caliber302003

hi guys,
i have recently got hold of autocad 2004 and am lost just opening the program. could any of you guys tell me where to start. i see some of the pics you guys have came up with on your cad programs which look awsome ! but all i can do is draw a line i know it takes a lot of time i appreciate, that and am willing to learn, and any help would be great.
thanks guys

LesUyeda

I would suggest that unless you are going to use it as part of your business, or occupation, don't. It is far to powerful, and has a learning curve much too steep for just designing model airplanes. The majority of us that do use AutoCad, have learned it elsewhere.

Les

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

I found AutoCAD quite easy to learn.

First, examine all of those pull down menus. The function names are very descriptive.

Second, always pay attention to the command line. Thats the little text box below the drawing area. There are some notational conventions you need to be aware of. Example draw a circle by typing the word circle at the command (you can alco just type *c* as a short cut.) The syntax looks like this.

Command: c > { I will use > do denote pressing the enter key, keyboard entries are bold}
CIRCLE Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: 1,1 >
Specify radius of circle or [Diameter]: d >
Specify diameter of circle: 1 >
Command:

Notice that you are prompted to enter the centerpoin of the circle. A number of options are then listed in square brackets. If you type *3P* instead of an (x,y) coordinate, you will be prompted to enter three points and a circle wil be drawn that passes through all three points. Experiment with the other options to see what they do.

Notice that one option is Ttr. If you want to select this option, type T and enter. The short cut for an option is always capitalized. For example, two options in the pedit (polyline edit) command are [Next, and eXit] N is the short cut for the Next option and X is the shortcut for exit.

A common mistake many people make in ACAD is to minimize the command window to display only one line. I usualy display five lines, and recommend a minimum of three lines showing. Some actions will cause the command window to scroll two or three lines. If you have only one line showing, you WILL miss important hints.

I found AutoCAD to be the most intuitive CAD program I have ever used. This is mostly due to the command prompt. Use it. It is the best learing tool that AutoCAD has. Their online tutorials are kind of weak.

One other notational convention is that sometimes you will see text or a numerical value in <> brackets. This is used to denote a default. for example, I want to draw another circle;

Command: > { the last command I used was circle, so I just need to hit enter and the last command is started}
CIRCLE Specify center point for circle or [3P/2P/Ttr (tan tan radius)]: 2,1 >
Specify radius of circle or [Diameter]: <0.5000> > {in the first example I entered a diameter of 1. The radius of the circle will now default to the most recent value entered}
Command:

Let me know if this helps.[8D]

Ed Smith

If you are seriously intending to use it then buy one of the many aftermarket tutorial books that are available. There are basic ones fairly inexpensive and very extensive books costing about $80.00 (Or equivalent in UK)

Also the help menu is very detailed, although you will have to wade through a lot of headings to find what you need. I find it best to print the help topic needed, because you will invariably go back to it. After a while you will have your own tutorial for just the parts of the software you need.

As said before though, you will use about 1/10 of 1% of it's capability for modeling needs.

Ed S

dr_wogz

My Feedback: (3)

The best advice, is to take a course. they are offered in just about every major college / tech school. And Acad is always teh popular choice. taking the course, you have someone to whom you can ask questions. you also get hands on training, and can try a few different things.

Also, Acad is just a tool, a glorified pne and paper. If you cannot, or have no clue how to draw, you might also want to think about a 'general drafting' course. (I mention this, because, I have seen a few 'educated' people (engineers, Ph.D, etc..) take an Autocad course (and think they are know a drafter), then pump out a bunch of dwgs. Of which, most aspect of 'simple drafting / standard drafting practices' are ignored, and the dwg needs a lot of interpretation..)

Of course, you'll probably be asked to take three courses, as the courses are usually divided into three groups:
lvl1 - basic / intro course to get you familiarized with the acad enviroment, and a bit about drafting.
lvl 2 - advanced features, like stretch, coords, insert, Xrefs, dimnesioning, etc..
lvl 3 - advanced features and customization of the software

Books are good too, but you'll be stuck when you get into something you don't understand...

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

I used to be associated with a nationwide chain of technical institutes until my concience got the better of me. If you must take a course I recommend a public community college. Avoid the private, for profit, vocational schools. They are more interested in separating you from your hard earned cash (or me from my tax dollars if you qualify for aid), then they are in you actualy learning anything.

dreadnaut

My Feedback: (5)

I disagree. In addition to being a drawing tool, CAD systems can be used as Geometry Calculators, especially in 3d.

Second, I am an engineer, and I will admit that many engineers are pretty clueless when it comes to drafting (or machining, as I was a machinist in a previous life). But remember, engineers are not drafters or machinists. As part of the curriculum, I took one course in AutoCAD. My career then took a turn that allowed me to get good at it (I specialized in kinematic design). Others have careers that let them get good at thermal or stress analysis.

Still, I am not the best drafter there is. I use it for designing and geometrical problem solving. As a design problem solving tool, it blows a flat drawing board out of the water. This is especially true of parametric modelers like Solidworks.

dr_wogz

My Feedback: (3)

Dread, you are probably one of the few..

I have heard engineers say' not my problem' when teh sheet metal guy comes to him, to get soemthign explained, or try to explain why it wont work.

Also, with these new modellers, it is easy to desing up something that is next to impossible to mass produce..

This all comes with experience... Schools only teach so much, the rest is up to the individual, and the path they choose.

I love teh parametric desing tools, Mech Desktop, Inventor, Solidworks, etc.. But even these, are more geared to the engineer, with most of the drafting fundamentals already 'an automatic' part of teh program. sweet..

CoosBayLumber

My Feedback: (1)

As you are probably reading, learning and then using Autocad becomes a Profession. Once sucessful, you can earn $$$ by using it, and make a living for several years. Thus one of the big reasons why it is difficult to use for certain people. However, just learning to manipulate the keyboard and creating an end product are two different things, and two different pay rates.

And as mentioned, go to school. I really don't think there are but a couple people who can learn all about a product by reading a book or manual. Worst off, you need to know the language firsthand, before you can look up the term and solution in the index. Just sit at your desk one day, raise your hand and see if anyone answers your question. I am also a big beleiver of the Junior College or Night school route, as Adults use these, not kids. In night school one year, I sat next to a 20 year old gal who just spend $2500 to learn Autocad at a Tech University. She learned more from us at $30, then from the guys with the degrees and suits. Then again, she never completed the course, so I think I know her original problem.


Wm.