Drawing software for people who struggle.

[Richiew]

I've always struggled with CAD software. I always find it horribly unintuitive. At the last count I had three different CAD programs sampled on my desktop, there will be others that have been downloaded and uninstalled too. Basically, I have a massive blind spot for CAD.

I thought I would mention the two programs that I can actually manage with. Drawing software for people who can't do it sort of thing. I'm sure there's plenty of people on here like me. I also know that there are many people on here that are really good with this stuff and will have their own preferences.

I have got on well with Emachineshop but it is rather basic and the current version won't let you export DXF files unless you pay for it. It seems to be the one that UK people with plasma tables on Youtube use to knock up simple designs. The older versions are the ones to have.

I have found another program that is broadly similar for ease of use as Emachineshop. Fusion 360, in the sketch mode at least for basic elements. It will create dxf files too. Even the cut down free version I'm led to believe. It's a very powerful tool but the sketching bit I've found is nice and simple to use.
I'm not really here to discuss the pros and cons of the software too much. Just to point out I've found this one OK to use as someone who bangs his head against the wall usually. It even has a graph paper background to make me feel more comfortable.

I've managed to draw stuff up like this relatively easily

3d Model too, using the extrude function to give it depth. Never thought I'd see the day. It's part of a sheet metal roller knocked up from memory of the dimensions I used on the real thing. I've been practicing by drawing what I know.

Below are a couple of extremely simple models drawn of trailing arms that I made a few years ago. At the time I ended up drawing them out full size on graph paper as I needed to know the length of tube to cut for 305mm centres and I couldn't picture it in my head. For the 20mm tube that I finally used I was only about 1.3mm out. The inaccuracy was probably down to having two paper sheets joined with sellotape plus the pencil lines. Close enough.

I've found this bloke is a very good teacher too. Personal preference of teaching styles will play a part here of course.

My takeaway point and reason for the post is maybe try Fusion 360 if you have tried and failed with other drawing software. I wish I'd found it years ago. Here's a screen shot.

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

My main program is SketchUp primarily for furniture design or laying out roofs or flooring/tiles etc.

Would be a pain in the **** if I needed to model for CNC I suspect.

 

[Richiew]

I tried Sketchup in a past life too. Probably my fault but it didn't click with me. All I really want is a dimension finder like in the trailing arm example. I won't be using it for anything complex.

 

[Domdom]

That’s really useful information to me. As someone who did tech drawing at school, and in my professional career I’ve been IT Director at a firm of civil engineers I could never get my head round CAD of any description. Even lessons from the CAD engineers were making no sense to me.

I can read engineering drawings no issue but unless it involves a pencil I can’t produce them. It’s the main reason I never got into 3D printing. Computers I get, even built home automation on raspberry pi, but CAD software is pure witchcraft to me. Strange really.

Think I’ll give it a go..

 

[eLuSiVeMiTe]

I tried Sketchup in a past life too. Probably my fault but it didn't click with me. All I really want is a dimension finder like in the trailing arm example. I won't be using it for anything complex.

Suits me well as I build up my drawings as I would build it in RL.

Draw a 50x100 rectangle and pull the timber out to length and so on.

 

[ajlelectronics]

I am very impressed that you settled on Fusion 360. It might as well have been written in Swahili for all I understood any of it!

 

[Richiew]

I watched a YouTuber using it and I thought it looked straightforward so gave it a try. If I'd watched different a video it could have turned out different. @skotl mentioned a YouTuber, clough42 in some thread or other* so it all started from a mig welding forum rabbit hole, as you do.

*Electronic leadscrews on lathes.

 

[graffian]

I followed a PDF tutorial, draw the examples in the tutorial and then knew enough to make a start
on my own drawing.
Once you can make a start on a drawing it's not like banging your head on the wall.

 

[bricol]

I don't think any CAD programme is "intuitive". But use it enough, with sufficient instruction, in person or video, books etc, and they are all usable - but you have actually use them, and for long enough.

Once you can use one pretty well, you probably know enough to be able to work out how to use most others - it's getting into the right mind set and understanding what it can do and how they generally do it. And then there's the step into 3D and individual instance parts in an assembly, rather than lines in different colour on different layers.

