What are /r/cad's favorite Products & Services?

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I've used a vertical mouse for a few years now. The button clicking is a little less stressful when your wrist is in a more natural state and isn't rotated to a downward position.

I recommend FreeCAD (https://www.freecadweb.org). If you're in a makerspace environment, there is significant development going on in the Path workbench which can be used to generate gcode for tooling machines. The development version 0.17 is getting prepared for a new release in early 2018 and it's something like 6000-7000 commits further along from the current stable release 0.16.

This is your reminder that FreeCAD is free, open source, GPL compliant, undergoing rapid and continued development, and has become extremely powerful in recent years.

It runs on my raspberry pi 3, and it can do extremely complex surfacing, assemblies, animations, and simulations. It is fully scriptable in python, and is more customizable than anything I've seen or used before.

If it can't do something out of the box, there's probably modules, add-ons, workbenches, or macros that can do what you need it to, all made by the passionate and exploding community.

These corporate schmucks have pushed you around long enough. Get yourself some software that respects you.

Try FreeCAD. It's free.

https://www.freecadweb.org/

I second Draftsight, been at least 4 years since I touched it but it's an extremely versatile and easy to understand tool. Daussalt also provides detailed tutorials either in the program itself or on their website.

https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

To me, this sounds like a good use for DraftSight, if you're talking about occasional use. It's free, it's very similar to older versions of AutoCAD, and for what I imagine you want to do, it would probably be exactly what you need. It's a little clunky at times, so if you're going to be doing this a lot it might be worth it to buy a better piece of software that you won't need to put as much time into learning/fiddling around with, but if you only need it every once in a while, DraftSight is perfect for that sort of application (in my opinion).

There are basically two types of 3D modeling: Parametric and Direct modeling. You can google a little bit to learn about each of them and know which method suits you better.

Regarding free software I would recommend FreeCAD (https://www.freecadweb.org) for parametric modeling and Blender (https://www.blender.org) for direct modeling. Both of them are open source.

You can find lots of tutorials on YouTube for any of them.

Honestly, nothing even comes close to the "fluidity" of using AutoCAD/LT. I've been using AutoCAD since r9 Dos and the only 2 opensource alts are LibreCAD and QCad and they both suck. So far the best free option out there is NanoCAD. It's like an older version of LT.

https://nanocad.com/products/nanocad-free/

Free for 30 days only AFAICT: https://www.bricsys.com/common/download.jsp

Not seeing a free license option at: https://help.bricsys.com/hc/en-us/articles/360006554494-License-Options

Is there some hidden page with a free download which doesn't time out?

I am a huge fan of McNeels Rhinoceros 5, and use it daily. It is very easy to learn in my opinion, can run on very low spec'd machies, and can export to a number of formats, including .STL.

I'm a big Open-Source advocate, i use it for simulation and I'm able to get everything i need out of Open- source tools. I wanted to love libreCad, but in the end i use Onshape because it is ridiculously easy and their webinars are free and informative. they offer a free tier that I use.

Draftsight should be your choice. Start with the free version, and if you need api's you can then upgrade.

Free download is here: https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

Getting started guide here: http://www.solidworks.com/sw/products/draftsight-getting-started-guide.htm

If you are looking for autocad clones/lookalikes (like draftsight) the best paid option is bricscad. If you just need 2d librecad is free.

Freecad is very different from draftsight, however it's a very good program. It's still in heavy development, a lot of things change between releases.

>DraftSight

DraftSight is not free any more. Details:

​

https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/download-draftsight/

As a result - IMPORTANT:

• DraftSight 2019 for Windows® is offered in paid versions only.
• Once you download and install DraftSight 2019 (free 30-day trial or purchased version), you will no longer be able to redownload or access any previous free version of DraftSight (2018 or earlier).
• All free versions of DraftSight (2018 or earlier) will cease to run after 12/31/2019.

I highly recommend taking a look at Onshape. Its completely web-based, very similar to solidworks workflow, and has a massively growing user base that is able to make their own functions that do whatever you would like. My robotics team uses the program and though it does have its limits, it's been so easily accessible and simple for my students to understand. It's also free for educational purposes.

https://www.onshape.com/

Absolutely, blender is free software for everybody

Blender is released under the GNU General Public License (GPL, or “free software”). https://www.blender.org/about/license/

Is this the solution you were hoping for?

Here's an image.

