If you noticed that there are few updates lately, it’s because I’ve been back working for the past month.  My most recent CAD related jobs have been doing architectural surveys.  This where one or more people measure and draw a building.  In the past I have measured hotels, retail stores, parking lots, and other structures.  Depending up the size of the job, we might have 8 or people on a project.

But why I’m writing this post is that while I’ve been surveying, I’ve also been thinking about the visitors to myCADsite.  I wanted to write about what skills I use in this job, what commands I use and how AutoCAD is a big part of this process.  I’ve mentioned in other places that AutoCAD is a tool.  It’s just a tool in the toolbox that you develop as you learn new skills.  If you don’t have other skills, what you do with AutoCAD can be limited.

First let’s look at what I do before I start.  I will travel to new site, meet with the client or project manager, review the scope of work (what I need to draw) and start working.  Before I even start the computer up, I’ve needed to know how to travel efficiently (pack light, be on time, navigate airports, etc).  I’ve had to be able to communicate effectively by meeting with people and discovering what is needed for the project.  Finally, I’ve had to review documents and make sure that I understand 100% of what is needed.  These might seem like common, basic skills – but it’s amazing how many people have failed by this point.

This job is quite basic as far as CAD skills go, but like any AutoCAD work, it needs to be  accurate and it needs to be done quickly.  This is a job that can be done after mastering the first 2 levels at myCADsite.com.  What I’ll be drawing is a floor plan.  What is on the plan is defined by the scope of work.  I might just have to do draw walls, doors and windows – or I might have to draw a complete plan with electrical components and furniture.  Perhaps I’ll be drawing elevations as well.  What I’ve been drawing for the past few weeks has been a new hospital.  A floor plan with the permanent fixtures included.

So now I’m going to get to the AutoCAD part.  What am I doing with it?   Every wall, window, door, etc needs to be measured and then drawn in AutoCAD.  Before I arrived at the site, other team members had used a Total Station unit to measure and draw all of the main parts of the building.  Using this device allows for the most accuracy.  We might use a Total Station to draw a long corridor and add points where the doors go, and then have people go and draw each room, while knowing that it will all line up correctly (or should!)

When it comes time to draw the room, I’ll use a tape measure and a Disto (laser measuring device).  I will gather the measurements and then draw the room in AutoCAD.  Drawing a room, I’ll generally use the Line, Offset, Trim, Extend and Fillet commands a lot – and by a lot, I mean about 80% of the time I’m drawing, I’m using those few commands.  I also have to insert blocks (some dynamic) for doors, windows, plumbing fixtures, etc.  There is a good chance that I’ll have an Xref attached so that I can see the overall floor plan or building footprint.

While I am using very few commands, I need to use them as quickly as I can.  I don’t use icons, and I’ll have one hand on the mouse, and the other is typing in the numbers and commands. I have added some shortcuts using Aliasedit so that I can type “C” instead of “CO” for copy to save time.  I use “R” for Rectangle instead of typing “REC”.  All of this saves time and it adds up if you use the command 100′s of times a day.

Sounds easy, right?  In a square room, it is.  But what about rooms with one or more angled walls – or a curved wall?  Now comes the tougher part.  Using common sense and geometry, I have to figure out the fastest and most accurate way of measuring these ‘odd’ walls.  Sometimes, you don’t realize you have an angled wall until you draw the room and it doesn’t line up.  OOPS!  Yes, sometimes I get headaches.

Like I have said, this is a job requiring basic AutoCAD skills.  What separates a beginner from an experienced surveyor is the speed and accuracy of their drawings.  The job also involves a lot of problem solving.  So when you start out with a new CAD job, you might find that the AutoCAD part is the easiest.  It’s the variables that get thrown at you that make the job interesting.  It’s how you handle the variables that make you succeed or fail at the job.

I’ve done this job on and off for the past 5 years.  It has some great rewards and some long painful hours.  I have always loved to travel and this job took me to most corners of the United States.  I’ve met some great people (and some forgettable ones) – but had a lot of laughs and headaches along the way.

Thanks for reading.

Art

PS: if you live in the US and think this type of job might be for you – send me an email.

