Cad Software recommendations

[teef two]

Hi,

Last time all I had to design was a control panel so Visio sufficed. Now however I feel ready to embark on a full blown cab and whilst many designs already exist, including the excellent one available in the BYOAC book, I want to come up with my own design.

Which is a roundabout way of asking which cad software packages have byoac'rs found to be most useful. I dont need anything that's going to do wonderful all singing and dancing 3d renderings (a la the madness, I mean genius, that is the Mission Control project)

[ALeX K]

i happen to use microstation (for 2d CAD) and 3d studio max (3d modeller and renderer) in conjunction with each other. I started 2D in microstation, then quickly modelled what i've drawn into 3D with accurate dimensions - this is a very separate part to actually rendering out pretty visuals, and i can't stress enough how good it is to see the design in 3D - it gives you a really clear understanding of all of your junctions and details and volumes that you have to play with, that, at least for me, can sometimes go astray if you rely purely on 2d drawings. I am just about finished with designing my cab and the 3d designing really helped immensely when it came to refining the design... stirpping out uneeded structure, thicknesses, making things more compact, and generally making a much better and tighter 'package' overall.... I was very concerned with issues like weight, the overall footprint, etc and it helped alot to retain the original concept whilst stripping out all the unneccessary and innefficient parts of the design.  it really gives you a heads up as to the building process and sequence, and the strategy that you will implement at a later date.

[spriggy]

DeltaCAD 5.0

The easiest, well featured, 2D CAD on the planet!.... biased but true!

Spriggy

[Howard_Casto]

I think at this point.... 2d cad programs are fairly useless. 

I use 3dsmax exclusively at this point.  You can still make 2d things and have rulers and real world units to guide you.  The best thing is... as already stated, being able to actually see the object you are working on in onther perspective really helps you understand the finished look and scale of the object. 

[spriggy]

Point taken.

I only require CAD based software to draw plans for replica classic 80's cabinets.

[quarterback]

Anybody use/have any opinions about IntelliCAD/BricsCAD?

[elvis]

So far I've designed all of my cabinets in QCad:

http://www.ribbonsoft.com/qcad.html

It's GPL and free if you compile your own copy.  It's only 2D, but again being free I'm not complaining.  At ths stage it's not worth the money for me to buy a complex and expensive 3D CAD modeller just for a once-a-year project.  Plus, I have no troubles visualising 3D from 2D drawings like some folks do.

Alternatively there's Blender3D, but it's not really designed for engineering/construction type stuff.

In my previous job I was a sysadmin for an international architecture firm for a number of years.  While there they trialled a number of large and small CAD packages, and one that got a few nods was sketchup:

http://www.sketchup.com/

It's not so much designed for detailed documentation, but more for quick 3D sketches and initial design.  The real beauty of the package is the ability to modify your drawings easily.  If something looks out of place, just grab a surface and drag t around.  Very easy for layman to get a grasp on, and equally asy for even the most seasoned 3D pro to use quickly.  Check out the videos on the website for an example of what can be done.

For folks who don't want the bloat of 3dsmax (which sucks for documentation at the best of times), and want something that doesn't take a graphic art or engineering degree to run, it's a damn good package.

Also, the package comes with some excellent training videos that show you some of the really neat tips and tricks that will have you designing in 3D in no time.

[EDIT]  oh, and they have a free trial version on their website too.  So don't take my word for it. Try it out.

[quarterback]

In my previous job I was a sysadmin for an international architecture firm for a number of years.

[elvis]

Thanks for that rec.  I played with BricsCAD yesterday and felt overwhelmed.  Maybe sketchup will be more my speed.

You're not alone.  Plenty of folks race out and try full-blown CAD packages and are totally stumped on how to even draw a simple box with a chamfer on it!

Without trying to sound like a marketing exec for the product, at least check out the videos on their site.  It's amazing how intuitive the package is compared to the full-blown documentation CAD packages out there.  There's no doubt that old-school drafties pobably won't like it, but after all it is built with the designer in mind.

[Howard_Casto]

Actually.... that's why I prefer max.....

Despite complaints by old school cad designers, it's far easier to learn than most 2d cad programs.... mostly because dragging, bending and flexing are done in a far more intuitive fashion.

It's documentation is excellent btw it's just very detailed and many people on this site seem to have a patience problem. 

[elvis]

Max is easy to learn, but difficult to master.

I've done a few cab designs now in Max, and I must say the limitations of it as a poly and mesh modeller is pretty obvious.

Great for making pretty pictures that don't need super-accurate, real-world measurements.  Not so great for nice, accurate and fast 3D design.  Not only that, but once you've modelled something in max, documenting it back into real-world measurements for cutting timber and metal can be a pain.

Hence why all the images you see here are actually designed in AutoDesk AutoCAD or Bentley Microstation long before they are ever imported into Max for final presentation rendering.

[Howard_Casto]

I'm not sure what you mean... max supports real world measurments....

Set the units to feet make a box that's 4x8 and it's 4 feet by 8 feet.

It's poly and mesh editing is first rate, better than any 2d program I've seen, it's just they are buried under more novice features and for good reason.  Mainly amateurs are better of making things by merging and dividing primatives instead of creating an object one vertex at a time. (which agian is why old school people don't like it, it's a totally different way of doing things)  But those options are there, you just have to look for em a little. 


Max ins't an engineering tool it's a sculpting tool.  And that's a good thing as you can't make anything stylish if you are thinking like an engineer.   

[elvis]

No arguments there: Max makes designing pretty things very easy.

Now, once you've designed it, use Max to make a front and side elevation complete with dimensions so that you can go and buy the materials you need, or outsource any of the labour you need (glass/metalwork/etc).

Oh wait... you can't.

I can bash a nail in with a spanner, but it doesn't make that spanner a true hammer.