If so, the issue was in the rail (Sketch1) being a closed profile instead of a simple curve. What I did was change the lines lying on the x axis and y axis to be Construction Lines. That way they aren't included in the selection and Inventor will just use the curve as a rail.

Also, I noticed that there were two lines on top of each other in Sketch1 on the Y Axis. It looks like constraints are applied to both of them, so deleting one line removed some constraints. I just made both line Construction, but in the future you should avoid duplicate entities that occupy the same space, as it makes going back and changing sketches easier. Also removes some headaches when constraining.

I hope this helps!

Dude, you are underestimating the size of this task. You should have no expectation that a polygon file could easily turn into a produced part without a lot of pain.

Save yourself the trouble: http://grabcad.com/library/mq-1-predator-uav

If your course was in autocad, you might want to try Nanocad: its essentially a ripoff of Autocad with the same commands. And its free.

https://nanocad.com/page/WhyNanoCAD

I didnt find it too stable, but then again I crashed Autocad twice on Friday.

Not mentioned in the sidebar but working it's way up: BricsCAD. You can use it for all your mentioned engineering disciplines + there are specialised apps available in the BricsCAD "app store": https://www.bricsys.com/common/applications/?utm_source=store&utm_medium=apps&utm_campaign=store

We use Rhinoceros for programming a laser but a lot of the people in the training class were designing jewelry with it. It has a free mode that limits your saves but it can be re-installed np

Came here to say this.

Draftsight for Mac is in beta.

https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

There's also a bunch of learning materials available from the links off that page.

I used Draftsight for a while, and it worked pretty well. They have a beta version for Ubuntu. Can't attest to how well it may work, but it might be worth a shot. https://www.3ds.com/products-services/draftsight-cad-software/free-download/

From that link, the CSWP sample exam, the one with the purple part. If you can get that one done, perfectly, you can consider yourself good to go.

Just remember, if your answer is just a bit different than the 4 offered answers, you did something wrong. Stop right there and fix the issue. It's important to do that because let's say you have 99.5 and the correct answer is 99.8 (out of "92 105 150 99.8"). It's clearly you are really close to one of those, and you can get a correct answer. The problem is that for next question you'll have to enter the answer mannualy, and there is no way to get it right there.

Remember that the CSWP is actually 3 separate exams (segments). Only after you pass all 3 of those you'll recieve your certificate.

More relevant informations here:

https://www.solidworks.com/certifications/mechanical-design-cswp-mechanical-design

You can also get SolidWorks free for a year through the Entrepreneurs and Startups program. Then if your business is successful you can get into a real commercial license when you are ready at a significant discount.

https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/entrepreneurs-startups

you can buy solidworks certification online https://www.solidworks.com/sw/support/solidworks-certification.htm, but your school might have them for free. i would check with the instructor. maybe a user here (u/koehlr2) can tell you the exact contact if you provide your school. i am CSWP Certified, and have a few additional certs. i did all my solidworks for free, threw work. i am looking to get CSWE certified where i will need to pay $149

~~As far as I understand without having read the fine print, the fact that licenses are "student" editions only require that you fit the requirements of being considered a student to purchase the licenses. Beyond that, you are free to use the software as you please.~~

edit: found an old solidworks EULA from 2012 here: https://www.solidworks.com/sw/docs/EDU_Student_Edition_EULA_US_May_2012.pdf

Relevant quote:

>Eligibility for Student Edition License; Distinctions from Commercial Version.

>— You plan to use the Software and the files created by the Software for your personal learning purposes ONLY, e.g., not for in-person, remote or online instruction; independent consulting work; or any commercial purpose whatsoever. You may, however, use the Software and such files for any preparation of instructional materials for your own use.

Use the Part, not Part-Design module to Loft. There is an icon for lofts there. It's a little square lofting to a large square.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rk6nFuyLJ8

https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Part_Loft

If you're a student, try downloading autocads free student version, and watch some 2D modeling videos from there. It takes many hours to get quick at drawing lines, arcs, circles, fillets, all to scale at the proper length and angle. You might have better luck taking a bunch of pictures of the thing and uploading them using autodesks recap photo to create a 3D printable object likeness. For free online (not good quality or likeness to any widespread software), you could try onshape as a very preliminary start.

