01.13.07
Posted in AutoCAD Design, CAD at 12:37 pm by Admin
Here’s part 2 of useful tips when using AutoCAD.
- Be Organized
As a working person, your computer will definitely filled up with files and folders created to get the job done. Navigating through folders in Windows can be a daunting task. To make things worse, your files are scattered all over your hard drive plus some of your network drive.
Learn about how to use the fundamental windows or do what I do, make a folder on your desktop about a particular project. Once the job is done, drag and drop the files into the folder and stash is away in another folder in My Document for archive. Make use of MSN Toolbar, Google Desktop or any other searching software and make sure the files are written in keywords for easy search in the future.
- Use External References
If you are working in teams of designers, put the geometry you need in one file. Everyone can then create new files which externally reference to that file. The result is, multiple people can work on the same project at the same time. You use the XREF command to place one drawing inside another. You can also use Design Center to insert external references.
- Learn How to Use Dimension & Text Styles
To define text fonts that you use in your drawings, use the STYLE command. To define how dimensions look use the DIMSTYLE command. If you don’t use dimension and text styles, you spend a great deal of time tweaking each and every dimension and text block you create. If you define a style changing the style updates all the text and dimensions.
- Always Make A Back Up All The Time
Making a back up is crucial just in case something bad happen such as power cut, hardware crash or any other software and external cause. If you don’t know how your drawings are being backed up, learn and figure about it right now. Every drawing is a work of hundreds or thousands of man hours. A lost, deleted or corrupt drawing file can mean lots of lost revenue. Small designs shops/firm using AutoCAD are the worst offenders. They rarely back up and they often lose data. You need to back up in such a way that you can go back four or five versions of your drawing, because often problems in a drawing aren’t noticed for a long time. So many lines, so little time . . .
- Find Out What Other Folks In the Office Do
Find out what other people is doing. Don’t be the lone wolf in your AutoCAD office. Use the templates, title blocks, text styles, dimension styles, plot styles and block libraries everyone else uses. This will save everybody’s time. Your drawings are easier for others to edit and plot. You can edit and plot the drawings of others. It is always best to ask questions (even multiple times) than do something no one else in the office will understand later.
Now what you should do is, these AutoCAD tips should be revised every month or so. Make it a habit to always make a revision. This will strengthens your skill and make you sharp.
Permalink
01.08.07
Posted in AutoCAD Design, CAD at 6:02 pm by Admin
AutoCAD is a drawing tools used by professionals all around the world to create drawing that defines buildings, equipment and products all across the industry. Job concerning AutoCAD is very high in demand these days so having the knowledge of AutoCAD is very useful if you want to command a high paying job apart from job security.
Here is 5 tips to make yourself accustomed to AutoCAD:
- Use the Pull Down Menus
You need to master the effective use of a mouse first before you can do this. On the top of the AutoCAD screen you will see menus like Draw, Edit, Modify, and many more. These menus will launch AutoCAD commands. After you become more comfortable and familiar with AutoCAD you may choose to use the toolbars and the command prompt to issue commands, however if you are new to AutoCAD you will learn and work faster if you use the pull down menus.
- Keep Your Eye on the Command Prompt
The Command prompt is located at the bottom of your screen. Keep your eye on the blinking cursor at the command prompt space when you issue commands. You will find that every command you issue puts its options on this line. So, if you start the CIRCLE command, you will find that you can type D to indicate that you want to specify a diameter for the circle you want to create. This saves time if you use the keyboard of course.
- Learn How to Identify Points
New AutoCAD users often struggle with too many ways in which they can enter points in AutoCAD. You can type at the command prompt (3,4) or you can click your mouse to select them, you can use Object Snaps to pick up points on existing geometry (hold down the shift key and right-click to see the Osnap menu). You can Also select a point, move your mouse up or down, right or left and type a distance. Take your time and learn all the ways you can select points in AutoCAD and when it is necessary, review the Help files. This will save yourself hundreds of hours of work and create better drawings effectively.
- Never Ever Draw What You Can Copy
It is not uncommon to see new AutoCAD users spending too much time drawing. If you’ve drawn something before, you don’t need to draw the same thing again and again. Learn how to use the BLOCK and WBLOCK commands to create named geometry so that you can use them over and over again. Also, learn how to use the INSERT or DESIGN CENTER and EXPLODE commands to place editable geometry in your drawing.
- Learn How to Use Model Space/Paper Space or Layouts
Its really very simple. Click the MODEL tab. Draw your objects at full scale (one inch in the real world is one inch in AutoCAD’s model space). Select a Layout to toggle into paper space. Specify the size of your paper that you use. Use the MVIEW command to “cut a hole” in the paper and display the objects in model space. Select the edge of the hole, right-click and choose a scale for the view. Double-click inside the hole and pan the view so its centered. Double-click outside the hole. From the File menu choose Plot to plot your scaled drawing. The instructions for using Layouts vary slightly based on which version of AutoCAD you are using, but the basic technique is always the same. Draw full scale in model space. Create scaled drawings in Layouts.
There you have it, the first part of useful tips when using AutoCAD. Part 2 is will be coming really soon.
