AutoCAD 2000

[perp]

I know AutoCad is software and not a wrench, but it truely is a powerfull TOOL for fabrication work in the right hands. I am sure someone will tell me if this is the wrong forum.

On to the question. I use AutoCAD 2000 for designing parts i make as well as laying out and nesting for decorative stone inserts I build. I am very proficient in 2D, and i would like to learn more about 3D. so I went to the book store and all they had were a sh!tpot of books about 3D in the latest version of AutoCAD (2005 or 2006 IIRC) .

Is the older version I have simmilar enough to be able to teach myself the 3D from the newer books, or did they change alot?

BTW, I will take a class at the local college for AutoCad II in the fall, i just want a head start as I will not have a ton of free time to study then

 

[mikey_d05]

They should be somewhat similar in terms of operation. I didn't even realize 2000 had 3d but if the manual you're looking at is cheap enough, go for it and see what you can do.

My two cents...find Solidworks somewhere. In 3d it's like having a 22R with the wrong head on it vs. a blown 572.

 

[Cmoe]

2005 has a few thing that you wont find on your 2000 version.... But you can learn a lot from the 2005 manual... When and where are you planing on taking the CAD II Class? Find out what book they use and then start from their... 3d isn't that hard to learn if your profession in 2d.. If you have any questions let me know and I might be able to help...

 

[ak bandit]

AutoCAD 2000 has 3D. Thats what I used before we upgraded to 2005. They are very similar. There's almost nothing that 2005 can do that 2000 cant. Some things in 2005 are just quicker. Newer features, tools, etc. I'm a piping designer and I run 3D AutoCAD all day every day at work. If you have any general or specific questions, I'd be glad to help. I think AutoCAD is a very useful and powerful tool.

 

[perp]

Thanks

Thanks for all the responses and advice. I dug around and found I still have the original text books that i bought when i took AutoCAD I . I remember at the time they said it would be the same books for classes I II and III(II and III are the 3d classes). So I will probably just use them as they are for the correct version and were published by Autodesk. and I may take a few of you up on the offers when i get stuck.

Cmoe, i plan to take the DFT 254AA over at MCC on friday nights this fall. it is close to the house and not too expensive. i will be taking an accounting class there too so I might as well do both in the same place.

 

[Cmoe]

I can give you what they had us draw in that class when I took it... I lent someone my Quick Reference book but their is everything you need to now in those two... Are you wanting to know more about 3 dimensional or more of the Solid Modeling? Two different terms....

 

[jekbrown]

I have done quite a bit of solids modeling in ACAD2000. I made a model of a greek temple in school that had so many details that our computer couldn't even render it with even 1 light source. lol! It could hardly even rotate the wireframe if all the layers were on. It was pretty complex. Ahhh the good old days. Not sure about current PC power, but solids make for some huge files and very complex rendering in autoCAD. Programs like Form-Z seem much more efficient.

anyway, enough with my rambling.. was there something specific you wanted to know?

j

 

[ak bandit]

Here's a screeshot of the minigun I drew in AutoCAD 2000. It's just gouraud shaded.

 

[perp]

Jek, nothing specific yet, just testing the waters so as I run into challanges down the road I know where to bring my questions.


AK, that looks cool, I may post a few if after I learn more.

Thanks for the input all.

 

[Cmoe]

here is what I had to draw for my final in 3-D....

And here is a wire drawing of my trailer

 

[fabjunkie]

That Harnessing AutoCAD book is the best one I've come across. I use it to refresh a little every once in a while. I'm using '07 now, and a lot of it stays the same. They just seem to change little stuff every year. I never did have the quick reference book though.

 

[ntsqd]

My two cents...find Solidworks somewhere. In 3d it's like having a 22R with the wrong head on it vs. a blown 572.

Amen!

 

[az-k5]

My two cents...find Solidworks somewhere. In 3d it's like having a 22R with the wrong head on it vs. a blown 572.

X2

 

[Cmoe]

Solidwork is great for what it's made for (3D modeling for manufacturing). AutoCAD is based for the use of construction.... I've used both and have both... But I'm more comfortable with AutoCAD... Along with LDD and Map... and use them depending on what I want to do and what I open first....

 

[bigbluesuburban]

I didn't even realize 2000 had 3d

OMG... I about fell out of my chair when I read this... I have been operating AutoCAD from back in version 13... yes 13. And there was 3D before that.

But to actually answer the question about a book to teach yourself 3D. IMHO if you are profecient with 2D AutoCAD then all you need to do is open the buttons for the 3D processes and just start clickin'. It is amazingly self explanitory. As I am sure you are well aware there are 10 ways to do everything in AutoCAD. Initially you may not do it the fastest or easiest way, but you will be able to do it.

If you have specific questions you can PM or IM or email me any time.

I suggest working in solids as much as possible. Surfaces are for pretty pictures, while solids are for manufacturing.

I also may be able to give you advice about where to locate an old version of MasterCAM or SolidWorks for you to mess with. They are both much better at 3D and assemblies and manufacturing than standard AutoCAD could ever hope to be.

Well good luck.

Lee

 

[jekbrown]

I didn't even realize 2000 had 3d

there has been an AutoCad "light" for some time (since at least 2000) that only does 2d stuff and is (of course) cheaper. Full-version AutoCAD can do 3d just fine. No one has mentioned it, but I like Form-Z also for 3d stuff. One neat thing about it is that it can import pretty much any kind of file you want... very handy. Even more handy... you can export a formz file as almost any format you want.

If I was doing a detail on a autocad drawing, I used to make the hardware on form-Z and export as a autoCAD solid model. Form-Z has a "hardware wizard" that makes bolts/screws etc for you in realistic 3d much faster than it would be to model them yourself on AutoCAD. Just tell it the sizes and thread pitch etc and you're set. Handy. Form-Z is also much faster to set up renderings. Light location and all that jazz is handled much better in FormZ than cad.

j

 

[bigbluesuburban]

Another program that I like is Alibre.

I purchased it before I had a legal copy of AutoCAD2006 and it has been very fun and useful. It is a very inexpensive software as well. I have also been very impressed with their support.

 

[Cmoe]

I've heard good things about AutoDesk Inventor... Played with it alittle when I was in my AutoCAD class a few years ago.... But I spent a lot of time in Arch. Dest Top...

 

[ntsqd]

snipped.....
OMG... I about fell out of my chair when I read this... I have been operating AutoCAD from back in version 13... yes 13. And there was 3D before that.

Started with R11 myself. Talk about a PITA 3D package!

I agree with some of the posts that there's no point in killing ants with a flamethrower (except for the shear fun of it!), but once you get used to parametric modeling you'll find that revisions of the part go much, much faster. And the drawing updates along with the model (in SW anyway). I find that I can now model the part and detail the drawing in SW in the same or less time than it used to take me to just draw the part & work out all of the changes in AutoCad.

 

[Cmoe]

You can do a updates in AutoCAD too in ways... I do a lot of xref in autoCAD drawing braking down the item into smaller parts and then it is easier for the editing.... It's not the same as corrections in SW!