They actually posted a blog about using Onshape in a classroom setting a few weeks ago that might be of interest to you! https://www.onshape.com/cad-blog/cad-in-the-classroom-5-best-practices-for-teaching-onshape

I'm starting a basic CAD course at my local hackerspace at the beginning of January, and I'll be using onshape due to the accessibility of it. Being able to see student's individual/team work, as well as a complete history that they cannot modify would be a big help, as even in my university classes there were still students who would try and cheat on even the most simple homework.

https://www.amazon.com/Tamiya-300012047-12-Scale-Ferrari-Assembly/dp/B0076SN01K

Like that? Haha

I did a T56 transmission model once with Creo and the mechanism module so it actually worked Really fun project

If I understand your problem, you need to change the origin of the resulting model, right? One way to do that would be to use Blender. I'm guessing you already know about Blender, but just in case you don't- it's free, open-source, and available here: https://www.blender.org/

Once you have Blender, try this:
1) import your STL into a new Blender file
2) hit the tab key to enter edit mode
3) hit "A" to select all of the vertices
4) hit "G" (short for "grab") to start moving the model
5) move the model until the origin is at the right location relative to the geometry
6) hit tab again to exit edit mode
7) export the selected object as an STL (or other file) and continue with the rest of the process

If you just move the model itself (in object mode), it won't have any effect on the origin point. But by entering edit mode and selecting all of the vertices, you actually change the relationship between the model and the origin. So, if you wanted to move the origin point 2 units to the left, you could move all of the vertices 2 units to the right and end up with the same result.

Hope that helps!

Before you get too involved in this project with overly complicated things, I really think something like this would work:

https://www.etsy.com/listing/69397398/red-handheld-grocery-counter-vintage

Its mechanical, but quite simple, so I see no reasons it wouldn't work underwater. At most making the buttons bigger so they can be hit on the go might be needed.

Hell, I'll go even more old-school and suggest you take a look at an abacus. No. I'm not joking.

If these ideas still need refinement, you might want to come up with a budget and put that in any follow up posts you start on this topic. Its an interesting idea, but the mortgage and car loan don't get paid by "interesting ideas", if you get my drift.

If you're wanting to generate gears in CAD, first off I don't think many (if any) people do it by hand anymore. It's tedious, and there's a reason for it being called Computer Assisted Drafting. There are scripts, tools, plugins, etc for this sort of thing. Some quick ones I know of off the top of my head include this and this. If you look for something like 'gear generator dxf' (or maybe even go with vectors a la svg if this is purely a graphics design thing), you should be able to find some stuff to work with. Best of luck!

I was thinking Inkscape (Draw Freely) but yeah. Any of the major vector drawing apps could do this in the hands of a graphic artist.

Several cues point to this being "hand" drawn with a vector tool. In particular, the irregular spacing of the vertical runs in the red and black 12V lines from the batteries at bottom speaks to someone laying out the lines to produce the graphic. The 12V battery bevels are a little too complex to be from a CAD tool and look like someone drew them from primitives. The array of connectors extending across the battery boundaries in different ways also speaks to a rapid manual sketch.

I was able to roll this using the Bend Part command. I updated the layout sketch to give me the radius, part length, and angle. From this I extruded the part the arc length. I added a sketch on the side of the part and added a bend line in the middle. I used the bend part command using that line and the radius and angle to bend the part. Note that the part needs to be a standard part type and not sheet metal for this to work.

If you need to add any features roll your end of part command above the bend feature.

The file should be here.

The straightforward boolean that you were trying to do in the first place should work fine in this case. The reason it's not is because your meshes are probably of a low quality or erroneous in some way.

Get yourself MeshMixer and it will probably boolean fine. For additional mesh cleanup there's project memento, [MeshLab](www.meshlab.org), among others. Some combination of these tools will definitely get you where you want to be; you're not working with meshes that difficult.

> "professional" world has taken notice as well (source:
>
>https://www.g2.com/products/fusion-360/reviews
>
> ).

To be fair, it is only 350 reviews, I haven't spoken with one company that uses Fusion 360. I will admit, I am sure this is a micro portion of the professional user base.

Any CAM from the last 15 years would be more than adequate for this but it's interesting that you specify easy/intuitive yet the end specification is ultimate performance. Those two kinds of requirements are almost always at odds with one another.

I digress....

As I said, any CAM system from the last decade and a half would be fine. The online world of Instagram machinists have embraced Fusion 360 quite heavily with it displacing to one extent or another nearly every other software (source: https://www.cnccookbook.com/cnccookbook-2021-cam-survey-whats-the-best-cam/ ) and the "professional" world has taken notice as well (source: https://www.g2.com/products/fusion-360/reviews ).

