I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT". I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Thanks
Steve

there is a nice review of various CAD programs as they relate to woodworking
project design/planning in the latest Workbench magazine. I don't have it
in front of me, but IIRC DeltaCad received kudos for ease of use, but
something like 3D Cad Max or something like that was the author's favorite.

Mike


"Steve Blake" wrote in message
...

I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT". I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Thanks
Steve

I was wrong about the magazine - it was Fine Woodworking, not Workbench.

Design Cad was their pick. I used the program back in the 80's. It is a very
complete software. It's been around for a long time. I have and use AutoCad.
I don't model woodworking projects in 3-d (I am trained in 3-d). I do make
sketches and plans of nearly every project, including cut lists.

3-d design is time consuming and yields (IMO) very little. Just so you will
know, my 3-d training came when I used the Rebis software. That doesn't make
me an authority, but an informed source. :-)

"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
...
there is a nice review of various CAD programs as they relate to
woodworking
project design/planning in the latest Workbench magazine. I don't have it
in front of me, but IIRC DeltaCad received kudos for ease of use, but
something like 3D Cad Max or something like that was the author's
favorite.

Mike


"Steve Blake" wrote in message
...

I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package
for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT".
I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Thanks
Steve

I use solidworks...Brian

Steve Blake wrote:


I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT". I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Question--how much do you want to spend? You can get a fairly well-equipped
shop for the price of a copy of a good 3D CAD program.

Thanks
Steve

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Great info everyone.

I wasn't wanting to spend a lot of money, just enough so I give my wift
(finicial advisor) an idea of what I am planning to build. I'm an
electrical engineer and I know that doing this 3D work first will be time
consuming and I am sure I will agree with you Lowell but like I said
earlier, this is just something I'm going to have to learn myself.

I am going to pick up a copy of Workbench Magazine. thanks Mike.

I've used IronCad but (years ago), I thought it was tailored for sheetmetal
work. What do I know, I might check it out again since I see a possible use
now.

Thanks again everyone

Steve
"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Steve Blake wrote:


I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package
for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT".
I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Question--how much do you want to spend? You can get a fairly
well-equipped
shop for the price of a copy of a good 3D CAD program.

Thanks
Steve

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 13:04:55 GMT, "Brian in Hampton"
wrote:

I use solidworks...Brian


So do I, but I seriously doubt he want to pop for $3,995 + $1295 first
years maintenance.

I'm anxiously awaiting for further development of LignumCAD at
http://lignumcad.sourceforge.net/doc/en/HTML/index.html

Looks pretty cool.

================================================== =========================
Chris

Steve Blake wrote:

I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software
package for new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will
just say "Just Do IT". I know but I have to learn for myself.
Please advise.

Steve...

I use a 1999 edition of DesignCAD 2000. It's a 3D package but I
only use it in 2D mode. I messed around with the 3D features for
a while; but haven't really needed that part of the package. It
works fairly well for me.

--
Morris Dovey
DeSoto, Iowa USA

Of what I heard, his top pick was Designcad. Price had a lot to do with it.
Designcad is IMSI's low end program. I use IMSI's high end myself, Turbocad.
The first thing you have to ask yourself is, "am I willing to put that much
time and effort into learning CAD". I have taught CAD to a number of people
and would say, on average, it will take somewhere along the line of 40 hours
practice to become reasonably productive.
According to a study done by Boeing Aircraft, 1/3 of the population would
never grasp 3D, 1/3 could be trained to do it and 1/3 would do well. Were do
you fit?
"Mike in Mystic" wrote in message
...
there is a nice review of various CAD programs as they relate to
woodworking
project design/planning in the latest Workbench magazine. I don't have it
in front of me, but IIRC DeltaCad received kudos for ease of use, but
something like 3D Cad Max or something like that was the author's
favorite.

Mike


"Steve Blake" wrote in message
...

I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package
for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT".
I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Thanks
Steve

I find 3D much faster than 2D (although, if I had to use AutoCAD to do it, I
would agree with you). I build a project complete, including joints ect, and
assemble it. 2D prints are easily and quickly generated from the 3D model.
BTW, for 2D work, AutoCAD or Intellicad are my pick.

"Lowell Holmes" wrote in message
-
3-d design is time consuming and yields (IMO) very little. Just so you
will
know, my 3-d training came when I used the Rebis software. That doesn't
make
me an authority, but an informed source. :-)

If you want to go free, there's a 2d/3d CAD program, originally designed
for Linux, but also, I think, available for Windows:

http://www.cycas.de/

Ray




On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:29:26 +0000, sblake wrote:

Great info everyone.

I wasn't wanting to spend a lot of money, just enough so I give my wift
(finicial advisor) an idea of what I am planning to build.

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:29:26 GMT, wrote:

Great info everyone.