Ever since the iPhone came out, the world has gone crazy for “Apps”.  Apps are just programs or applications that enhance something you already have.  AutoCAD is an ‘app’ for drawing on your computer, just like a poker game would be an app for your iPhone.

With the release of AutoCAD 2012 came an “App Store” for your drawing needs.  It’s all part of the Autodesk Exchange window that pops up when you start a new session of AutoCAD.

Just click on the Apps tab at the top and you’ll find a whole world of help.  Just like the app stores for Apple and Android devices, some are free and some you’ll pay for.  I’m already on my favourite topic: Free stuff!  To get started, you can use the search tool to find things like free blocks.

A search for blocks shows that there are a lot of options, so you can then narrow down your search.

You’ll find about 3 pages of block libraries for sale.  Handy stuff!  What else is there to find?  Try a search for “LISP” and you’ll get a lot of results for AutoLISP routines.  AutoLISP, if you’re not familiar with it, is a native AutoCAD programming language that allows to customize and expand the capabilities of the program.

To get started you’ll need an Autodesk ID which you can get (if you don’t already have one) when you click on the Install button for an app.

Have fun, and if you install anything that you like, add a comment below and let us know.

Art  – CAD-guy@myCADsite.com

On myCADsite, I try to stay current with the most recent editions, but revising an entire site each year is very time consuming.  When a new versions is released, I need to check the Autodesk website to see what changes have been made, and how extreme they are.  Then comes the decision: Update the site or No Update?

What I’ve found is that about every 2 years the program has changed enough that I need to start reviewing the tutorials.  Since I began the site while using R14, there have been many changes to AutoCAD, but surprisingly few to the common 2D commands.  The new Array command in 2012 is the biggest change in recent years for a commonly used command.

The Line command has always been “L <enter>” as it should be.  Imagine if every AutoCAD user had to re-learn how to start the line command every year or two!  On the other hand, the icon for starting the Line command has changed over the years, and with the introduction of AutoCAD 2009, the ribbon changed the entire interface.  If you were used to looking for a Line button – things got very interesting.

That’s why I have always taught to use the command line for as much input as possible.  For other commands, the icon might be the way to go.  Do you want to type in a long 10 letter command that you use once every 6 months, or just move up to the icon / ribbon?  Of course in later version of AutoCAD, you are helped by the Autocomplete feature so when you type VSC, AutoCAD will fill in the rest for VSCURRENT.  It’s these little changes that help, but don’t really change the way you work that makes AutoCAD so successful.

But with each new version comes some new commands and some new ways of doing things.  At first it is natural to resist and say, “The old way was much better!”, but over time we relent and adapt.  AutoCAD has made some great improvements with 3D rendering and materials.  Lighting is much more intuitive that it was.  And what we can do now in 3D was only a dream 10 years ago.

But in the end, once you learn AutoCAD, you will find that the next version you use will be like an old friend; grown up a little, but still the same.

Thanks for reading,

Art
CAD-Guy@myCADsite.com

Learning to use CAD is like any other skill.  It will help, but it’s not the whole package.  You need to draw on your background, or pick complementary skills to learn as well.  With CAD these days, there is a lot of competition as even high school kids learn it now.

What I mean is that if you ‘only’ have CAD as a skill, it will be tougher finding employment than if you have, for example, welding experience,  a construction background or some other trade to give supporting knowledge of what you will be drawing.

I got started with a 2 year course in Mechanical Design with a CAD/CAM option.  I did this when I was 35 years old and wasn’t used to the heavy load of studying.  I learned a lot about calculating stress in a design, what materials to use (and a lot more) – as well as drawing and programing in AutoCAD and Microstation.  It was a tough 2 years, but those of us that survived had no problem finding jobs.

But even for those with a limited skill set, there are openings.  There are possibilities.  And having a knowledge of CAD will increase those opportunities.  There are entry level CAD positions that can get you in the door of some good companies.  I worked with people in the surveying business who didn’t need to know what they were drafting, as long as they could measure and draw it accurately.  With more experience on the job, they got faster and more knowledgeable.  And that is the key: “Never stop learning”.

