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Hey Guys,
I'm running Win10 with 32gig of ram.
I've got a project in mind (a weight bench) which I would like to draw up, I used CAD at uni, I love it but I haven't used it for years and I don't want to go through the learning process to get back in to it - at least not for this project.
What is a good CAD-ish drawing program that doesn't require the learning process of CAD which would be a project in itself.
Cheers
Smidsy
Sketch up is perfect for this setup. YouTube videos for any clarification needed
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Sketchup certainly has the goodies for what you want, but it does have a learning curve. I had a lot of time with low to mid level CAD (DesignCad, TurboCad etc but not AutoCad) then transitioned to SU 8 years ago to see what all the hoohar was about. After a gap o about 5 years from the low to mid level programs, I found the transition difficult because the entire concept of the program was so different. I worked through tutorial videos etc to learn it, and got to the point where I am able to design houses in it, including all built in's etc, but figure that it would be easier for someone with general knowledge but no CAD background to become competent with it than to convert from some CAD system to it. Then again, I have always found book learning harder than practical on the job training, so that factor into my experience.
I have looked at other Cad programs that will run with similar resources to what you have available, and they are also much different to what Cad was 10-15 years ago, so the learning curve may be considerable for most systems for someone who has some Cad backround but has been lapsed for some time.
If you decide to go the Sketchup way, I would suggest searching for the free Sketchup Make 2017 as a basis to start learning it. There isn't a lot added to the program since then unless you are into advanced stuff, and you probably need to learn the basics before you will benefit from the extras in the paid Pro versions. Later versions only offer free as an online system where the actual work is done on a server somewhere and your computer is effectively just an enhanced terminal. The later free online systems have restricted features etc as well.
100% agree with everything said so far.... esp the SU 2017.
It used to be free, but the MBA's managed to gain control over the engineers and well... not it isnt free.
The "old" version has EVERYTHING you could possibly want.
I have been using FreeCAD for my 3D modeling...it is a bit of a learning curve, but following some tutorials and making use of the forums helps a lot. It has some weirdness, but more of an issue with fairly complex models with lots of parts.
I think you'd have to spend as much time learning sketchup as you would the basics for a decent parametric CAD program like Fusion360 or FreeCAD.
If you'll never draw anything electronically again, using sketchup for this one project would be fine, but if you plan on making a habit of it, parametric will save you a lot of screaming down the road.
:wts:Quote:
Originally Posted by Bernmc