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  #11  
Old 12-22-2013, 10:11 PM
outsider347 outsider347 is offline
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Default Nightperson

Thanks for your suggestion. Inventor look perfect for what Id like to do

Anyone else using it?
East/difficult for old guy to learn?
tks
ed
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  #12  
Old 12-23-2013, 12:32 AM
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thingsthatfly2 thingsthatfly2 is offline
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I did a brush guard for a van a few months ago and it took longer to design and draw it then it took to make it. I had already penciled in my measurments but the customer wanted a cad drawing. Now I just keep a few cards of my engineering buddies handy to give to people like this. and as odd as it sounds wasting metal and just winging it may waste just as much time (and material) but its worth more because I figure I learn more from fixing mistakes.

post some pics of what you achieve in sketch up. I sure would not mind giving it a try. I daubled in solid works but I cant fork out the money for a computer program my computer will barely run.
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  #13  
Old 12-23-2013, 05:40 AM
leoitch leoitch is offline
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not sure if this is related but since we are talking CAD work, I thought i'd share something I am learning at the moment. its a software called Lightwave.
I developed an itch to try kinetic works and I figured a 3d render is the best way to try sell an idea. I've put in quite a bit of time learning this program on my own thru online forums and youtube (life saver). I am not sure if this program is something you want to get into to do just 3d renders of parts. its more geared towards video, imho.
but just the same, enjoy the video for some artsy fartsy stuff...
http://youtu.be/KbmNEdABfTs
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  #14  
Old 12-23-2013, 11:02 AM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Default Community College, low cost 3D and free 2D

I was having practically all the same discussions above with myself for the last 2 years and finally broke down and signed up for SolidWorks at my local community college this past Fall. An 18 month free software download for each student is included in the deal our CC made with SW. Tuition and fees for a 3 credit hour class here was under $400, and at my CC in Illinois that is halved for those over 60, and waived for those over 65!

Since I was eligible for the first discount, the major cost for me came in updating to a computer capable of the 3D rendering that could take advantage of SW's full capacity and not be a slow churner.

The SW software I got is the complete, no holds barred version, except that anything printed is marked as a student version, not an issue as I am not selling drawings or models. I plan on taking the advanced class next fall, and that will move my software license out another year and give me the newer version as well.

Dassault Systems, the publisher of SW, now gives away their 2D CAD to anyone who asks for it. http://www.3ds.com/products-services...tor=SEC-6-GOO-[]-[old]-S-[draftsight%2520solidworks]&gclid=CPzL4pTXxrsCFYg-MgodYiQA_Q

I have it as well, it is a powerful full-blown CAD, but again, only 2D. However, for anyone wishing to design flat brackets, fixtures, etc, and have accurate dimensioning capacity, it's one way to go. Since it is a full-on CAD, its learning curve is somewhat steep, but there are some very good tutorials out there for it.
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Last edited by weldtoride; 12-23-2013 at 11:14 AM. Reason: sp
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  #15  
Old 12-23-2013, 11:22 AM
outsider347 outsider347 is offline
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Default weldtoride

Tks for your suggestion. Never thought about the CC angle. gonna check it out for sure

I really don't mind spending the $$ for good tools, soft or hard.
My main concern, would be to buy the software, try to learn
it, get frustrated, & shelve it forever

So question to you
How difficult were the Solid Works concepts to learn?
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  #16  
Old 12-23-2013, 11:51 AM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by outsider347 View Post
Tks for your suggestion. Never thought about the CC angle. gonna check it out for sure

I really don't mind spending the $$ for good tools, soft or hard.
My main concern, would be to buy the software, try to learn
it, get frustrated, & shelve it forever

So question to you
How difficult were the Solid Works concepts to learn?
My drafting background started in high school in the '60s on a basswood board. My last CAD experience was in the early '90s with Autocad 2D, whatever release was the last DOS release before Windows, so I went into this class with some, but limited and very dated background.

Personally, I do not think I could have taught myself this software at home, or at least not in the time frame that I did manage to learn what I did. There are loads of tutorials out there, some from SW, others from different sources. Google SolidWorks tutorials and watch a few.

I wasn't the oldest in the class. Actually, during my night session, there were only 2 college aged people, the rest were all working in industries that require CAD. I initially feared that I had to run with "bigger dogs" but the class was taught by an excellent instructor who paced it well. His day-job was in industry. Also, from talking with others in the class, SW "thinks" so uniquely, that experience on other 3Ds like AutoCad doesn't easily transfer over to SW, and that since I didn't have prior habits to unlearn, I was actually at a slight advantage. The instructor also said something to this effect.