If you have the time and the ambition to learn, and you’re leaning in the “CAD” direction, go for it.  The best part is that you can learn a good amount for free.  You can download a demo version of the Program, then use my tutorials to learn how to use it.  That will also give you a good idea if you even like working with it.

This article is aimed for people that are new to the CAD world and wondering just what you can do with programs like AutoCAD.  I will explain some of the processes involved and the capabilities you have when you enter the CAD world.

Have you ever had to explain “CAD” to someone who isn’t computer literate?  I try to explain what kind of work I do to my Mom – and I always get the “deer in the headlights” look.  She’s never had a computer, so these are all foreign concepts.  But now, I’ve learned to say, “It just like drafting on paper, but with a computer”.  Simple enough, but it falls short of explaining the amazing progress that has been made in the CAD world.

When I first starting in CAD – it was 1995.  I decided to pick up a useful skill so I thought back to my school days and decided that the only class I really enjoyed was Drafting.  This was the old school paper kind of drafting that involved a lot erasing.  My other interest of note was computers.  I had sold a lot of the early Commodore, Texas Instruments and IBM computers.  So I put two and two together and was introduced to CAD.  Ooooh… this is COOL!

I ended up taking  a night school course and learned the basics.  And what we did was literally “Drafting, but on a computer”.  We would print the assignments out and finish with the same results as if we had hand drafted them, but only neater.

Ok – this long introduction is over.  The point that I was trying to make is that at its most basic, CAD is just using a computer instead of a pencil and paper.  But it so much more.  And that’s where it gets interesting.

The first benefit that CAD has over paper is that revisions are not a big problem.  Think of the difference between paper and pixels when a client changes their mind after seeing your design.  2 hours or more redrawing by hand, or 5 seconds with the Stretch command?  I know what I would choose.  For many users that are new to the CAD world, this is the first time they start to enjoy the process.  When I taught classes, there were always students who would say, “I could draw this faster by hand!  CAD is dumb!”.  Of course, they would then make errors in their drawing and learn that editing is much better than erasing and redrawing.

From there, the benefits are even greater.  Adding Blocks and Attributes gives your drawing POWER!.  Now you can export data and all of a sudden your drawing is of great importance to other people.  A drawing can generate information for the budget, purchasing and production departments of your company.  All of a sudden, the drafter is an integral part of the production process from start to finish.  That’s called job security.

And then there’s 3D.  Have you ever hand drawn a perspective view of a house?  It’s fun and rewarding, but a little tedious as you draw each brick.  I love the 3D world.  I can make one model, then generate perspective views, elevations, sections, details, floor plans – all from one drawing.  And that means when I move a wall, all the other views are updated.  Magic!

But it gets better.  With 3D I can add materials and show the boss or client what the product will look like in its finished state.  Change materials?  Sure – no problem!  It beats erasing all the bricks I just drew to add stucco.  Need to see how the building will look in it’s new environment?  Sure- let me render that for you.  CAD allows us to create stunning visual presentations to find design flaws before the production process even begins.  That saves your boss money and makes you valuable.

In the manufacturing world, it gets even better.  How about designing a 3D part and then performing a stress analysis on it?  Find out where the weak spots are before you build it and break it.  You can can even build the entire project in the computer, test for stress points, color schemes, fit and calculate the budget before you even start production.  This is what Boeing did for their 777 jetliner.  Then when your design is approved, you can take your 3D models and use them CAD/CAM (computer-aided- manufacturing). Awesome stuff!

So there you have it.  CAD is more than drafting on the computer and printing it out.  You have the options to use your drawing file for a wide range of processes.  You might be limited by what your company does, but the more you learn and more you can do with your CAD skills, the more valuable you will be to your employers and the more fun you will have with your job.

Thanks for reading.

- Art CAD-Guy@myCADsite.com

Welcome to the myCADsite blog.  In this section of the website, I will be providing links and news related to the CAD world.

My goal is to continue making myCADsite.com one of the best sources for AutoCAD knowledge on the web.  Thanks for visiting.

- Art Whitton – Owner, myCADsite.com