All things CAD!

[PoundSand]

Originally Posted by STROMVADER

I am attending school for CNC machining and one of my courses to complete the cert. is CAD. I am looking froward to because I am sick of sketching everything I fabricate! What CAD programs are relatively cheap to cut my teeth on? Google sketch?

google sketchup isn't really going to cut your teeth on cad...

something like turbocad would be way better for that, and dirt cheap (like $100 or something); you can also buy an older version on amazon for like $20.

[Rapid Dog]

I believe you can still get a free trial version and maybe later a student versionof AutoCAD LT.

[JasonH]

Originally Posted by McCormack

Can someone tell me about PDMS files? We have a sub running Solidworks, and our client has issued a 3D Plant Model in PDMS file type.

I've never worked with that type of file before, and Google isn't helping much.

Can a PDMS file be imported into Solidworks?

Can I receive the PDMS file and import into AutoCAD, then export that to a Solidworks readable file?

I think Aveva (PDMS) can output as a STEP file which I'm pretty sure Solidworks can read. I could be wrong, but it's worth asking.

[PunkinHead]

Originally Posted by JasonH

I think Aveva (PDMS) can output as a STEP file which I'm pretty sure Solidworks can read. I could be wrong, but it's worth asking.

Solidworks can import .stp files. IGES is another good option if PDMS can output it.

[OaklandStrom]

Originally Posted by STROMVADER

I am attending school for CNC machining and one of my courses to complete the cert. is CAD. I am looking froward to because I am sick of sketching everything I fabricate! What CAD programs are relatively cheap to cut my teeth on? Google sketch?

Autodesk gives away full versions of Inventor to students. All your files get watermarked "Education Version", but the software is good for three years!

http://students.autodesk.com/
Download here.

[Crocodile Tears]

Originally Posted by geode

if you are a registered student, talk with your instructor. Many software companies offer a low priced student version that watermarks your drawings but is full featured.

Or free. I had a fairly thorough install of unigraphics 3 and then 5 (?) on my POS laptop all through college. Thanks MTU!

If they don't give you a student version of solidworks or equivalent I would begin to question the program if I'm honest - pretty standard stuff these days in a degree like that

[SocalRob]

Originally Posted by Grreatdog

I have to admit that I haven't given up my old copy of AutoCAD 2000i even though we have a subscription and I am also run 2010. To paraphrase a certain commercial: I mostly use Microstation but when I do use AutoCAd I prefer 2000i.

I mostly use 14 and only use my licensed version of 2010 to make PDF's. I guess it's time to move into the modern world, but 14 works so well.

I remember 2.1 when a drawing regen would take 30 minutes. Had to be careful with the zooms.

[McCormack]

I started school using a student copy of 2000i, then really learned on R14 at my first job.

Now using 2013. Time flies.

[garandman]

Originally Posted by STROMVADER

I am attending school for CNC machining and one of my courses to complete the cert. is CAD. I am looking froward to because I am sick of sketching everything I fabricate! What CAD programs are relatively cheap to cut my teeth on? Google sketch?

Don't know where you live but real CAD skills pay $$$ in the market.

If you are a full-time student I believe the SW EDU version is $249. I believe it is "time-bombed" to run for 18 months.

Here's my latest SW project, a flag bracket for the Tiger 1050. I made it on black ABS on a Stratasys FDM machine.

[STROMVADER]

Originally Posted by garandman

Don't know where you live but real CAD skills pay $$$ in the market.

If you are a full-time student I believe the SW EDU version is $249. I believe it is "time-bombed" to run for 18 months.

Here's my latest SW project, a flag bracket for the Tiger 1050. I made it on black ABS on a Stratasys FDM machine.

Thanks for the link Oaklandstrom! I live in N. Illinois and manufacturing jobs are on the rise. I would love to do both CAD and CNC. Being able to do both well should make me a decent asset to a company. That solidworks bracket is awesome! I can't imagine how long it would take to draw that up by hand. I went on a tour Saturday to Scot Forge in Spring Grove, Illinois. The forging and CNC work they do is on a massive scale and was amazing to see.

[crazydrummerdude]

Originally Posted by STROMVADER

I am attending school for CNC machining and one of my courses to complete the cert. is CAD. I am looking froward to because I am sick of sketching everything I fabricate! What CAD programs are relatively cheap to cut my teeth on? Google sketch?

What program does the school use? Do they have a computer lab you can work in after class? I got an engineering degree, and although I never actually took an official CAD class while an undergrad, I used the heck out of SolidWorks at school in support of my other design classes and Catia on an internship.

Originally Posted by garandman

Don't know where you live but real CAD skills pay $$$ in the market.

In St Louis, you're more likely to find CAD jobs at $13/hour at places with a high turnover. As with machinists (CNC operators and manual machinists), employers treat "you" as an expendable, easily replaceable CAD driver not capable of real thought or human interaction. I know because I interviewed at a couple of those places when I was getting desperate to leave my old job.

[STROMVADER]

[QUOTE=crazydrummerdude;19769525]What program does the school use? Do they have a computer lab you can work in after class? I got an engineering degree, and although I never actually took an official CAD class while an undergrad, I used the heck out of SolidWorks at school in support of my other design classes and Catia on an internship.

I haven't been able to take the class yet, but wouldn't mind getting a head start. It has always been interesting to me.

[AZbiker]

Originally Posted by garandman

Don't know where you live but real CAD skills pay $$$ in the market.

Not in Arizona they don't.

Oh well, gonna be time for degree #2 soon.

Edit: Every single manufacturing job in AZ that I've seen where the job description lists CAD it also lists BSME.

[SnowMule]

Just installed Solidworks 2012 last week.

I've done some farting around with AutoCAD in the past. Do a lot of mechanical design for test equipment here, so I have that skillset down but what I don't have is how to model it in CAD for documentation purposes. Learning to speak CAD has a bit of a learning curve. (I'm an electrical nerd, schematic/PCB layout and LabVIEW for instrument control are my tools of choice)

Company had a few open seats after a few other mechanical guys left for other ventures, so I hopped on it. There's some classes at the local Solidworks sales office, but I want to get a little more familiar with the software before I jump into that.

[garandman]

Originally Posted by OaklandStrom

Autodesk gives away full versions of Inventor to students. All your files get watermarked "Education Version", but the software is good for three years!

They'll give it away to almost anyone - for good reason.

I was talking to my son's school about their pre-engineering program and the subject of Inventor came up (because it was free). I suggested they go to Monster.com and look at the number of jobs in New England for which they were asking for Inventor skills compared to SolidWorks or Pro/E, for example.

SolidWorks - over 100 jobs. Pro/E, 25+. Inventor - two, and one of those was AutoDesk themselves.

You can buy Alibre' personal for $199 and there are a number of other other low-cost products to do 3D modeling.