cadkey, or c.a.d. info?
 

anyone using these programs? can i just buy one and master it? i can read purty good.

thx

tom

Like CAD application ???

AutoCad
SolidWorks
Pro Engineer
Wildfire

???

CAD as in Computer Aided Drafting - you can certaintly buy this but it is quite expensive from what I remember. I learned this in college for the brief year I was studying engineering. I bought a student version for a reasonable price from my college but no idea what it goes for on the market now. Their are many books available to follow and once you learn, you almost never forget.

What type of design do you want to do?

btw, Here (click) is an interesting thread from one morning here. . .using Solidworks for some design comunication.

note the time between posts. This stuff can be easy w/ enough experience.

oh, and I'm a former Cadkey user . .. I dumped it in 1995 when Solidworks came along.

I'll have to say solidworks too. Even 2001 is great, if you have any basic understanding of drafting and 3 dimensions, you'll have no problems. Plus the help/search section is very straight forward.

I like Blender3d.org's free program... it's not really for cad, but it does 3d stuff and is pretty sweet. Look at their gallery, there are some talented people out there.

I'm currently teaching myself

Solidworks & Wildfire

this thread reminds me to get back on the horse and work on it.

Ive worked pretty much with Cadkey and autoCAD, a little with solid works. AutoCAD and Cadkey are very similiar, although i believe that cadkey is out of business. For 3D modeling of mechanical parts and such solidworks would be my top choice (mostly because its fast and intuitive). Solidworks can do some stress analysis and stuff too with some of the availabel add ons(very cool stuff).
For engineering drawings in both 2 and 3 dimensions autoCAD is very good (i think it's easier too, but that might just be a personal choice). Either one of these programs should be relatively easy to learn just from the manual and the help files, you might need assistance to master it though. As far as price goes, i would never buy any of them, i get to use them through school.

PS- what are your thought on software piracy? :-)

Academic Versions are available (cheap).

My full-up Solidworks cost me $4000 (way back when) plus ~$1500/year in in "maintenance fees". . . .since 1995. . ..So don't even ask.

What are you trying to accomplish?

i am maybe going to put some of my ideas on paper. i have a file cabinet full of ideas, one of them could be a winner. i am thinking of a few tools i have invented over the years while wrenching, and a few for my professional colleagues.

i think i will try that frre one first, Blender3d.org, as they say.

thanks a ton

dr tom

fwiw, the Blender3d.org stuff is aimed at the eye-candy side of things.

If product development is what you need, that will be the wrong tool.

Solidworks, for example has physical simulation, mass-properties, and can quickly create engineering drawings from models.

i am on the learning curve here, and the price is a factor, but i know great advice is showing up here. i have spent an hour already just perusing some of the ideas you guys have presented.

does solidworks allow you to insert forces and suggest materials, strengths, coatings etc?

so i could just draw it, and list requirements, and it would produce it?

can i hook it up to my microwave, and the product will be ready to package in about 12.5 minutes.

12.5 minutes :D . . .that's where it's heading.

Yeah, as it is now, you can insert forces and suggest materials, strengths ...

oh yes, that would be a fine xmas present to me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

So, name a price. What can you afford?

Can any of the current software tools be used to model and test gadgets with multiple parts? Like a suspension system or transmission?

Collision Detection is needed for things like gears meshing and Physical Dynamics is needed for modeling the kinematics/dynamics(motion and forces) of an assembly. (Like a suspension )

Solidworks has both in the base package. (just remember to turn-off gravity, first time you run the Physical Dynamics . . .or your assembly may 'fall' of the screen. :D

Here is a CAD program that is a free download and does some pretty amazing design work: http://www.emachineshop.com/download/

Sample from emachineshop:

http://www.emachineshop.com/images/main%20screen.gif

http://www.emachineshop.com/images/3d.jpg