Recommendations for basic CAD packages
Quickstep
| Posted in Project Plans/CAD Software on
I’m looking for a basic CAD package. I mostly want to be able to do dimensioned line drawings in 2D. For my intended use, 3D renderings and cut lists would be huge advantages, but not necessary. I’ve used a product called Broderbund 3D architect for basic house design and found it easy to use. If anyone is familiar with that, I’m looking for the functional equivalent for drawing cabinets and the like. All I really want to do is to be able to create a 2D line drawing that I can easily change to alter proportions without starting from scratch as with a pencil drawing. Once I get it right, I could print the final drawings and carry to the shop. Any input is greatly appreciated.
Replies
Get an old copy of AutoCad. Like R-14. You can get it real cheep and it will save in the most widely used format. It is 2D, and definately no cut lists, but tried and true with a lot of usefull tools. For 3D, Sketch Up is a free program great for general representations and deciding on the general poportions. But it dosent easily translate into the shop with drawings and joinery details; although people do get it to do that.
To get 3D modeling, shop drawings, joinery details, cut lists and an industry specific interface costs thousands of dollars. But those programs are designed for cabinetry and are not very flexable. In other words making a chair, dining table or couch is very difficult if not impossible.
Full featured 3D modeling software like SolidWorks or Inventor is very expensive (again you can get old releases for good prices). But they are very versatile. With that versitility comes a steep learning curve. Which brings me to my number one point.....
What ever you use it will take a lot of time to learn it. The more capable the software the more time it takes. There are not a lot of "how to" books on this stuff and the books out there tend to assume that you are an engineer and are using it for building space shuttles. My point is that you should research as much as posible and pick the best option then be prepaired to spend time learning it.
I use Ecabinets for most cabinetry and Inventor for the odd parts or furniture type projects.
Mike
Pardon my spelling,
Mike
Make sure that your next project is beyond your skill and requires tools you don't have. You won't regret it.
I just downloaded Sketchup by google (free) and have the basic CUTLIST program. It, Sketchup, is supposedly pretty good and has a lot of support and tools available for it. It does not have a cutlist function that I know of. I have not started the learning process just yet - I will get to that after Thanksgiving when I have a few days off.
Cutlist works great for creating cutlists (obviously) but has no functions for designing projects.
I have DesignCad and that is not too bad, but again has no cutlist function.
" There'll be no living with her now" - Captain Jack Sparrow
Try eCabinet systems. It's free. They will send you a disc which you register. The program starts out by giving you a cabinet and you fill in the l w &h along with the thickness of material. Then you just add drawers, doors, molding etc. You can build libraries of components or even buy them. I've taken computer drafting courses and this program isn't hard to learn.
Take a look at DeltaCad. I tried a few others but found this program far easier to learn and use. To my knowledge it's strictly 2d, which helps in the learning curve. I use it for dimensioned line drawings.
There is a 30 day free download , the full cost is around $40.
TurboCad v12 Deluxe may do the job for you. It's selling for ~$100.
I just got TurboCad v12 Professional and am making the move from AutoCad LT. So far, the transition is going pretty well. It's aggravating to know I could do something in AutoCad in just a few seconds but have to scour through the TurboCad book to figure out how it does the same thing. (I can draw a flat panel cabinet door in AutoCad in about two minutes. It took almost four hours to finally do the first one in TurboCad - lol.)
I won't be trying to render anything for a while. Draft rendering works fine but quality rendering drives my poor old computer to it's knees.
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