I wasn't wanting to spend a lot of money, just enough so I give my wift
(finicial advisor) an idea of what I am planning to build. I'm an
electrical engineer and I know that doing this 3D work first will be time
consuming and I am sure I will agree with you Lowell but like I said
earlier, this is just something I'm going to have to learn myself.

I am going to pick up a copy of Workbench Magazine. thanks Mike.

I've used IronCad but (years ago), I thought it was tailored for sheetmetal
work. What do I know, I might check it out again since I see a possible use
now.

Thanks again everyone

Steve

if you have some cad background you might want to look at intellicad.
it's an autocad clone, more or less. the basic license is $150.
http://www.cadopia.com/

$51.95 at CMS. For 2D, highly recommended (in other words, I use it.
Though Autocad or Intellicad are not the easiest programs to learn, there is
lots of tech help all over the net.

wrote in message
...

if you have some cad background you might want to look at intellicad.
it's an autocad clone, more or less. the basic license is $150.
http://www.cadopia.com/

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:29:26 GMT, wrote:

Great info everyone.

I wasn't wanting to spend a lot of money, just enough so I give my wift
(finicial advisor) an idea of what I am planning to build. I'm an
electrical engineer and I know that doing this 3D work first will be time
consuming and I am sure I will agree with you Lowell but like I said
earlier, this is just something I'm going to have to learn myself.


As a fellow EE, I can assure you that using 3D CAD tools is much more
time consuming than generating system models using tools like Matlab or
solving problems using Maple.

I have been using TurboCad for 3D drawing and have found it useful. The
3D aspect is helpful in making sure that the design is rational. It is
time-consuming however.

I am going to pick up a copy of Workbench Magazine. thanks Mike.

I've used IronCad but (years ago), I thought it was tailored for sheetmetal
work. What do I know, I might check it out again since I see a possible use
now.

Thanks again everyone

Steve
"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Steve Blake wrote:


I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package
for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT".
I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Question--how much do you want to spend? You can get a fairly
well-equipped
shop for the price of a copy of a good 3D CAD program.

Thanks
Steve

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 22:19:22 -0500, ray
wrote:

If you want to go free, there's a 2d/3d CAD program, originally designed
for Linux, but also, I think, available for Windows:

http://www.cycas.de/

Worth a look! Try also solid Edge. They might still have a demo
which is fairly rich if not absolutely complete.

I still prefer DeltaCad for the little I do. More powerful tools are
like more powerful cars ...safer in better hands.

Bill.

I always get in trouble in these threads, so I'm going to let others give
you the actual recommendations. I use SolidWorks for work (I'm an
engineer), but I couldn't afford to buy it on my own, and I don't use it for
woodworking projects. I use pencil and paper for woodworking, but then I
can draw (I was trained before CAD became standard), and I don't do
extensive woodworking. Drawing isn't everyone's strong suit, but then again
neither is mousing around, so my advice is to experiment, listen carefully
to the recommendations, and use what is comfortable *for you*.

As a programmer who worked on CAD/CAE/CAM systems, I find a lot of mindsets
apply and therefore a lot of tools exist that focus on each mindset.
There's a way of thinking that gets a couple of key views drawn in 2D and
then extends that to 3D. If you're going to design a chest of drawers, or
some shelves, you're probably thinking of how it's going to look from the
front. So you'd work that view first and then think about depth later, with
joinery and other things falling into place as necessary. Conversely
another mindset tells you that it's a 3D world and so the longer you put off
3D design, the sadder you're going to be in the long run. (That's the
paradigm I work in.) Unfortunately it's not the way a lot of people seem to
think naturally, so it requires you to wrap your mind around the problem.

"What CAD program should I use?" is a lot like, "What kind of car should I
buy?"

The first question you have to ask is, "Why CAD?" There are a lot of
potential answers: lack of manual drawing skills, need for polished
presentation, production efficiency, time savings, skill acquisition, etc.
But seriously you need to consider whether pencil and paper will work for
you.

Another good question is, "If I *had* to design this on a whiteboard, how
would I draw it?" If you draw views in cardinal directions first, consider
the AutoCAD-type systems. If you draw a perspective or isometric view
first, consider the SolidWorks-type systems.

And the big question, which you've already answered, is, "How much can I
spend on this?" CAD programs run the gamut from the basic digital paper and
basic straight line, all the way up to systems like CATIA that you can use
to design your own stealth bomber. As someone said, a good CAD system may
not make up in the long run for a good band saw.

Good luck, and be sure to tell us what you discover.

--Jay

Mark & Juanita wrote in message . ..
On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:29:26 GMT, wrote:

Great info everyone.

I wasn't wanting to spend a lot of money, just enough so I give my wift
(finicial advisor) an idea of what I am planning to build. I'm an
electrical engineer and I know that doing this 3D work first will be time
consuming and I am sure I will agree with you Lowell but like I said
earlier, this is just something I'm going to have to learn myself.


