Shortman

My Feedback: (21)

I'm curious as to what are good ways to layout your plan on CAD? I kow there are several ways to do so, and that it matters what kind of plane your making.... But for a 60 sized fun fly just all balsa built up kit... whats a common way to lay out a plan?

wing, ailerons, elevator, rudder on a plan then maybe fuse on another?

Vince

My Feedback: (1)

This is a very general question, but it depends on how big the plane is. I would say that for a .60 sized plan both the fuse and wing can to be on the same plan, and this is how most kit manufactures do it. Of course the plotting media is also a consideration. If you have access to a commercial plotter that has no restrictions on size (within reason) then you can put everything on one sheet for a fairly good sized aircraft. I find it a good practice when doing large scale plans to create one design file for the fuse, and a separate design file for the wing. This keeps the files a reasonable size as far as KB's. It is possible for a large scale plan with a reasonable amount of detail to be over 1Mb in size.

Vince

Donk

I usually end uo with the wing and elevator on a separate sheet with 60" to 90" planes.

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

Shortman:

From what I read, you are generally aimed in the direction that I use so often for completion of plans and maintaining flexibility in getting there. I use Autocad, and the customers to which the plans get distributed to do also. With such, the components of the plan are done in separate "views" and then using the XREF function these views are brought into a standard bordered sheet. Thus, you will wind up with a ../PLAN.DWG, .../SIDEVIEW.DWG, .../TOPVIEW.DWG, .../WINGHALF.DWG, .../TITLE.DWG, ...HOZSTAB.DWG, plus numerous other little drawing files for the parts.

The main drawing file ../PLAN.DWG will be used to XREF in all the different views, details and parts. When you create .../PLAN.DWG, you need to make as large as the intended plotter will handle. Thus if you are going to be plotting to a late model inkjet plotter, you make the sheet size about 36 inches high, and 60 inches wide. Step off 1/4" or 1/2" for a surrounding border, and then begin adding in the already created views, details and parts.

Then, as you correct, improve, or otherwise alter an individual view, it will automatically be updated in your main plan. You can also begin yet other temporary files, XREF in the views, and arrange to meet your ambitions, and create yet another drawing file, and then use the new drawing file in ../PLAN.DWG someplace. This will then not alter the positions of all the neatly arranged views in your main show-off plan.

I attach all text or reference notes pertaining to numbered parts in a view permanently to the view, not the plan. For if you have to move the view on your plan sheet, all the carefully placed text shifts with it too. Likewise, the title block, and construction notes are also created externally, and then XREF'd in to the main drawing. If your project is too huge for one sheet, just create .../PLAN1.DWG, and ...../PLAN2.DWG.

When you need to take a disk downtown to plot out at an agency, just do a SAVE-AS the main drawing to something like .../PLOT.DWG afterwhich enter the new drawing and BIND all XREF's, and save to your floppy disk. This BIND operation will create one huge drawing, and thus you loose the flexibility of a multiple image plan. Oldsters or Cheap-CAD will try to begin and do all work on the single plan sheet, which will soon become terribly cumbersome. Linework files in Autocad are not large, except when you begin adding images, and then you may have to zip compress it.


Wm.