Sketches?

[Couch3ater]

Okay, so... Here's a question posed to anyone who has sketching experience, as I have very little.

My next build is going to require planning... A lot of planning. That being said, I need some accurate sketches, preferably to scale. Now, I know there are several programs out there that are available for use. Of the CAD suites, the only I've used and become familiar with are Autodesk Inventor and Blender. I haven't used Blender in 4+ years, so I'm at a loss for how to use that program. Inventor costs somewhere in the range of $1,000 - $2,000, so that's out of the question. Quite obviously if I do say so myself.

I'm also aware there are several free programs available, like Google Sketchup, etc, etc. Unfortunately, as I'm unskilled with many of these programs, I was wondering if you guys had a suggestion as to which suite would be the best choice. That being said, I'll probably need some pointers on how to use it as well? Sites, guides, how-to's, anything really, would be appreciated. ^_^

[Airbozo]

Google Sketchup is pretty easy, plus they have dozens of video tutorials to help you along. Invest a couple of hours into the program and you can decide if it will work for you.

[x88x]

From the title I thought you were talking about pencil&paper sketches. :P

I'd second SketchUp, though personally I'm more comfortable with a pencil. ;)

[Couch3ater]

Airbozo - I've played with Google Sketchup for a little bit in the past, I just don't like the way the grid's set up. Perhaps I'll give it a little more messing with to see if I can get any better with it. IDK if you've ever used Inventor, but it's just so powerful and relatively easy to use. I wish I could snag it free. =[

x88x - Hahaha, yea, I'm not too bad with a pencil either, but every time I go to make an accurate, to-scale sketch of anything, it always comes out horribly, horribly wrong. Hahaha

[burntheland]

Inventor is amazing! And easy to use! Personally I always stick with classic CAD. There are only a handfull of commands you need to design almost anything. You can always get away with the basics.

extend
trim
offest
line
copy
move
erase
dim

lol

[Couch3ater]

Yea, I'm a huge fan of Inventor as well, I just don't have the funds to purchase a copy as it sells for something in the thousands, at least to my understanding. I haven't really looked into it. And Classic CAD? Are you referring to the Inventor suite, or some other program? O.o;

[x88x]

It doesn't look like they have Inventor, but if you're a student you can get a great price on AutoCAD 2010 at journeyEd (http://www.journeyed.com/item/Autodesk/AutoCAD/100967885) (5 year license for $195 instead of $3,800). A lot of software companies have deals with them to offer their software at a drastically reduced prices.

[Couch3ater]

Hahaha, even at drastically reduced, it's still an arm and a leg. >_<;

[x88x]

More like a finger and a few toes. ;)

[Couch3ater]

Hahaha, not at 17, working a part time job. >_<;

[SXRguyinMA]

I vote for Sketchup. watch a few of the tutorials, they show you how to use the features properly. Once you've used it a bit its really simple :up:

[Couch3ater]

@ SXRguyinMA - I'm assuming you live in MA? In which case, WEWT WEWT. I'm a NH native; was just in Bean Town last night for a concert.

On topic: I've been toying with the idea of just settling for Sketchup. I've looked all over the internet and beyond and I've yet to find something, for free, that I like as much as inventor.

[x88x]

Hahaha, not at 17, working a part time job. >_<;

Haha, in that case, maybe a kidney or two. :P

[Couch3ater]

Hahaha, yea, I love giving up organs. =D

[Diamon]

Using SolidWorks personally and it's really great. You can even simulate air/water flow through your designs. The downside is that it's a very complex program and it takes some time to learn, especially for the more advanced features.

[Technochicken]

If you are still a student you can get inventor for a year for free, along with pretty much every other autodesk software:

http://students.autodesk.com/

[Couch3ater]

I guess I had forgotten that I could get Inventor for a year for free. Thanks for reminding me Techno. And Diamon, I've heard nothing but good things about SolidWorks. I'll have to give it a try once my summer settles down a bit. Thanks for reminding me I had this post on here, hahaha. Really reminds me how much I wanted to finish a big project before I went to school.

[DarthBeavis]

Ditto on Solidworks. I am teaching myself now.

[Couch3ater]

Any good references for SolidWorks?