Note: the CNC Cookbook poll is based on price not functionality for its tiers, so take that as you will. Also note, I work for Autodesk and am clearly biased but my two sources are totally independent.

Here's what you should do right away. http://www.vectorworks.net/getting-started-guides

Then you should overnight this book. http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00CSXWUF0

Learn how to use the truss tool, the plugin lighting objects, class and layers, and that dimensions go in the viewport annotations and not in the design layer and they should feel alright training you from there.

Hey OP, a quick search on GrabCad showed me a few results of the Pixar lamp.

http://grabcad.com/library?per_page=20&query=pixar

Now i am not sure what program those were made in or the dimensions but i hope it can give you an idea of what you need.

GrabCAD is the hot ticket. Here is a comparison with Dropbox. I know the several of the people at GrabCAD. They know what they're doing.

I found a site where someone had modeled a golf ball in proe. It looks like they did a lot of work to get there, but that should be a good enough starting point for you. I will keep an eye out.

http://grabcad.com/questions/how-to-create-golf-ball-in-pro-e-r5-0

This seems a good place to start, and also the wikipedia page on gears -- bear in mind that the concept of a gear goes much further than a cylinder with teeth, and you'll find that there are some very cool (and wonky) proof-of-concept gear profiles which do in fact work.

Good luck!

This should work:

http://grabcad.com/library/professional-track-race-car-for-latin-american-market

I think you might have to create an account to download it, but it's free.

EDIT: That assembly is super complex and probably a bit much if you're just going to put it in the back of your actual design... but try searching grabcad. It's a pretty good site

Grabcad is often a great place to look for solid models of whatever you need. If they don't have what you need, you can put up an "ad" for someone to make it for you. I'm already a member so i can just go ahead and make one for you if you'd like.

To clarify, Bricscad Shape is 100% free forever and is targeted specifically at conceptual architectural models, like the dream house.

The download & installation does include a 30 day trial of the entire Bricscad package. Naturally, they hope you'll be intrigued and purchase a license at one of the other levels. After the 30 days, though, the free Shape license is still active.

You could take a look at BricsCAD (BIM). It enables you to design like SketchUp (pull/push), put in in your BIM data and make detailed 2D sections. Everything is done in .DWG, so you will learn it very quickly, and they have perpetual licenses for a good price. They also have a free trial for 30 days, tutorial movies and ebooks so you can get started very quickly :) It's like an AutoCAD on steroids and with a customer centric mindset :p

https://www.bricsys.com/

ArchiCAD en Revit are also very good but I think, for what you do, it's overkill and expensive.

Yes, actually you need at least BricsCAD version Pro to run it. When you download the 30day trial (and register) you automatically get to use BricsCAD Platinum. There's no demo video available at the moment. BIM Module page: https://www.bricsys.com/common/applications/application.jsp?app=70&apploc=1123

You can get access to Rhino for Mac for free at the moment. It's a neverending work in progress, but very usable. Things it's missing include a legit plotting feature (better to export to .ai) and a built-in script editor (though I wrote a small script that at least gives you basic repl access) but is otherwise quite usable. Admittedly I have AutoCAD and Rhino on Windows for whenever it falls short, but for 3d printing or other purely digital work I haven't used Windows in ages.

I don't think it would be easy because you want to change only part of the drawing. I would resize the whole thing and then just change slots back to intended size. I also suggest using Draftsight because it's free (as in free beer) and made by professionals.

The only two programs which I've encountered which might work along those lines are Shapr3D for the iPad Pro w/ Pencil and Moment of Inspiration for Windows/Mac, but I haven't been able to justify buying either yet.

Sure I can design it and even print it for you, portfolio.

But FYI, one of the mods at /r/3Dprinting has a herbal grinder already designed, it uses planetary gears: https://www.youmagine.com/designs/herb-grinder

Check out 3DEXPERIENCE SOLIDWORKS for Makers - $99 per year and the xDesign and xShape apps will work on your ipad. You'll also get SOLIDWORKS to install locally on your PC

https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/makers

You can get Solidworks for very reduced prices if you are a starting entrepreneur. It will do the equation based parametric modeling you are looking for. It will also produce drawings. There are a ton of youtube tutorials to follow.

https://www.solidworks.com/solution/company-type/entrepreneurs-startups

>If not, do you know any investors who might want to help me create and bring a product with these attributes to market?

