0.

I too started with CADKEY back when Windows 95 was the operating system. Stayed with them even after Kubotek bought them and changed the name to KeyCreator now at version 15. Truly a geometry based system like paper/pencil. It allows you to move your design to a 3D solid. Please look at http://www.docwalt.com/index.html for books to learn the program. Kubotek has an on line university for you to read/ watch how the programs work. The last I heard it was $3,500.00 a seat/ownership. It can run CNC simulations to test out your tool path before running a machine.
As others have stated, your hands to your head will take some time. Like most, I did paper and pencil for 20 years before the computer came along. Computer pictures (CAD) are just that lines like on paper but microns more accurate. You still have to put dimensions to the object for someone to see the sizes and then someone that makes parts to tell the CAD operator if it can be make. Take the saved file (pick a format) that the CNC machine programming software can read and let it run the simulation to see if there are problems. Remember the machine operator will still have to tweak the speeds and feeds, tooling and all the tolerances that will allow the end product to meet standards for the actual usage. CAD files can be saved/changed more easily than starting from scratch on paper. Printing with out ammonia and sending files on the internet vs mailing, all much better.
You will have to want to for any of this to happen.
DBQ49er
 
I like Terry's answer, but It may be more to the point for your question to start at "what do you want to do?".

(background) I'm from a drafting background too, not professionally, but that's how I learned it in school, and how I've always done it.

So, do you want to stay with 2D Drafting as you are already used to doing? Doing this on the computer is helpful, and it's much harder to make casual errors as with math or a measurement. There are many free 2D drafting programs out there, and as long as they use the Autocad standard file formats, it wouldn't matter if you had to change programs later on.

If you want to be able to do 3D Design then there are also great options out there for free. Both Solidworks and Fusion 360 have free options for the hobbyist, and having used both, I'd recommend Fusion 360.

With this style of design, you're creating a 3D model of your project. You'll see exactly how it looks assembled, or blown apart (insert joke here), Movable joints and parts can be manipulated on screen to check function, and you can even do stress analysis to test if you've under or over engineered it. When you're finished you can find out how much it would weigh, get a bill of materials, and still generate those drawings that you will still need to build it or to give to someone else.

Fusion's big advantage is that it advocates "top down design" instead of what you would do with older programs. Instead of drawing each part and bringing them together, you design the whole thing in one place. Once you get your head around it, it's so much better. Bit of a paradigm shift. The other great aspect of either of the two I mention is that they are "parametric". The short description is that you don't have to re-draw the whole thing to account for one small revision. Changes migrate thru the whole thing automatically. This also allows for "what if" scenarios where you can set up parameters to let you change a dimension from a list and see the change occur on the screen. I've been yammering about that in the CAD forum for my grinder design. It's also cloud based, so their computer does all the hard work for you. You don't need to have a top of the line PC.

Another thing I'd love to try out is that since it's cloud based, you can actually collaborate with other people in real-time with all of you looking at the drawing and making changes. This could also be an aid for learning together I think.
 
While I posted about KeyCreator, I am also trying Fusion360. I signed up for my free version since I am not using it for a company use. I have used the You Tube tutorials by Lars Christensen. Try
, once you are there you will find a hole list to pick from. I looked at the 2D and a lot of the others. As Mike mentioned, Fusion360 is a parametric based software as is Pro Engineer and SolidWorks. It will do CNC, sheetmetal bending, stress analysis and much more.
DBQ49er
 
The only real advantage of Cad is the ability to share drawings over the internet. Paper drawings would either have to be mailed or photo copied. I take all paper drawings I get and put them into cad. Then save them on a CD for future use.
 
OK, bear wth me on this. I have read and reread all the posts but am still in the dark as to why there is no standardization between programs. I wattched the beginner series for Fusion 360, interesting but -----.

I will keep going with this thread, maybe something will click. I still like pencil and paper better.

"Bill"
 
Billy,
The only standardization among them all is the ability to save as dwg or dxf files that can be read by all. The programs themselves are designed by whatever the programmer thinks is easier for people. And we all know what is easier for one person is not always easy for another. Most screens are customizable by the user so he has the icons for different lines, arcs etc. he needs most readily available.
 
That much I understand Bill. I have yet to find a program that actually addresses the needs of the beginner. I went to Tunxis Community College the other day to check on their courses on CAD. I talked to the instructor and he said I needed to take a course at the local High School before I could even think about taking his course. To me. with my education in drafting, that was a slap in the face.

"Billy G"
 
I found Cadkey easy to use many years ago. Since then I have gone to MasterCam which I found to be just as easy to learn. Even making 3D models in MasterCam was not that hard to do. You could start out with a solid block and start making cuts and holes just like you would on a real part in a machine. And the screen is completely customizable so I can have all the icons for various operations right on the screen.
 
I started with Autocad 2000 educational edition, which does 2D and 3D. I have started to use LibreCad which is free and available for all platforms. Unfortunately there is no standardized GUI, and every program has different issues. What one needs to do is grab a program and start playing with it and watch videos and read the documentation. I really only use cad to transfer a customers print into a DXF if they did not supply one. From there I import the DXF into a milling program to send the machine. All the rest of the time, most of my drawings are pencil and paper. I really like the 3D capability to view the object from all sides. Nice to check fit and interference when the wireframe is filled with different colors per part. Wireframe can give me headaches trying to understand what I just drew!
 
I just learned basic CAD about 2 years ago. I played around with a couple of free programs but I wanted to learn one of the mainstream programs that I thought would be around for a while. I landed on Fusion 360 and I am so glad I did. Once you get the basics down it it pretty easy to move forward. You can have 2D designs pumped out in no time and 3D is more intuitive than most of the other programs I have tried. The online help tutorials are complete and easy to follow. These are very important to get you started. I highly recommend this for beginners to CAD.
Robert
 
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