As a fellow EE, I can assure you that using 3D CAD tools is much more
time consuming than generating system models using tools like Matlab or
solving problems using Maple.

I have been using TurboCad for 3D drawing and have found it useful. The
3D aspect is helpful in making sure that the design is rational. It is
time-consuming however.

I am going to pick up a copy of Workbench Magazine. thanks Mike.

I've used IronCad but (years ago), I thought it was tailored for sheetmetal
work. What do I know, I might check it out again since I see a possible use
now.

Thanks again everyone

Steve
"J. Clarke" wrote in message
...
Steve Blake wrote:


I am presently a New-be and I'm looking for a nice 3D software package
for
new projects. I know you seasoned chippers will just say "Just Do IT".
I
know but I have to learn for myself. Please advise.

Question--how much do you want to spend? You can get a fairly
well-equipped
shop for the price of a copy of a good 3D CAD program.

Thanks
Steve

--
--John
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)


Well 3 out of 3 EE's agree. As an EE I also agree that using a CAD is
somewaht useful but very time consuming. I've tried Turbocad but found
each time I use it I need to retrain myself. Obviously I don't use it
much.

"dteckie" wrote in message
om...
|
| Well 3 out of 3 EE's agree. As an EE I also agree that using a CAD is
| somewaht useful but very time consuming.

I'm not an EE; my training is mostly ME. CAD, the way it's often meant to
be used, is usually about optimizing enterprise design, not necessarily
one-time informal designs by individuals. That's why I'm a little leery
about people just assuming they need CAD for woodworking projects. I want
to know what advantages they think they're going to get from it. That helps
me make a meaningful recommendataion.

--Jay

For those who don't use it often, I also suspect most CAD packages are of
little use, supporting your thoughts. As a retired EE who used to do some ME,
I've seen people who live with CAD programs, and can effectively design on
them. For the rest of us, I think a simple CAD program (or good drawing
program?) can be useful for small tailoring of existing designs, or if you
need to make many small variations of a design.

For the rest of it, I made a drafting table, and bought a cheap machine on
eBay. That changed my hand sketches to reasonable drawings and, in many cases,
ended up being faster than drawing it with a CAD package. While some CAD's 3D
drawings might be nice, they take too long to produce, and my isometric
drawings are just as effective.

The last initial design use I had for CAD was in designing the drafting table
that replaced it.

As an aside, a previous post here noted FWW's choice of Design CAD, how the
price was under 100 and it came with several tutorial CDs. So I got a trial
copy and found out the rest of the story. Turns out they released a new
version. Don't know if this is a change, but the program itself does NOT come
with any tutorial CDs, instead you have to pay more for them. Design CAD did
appear to have potential, but their help text was next to useless and I gave
up on it and went back to my many-years-old copy of Intellidraw, which is
intuitive enough I can quickly relearn it whenever it's needed.

GerryG

On Thu, 19 Aug 2004 10:26:03 -0600, "Jay Windley"
wrote:


"dteckie" wrote in message
. com...
|
| Well 3 out of 3 EE's agree. As an EE I also agree that using a CAD is
| somewaht useful but very time consuming.

I'm not an EE; my training is mostly ME. CAD, the way it's often meant to
be used, is usually about optimizing enterprise design, not necessarily
one-time informal designs by individuals. That's why I'm a little leery
about people just assuming they need CAD for woodworking projects. I want
to know what advantages they think they're going to get from it. That helps
me make a meaningful recommendataion.

--Jay

On 19 Aug 2004 04:12:02 -0700, (dteckie) wrote:

Mark & Juanita wrote in message . ..
On Tue, 17 Aug 2004 23:29:26 GMT, wrote:
.... snip
Reply to jclarke at ae tee tee global dot net
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)


Well 3 out of 3 EE's agree. As an EE I also agree that using a CAD is
somewaht useful but very time consuming. I've tried Turbocad but found
each time I use it I need to retrain myself. Obviously I don't use it
much.

That, and I've found after two major revision upgrades, Turbocad keeps
changing commands and the user interface, so you wind up having to retrain
yourself each time it changes.

The changes are slight. More additions that anything else. I can work
between version 7 and version 10 without having to think about it much. The
biggest adaptation between them is to remember that there are a lot of
features not present in 7. Changes are unavoidable in any program that is
completely icon and menu based. With something like AutoCAD, you never
really notice much difference as long as you use the command line. If I had
to use AutoCAD with nothing but the icons, I'd be lost. Never did learn
them.

"Mark & Juanita" wrote in message
That, and I've found after two major revision upgrades, Turbocad keeps
changing commands and the user interface, so you wind up having to retrain
yourself each time it changes.