25-11-2012, 11:22 AM
Hi,
The Wobbulator Front Panel drawing in your post #10 David is splendid and like you I could only aspire to such work. I agree with you David regarding Gary's top class radio dials; I've seen Gary's work in the BVWS Bulletin and Gary kindly keeps me updated with his projects via email; Gary has certainly got to grips with Coral draw producing top class drawings.
I'm no longer absolutely useless using CAD as I'm now making progress and have learned more in the last hour than in the last few years. I think I also know the reason I've had so much trouble with CAD; all the drawing and CAD programs I've tried to use have contained too many options to play around with; tool bars loaded with variables that were simply to complicated to get to grips with as a complete novice; the tutorials were excellent but an incredibly slow way to learn. Just looking at a blank drawing surrounded by tool-bars containing masses of options was most intimidating and after half an hours frustration I would pack the lot in.
I've settled with "emachineshop" and can actually produce basic very accurate drawings a sample is shown below. I can now quickly draw accurate circles adding reference lines to build on then remove the reference lines with a button click and press the delete key; sounds very easy but this is extremely difficult to pick up from scratch. I can also now "repeat" and move drawing parts around as in the holes with the cross lines; I needed a drawing giving hole positions for a steel clutch mounting and a couple of days ago was using my 50 year old drawing instruments with little success of great accuracy. Now I can draw giving precise hole centers including hole diameter and I'm becoming much quicker; I spent hours doing the first drawing but the drawing below was completed in an hour.
It is very important to keep "saving" and in this drawing I actually made a number of drawings saving each one. emachineshop drawing format is not recognized by my computer and I can only open the drawings through emachineshop so in order to post the drawings I printed then took digital images and downloaded.
The tool bars on the emachineshop drawing page I find a lot easier to get to grips with as there are fewer options but the options available have so far covered my needs and hopefully with a lot more practice gaining the basics I should eventually be able to move on to one of the more complicated CAD programs.
The pictures below show the build up of the final drawing; in order to save paper I used both sides so unfortunately shadow lines show through slightly. Even a basic drawing such as this is very accurate and yesterday I used my first drawing to successfully mark out the clutch mounting allowing me to drill and tap; I won't show the pictures of the clutch project here as I intend to add the story as a thread shortly.
Getting ahead of myself I almost managed a 3D drawing but there were "open spaces and un-joined lines" I managed to close the spaces but then the un-joined lines got out of hand so I'll have another go later as I'm now finding CAD to be fascinating.
Sorry to ramble on but after years of nothing but frustration with CAD the fog is clearing and for those members having the same problems I encountered may I suggest trying emachineshop and if you do please post your progress and experiences as I for one am very interested being a CAD novice myself.
Kind regards, Col.
The Wobbulator Front Panel drawing in your post #10 David is splendid and like you I could only aspire to such work. I agree with you David regarding Gary's top class radio dials; I've seen Gary's work in the BVWS Bulletin and Gary kindly keeps me updated with his projects via email; Gary has certainly got to grips with Coral draw producing top class drawings.
I'm no longer absolutely useless using CAD as I'm now making progress and have learned more in the last hour than in the last few years. I think I also know the reason I've had so much trouble with CAD; all the drawing and CAD programs I've tried to use have contained too many options to play around with; tool bars loaded with variables that were simply to complicated to get to grips with as a complete novice; the tutorials were excellent but an incredibly slow way to learn. Just looking at a blank drawing surrounded by tool-bars containing masses of options was most intimidating and after half an hours frustration I would pack the lot in.
I've settled with "emachineshop" and can actually produce basic very accurate drawings a sample is shown below. I can now quickly draw accurate circles adding reference lines to build on then remove the reference lines with a button click and press the delete key; sounds very easy but this is extremely difficult to pick up from scratch. I can also now "repeat" and move drawing parts around as in the holes with the cross lines; I needed a drawing giving hole positions for a steel clutch mounting and a couple of days ago was using my 50 year old drawing instruments with little success of great accuracy. Now I can draw giving precise hole centers including hole diameter and I'm becoming much quicker; I spent hours doing the first drawing but the drawing below was completed in an hour.
It is very important to keep "saving" and in this drawing I actually made a number of drawings saving each one. emachineshop drawing format is not recognized by my computer and I can only open the drawings through emachineshop so in order to post the drawings I printed then took digital images and downloaded.
The tool bars on the emachineshop drawing page I find a lot easier to get to grips with as there are fewer options but the options available have so far covered my needs and hopefully with a lot more practice gaining the basics I should eventually be able to move on to one of the more complicated CAD programs.
The pictures below show the build up of the final drawing; in order to save paper I used both sides so unfortunately shadow lines show through slightly. Even a basic drawing such as this is very accurate and yesterday I used my first drawing to successfully mark out the clutch mounting allowing me to drill and tap; I won't show the pictures of the clutch project here as I intend to add the story as a thread shortly.
Getting ahead of myself I almost managed a 3D drawing but there were "open spaces and un-joined lines" I managed to close the spaces but then the un-joined lines got out of hand so I'll have another go later as I'm now finding CAD to be fascinating.
Sorry to ramble on but after years of nothing but frustration with CAD the fog is clearing and for those members having the same problems I encountered may I suggest trying emachineshop and if you do please post your progress and experiences as I for one am very interested being a CAD novice myself.
Kind regards, Col.
Happiness is a wreck of a cabinet to restore.
