AutoCAD?

Want to design your own teardrop or tiny travel trailer. You can do that in 2D or 3D. We keep our secrets in here!

Postby pebo » Wed Oct 11, 2006 9:59 am

Rob,

I can't help you with what book to get, because it has been years since I've picked up an AutoCad book. But I can tell you that the majority of the books I have gone through won't come out and tell you how to draw in 3d. Autodesk sells LT as their 2d software and that is pretty much the stand of most people that write books on it. But if it is all you have and you don't want to spend money you could be using to build a TearDrop buying more software, I will let you know that it can be done and the book that you have can help if you key on the right features. Stick with wireframe and learn to use Layers, when a drawing gets complicated specially in 3d you have to be able to turn layers on and off to clean things up. Learn and understand the UCS and how to move it around that is invaluable in drawing 3d in LT. Learn the Thickness command that alone will save you tons of time. Learn 3d Cartesian Cordinates, the better you know this the easier it will be. Then once you learn to draw 3d wireframe in LT download the free Google Sketchup program. Import your LT wireframe into it and then shade, surface and texture to your hearts content. You can do fly arounds and walk throughs and pretty much see exactly what your finished TearDrop will look like. The one thing to remember is that LT has limits in 3d the biggest being spheres, but then how many times have you tried wrapping a sheet of plywood around a sphere, but it does the stick and sheet goods that we home builders use, just fine.
Below is a design I am working on using LT and SketchUP you of course can't see it but every board, tube, sheet of plywood is actually in there just as if i built it in the computer.
All that to tell you that LT can be a great design tool if you have patience and go about it the right way.

Hope this helps,

Peter


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Postby mikeschn » Wed Oct 11, 2006 6:12 pm

Hi Peter,

Welcome to the forum. It looks like you've got a handle on autocad! Are you using Inventor? Just wondered...

Mike...

P.S. Did you know you are just a hop and a skip from me...???
The quality is remembered long after the price is forgotten, so build your teardrop with the best materials...
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Postby pebo » Thu Oct 12, 2006 6:34 am

Hi Mike,

No I don't use Inventor never have, would sure like to try it though. But for now I use patience and what I have access to, AutoCadLT 2004. My experience with AutoCad goes all the way back to version 2 or 3 running on an 8086 machine. But now days I don't work were they use full blown AutoCad and it is way to expensive to own the full version for a guy that just likes drawing. I did get a call from a woman at Autodesk just this week and she was saying that the 2007 version of LT does have 3d. But she was just a sales lead person and couldn't answer any real questions about it except to tell me they would give me a deal at $2000 a seat if I upgrade by the end of the year. Ouch! not exactly cheap anymore.

Yes, I did realize that I am just up the road from you. I use to live in Lake Orion and I still work just down the road from you in Goodison.

Great site and lot's of helpful information.

Peter
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Postby coy_t_2000 » Mon Aug 11, 2008 9:08 pm

I' ve been a cad drafter for the last ten years drawing houses at an archtectural firm. If you get the AUTODESK copy of an Auto cad book it will tell you how to draw in 3-D however, if you really want to learn take a beginning class at your local community college it's not really that costly. If you learn to project lines in your drawings, 3-D will really be a waste of time; though the 3-D looks really cool.
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