Thread: Drawing/design program

There is a program called progecad that is an autocad copy for free. I posted a thread about it here

There are a number of free programs out there that would do the job. Some of them can be found here.

hope this has been of help

Robert

Originally Posted by Richard0470

and having said that i can't show any of you my my designs as the size is too flamin big.

If you save a copy as a JPG, it is it is tiny compared to a BMP file size

JPG conversion affects only the file size, so it could work well to display images as attachments.

The real hassle with drawing in MSPaint, IMHO, is there's no measurement capability. Google [free cad] just got tonnes of hits for free software. Many of these programs can save in DXF format (ASCII text), which makes the files moderately interchangeable with other software. That was worldwide Google, not WWF local.

I haven't tried Sketchup, but it's found favour with some of the folks here.

Joe

Again, thankyou, i'll have a look at the free download. Here is a copy of 2 things i planned using MS Paint, a long and arduous task let me tell you, especially trying to get angled lines parrallel etc. Thc coversion to JPG worked perfectly, thankyou.

Google offer Sketchup as a freebie, and there is a forum section for it on these forums. I haven't used it so can't comment on its overall capabilities.

I have a copy of Turbocad that I bought so I could bring work home a few years ago. I use that a bit, but like all CAD programs, you need to using it productively for about 10hrs a week to maintain proficiency with it.

As an alternative for very simple things, where I only want to convey a concept, I often use the built in drawing facilities of MS Word, select the whole pic and copy it into a photo editor, resize to suit the forum, and save as a jpeg.

The example below was about 3 minutes work, from loading Word to having it ready to upload on the forum. It is simply 10 rectangles and 1 triangle drawn over a grid, with the formatting changed to fill with particular colours, and some lines hidden. The second spike on the T nut is the first one flipped and relocated. There is plenty od scope to add text, lines and pointers as needed.

Richard, you cant go past Google sketchup.
It is free and it is not too hard to get the hang of and it really works.
Checkout the forum here for it.
You havent got anything to lose by trying it.

Can I second the vote for Sketchup.

It is free, but more importantly it is quite a simple program to learn. No on pretends that it is as powerful as dedicated CAD programs - it simply isn't. neither is it as complex.

As I've used it, I'm amazed at how quickly you can do a rough drawing, and how long you can spend doing a details one ;-)

Oh, I should point out a few negatives:
1. printing to scale is possible, but a right PIA. If that's really important to you, and you don't want to waste a lot of paper getting it right, you might become a little frustrated

2. You need to know how the program expects you to do stuff, rather than how you think it should be done. An example of this is how sketchup creates 3d stuff - it really wants you to draw it in 2d and then add the third dimension. eg a cube - you draw a square and then 'pull' the face up to form a cube. Trying to draw the cube in 3d will leave you pulling your hair out (this is more pronounced for more complex objects)

Overall I would highly recommend the program - the effort required to learn it is significantly less than other CAD programs. Just dont expect it to do as much.


Here are a couple of examples of stuff I've drawn. (Exported as JPGs). Note that i didn't draw the BBQ itself - there is an online library you can borrow from and contribute to...

cheers,
Dave

Graphics programs like MSPaint are fine for doodling, and Richard, I'm amazed you were able to produce those fine drawings that way. You too, malb.

True printing to scale isn't really all that valuable, if the program has dimensioning capability, which you'll follow for full-size layout. Where CAD really shines is accurately printing full size. On some complex shapes, it's heaps better to glue the drawing to the material, scribe the outline to obviate any concerns about the cutting melting the glue, and cut out the shape. This would be for thin stock including metals.

SketchUp is sort of midway between graphics and CAD, and appears to have powerful visualization. Back in the old days, drawing a three-point perspective by hand like those Ozkaban presented would have taken a few days each, and might need extra drafting tables to secure the vanishing points.

I've used different versions of AutoCAD up until about yr 2000. As of then, 3D still had a steep learning curve. But remember, the GOOD thing about CAD is it gives you lots of precision; the BAD thing about CAD is it gives you lots of precision.

Joe

I do my drawings in MS Word.... Manage to get them to scale.

It is a bit tedious but it can be done. I use it to make templates for clocks and toys...here are two examples and the finished clock made from the drawing (with a few changes during construction)
I get lots of practice drawing diagrams for my classes a school (Science, Maths and Physics).


Cheers,

Chipman

Nothing to do with the programs......
Chipman..... how do you know if something like the rocking horse will balance right when a kid uses it.... like not tiip over to the front or back?
Be too late to find out after putting a lot of work into it.....
Probably shouldn't ask a science/math teacher...... chances aren't good that I'll understand the answer lol
Juvy

Originally Posted by keju

Nothing to do with the programs......
Chipman..... how do you know if something like the rocking horse will balance right when a kid uses it.... like not tiip over to the front or back?
Be too late to find out after putting a lot of work into it.....
Probably shouldn't ask a science/math teacher...... chances aren't good that I'll understand the answer lol
Juvy

I would imagine that so long as the centre of gravity reamains within the bounds of the rockers then you would be ok. i guess you then need to be a mathemetician to make sure that this is OK... The rocking horse I made used the swinging type rocker, not the rails as shown above, so I didn't have to figure that one out.

I saw an awesome photo once of an old english rocking horse that has very long rockers - probably extending 2 metres or so away from the horse at each end, and ending up vertical. On the ends of these was a seat so that three kids could ride the horse at once. I think it was modelled on medieval catapaults....

cheers,
Dave

wouldn't the center of gravity shift depending on how a kid sits on it? Like leaning back or forward.. Don't know... it's one thing that keeps me from even trying to make a rocking toy. I made some miniature doll house rocking horses and some of them were definately top heavy..... even tho they came from the same simple pattern.... gluing the legs on just a tad off messed things up.

I've seen some modern looking ( IKEA style) rocking horses for grown ups on some german site before..... and I love all the "odd" ones... cows, donkeys, motorcycles etc... some like the dino worry me..... thinking of what could happen when a sibling stand behind or in front of the rocker.... could get hit on the head....
Gliders seem the better option.... better for Mom's floors and also no little siblings toes can get squashed under the rockers. Just that the looks of real rockers is much more appealing to me.

Juvy

Originally Posted by keju

wouldn't the center of gravity shift depending on how a kid sits on it?

Just make the rockers longer then

Originally Posted by keju

Gliders seem the better option.... better for Mom's floors and also no little siblings toes can get squashed under the rockers. Just that the looks of real rockers is much more appealing to me.

I think you're right on both counts - the gliders were (and perhaps still are) called 'safety rockers'. Rockers do look nicer, though apparently cats don't enjoy the sensation of 50-odd kg of timber and kid rocking across their tails...

Dave

Sorry to tell you that I used no maths or physics!

You can generally tell by the look of it if it is balanced and I always test the side panel to see if it is balanced as it is and try rocking it to see how high it can go to get to the balance (tip over point). As a general rule, make the rockers as long as you can and not too curved. If you want to you can try putting a sack of sand in it and yes it could be all wrong! Main thing is you don't want to hurt the kid you are making it for. I have actually made the template from that drawing and I made the rockers a little longer in the front to be safe. You can always cut them back. If they are too short, add a new longer one out of MDF or ply beside the one that is there.

Certainly try it berfore painting etc.

It is almost impossible to calculate it as the child can be different sizes, weights, sitting down, standing up, leaning forward/backward, being gentle or going like a brumby! As I have made one before, I am hoping I have it right.

Cheers,

Chipman