You aren't going to be able to take on Dassault or AutoDesk. They have been doing this for decades with millions of dollars. These software packages are very advanced and refined, that is why they are so expensive.

SW is also free if you're using it for personal use/hobbyist use (I believe simulation features do cost, but they don't cost $4000. more like ~$50 USD ish, I forgot the exact number)
https://www.solidworks.com/support/community-download#no-back

Solidworks isn't free for hobbyists. On their site it states:

​

> The SOLIDWORKS® for Entrepreneur Program provides new start-up companies the following benefits:
>
>12-month licenses of SOLIDWORKS products for CAD, simulation, visualization, and more

For them the "start-up company" is:

​

> SOLIDWORKS sponsors early-stage hardware startups with less than $1MM in funding, less than $1MM in lifetime revenue, and selling their own physical product. SOLIDWORKS does not accept service companies or consultants.

​

So, if you apply for the terms, you will have a 12 month trial, that's all. Inventor has the same but for 3 years. Fusion is a different story - that it is really free for hobbyists.

Besides that, you cannot do a lemon like in Autodesk products ( :) ) because only the Autodesk products have the T-Splines which is regarded (one of) the best organic / free-form modelling CAD engines available. If you really want a lemon, learn to use this engine. In Inventor is on 3D model tab, "Create Freeform" pane.

Consider FreeCAD. A lot of people will highlight that it has rough edges and, while that's not entirely false, so do most other packages too. The upside with FreeCAD is that not only is it free, but since it's open-source, you are guaranteed continued access to your content- no trusting Autodesk to keep your tool available and/or your data accessible.

There's certainly no downside in at least downloading it and giving it a go- check it out here: https://www.freecadweb.org/

Yes, it has a large breadth of uses (CAD, BIM, FEA, CFD, etc.) but because the scope of the program is so big it has a long way to go still. The project needs contributors, so shill mode engaged: https://www.freecadweb.org/wiki/Help_FreeCAD if anyone is interested.

I don't use Blender, but when i was learning AutoCAD i spent a lot of time reading/looking up commands in the online reference material. I'm pretty sure the section you're looking is on the left, Modeling.

https://www.blender.org/manual/contents.html

Ok, AutoCAD is great for 2D. it's free for "students," however you want to define that. You'll have to learn some basics, though, like how to set units and limits, how to draw and edit simple shapes. SketchUP is a better bet. It's a 3D environment that you can use to make 2D (plan) views. There a ton of content online already made, so no creating things from scratch if you don't want to. My favorite is Chief Architect- look it up and try the free version- it's quite a kick, and a LOT easier to use than commercial-grade BIM software like ArchiCAD or Revit. I also found a couple of free floor plan tool with a simple google search: https://www.cadpro.com/cad-pro-uses/floor-plan-software/ AND http://www.floorplanner.com/about I'd avoid both Solidworks and Inventor: they are for mechanical design and do not lend themselves to interior design projects very nicely.

well, first you got to find out what CAD-software they are using... its gonna be an uphill battle though - but you might be able to find affordable tutorials on udemy.com.
(The courses are almost always on 90-95% sale - so you dont have to pay more that 11-25$ pr. course)

You're not a potential customer but you don't sound like competition either, so no harm in replying.

You're right about the touchscreen accuracy thing, nobody has really solved it yet. Although I'm surprised at how rigidly people have been thinking about touch interfaces. The only people I know of doing it well right now are FiftyThree. I'll post a link to the video of our solution in a week or two when its made public, but it's best to actually use it, that's what we do.

Whatever way the app market works, the touchscreen/mobile thing is here to stay, that cat is out of the bag. People haven't exploited it properly yet but that will change and IT is right at the start of that process. This app is our entry point, the future plans are even more surprising. I wish I could show people the interface for the iPhone version, its completely different to anything people imagine.

That said, I really don't know if I want to change your mind. You're an expert in hardware, there is plenty of scope for development in that. I'm curious, how did you get into that kind of work and what sort of things you've done that need CAD type accuracy? I spent a while looking into getting some hardware specifically for the app, for demo and shows. The problem is that there seem to be no way to get iOS on a screen bigger than an iPad. The app deliberately avoids using iOS too deeply (to make porting easy) so I could try a device with a minimal unix/linux OS.