 

[Richiew]

Yes, I'm very lazy which is a factor in things. But some programs are easier than others to use. Snap to line features help me. Graph paper lines help me enormously. Features like clearly showing a dimension as I draw the shape. Compare the screenshot of Fusion 360 above to this below. I know what I found easier to get to grips with. (Drawing tools are behind the start menu).

There are plenty of potentially frustrating features in Fusion 360, I'm learning about constraints right now, but it is easy to draw a few lines, boxes and circles to the right dimension in the place where I want them which I struggled to do on other platforms. I really am that crap.

 

[m_c]

The biggest issue with programs like Fusion360, is it involves a different process to the way old CAD programs worked.

Old CAD typically involved drawing the image in your head in the software. You want a cube with a hole through it, you draw a cube with a hole through it. You never really created a 3D model. You just created a 2D drawing that happened to represent a 3D model.

F360 (which uses Parametric Modelling to give it it's proper name) involves actually modelling a 3D object.
You have to think about how you can create the drawing in your head, using 3D objects.
You want a cube with a hole through it? You have to create a 2D sketch of one side of the cube, extrude that 2D sketch to create a 3D cube, sketch the hole you'd like on the face/plane of the cube, then (cut) extrude the 2D hole through the 3D cube. You then create a drawing from that 3D model.

For when you just want a basic drawing, F360 is very complicated, but that's not it's strength.
Want to change the size of the cube? Edit the original sketch, and the change will be carried through the entire model. The size change can be carried all the way through to the final drawing.
To do the same in older CAD, you need to manually edit the drawing.

Want to test various components for 3D fit (and animate movement), assemble the parts, set movement constraints, and you can see how things will interact.
You won't do that in old CAD.

A big stumbling block can be constraints (aka how objects are linked to, and related to one another). Once you get in to more complicated parts, how you constrain things can have a major knock on effect when adding features later. I can't think of any good examples just now, but I have in the past had issues caused by what I've done in previous features (a feature is a generic term for any step in the drawing/modelling timeline, and can be a 2D sketch, extrusion...etc)


The big thing is, that change in thought process for some people is hard.
You need to learn to think about how to build the part up in stages, not just 'draw' it in the software.

 

[Richiew]

This was the original inspiration for me to give it a go. If you are interested the first ten minutes gives the gist and is the meat of it.

 

[Richiew]

I am very impressed that you settled on Fusion 360. It might as well have been written in Swahili for all I understood any of it!

Cheers. I'm using about 2% of the application currently. I don't pretend to understand the other 98% yet. I'm just happy that I can draw a few sketches and obtain a few measurements from it. It looks good for DXF files for cutting sheet metal which is one of the driving reasons for me trying to learn. If I ever get round to getting a plasma CNC I want to be able to draw the 2d files for cutting. Its good for drawing up sheet metal boxes, tray and the like and providing me a flat metal plan to cut and bend.

 

[mtt.tr]

I use tubocad which is essentially autocad but Cheap

Used to use solid works
Use Fusion

 

[Keith 66]

In my previous life as a D&T technician i used Techsoft's 2D design. It is the go to software for cad in schools. It has its limitations but is pretty intuitive.
We used to get most kids in a class drawing something of their own with it within one lesson, some would pick it up within minutes.
Of course what they drew might not be possible to cut on the laser cutter & then Sir (ie me) would have to edit 24 drawings so they would work, some were diabolical!
Although there is a free version it doesnt export dxf files & the paid for version is expensive for what it is.

 

[MickeyW]

I've used SolidWorks professionally for many years, but when it came to choosing CAD for home use I didn't want to have to pay for it.
For 2D and 3D I found Fusion 360 very easy to pick up as it works in a very similar way to SW. The big thing to understand is the strategy and sequence behind creating 3D objects from sketches. BTW as far as I can see F3D only enable DXF exports if you have a paid version. The version I use is free for hobbyists and non-commercial users.

