Thread: Do you use sketchup or another CAD?

i have sketchup and auto cad none of which i know how to use

Sketchup is certainly a real find. Love that push-pull tool. I designed my house with it, it was faster than other alternatives I had available (which don't include AutoCad Revit). But on the other hand it isn't good at shapes other than, basically, squares and circles.

For mech-eng I use Rhino, which is the lowest cost of the "serious" Cad packages (total bargain, now at AUD950, you might even get it without gst), and like Sketch-up has a huge online following, a very active developer team, and mighty array of plug-ins and compatible software, including integrated CAM packages and a wide choice of renderers. TurboCAD is cheaper but doesn't compare as it is clunky without the smooth finished feel of Rhino, doesn't have the big forum, the open communication with the developers or the plug-ins. However Rhino is like playing guitar, you have to practice and really you only get quicker over time, not instantly. It is the investment in time, not the $$, that ends up being the big expense. Eventually you can go quite fast, and do almost anything. Only bad press it gets is from people who got frustrated that their hope of whipping up a Harley in 3D over the weekend is dashed.

I have been using Autocad R14, for many, many, years, in fact from it's initial introduction.

Versions of Autocad today are so blotted with add-ons, they have become too complicated.

Back in those days, there were very few cad programs around, with each requiring a wad of notes, enough to choke a horse. I needed mine for work, and paid the full price.

I still have a copy of Autocad version 1 on 3 floppy disks, just for posterity.

At one stage I had a crack at Solid Works, just for the 3D aspect of it. Bugger of a thing, far too complicated for me. These days I leave the 3D modeling to my collegues.

Ken

I too have Alibre Design but finding it hard to get enough time to learn it.
I think part of my problem has been a painfully slow computer that it runs on which make the experience less than exciting.

Yes getting the time is right ... to get fluent you really have to spend the time. And then each cad package is different, so each is like a new language. Also, if it doesn't look good on the screen, or it is slow, it just tips the balance and you don't use it.

Off-putting experiences: early AutoCAD R12 with the solids add-on (whatever that was called) - I remember 17 years ago it running all night on a 80386 processor just to union a solid of a spoked cast wheel - which would take about 1 or 2 seconds on my laptop now. Cadkey in the early '90s too - now that was difficult. And more recently, TurboCad with the horrible lighting, where when you go to work on the back, it's like the dark side of the moon. That's when you're not struggling with its collapsing layers menu. Spaceclaim with the weird non-perspective 3D and uncontrollable rotate-view tool - ghastly. All dead $$ sitting as unused software on my shelf. But SketchUp, yes good, and Rhino, very silky.

Trying to learn SolidWorks at the moment. Started using CAD in 1989, an excellent Hewlett Packard package called ME10, cost was into 6 figures for software, hardware and backup, glad I wasn't paying for it. Next was the 3D version of ME 10 called ME 30. It was rather limiting by todays standards, it could not do compound curves such as those on a bar of soap. About this time I did a TAFE course on Autocad 10, found it rather complicated and slow. Next was a TAFE course on Autocad 14, not much had changed. Then courses on Photoshop and Illustrator.
Next was SolidEdge, spent a fair bit of time with this one, it is similar to SolidWorks, probably easier to learn initially but a bit less capable when things get complicated.
At the same time as SolidEdge I was learning Rhino and V-RAY. V-RAY is an add on rendering program for Rhino, I had considerable problems with V-RAY. Rhino gave me problems as well as it is not a logical program to use, if something does not work you have to find otherways to fudge it. It is a program for appearances (Industrial Design)rather than engineering design. The pic is the last exercise completed in Rhino.

Out in the shed I use a drawing board with an old parallel arm machine on it, the batteries never go flat, it does not crash, and it cannot go any further out of date.
Mm.

Originally Posted by Metalman

The pic is the last exercise completed in Rhino.

you could almost swear that is a photograph...eh guys

I prefer to use Google sketchup as it has constant updates and is easy to use, But most of the time i like to jump on my dinosaur and draft plans/ models by hand. drafting by hand is by far the easiest way of getting what you want, although more time consuming.

Also ALOT more rewarding to see the finished plan.

Google sketchup was the first CAD program I could actually use thanks to the tutorials they provide, and better yet its free

I've lately been using it for cutting some plates in 2mm steel, basically design it up on sketchup and print it out 1:1 on some A4 sizes labels, cut out and apply, it saves alot of time having to mark out the cuts on the steel and its always perfect unlike my measurements sometimes.

I use AutoCAD 2010 for all my 2D stuff (was using a free program called A9CAD, but found it a bit limited) and sketchup when doing 3D work (which I don't do often).

I started out using AutoCAD Lt (many many yeasr ago). What the others have said about the investment in time is quite correct and it is the reason why I'm still using AutoCAD now.

I use sketchup. Excellent program. I even bought the pro version for work. I've had quite a few jobs where I've created the dwg files of 3D designs in sketchup for my autocad counterparts. Cheers - Mick

I use Intellicad which I think is an Autocad clone.
It is good for what I need but has an extremely steep learning curve if you have not used this type of software before.
I had it in the "too hard Basket" for a couple of years but did a TAFE course for 3 months @ 3 hours per week and that got me going. I can still rember the Lecturers first statement. "Turn Ortho On". The blank looks around the room spoke for themselves.
Extremely accurate of course but you really need some help or a lot of patience if you want to use it.

Mal