ONSHAPE ALL THE WAY!!! Onshape is insanely easy to learn, and I mean REALLY REALLY easy. not just that, but despite it's super easy interface, It does not lack ANY features compared to something like solidworks. It is cloud based, and everything is saved in the cloud. plus, its free, so whats to loose.

Onshape.

Hopefully it changes your life the same way it changed mine. I use it for all my personal projects. It is free as long as you're willing to make your designs public.

If there's an API for OnShape's app (not sure if there is, or even if they have an iOS app) you could probably take the live model and make it work with Cardboard without having to do full renderings.

Edit: Just did some quick searching, OnShape does indeed have an iOS app, and they also have an API. Not sure if their API covers mobile as well, but it could be worth a shot. https://www.onshape.com/api-access

Just given a base and height dimension, you have to assume a rectangular cross section (in this case it has rounded corners). You don't have to note 90 degree angles in a drawing, but you have to call out anything else.

This may be helpful: https://www.slideshare.net/mobile/shameem.mist/engineering-drawing

ball end torx

For screw heads most are pressed so it doesn't matter the shape, for tools hex is easier to just use hex bar and draw down to size then cut off and bend but torx isn't that bad to make in a mill if you need something special. When I made special tools I made hex on the mill too, I would say 50% more machine time for a torx.

The torx can apply quite a bit more torque with it's 12 points of contact than a hex can, and with automated assembly, torx works much better as well.

Get something like this Belt Clip or similar, get a bar blade, drill holes and rivet the belt clip to it. I’m not sure I understand the drink staining part.

I use a pirated version of a CAD software downloaded via torrent since I can't afford to buy it and it's kind of "legal" in our country, that means you can't be arrested because of using a torrent downloaded software.

I managed then to easily get a free student licence of Autodesk Inventor 2018.

My advice is that if you use a pirated software (for any reason) just use it for your own, don't share your work and use a VPN (TunnelBear is a free one).

ok I will take a look at it. I created a sketch (its in the folder as a pdf) with pencil and paper if you want to take a look at it. I also changed the folder because I created new parts. Would you be able to take a look at it. I can not get the star to fit into the base for some reason. I checked the measurements of the wholes to the base of the star, but it still does not want to go in. I am trying to constraint it, but it is going all weird and all lol.

The new folder link: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/8ruukh0kh6rvqbj/6O6UCZ5pjH

Not explicitly about that type of software (as in the actual code), but this is a good book about the math behind it all: https://www.amazon.com/Geometric-Modeling-mathematics-Nikolay-Golovanov/dp/1497473195/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2FYPM9G5F28NH&keywords=geometric+modeling&qid=1668889475&sprefix=geometric+modeling%2Caps%2C95&sr=8-1

Funny thing is my CAD laptop just died and I bought a $3000 thinkpad. It runs 1000+ part solidworks assemblies quite well. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08WJK7983?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

I use a trackball, I'd rather just move my thumb than move my whole arm around.

Specifically I just picked up the new Logitech MX ERGO and I'm loving it so far. I have my home PC and my work PC right next to each other, and this trackball switches seamlessly between them. Very cool feature!

You can buy a USB or PCIe parallel port and attach it to any PC.

Don't list the part numbers or revisions on the face of your drawings. That information should only be in your database. Add a layer of abstraction between your database and drawings. On the drawing's parts list you would have an "item" number, description, and quantity called out.

For example, let's say the trophy top level assembly is part #12345 that contains the common base subassembly (#54321 rev A). On the parts list of 12345, it would show item 10, "BASE", Qty: 1. The database would have the information to link 12345 item 10 to part number 54321. As long as you don't change the fit or function of 54321, you can revise it and continue using it on the final assembly. If/when you revise 54321, there is no need to revise drawing 12345 because there is no information to change there.

The database should be your source of information for the BOM. If you start listing part numbers and revisions on the drawing part lists, you create a secondary source of information that must be maintained. When the 2 sources conflict, and they will eventually conflict, you have to put on your investigator hat and track down which one is right.

This is really a question of documentation control. I suggest the following books:

• Engineering documentation control handbook by Frank Watts
• Bills of Material for a lean Enterprise by Dave Garwood

I remember a product, flushable wet wipes, except they're marketed specifically to men because they thought wet wipes were too feminine.

They're called "Butt wipes for him"

There was an app called... lemme look it up... Moblo 3D furniture drawing.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=fr.moblo

it's not CAD, it's more like 3D modeling with lumber and woodworking materials, gives you a cut list and everything. You could easily use it for a deck. My brother loves it. I personally want something more like you, something more like Onshape.