Permalink
12.15.06
Posted in AutoCAD Design, CAD at 10:13 am by Admin
In Facilities Management (FM), Computer Aided Design or CAD can really be a big help. Most of us think in a visual form. We visualize thing when we remembered something and more often ideas come in a visualize form. CAD meet those visualize requirement with speedy revisions and accurate geometry, making the process of designing very easy. CAD was first used to design and manufacture aircrafts and now it has been developed to suit the needs of any kind of designers in any field of design and have user-friendly interfaces.
There are many types of CAD Software: Software developers have benefited immensely by developing various CAD software. Various CAD software offer two-dimensional (2D) designs, as well as those offer three-dimensional (3D) designs. CAD has made it possible for two people in other part of the world to design and create new products using CAD software as well as the Internet. Artists, mechanical, electronics and civil engineers, architects and interior decorators use CAD software to aid in their designing process.
Designers have two kinds of CAD software to choose, either use the existing 2D CAD software or go for more advanced 3D CAD software. Some applications are inherently 2D based. AutoCAD, Cadkey, CADDS 5, Medusa, and CATIA v4 are examples of 2D CAD software.
Pro/Engineer, Unigraphics NX, SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Autodesk Inventor, CoCreate Solid Designer and VX CAD are some of the popular 3D CAD software.
3D views are not very clear and are hard to visualize in 2D based CAD software. Hence, designers some times used a physical scaled down model of the product to make corrections and changes if necessary. This is not the case in 3D CAD software where a clear view of the product can aid and speed up the design process. Making changes and corrections using 3D CAD software is easy as the design is automatically corrected, where as in 2D software the drawing may have to be recreated in different dimensions after changing or making corrections. 3D CAD software make it easier to identify mistakes, inaccuracy in dimensions, interferences etc. This saves time, energy and money. Most 3D CAD software designed products are reliable, fit and well designed. The time taken to design and finalize designs is significantly reduced when companies use 3D CAD software. Some software such as SolidWorks collaboration edition, 3D TeamWorks is designed to help multiple people in different locations to work on one design using secure connections. Only a web browser and an internet connection is needed in making it possible to review designs and finalize them all in real time.
It is essential and equally for companies to analyze if they really need to upgrade to 3D CAD software, as they can be a costly and could become a time-consuming process. While companies choose to upgrade to 3D CAD software, it is also important to train personnel or to find and hire a new qualified and experienced personnel as it may take time to train existing personnel. However, it has to be acknowledged that designing industry has been helped immensely by using CAD software.
Permalink
09.15.06
Posted in CAD at 5:19 pm by Admin
Computer-aided design is software used in art, architecture, engineering and manufacturing to assist in precision drawing. It can produce and also simulate the end result before it is even built. The process of building tangible things can cost a lot of resources and to make sure it is worth the resources spent, the design has to be proper so that it will prevent from unnecessary cost that will occur in case something happen in the future.
Earlier this week, we went to the Public Work Department (PWD) here in Kuala Lumpur to check out a tender offer. The offer was to supply the PWD with CAD software and hardware for them to use. There were other offerings but it didn’t align with our scope of work.
Honestly, nearly 2 years of employment in the Facilities Management Software and CAD industry, I have never heard of the list of software and hardware the PWD requested. Well, there are millions of software on cyberspace so I can’t be blame for never heard about these software. (I did searches on Google just to wipe away my curiosity):
Software
- Bridge Design Software (RM2006)
RM2006 is an upgrade for RM2000 which is a 4D static and dynamic design plus analysis for steel, concrete and composite structures.
- LUSAS Bridge Software
LUSAS Bridge is a software for bridge engineers to analyze all type of bridge structures.
- Personal Interactive Graphic Layout EdiTor (PIGLET)
Called PIGLET, it is a 2D engineering drawing editor that supports hierarchical description. Going a little bit more on the programming, PIGLET is written in C language with recourse to plain Xlib functions. PIGLET is easy to understand and a good vehicle for studying 2D graphics technique because of only little X code is required to support the required functionality. (Basically I’m not so sure they refer to this product plus have no idea about what it means but it is interesting to know something new though).
- PILEPro
This above is the closest link page I can find about PILEPro. I’m not really sure what the software is for because it is written in Germany. I don’t speak or read Germany.
- WaterCAD
WaterCAD is a water distribution modeling and management. It’s main function is to design model hydraulics, operations, fire flow, critically and water quality with ease.
- SewerCAD
SewerCAD is a wastewater collection modeling and design. It is used to design, analyze and plan wastewater collection systems.
- Plaxis Professional V.8.2
Plaxis Professional is a finite element package intended for the 2D analysis of deformation and stability in geotechnical engineering.
Hardware
- ROBOTEL SmartClass Multimedia Teaching Control System
SmartClass Systems from Robotel is an exclusive solution for corporate training. For more information, visit ROBOTEL Website.
I also found all the details about the local distributor for the above product here in Malaysia. Eventually, we decided not to pursue the tender offering because we don’t have sufficient information for all the above product plus we don’t really have the required knowledge to move further.
Eitherway, it was an eye opener for us and hopefully to all of our blog readers.
Permalink
