auto cad training

[BrokenBiker]

right, I have autoCAD 2012 and am still baffled by about 98% of it. uni isn't really helping as we don't get to that for a while, and even then ive been told its not really that indepth as Im doing electrically biased stuff.

so, im looking for any downloadable or buyable 'autoCAD for dummies' type thing that will do a step by step through various tasks so I can learn how to do various things, make various shapes, join things together properly and all that, work with constraints and layers etc.

I have been trying to follow youtube vids of the things I want to draw, like sprockets, but even after following every little detail exactly, they get to a point where I do as they do but the results are different. for instance threading, I did everything the video said, but when I came to applying the thread it went all twisted and didn't follow the lines I wanted it to.

ive tried other programs like solidworks, inventor, the RS one etc but of all of them I still struggle with the same things.

any ideas where I can find the info I want

 

[RonA]

I trained on AutoCad at our local tech college, they even offered a ten week course x 3 hours per session of free tuition for a starter. You can't beat learning from someone who's already experienced in using the software. You get upto speed, quicker especially by picking up all the tricks to reducing drawing time (off setting, construction lines & the like)
RonA

 

[MCKDAVID]

too be honest, don't get too bogged down worrying about it. the 98% is probably the stuff you don't need. You'll never use more than 1% of it's capacities anyway, unless you aspire to be a CAD monkey...

HVAC engineer, and been using it since Revision 10, neary 25 years ago now I'd guess. Totally self taught, and still do 90% of the same things every time, repetative. there's usually at least a few ways to do each task, and you can adapt things to suit so even if it's not the "perfect" way to do something, you get it done, instead of losing an hour trying to find the right way to gain 1 minute.... I use it less and less these days, mind you probably spend on average 3 or 4 hours a week on it so keep my hand in.

Spend the time learing the basic drawing : how to use templates / edit / print / cut / paste functions, and leave it at that, you'll be surprised how quick you can get realatively proficient / quick. The majority of it is really nice to have, but not necessary for the day to day use.

As for all the other bells and whistles, forget them, until you need them, then use the tutorials / help option, learn them on an ongoing basis.

one thing to do is learn the basic function keyboard shortcuts, speeds things up no end... like : CP copy point, RI rotate etc, you can download the cheatsheet for within the autocad program itself.. that way you avoid the hours spent early on, looking for which menu the function is on.

 

[Rocketman]

I did a 3D course on autoCAD back in the early/mid nineties - The company I worked for wanted the CAD designers to do it so it was an evening class at a local college and was a city and guilds. What a utter waste of time it was apart from anything thing autoCAD is not much use in 3D at all. So I ended up with a city and guilds in 3D autoCAD probably the most useless qualification in the world

 

[BrokenBiker]

well, after struggling to create a rendered image for a project I hit a big breakthrough today after watching a vid about something totally different, and figured out where I was going wrong. basically just working in the wrong plane...something so simple yet casued me so much trouble. ah well, live and learn

 

[Wedg1e]

I'm self-taught (since Release 13, probably about 1999) and still learning
Did a C&G thinking that it would make me more competent but by the time I'd finished Level 2 I was about where I was anyway, if you follow.

What I've found is that AutoDesk often make changes to the package that makes some operations harder than they were... e.g. printing a drawing with multiple 'windows' was a piece of cake before but now, with 2008 and 2013, I'm all over the shop. Luckily nobody at work knows more than I do so nobody realises I'm cr*p

I have Solidworks as well, but can't seem to get my head around it... usually just end up reverting to AutoCAD and drawing isometrically

 

[BrokenBiker]

how do you do a 2d drawing with each view on the same page? I have finally mastered layers now, and have a drawing of an altered clevis that a mate wants me to machine, it was more complicated than just enlarging a hole so i need the drawing, and would like it all on one page

 

[Wendelspanswick]

Look up Orthographic Projection.
Should be what your looking for.

 

[BrokenBiker]

cheers

 

[Wendelspanswick]

We were taught 3rd angle Orthographic Projection in Technical Drawing at school. There is also 1st angle which is similar, just the views are laid out differently.

 

[BrokenBiker]

We were taught 3rd angle Orthographic Projection in Technical Drawing at school. There is also 1st angle which is similar, just the views are laid out differently.

yeah ive done all the 1st and 3rd angle stuff, just cant figure out how to show it on autocad. I have made a 3d model of the part in its original state, then altered it to how it needs to be machined, then moved it into drafting and annotation and that's where im stuck, however I try to print it, it just gives me the current view, for instance front, then if I want end view I have to change it on the screen then print again etc. I just want all the views on one page so I can pin it to the board behind the mill and see exactly what I need to do on each section

 

[Rocketman]

Are you using paper space to do the drawing instead of model space?

Why did you do a 3D model instead of just drawing it straight off in 2D?

 

[BrokenBiker]

Are you using paper space to do the drawing instead of model space?

Why did you do a 3D model instead of just drawing it straight off in 2D?

the lad im doing it for wanted to see what it would look like once it was finished so I rendered a model for him, then thought I could just transfer it over and get a drawing from it

 

[Wedg1e]

Nip into ACAD's Help menu and look up Viewports, that should point you in the right direction for printing multiple views.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Nip into ACAD's Help menu and look up Viewports, that should point you in the right direction for printing multiple views.

will do

 

[Wedg1e]

We were taught 3rd angle Orthographic Projection in Technical Drawing at school. There is also 1st angle which is similar, just the views are laid out differently.

My Tech Drawing teacher was a guy from the old school of smoking, shouting and caning. His speciality was to throw blackboard rubbers at any miscreant - and he never missed.
As his name was Tommy Dunn he shared his initials with his subject
By bizarre coincidence the guy who ran the C&G CAD course I took was a former pupil of TD, about 20 years prior to me...

 

[Wedg1e]

will do

I can't promise it'll make it any easier

 

[BrokenBiker]

it is kinda what I was looking for, drawing in it is a bit harder though lol

 

[Rocketman]

Nip into ACAD's Help menu and look up Viewports, that should point you in the right direction for printing multiple views.

Yeah as you have done a model of sorts in Acad you will have to now do multi view ports in paper space to create a drawing. TBH acad is very poor at doing 3D of any sort and the drawing detailing from then on is also very poor. I have never known anyone to have used 3D in acad for commercial use in engineering in my entire life.

 

[BrokenBiker]

Yeah as you have done a model of sorts in Acad you will have to now do multi view ports in paper space to create a drawing. TBH acad is very poor at doing 3D of any sort and the drawing detailing from then on is also very poor. I have never known anyone to have used 3D in acad for commercial use in engineering in my entire life.

well i have managed to get what i want now. Usually i just do a flat drawing and print it off but he wanted a model so i tried doing that first.