Drawing programs

[Steve Maskery]

Hi all,
Can anyone recommend a drawing program?

I use AutoCad LT97 for workshop drawings, and it's fine, I know how to use it and can produce my drawings quickly. But it's not very good at producing illustative drawings, for the web, say. In particular, it doesn't handle surfaces or hidden lines well and its output to JPEG or GIF format is hopeless.

Any ideas, anyone?

Thanks
Steve

 

[Anonymous]

Hi Steve

I used Autocad in industry for years and now use Solid Edge which is very much easier. You develop the drawings in 3D with 3rd angle projections being automatically generated. Pricey but superb

 

[thomaskennedy]

What about sketchup?

Thats a really easy program to use (although it can be a bit limiting to what you can do sometimes :roll: )

Not too expensive either, and you can download a demo here

Hope this helps...

Ta, Tom

 

[Knot Competent]

I'll second the suggestion of SketchUp. I found it a few months ago, and enjoy using it. I'm non-technical where computers and programmes are concerned, but I use SketchUp to good effect, with pleasing results (pleasing for me and for clients).

As has been said, there's a free trial version on the Net, what do you have to loose?

Regards, John

 

[Philly]

Steve
Another Sketchup user here! It really is easy to use, and very powerful. Great if CAD bores you to death, but enough serious stuff to keep the rest happy.
Give it a go!
Cheers
Philly

 

[Signal]

Sketchup, perfect for producing "illustration" type drawings and for those of us who cant get their heads round the likes of ACAD, gawd knows ive tried and tried and tried.....

Signal

 

[Steve Maskery]

Well Sketchup certainly seems to get the thumbs up. I'll try it. But am I right in thinking it costs $475? That is a bit (!) more than I had in mind. I don't mind coughing up a bit, but not that much.

BTW, I've downloaded something called X11, which had a really good pic as a tempter, but it doesn't seem to be remotely user-friendly, and I consider myself to be reasonbly good with CAD in general (does anyone remember DOGS from the 1980s? I worked for PAFEC). I've also got access to CATIA V, which is industry-standard in the car business, but it is VERY difficult to learn. And it costs a couple of limbs.

Thank you all for your input, I'll keep you posted as to what I do.

Cheers all
Steve

 

[woodshavings]

Could be good news from Sketchup re pricing. I got the following response from Brad Schell a few days ago when I emailed him regarding a less expensive version.

Hi John,
You are hitting my soft spot! A less expensive version of SketchUp is my pet project. No promises as to when or if it will happen, but I am pushing for it.
Much happiness in 2005.
Take care,
-Brad

I have used the trial (free) version and like it a lot. I would probably buy a less expensive version.

John

 

[ike]

Take a peek at this. I use this professionally for plastic moulding design. It has modelling tools matching some high end software that costs 10 times the price, and IMO is simply the best 3D NURBS based modeller you can buy for the money. It includes a basic rendering package, but the 'Flamingo' plug-in for truly photo-realistic output is superb - not quite in 3D Studio territory but close.

It's more 'designer' oriented than 'draughting', with lots of freeform tools, but you can dimension and generate orthographic views automatically from a model.

Ike

 

[Neil]

Could be good news from Sketchup re pricing. .... I would probably buy a less expensive version.

Good news, John - the only thing which would worry me is what they would chop out of the cheap version, as I find it fairly limited already!

does anyone remember DOGS from the 1980s? I worked for PAFEC

Unfortunately, yes! :lol: I had to use PAFEC up until two years ago!

NeilCFD

 

[Steve Maskery]

Neil
You were still using PAFEC stuff TWO YEARS ago? It must have been awful! Cutting edge in its day, of course, but we've all moved on since then, thank goodness.

BTW, did you know that one of Dick's criteria when he started the company was to produce a 2d CAD program that could be sold in the marketplace for less than £100,000.

I kid you not. Told you it was cutting edge!

Cheers
Steve

 

[houtslager]

there is always TURBO-CAD I believe it is now v10 - but v 7 .1 is free from IMSI.com

 

[Neil]

BTW, did you know that one of Dick's criteria when he started the company was to produce a 2d CAD program that could be sold in the marketplace for less than £100,000.

That really is cutting edge :lol: - makes Sketchup look positively cheap!

Neil

 

[cambournepete]

there is always TURBO-CAD I believe it is now v10 - but v 7 .1 is free from IMSI.com

I can't find it

 

[Hans]

I have been using TurboCAD for some years now.
Started with the free 2D version then.
Bought the light 3D version last year using a special offer for €69 (£ 46 ) IIRC.
It took some time to get used to, but I am reasonably satisfied with it now.
http://www.turbocad.com/
It could be they stopped releasing older versions for free.

Hans