What Do You Use To Draw/design Projects?

Engineers chalk and a peice of 1/4 plate then wing it on the rest .In fairness i wish i was more upto speed with drawing programs and computors but im not
, so a lot of my projects i just engineer in head and scrible a few measurements down on paper on the fly.

Is there such a drawing program for such computor illiterate people like me ?
 
I've been using various versions of DesignCad over the years. I have tried Fusion 360 but couldn't even manage to place a line of a certain length in a specific part of the page.
I'm a model engineer and I'd rather be machining than computing and don't want to waste too much time on learning how to use a new system.
Brian
 
Just downloaded a copy of 3D Slash. It says it is geared for 7th grade Students, maybe now I have a fighting chance.:grin:. Won't know how smart 7th graders are till I dig into it. Will post more when success warrants it.
 
I use google sketchup. To me it is a lot like drawing with pencil and paper. And everything is in 3D. Much easier to visualize than looking at 3 different 2D images. And you can spin it to see your drawing from any angle. I have spent hours trying to learn some of the CAD programs like turbo cad and draftsight without success. I bought the book Sketchup for Dummies which was a great help on the finer points of Sketchup.
 
I have a drafting and mechanical drawing background (t-square and angles). Been on SolidWorks since 2001. I learned from their supplied tutorials and from a few books. I think SW could do everything it does today by v.2003, only the trimmings (and the licensing requirements) have changed. It's ideal for the parts and assemblies I play with, so if the project needs computer design, that's what I use.
 
mickri said:
I use google sketchup. To me it is a lot like drawing with pencil and paper. And everything is in 3D. Much easier to visualize than looking at 3 different 2D images. And you can spin it to see your drawing from any angle. I have spent hours trying to learn some of the CAD programs like turbo cad and draftsight without success. I bought the book Sketchup for Dummies which was a great help on the finer points of Sketchup.
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Didn't even know that program was still around. I started messing with that a number of years ago, but glad I did not put too much time into it. It has some serious limitations when it comes to certain operations (like the number facets in a circle just to name one). With Fusion, the tool path program is already baked into it also. I would bet that you find Fusion easy to learn if you know how to draw in Sketchup, but Fusion is light years ahead of Sketchup in functionality and power to perform. just my opinion though.
 
I rarely ever draw anything, usually just run from a basic concept in my head, occasionally I might make a crude sketch with a few dimensions, only so I can remember them. I have Fusion 360 but haven't figured out how to use it yet.
 
I used Autocad for years since I used to use it as part of my job. Then, I started using Progecad Professional which is basically an Autocad clone & in my opinion every bit as good as Autocad for a fraction of the price. I have also dabbled lightly with some 3D software over the last few Years. I used Alibre Design at first (which I liked) until they became Geomagic & priced themselves out of my market. However, they are back as Alibre now & have a hobby version (Alibre Atom3D) which I just purchased but have not had a chance to really try out yet. I used Fusion 360 (free) as well for a bit recently & it's a good program, but everything is on the cloud whether you like it or not. I hoping I'll like the Atom3D as much as I liked the old Alibre because I'd like to learn more about 3D. Having said that, I don't see myself ever parting with Progecad (2D for the most part), because that's what I'm used to & proficient with.
 
Gauge12man said:
but everything is on the cloud whether you like it or not.
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Actually not 100% true. You can work offline and the files are saved in cache. You can do this for up to two weeks before you have to go back online and reconnect to the mother ship.
 
Gauge12man said:
I used Autocad for years since I used to use it as part of my job. Then, I started using Progecad Professional which is basically an Autocad clone & in my opinion every bit as good as Autocad for a fraction of the price. I have also dabbled lightly with some 3D software over the last few Years. I used Alibre Design at first (which I liked) until they became Geomagic & priced themselves out of my market. However, they are back as Alibre now & have a hobby version (Alibre Atom3D) which I just purchased but have not had a chance to really try out yet. I used Fusion 360 (free) as well for a bit recently & it's a good program, but everything is on the cloud whether you like it or not. I hoping I'll like the Atom3D as much as I liked the old Alibre because I'd like to learn more about 3D. Having said that, I don't see myself ever parting with Progecad (2D for the most part), because that's what I'm used to & proficient with.
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I just left a message on the Progcad site requesting pricing info, it sounds like just what I need. I have a licensed copy of ACAD 2002 but it won't load on my computers without giving a fatal error after the program boots up.
What does a copy of ProjCAD cost?

Never mind, I found it. $500 is pretty steep for a home gamer like myself. It'd be different if I had a small business that could write it off.
 
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