That being said, I've always been pretty satisfied with a giant spiral notebook of graph paper, a mechanical pencil, and a ruler. I mean it is just 2D, right? It's faster anyways.

Onshape has a custom feature for patterns, I think i have two different ones added to my toolbar. Line weight would be nice but you could use colors to distinguish certain features of your drawing. You could make all the enclosed geometry surfaces and colorize certain parts. You could select multiple shapes at once and add a color to all of them at once, there's even an appearance tab on the right of the screen that controls all the different colors for the parts faces and surfaces. Goodluck.

Sounds like you know what the problem is you just don't know how to fix it. You say that "I don't come from a engineering/manufacturing background." You are correct that this is a dis-advantage. Try the following:

1. If you work at a company that has a manufacturing division ask to be "out on the floor" for a week or two get an understanding of how your designs are utilized. Honestly a good boss should have already arranged this for you.
2. If this is not possible do everything you can to educate yourself on the pros and cons of different manufacturing methods. Choosing to design an injection molded part is going to be a completely different design than a cast or machined part. The best book that I have ever run across that does a really good job at explaining the differences is linked below. Good luck!!

Design for Manufacturability Handbook (Amazon)

If you're interested in learning Creo Parametric (high end used by a lot of top companies), over 200 free videos on this YouTube channel:

https://tinyurl.com/CreoParametric

OnShape is probably the best-known web-based CAD. I've also recently learned of JS.Sketcher. After a quick test, it seems to work on my phone. You should be able to download and run it locally without needing a network connection, but I haven't tried that yet.

Just bought V2, works great for SW.

V1: Razer DeathAdder Essential Gaming Mouse: 6400 DPI Optical Sensor - 5 Programmable Buttons - Mechanical Switches - Rubber Side Grips - Classic Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07F7T8J9P/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_D0JGH7QGZYA298XRR38W V2: Razer DeathAdder V2 Gaming Mouse: 20K DPI Optical Sensor - Fastest Gaming Mouse Switch - Chroma RGB Lighting - 8 Programmable Buttons - Rubberized Side Grips - Classic Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082G5SPR5/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_QTP9P6ZGHY1SR9F1ERPG

Get a copy of Basic Technical Drawing, it's like 3 bucks. http://www.barnesandnoble.com/listing/2671580769380?r=1&kpid=2671580769380&cm_mmc=GooglePLA-_-TextBook_NotInStock_26To75-_-Q000000633-_-2671580769380 Awesome reference. You don't need to memorize everything, but you can use it to look up specifics, like your dimensioning conventions question. Plus, you'll get a thousand cool parts and assemblies to draw in your off time to sharpen your skills. Sucks that your schooling is focusing on the tool (software) and not the application of the tool to a specific discipline. Sadly, a LOt of places run like this. I've been teaching CAD & Drafting for 15 years, and we are very focused on helping students to use the software tools to create construction documents and shop drawings in a variety of field. My own background is in woodworking & custom cabinetry; I'd be happy to give you some specific info and help either in a PM or over the phone if you're in the US.

Have you tried Blender's tutorials?

https://www.blender.org/support/tutorials/

Once you're solid there, there's plenty of tutorials out there on character modeling.

You should hit up /r/blender, /r/blenderTutorials and /r/3Dmodeling.

Ahh I see, I just inspected the drawing and found these two squares which I used to extrude the pins from...

If you think using Solidworks to convert it will difference, here's the updated file: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6p-RdH-0NNIYzhKNXlBLUhfV2s/edit?usp=sharing

Thank you very much once again! :)

In terms of free/low-cost cad packages, I prefer Onshape. Onshape offers multi-device support since it is browser-based.

Click here to know about onshape's free plan

I use a 48" 4k OLED that will do 120Hz as will any of the modern LG OLEDs I believe. Not quite 144 but close enough.

If you don't have an HDMI 2.1 output though, you will need a displayport -> HDMI adapter that will allow you to use the higher refresh rate at that resolution. I've used this one with success!

thanks guys! I'm still working on it, but I did split it so I can mirror the other half later. I want to put a slider on top.. I want to put a slider on top, but I'll have to print a few copies to align everything just write. :)

https://www.tinkercad.com/things/jiOgvag5Pgr-light-switch-automation

inkscape handles save as dxf. i have used it for laser cutter. and its free.

https://inkscape.org/

for laser the only important part was setting the width of the lines to hairline. other than that it was all just path edits.

see if inkscape will open it?

https://inkscape.org

if you have a pdf of it. inkscape will convert it to a vector drawing that AutoCAD can open

it's my usual goto for troublesome files.

