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  1. #16
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    Quote Originally Posted by GraemeCook View Post
    Great response, Ian. Whoever planned that list of projects (Cert III) really knew how to design a joinery workout in the right sequence.

    I did a combined 3D design - woodworking course at university and one of my first lecturers thought that computers were a passing fad and insisted that eveything be designed on paper and then transferred to full size drawings on paper of MDF. In retrospect that was a mistake for me. I just don't relate to a paper drawings.

    Later we did CAD drawing and that was enlightening. Being able to manipulate a concept and embrio drawing in 3D space massively enhanced its meaningfulness for me. I could visualise and refine easily, try new ideas and erase screwball ones. It worked for me. (The for me emphasis is important.)

    One regret was learning Sketchup - it is so limitting and hard to unlearn. Later I learned Rhinoceros, Autocad and Fusion 360. My preference now is Rhino, but Autocad is so ubiquitous in CNC machining.
    Funny that you should relate that. I won't "volunteer" when I started, but my very first course (2 weeks of 8 hour days starting 2 weeks before orientation day) was technical drawing. At the time, the University's main computer was a single main frame in the Physics Department programmed via punch cards. Personal computers were at best embryonic. The "big advance" was the HP45 personal calculator (it could do trig calculations !!) that became available during the break at the end of the first term. Prior to that I was looking to purchase a 20 inch slide rule to achieve 3 significant digits when doing trig calculations. CAD may have been a glimmer in someone's eye, but I have my doubts. It was the 1980s before the DMR's road designers had access to computer aided design via HP's mini-main frames -- half the size of a desk.

    Learning to produce a flat representation of complex 3-D shapes on paper helped me immensely. In many ways I'm thankful that I learnt to draw on paper before CAD was "invented".
    regards from Alberta, Canada

    ian

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  3. #17
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    Apr 2006
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    Quote Originally Posted by ian View Post
    Funny that you should relate that. I won't "volunteer" when I started, .... The "big advance" was the HP45 personal calculator (it could do trig calculations !!) that became available during the break at the end of the first term.....
    That HP dates it/you to the mid-1970's !

    I was working as an economist then and remember when the financial version of that HP calculator was released with glowing red numbers and reverse Polish notation. They cost around $700 then (equivalent to $5,000 now) and were designed to fit in a pocket. The charger literally was screwed to the desk top, and the calculator locked into the charger with a key.

    Prior to that I used a large circular slide rule with about 300mm diameter. This would give me accuracy to 3½ significant digits - those that have used a slide rule will understand!

  4. #18
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    Interesting comments, especially re CAD, Graeme. I chose the packages I've used (firstly DesignCad, then Viacad3D) because they were intuitive for one who grew up using pencil & paper. What I found, though, was that they made it easier to visualise how the design worked, and to consider the building process while doing the design. This is for someone who was quite comfortable with pencil & paper. I haven't thought about CAM, as I doubt I'll ever use it.
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  5. #19
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    Interesting that we arrived at the same point from oposite poles, Alex - you were comfortable with pencil and paper drawings; I wasn't. But I am a highly vision orientated person and like the ability of CAD to twirl shapes in 3D space and examine them from all perspectives.

    I also thought that about CAM but have subsequently have used it for:
    • CNC routing - 2½ axis - (x and Y axis plus up & down),
    • CNC etching or shallow carving,
    • Laser cutting - plastic, wood, plywood, MDF, paper,
    • 3D printing in plastic and ceramic,
    • 5-axis machine milling of steel (one small project, only).

  6. #20
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    Interesting - I can visualise a piece in 3D, but like the ability to show different angles to clients.

    Even more interesting will be when holographic imaging becomes the norm. I suspect I won't be in a position to use it though.
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