The class met 6-10 PM once a week, and the format was demonstration/instruction for the first hour, and after that we modeled until 10 or whenever you felt you had to get home to your family. a couple students only stayed thru the demo/instruction part and did all their work at home. I stayed, as when I was working on it in class, the instructor was there for questions. When I had a question at home, the Internet almost always provided an answer.
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Last edited by weldtoride; 12-23-2013 at 12:08 PM.
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  #17  
Old 12-23-2013, 02:09 PM
Tom Walter Tom Walter is offline
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Couple of years ago I went though the same idea. I had started down the AutoCAD path, and commented to a CAD friend that I frustrated with changing a hundred points to change a simple line. i.e. have a fender flare slightly wider.

After describing what I wanted to use a CAD program for, he recommended Rhino 3D. Quite honestly I thought it was for animation type stuff and discounted using it for 3D model (boy, was I wrong!)

Youtube video shows what I was thinking, and why I like Rhino (change a fender line)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRwD3elly8g

He did recommend SolidWork and Autocad as best for what my sons wanted(bicycle and automotive). Four kids, two are CAD wizards and never home when I go to use Rhino. Oh my son loves the Vectric Software I use on the CNC machine. We walked in, and commented he needed a better GPS holder. Sat down, sketched it up, I did the tool path... hour later he was out the door for a bike ride with a custom holder on the bike.
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Last edited by Tom Walter; 12-23-2013 at 02:16 PM.
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  #18  
Old 01-01-2014, 11:54 PM
Michael Moore Michael Moore is offline
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I think it all depends on how YOU think.

I've got both Rhino 5.0 (I purchased it at 3.0) and the current Alibre PE/Geomagic. When I don't use Rhino for awhile I have to start over from zero, it just doesn't come naturally to me. I get along a lot better with Alibre's parametric process for my small models.

Once I get the Alibre model built I can generate a multi-view 2D drawing with a few clicks.

But there are things that Rhino does that are much easier to do than in Alibre. And I suspect that if you are doing a lot of complex 3D surfacing Rhino is the program you want.

Rhino also seems much more robust for importing/exporting with many different file types.

Another consideration is that Rhino has an upgrade every 3-4 years, and your upgrade price includes any intermediate fixes/incremental versions. Alibre has gone to a yearly maintenance cycle (as has my CAM software Visual Mill Pro) so you are on the hook for $150-> ??? each year to stay current.

I'd been doing the VM upgrades + the extra bridge license for RhinoCAM (it runs inside of Rhino) for decade or so, but I didn't purchase the most recent VM upgrade. As a hobbyist I can't justify $5-700 every year for software maintenance. I did buy maintenance for Alibre this last time, but I don't know if I'll continue with that.

Once you get to a point where the software does everything you want (well, it obviously does more than I want but I can't always figure out how to make it do it) then there's not a lot of incentive to pay more money out for additional features or incremental improvements.

You pay your money and you take your chances.

cheers,
Michael
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  #19  
Old 01-17-2014, 09:39 AM
ojh ojh is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by outsider347 View Post
Thanks for your suggestion. Inventor look perfect for what Id like to do

Anyone else using it?
East/difficult for old guy to learn?
tks
ed

I have an older version of Inventor, maybe 5-6 years old, and it is difficult to use because it is memory intensive - not computer memory, but operaters' memory. I see the newer versions are more intuitive.
If you use it every day it'd be a great program but if you go 6mos between designs you almost have to relearn the whole thing.
I have had to move it from computor to computor over the years and now it won't load, there is a limit on how many times you can load it and when i complained they said i need to upgrade to current standards so they can support it. I was a member on the inventor forum and would get advice etc for making helical gears etcetc and you talk about an arrogant bunch! i just gave up on the whole endeavor and scribble on the shop floor or pieces of butchers' paper.
The bright side is that you can make exact designs with it, perfect in all respects and there is a massive library where you can select standard hardware - brackets, bolts, linkages etcetc - and bring them into the dwg and they'll be adaptive to the drawing as if you drew them so that you create assemblies. It really is a helluva program.
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  #20  
Old 01-17-2014, 10:38 AM
weldtoride weldtoride is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ojh View Post
.........and there is a massive library where you can select standard hardware - brackets, bolts, linkages etcetc - and bring them into the dwg and they'll be adaptive to the drawing as if you drew them so that you create assemblies. ......
I just learned that McMaster Carr has a lot of their hardware available as free downloads right from their online page. If one's available, it's under product details. You can choose from several file formats sometimes.

I did get bit by the first one I downloaded, a spherical rod end. I expected the ball to float in my assembly like the real thing. Initially, it froze my assembly every time I connected the second end of the arm with the rod ends on, until I figured it out. However, I was able to go into the file from McMaster and change it so that the ball floated. I was still ahead time-wise from if I had to draw the whole rod end from the beginning.
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