In my opinion the easiest way to create the gears would be using the gear generation tools of your software. Many commercial CAD programs have a wizard to create the profiles, introducing the modulus (or the diametral pitch) and the number of teeth to create the profile. The rounded profile of your R1 design is nice, but if you are creating it "by hand" in your CAD program it's going to be tedious.

I've made some test with FreeCAD, the modulus 6 profile seems to be suitable for 1/4" cutter, download the files for the modulus 6 and 24 teeth (m=6 z=24) and the m=6 z=12 profile and check if they roll easily. Mind the units, I'm using milimeters... The big gear should have about 6.5 inches (168 mm) of diameter. It's a fast test, the small gear doesn't have the holes in the archimedean spiral pattern where the pen goes.

I think that it is an easy and fun project if you use some aid to create the gear profiles.

I'm not sure if you can apply total runout to this part. The only proper application I've seen is on the face of an arbor or gear. Take a look at slide 27 for an example. I think runout requires an axis as the datum reference.

I have also used SelfCAD https://www.selfcad.com. It has great features and you can get the full feature set for $14.99 per month. They also have free pricing tier which may be enough for what you're designing.

Gonna copy and paste a response to someone else if ya don't mind.

How do people get STEP files? This is how I got my STL file:

I used https://convertio.co/jpg-svg/ to convert a JPEG to SVG.

Then I used TinkerCAD to convert the SVG to an STL by extruding it.

So is there somewhere along the way I could take a different direction and end up with a STEP file?

If you're looking for something to start, I would probably recommend Solidworks then.

The licensing is extremely expensive, you're right on that. But it's also extremely easy to use. Considering most firms I've had contact with say they use it it's probably for the best that you find a way to get your hands on it. (By any means. How you interpret that is up to you.)

​

Aside from that though I know Autodesk Inventor isn't bad from what little usage I have of it. That's more of a shot in the dark idea though so take it with a grain of salt.

​

I've never trusted sites that offer free stuff but if you're interested here's a link to a website I stumbled upon not too long ago. No idea if any of the programs on it are even worth the time but it's something.

https://directory.fsf.org/wiki/Category/Business/cad

This is less CAD (solid modeling) and more 3D Modeling (mesh-freeform-skulpting).

You'd want someone that knows Maya, Blender, Skuptris, Zbrush, 3dsmax, etc. Any of those subreddits (if available) would probably be a better fit. Upwork.com or any other freelancing site may be another avenue.

If you'd like, PM me and I can forward you etsy info of a person I use for that kind of modeling.

Either way expect $25-50/hr and probably budget a 2-4 hours for what looks like a fairly simple sculpt. That's just my personal guestimate.

If you want simple gear design software, try Woodgears's Gear Template Generator.

If you want to play around with more complicated mechanisms, with springs and things, and 2D would be acceptable, perhaps Algodoo would suit. (Not really CAD, but much easier to get something "working".)

I'd suggest running bootcamp, it allows you to run Windows as if it were a native operating system instead of just a virtual machine which has limited access to the CPU and memory.

I have done this on my macbook (I use AutoCAD on mac) and use this partition to run CFD simulations.

Once you have it set up all you need to do to switch OS is restart the computer. You can also access all of the files stored on the Mac OS' file system when on the windows partition and vice versa which makes things lot easier.

Was the model originally created in SpaceClaim, or was it imported?

Chances are that you need to repair the model geometry before trying to do a shell. See http://www.spaceclaim.com/en/Solutions/GeometryRepair.aspx

Download TrueView from Autodesk to open and print your dwg & dxf files. As long as you can find the drivers for your particular plotter that are compatible with the version of Windows you are using, you can print from any program you want.

EDIT: This is not a CAD problem as much as a Windows driver problem. Your biggest challenge is going to be to find the correct drivers for that plotter. It is so old that it has probably not had a set of specific drivers written for it since probably XP, so you have your work cut out for you.

This should be resolved by installing SP3 for Vectorworks 2014:

http://www.vectorworks.net/downloads/ServicePack.php?major=2014&servicepack=3

Make sure you have Vectorworks CLOSED before updating.