man Ive just touched the surface of this thing. It will take years before I get a handle on it... I'll do what I can but it could be a while.
But one major grip... the 'help' function seems to be for an earlier version, a couple of issues Ive experienced already dont quite match up.
Im only working my way through the tutorials yet so Im not actually 'using' it and couldnt consider my experiences to be of value yet.
Mast, if you're a puter retard? What does that make me? ??? :'( I use puters at my desk all day everyday BUT thats for a specific purpose. Take me into uncharted waters (CAD!!) and I am having trouble staying afloat.
So far I am enjoying the (yes frustrating) experience and looking forward to 'proving' my case design on here. Now isnt that arse about?
Thanks for the offer of help, I will take you up on it as almost every turn I bump into a wall ;D. Its good to know there are people out there who are experienced and willing to help.
You guys are gonna get sick of me dropping 3d pics into everything... "hi guys got really sick over the weekend, heres a model of my vomit... if you rotate it here you can see how it cascaded down the wall".
Ill let you all know how its going...
Damn this site.. I have a break for a couple of weeks and come back and learn heaps of new shi t....
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Suggestion,throw away the tutorials and start doing simple things like draw a circle,extrude it into a solid part,draw a hole and extrude it.Play with the thing.Hell model up your cv cups.That's a nice part to start with! I guarantee you that you'll get overwhelmed with the tutorials.
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Never found a "help" function that was any help yet.
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I never did either...by the time I waded thru the help I couldn't remember what the fook the problem was :P
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LOL!!! I know!!!!!
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Never found a "help" function that was any help yet.
I use help all the time.TO JOG MY MEMORY.LOL!!!! To find out an answer to a question though "help" usually is HELPLESS.
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Well Mastf I took your challenge and drew up my cv cup. I think Im quite pleased with myself!
I agree with you guys though, I spent a couple of hours wading thru the tutorials and learnt 50 times as much doing this simple diagram.
I really do like this program, theremight be better ones but I actually 'know' stuff about this one now... hoo hoo.
(https://dtsfab.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi293.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fmm54%2Fartieonedge%2FCVCup.jpg&hash=3e20b8db2048dd23aecf2917cd50c175af902d36)
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Looks good Artie!
My only complaint about solid modeling is that its great for illustration, but not worth a dime for design.
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????
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I still think that 2D is the quickest way to design most things.
Maybe 30 years of doing it this way is part of my problem, but I will say this.
I work with 30 designers, and 27 of these are using some 3D program. Solidworks, Catia, Unigraphics. (whatever our customer requires)
Most of the these designers have autocad running in the background, and use it (2D) for working out portions of their designs before modeling in 3D.
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I still think that 2D is the quickest way to design most things.
Maybe 30 years of doing it this way is part of my problem, but I will say this.
I work with 30 designers, and 27 of these are using some 3D program. Solidworks, Catia, Unigraphics. (whatever our customer requires)
Most of the these designers have autocad running in the background, and use it (2D) for working out portions of their designs before modeling in 3D.
Yah what Rick said..... I wasn't saying that the Solid isn't good, just that if you need to calculate stroke, travel, linkages, ratio's, it is easier to come up with the numbers off of 2d first.
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With alibre you can do 2 or 3D on the same program and change at will between the 2.
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Like this?
(https://dtsfab.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi293.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fmm54%2Fartieonedge%2FCVCup-1.jpg&hash=109a6ef164972afda619254ed487e4dedfb744fb)
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Yep. The trouble engineer and myself have seen is that the internal pockets don't show in the drawings.I may just not know how to make it happen.
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I have just recently needed to send a dxf file and saw the pockets not show.I'm researching that tonite or tomorrow.
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I still think that 2D is the quickest way to design most things.
Maybe 30 years of doing it this way is part of my problem, but I will say this.
I work with 30 designers, and 27 of these are using some 3D program. Solidworks, Catia, Unigraphics. (whatever our customer requires)
Most of the these designers have autocad running in the background, and use it (2D) for working out portions of their designs before modeling in 3D.
I would suggest, politely as I can, if they do indeed do it that way, they don't know how to use eg solidworks very well at all.
I'm no CAD guru - self taught, but I can do everything you described in SW 2D mode just fine....
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I can't do any of it unfortunately. :b
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I found how to make the internal pockets show. I wa too dense to see it but it's right there in front of you IF you know where to look. Anyone interested in how?
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BTW I have used SW and Alibre.Alibre is very similar to SW for far less money BUT I'm getting a bit pissed at Alibre and some of its' "quirks".They WILL screw you. I may well change to SW in the future.
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Yeah I am!! ;D
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Just thought I would throw in my two cents. A few years ago, as a mechanical engineering student, I was just starting to learn many different CAD programs. I'd say the easiest program to use or shall I say the most user friendly program I've come across is Solid Works. It's not my first choice though. I would prefer to use a combination of AutoCAD Mechanical 2009 and Inventor 2009. Like the others said before, It's very helpful to solve problems in 2D and then design your parts in 3D. Also with Inventor, it has a very nice stress / strain analysis function that I find very helpful.
I have a great example of this too. When I first got the plans to build the Barracuda I modeled it completely first. I found that most of the components had a factor of safety in the 4 to 4.5 range. That's overkill for me, so I used Inventor to make the the chassis lighter and still give me adequate strength, ie. a safety factor of about 1.5 to 2.
Artie, if you want a student version of Inventor just pm me and I can get you hooked up.
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Details man,details! Please.
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Well guys, its been a few months now since I acquired Alibre. Yep im damned impressed BUT at the same time damned frustrated.
A question for you Alibre users: Is there an easy way to draw tubing ie: modelling up a frame/chassis? I really cant find any 'help' function that makes sense.
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I have used Alibre for quite some time.It can be very frustrating .I was recently bit in the ass when it shifted a bore position even tho I had it"locked" in place-AGAIN.Very embarassing and just plain unacceptable let alone costly. I will likely be changing to SW soon. I have wasted too much time with Alibre.
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Well guys, its been a few months now since I acquired Alibre. Yep im damned impressed BUT at the same time damned frustrated.
A question for you Alibre users: Is there an easy way to draw tubing ie: modelling up a frame/chassis? I really cant find any 'help' function that makes sense.
there is not an "easy" way like with SW. You have to sweep a feature (representing the cross section of whatever tube you are using) along a path. Sometimes you have to cut along the path for relief then sweep. The "easiest" way may be to do all of your tubes as features on a part. Then keeping a copy of it safe you can delete portions and export certain features to a new part and have individual parts for each tube. Definately not easy. Bi-directional sweep inter-part inside an assembly would be a big help but as far as I know that feature is way down the list.
You appear to have progressed very well......when you have a better way let me know. ;D
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If you are wanting to keep it simple and free, try google sketchup.
We have designed several bumpers with it and no problems.