For simple 2D I was using Draftsight as it came as part of the SW package. It's really a clone of AutoCAD from years ago, but is clean and simple to use. There used to be a free version of DS, that that stopped 3 or 4 years back. Then I found NanoCAD, which is to all intents and purposes a clone of DS and is free for home use. Unfortunately the quality of the graphics in the UI is a little lacking. I mention this because it has quite an impact on the legibility and easy of use. Still pretty good for free though.

 

[bricol]

You can usually turn on the grid and snap points in any CAD system. I can't remember the last time I had them on - maybe 30 yrs ago? They end up being very limiting in what you want to do.

The key to any of them is to use them, ask other users, read the instructions and keep using it. 15 mins here and there won't teach you anything.

I used to use AutoCad years ago, but had to use CimCad for a decade or so as well as IDEAS 3D - now on Siemens NX, but have used Solidworks and IBM CAdam (a long while ago - mono-chrome screens!) - but I really dislike Draftsight! We have it installed to read autoCAd stuff, but I'd rather import into NX - because I simply don't use it enough to know what, where, how to - whereas NX . . . well, I used to, until recent updates - some developer type keeps deciding operations that for a decade have lived in this menu, tab, pop-up here, now need to be under several layers of mouse clicks over there . . . grrr!

 

[Mart63]

I've always struggled with CAD software. I always find it horribly unintuitive. At the last count I had three different CAD programs sampled on my desktop, there will be others that have been downloaded and uninstalled too. Basically, I have a massive blind spot for CAD.

I thought I would mention the two programs that I can actually manage with. Drawing software for people who can't do it sort of thing. I'm sure there's plenty of people on here like me. I also know that there are many people on here that are really good with this stuff and will have their own preferences.

I have got on well with Emachineshop but it is rather basic and the current version won't let you export DXF files unless you pay for it. It seems to be the one that UK people with plasma tables on Youtube use to knock up simple designs. The older versions are the ones to have.

I have found another program that is broadly similar for ease of use as Emachineshop. Fusion 360, in the sketch mode at least for basic elements. It will create dxf files too. Even the cut down free version I'm led to believe. It's a very powerful tool but the sketching bit I've found is nice and simple to use.
I'm not really here to discuss the pros and cons of the software too much. Just to point out I've found this one OK to use as someone who bangs his head against the wall usually. It even has a graph paper background to make me feel more comfortable.

I've managed to draw stuff up like this relatively easily


View attachment 315350


3d Model too, using the extrude function to give it depth. Never thought I'd see the day. It's part of a sheet metal roller knocked up from memory of the dimensions I used on the real thing. I've been practicing by drawing what I know.

View attachment 315351


View attachment 315356
Below are a couple of extremely simple models drawn of trailing arms that I made a few years ago. At the time I ended up drawing them out full size on graph paper as I needed to know the length of tube to cut for 305mm centres and I couldn't picture it in my head. For the 20mm tube that I finally used I was only about 1.3mm out. The inaccuracy was probably down to having two paper sheets joined with sellotape plus the pencil lines. Close enough.
View attachment 315352

View attachment 315355

I've found this bloke is a very good teacher too. Personal preference of teaching styles will play a part here of course.

My takeaway point and reason for the post is maybe try Fusion 360 if you have tried and failed with other drawing software. I wish I'd found it years ago. Here's a screen shot.


View attachment 315366

I started with Paul McWhorter's tutorials and found him great for older people like me who need something at a slower pace. I have now moved on to Kevin Kennedy's tutorials and find him perfect as the next step.

 

[Richiew]

MickeyW. The fusion 360 website states that although you can't export dxf files in the hobby version you can save sketch files as dxfs. I guess I will find out what this means when my trial expires. I won't need dxf functionality for a while yet I reckon anyway.

5 – Can I still laser-cut or do 2D routing?​

Save As DXF is still available from sketch.

• DXF will not be a supported file format from File > Export, but you will still be able to right-click on a sketch in the browser and select Save As DXF for your laser cutting and routing needs.

 

[Richiew]

I started with Paul McWhorter's tutorials and found him great for older people like me who need something at a slower pace. I have now moved on to Kevin Kennedy's tutorials and find him perfect as the next step.

I am only part way through lesson five on Paul's Stuff. Good tip thanks.