p51matt

HI

I am looking for a good cad program and i am wondering what to get. i am looking at Turbocad/pro, Alibre, and autocad. if you could tell me what would ar if you have any prefferences let em know.

thanks

p51matt

i for got to mension, i would also like to be able to scan in grawing in to them as well.

OBDOC

My Feedback: (73)

I just ordered DesignCAD from Amazon.com for $69.95 with free shipping. I've heard and read, that this program is pretty good for the price and you can scan in images and it will convert it to 3D.
OBDoc

dolanosa

There are many CAD programs out there that have trial periods. Test them all and see which one YOU'RE most comfortable with and get that. A couple of things to look for if you're not going to get AutoCAD since that seems to be the gold standard. I'm assuming you know basic drafting and dimensioning methods.

1. Get a program that will read and write DXF files. (Drawing Interchange Format is a standard used by different CAD/CAM authors when sharing drawing files.) If the application can, it should also be able to import, export or use DWG files natively. DWG is the AutoCAD standard drawing.

2. I was gonna say something about 3D but I'll leave it at this: After making some drawings, you will want to try your hand at 3D. This is not required but it's a nice to have.

3. The GUI should fit the way you draw. You should have icons that make the drawing easily available. For 2D drawings, I have my lines, arcs, etc ready as well as editing tools, ortho-on/off, snap, dimensioning, layers, and blocks on hand. Try to maximize the drawing space and minimiize the non-drawing space such as the icons.

4. Last but not least, go to CAD forum sites and/or ask questions here. Everyone's here to help.

Good luck.

p51matt

thanks for the info. i will be hanging around here for a while thanks. right know i am trying alibre and it prety goo, haven't tried to scan pics in yet, but would like to know how to convert.

BMatthews

Definetly start with doing a Search here for "cad". There's a ton of past threads that deal with which CAD is best for a newbie.

AFAIK none of them will scan directly from a printed picture. That implies a raster (ie: bit map) to vector (endpoints and lines) conversion. This is done with a separate conversion program. Some of the CAD packages come with such a program but if you do a search on "raster vector conversion" you'll find that most of us have had only poor to fair success. It's generally accepted that a better option is to import the picture (which is normally allowed) as a picture and then to "trace" over it with CAD vector lines to get the parts you need and then just delete the picture. From there you can fill in the rest of the details to generate a model plan to build from. The conversion programs just produce too much clutter and garbage unless the lines are extremely sharp and fine. Even then there's a lot of small segments where they should be longer single lnes.

p51matt

ya i've been looking at the past threads hear on rcu and i am trying samples of the programs but it would hep if i had some instructions and some of the programs leave some stuf out. but i am still looking

BMatthews

I posted a Baker's Dozen TurboCAD hints in the CAD FAQ thread stickied to the top of the listings. While it's TurboCAD specific I think the ideas are general enough that it's worth a read through and look up the equivalent commands or practices for whatever CAD you select to play with. Definetly these 13 hints were the ones I found advanced me the most.

I think it's post #13 or so.

Either way any CAD is a steep learning curve. I strongly suggest starting with simple drawings and working up. Try something like some simple chuckie kid's gliders for first projects so you can concentrate on the CAD features instead of learning aerodynamics.

RRW_SOAR

You could try [link=http://www.devcad.com]devCAD[/link], another application form Stefano Duranti, the maker of Profili. They have released a beta version.

PKAero

Hi Guys

I have been using Drawingboard by Ashlar for years. The other day I was looking for my installation disk and realized that I left it at my old job. I was wondering if anyone had a copy that they would like to sell?

Thanks
Phil Kimbrell

omcusnr

Matt,

Do you have any drafting experience/training? If you are new to cadd, it really helps to have some background in drafting. I ALWAYS recommend to guys asking "what cad package" to go to a local community college, and enrol in a course there. It will most likly teach autocad, you may qualify for a "student" version or discount, and its fun & cost effective. Most classes are geared toward architectural drafting,but thats how we all started w/ pencil & paper.

As far as my favorite bang for the buck package out there now, I recommend Intelicad (google icad or bricscad). Its about $250, and is the closest thing to a $3000 acad package available.