Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper

   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #31  
I also use AutoCAD at work, so that is how I normally do things. Pencil and paper still get used from time-to-time, but CAD is nice if there are moving parts. You can use the software to simulate the motions to check for interferences.
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #32  
By the time I become proficiency with these I will be too old to remember why I started it.. :laughing:,, Lou
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #33  
I have dabbeled in Autocad, Correl, Rhino, Sketch-up and a bunch of other programs. I cant seem to grasp the concept. Most of my projects are drawn up inside my head. I will think about the project for a pretty long time before I actually do the work. Somecases, even years. Once I get it all worked out in my head, I start the project working on the fly. Once I know what I want, and how I want it to look, just give me some wood or metal, a tape measure and something to hold it all together and get out of the way.
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #34  
I finally got comfortable using sketch up. I like it because it works well as far as printing isometric drawings that I can orint out and carry over to the workshop.
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #35  
I actually find CorelDraw to be very accurate.... i even made some gears with it.

heres the coral drawing for my front gate


and the actual gate.


i make lots of intricate items for other people. i used to make alot of one piece log brackets for timber frame and log homes.....items that locked the logs in place with elk head shapes, etc. the economy sure crushed that side job.
 

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   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper
  • Thread Starter
#36  
Here's the plan for the cab I'm building.

View attachment 295724

A person with an artistic mind doesn't always need the help of a drawing.
It can be fun to to just start working and see how things go.
what I like about steel is the fact you can add to it, change it, move it ,twist it, punch holes....
Very nice progress on your cab.
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #37  
I actually find CorelDraw to be very accurate.... i even made some gears with it.

heres the coral drawing for my front gate


and the actual gate.


i make lots of intricate items for other people. i used to make alot of one piece log brackets for timber frame and log homes.....items that locked the logs in place with elk head shapes, etc. the economy sure crushed that side job.

CorelDraw is great for things like your gates, which turned out very nicely; but CorelDraw is only good to 1/1000" and the cumulative error piles up quickly if one regularly works with 16th's, 32nd's, and 64th's.
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #38  
Short and most accurate answer: Whatever works for you. :)
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #39  
A person with an artistic mind doesn't always need the help of a drawing.
It can be fun to to just start working and see how things go.
what I like about steel is the fact you can add to it, change it, move it ,twist it, punch holes....
Very nice progress on your cab.

Thanks. I do enjoy going with the flow on some projects. It may be that since there's no real drawing to follow, anything that works out is OK. With the cab, there were many details that worked themselves out when they became issues with the build. I didn't have the knowledge/experience to realize what I'd run into as it progressed but was confident there were solutions to any problems that were to arise.

Exterior of the cab is finished. Now it needs glass installed and some interior touches.
 
   / Ways of sketching out new ideas, CAD, Paint, Pencil / Paper #40  
It all depends...

Most things are done in my head as I work with available materials (much of which is pre-used). Sometimes AutoBIC (BIC = Pen manufacturer in the UK). Or if it requires some accuracy I do sections with AutoCAD proper.

If I'm getting stuff made or cut by outside shops, I send it out as AutoCAD files via email as it makes it easier to draw accurately and some shops have estimating programmes that work with AutoCAD to give reasonably quick accurate quotes, plus if they need extra dimensions they have the original drawing on AutoCAD to get dimensions from.
 
 
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