Quest for Simple (Poor-Mans) AutoCad

[Wanna-Be]

I'm rather old school and as technology/software advances come along, I soon find myself outside of my comfort zone. I began using the earliest verstion of Auto Cad in the early 80's and my mind (40 yr old) was still able to absorb the methods and concepts. In the 90's I learned to do simple web design with Web Wizard and later the earliest version of Dream Weaver.
As time went by and my computer systems were upgraded, I lost touch or the ability to run this old time spimple programs. I still have some old version on "floppy disks" but doubt I could get that to run or remember how to use it.
Now, I have reverted back to graph paper to sketch out my projects. Sometimes when I get an idea I pencel it out like a school kid. In my early years I did do some drafting and mechanical drawing.

All of that said (sorry for the Rambling), I think I am looking for something in between the sketches and the Auto Cad. Just to get these project ideas into something that can preserve measurements, calculate angles and various views with maybe detailed enough for fabrations parts thickness. Fill format could be as simple as PDF or DXF. 3D renditions are not a high priority.

Not to complicate, my "simply (Poor-Man's)" drafting program, perhaps the out put file should be something that could be coverted to simple cad burning table. (I think a friend has one and a commercial sheet metal shop will do cutting cheap it I have a Cad file.) At (almost 75) I doubt I will ever add CNC to my machine shop. I'm just getting into using my DRO in the Vert. to some of it's potential.

I welcome some opinions this topic!

Steve

[DianneB]

I am an experienced AutoCAD user and went to progeCAD http://www.progesoft.com/ ProgeCAD is an AutoCAD clone and Version 9 is free for home use.

[Wanna-Be]

I am an experienced AutoCAD user and went to progeCAD http://www.progesoft.com/ ProgeCAD is an AutoCAD clone and Version 9 is free for home use.

Thanks Dianne
Hmm! looks interesting ("free"), however from the video intro, I didn't see much that might work for mechancial drawing/design without learning all the achitectural 'stuff'. I think what I'm after is a drafting program deals with the mechanical components. Gear and lever layout a interactions/relationship. I don't expect anything that helps design gear teeth since that is well covered on the Machinarys's Handbook and other fine publication.

Since I do most of my designs in my head and on scraps of paper, just a better way to preserve them for shop or future referance. And of course to elemenate the "Tial and Error" of these methods.

Steve

[DeMaxx]

Look here:
http://www.chaski.org/homemachinist/vie ... &hilit=cad

[rudd]

I've been using Draftsight at home for 2d stuff. Uses most of the ACAD commands. It's free.

[Jim_Nolan]

draftsite for me as well in 2D

[Wanna-Be]

I've been using Draftsight at home for 2d stuff. Uses most of the ACAD commands. It's free.

Thanks.
I followed that link to Draftsight and see that it is associated with SolidWorks somehow and upon downloading it, it went into the online training seminar which started out very well as i felt I was actually back in my community college drafting class for cad. Seemed like about an hour session, YouTube style, which is about my limit.

However, the screen displayed seems to be a video capture, as with most all the cad videos and very hard to read the tool bars on my monitor. Visual displays within the actual Daftsight program are just fine so I know my computer video is ok, just the Youtube presentations are problematic. I'll look into this next time. it's 12:30am now and my eyes maybe getting tired, for sure.

Steve

[bjmh46]

Wanna-be,

I also learned autocad in the dark ages. Used it daily til retirement in 2008. I now use both progecad and Draftsight, with Draftsight having the edge once you learn how to configure it. In this respect it is very different from autocad. The free progecad is good, and probably a more faithful autocad clone, but it will watermark your drawings when you print--not a big deal, but Drafsight has no limitations. I will say that I found online resources for Draftsight to, well frankly, suck! But, if you know autocad, you can be working right away. You do need to keep an eye on the command line though, because some of the commands require slightly different input, or sequence of input than autocad.

Depending on your operating system, you may or may not have a choice, but you can install and run both programs on XP, and Vista. Draftsight will run on win7, but I believe you need a workaround to run progecad on win7. I've even run the Draftsight Linux beta on an install of Mint linux, and it runs well--with a couple of small glitches.

Best of luck!

Regards
Bob

[Draw-Tech]

If your looking for gear model drawings go to http://www.rushgears.com they have a gear generator that produces these files. Files are in step or dxf format and I use them, I draw with Inventor Pro 2012

Draw-Tech

[awake]

Another free CAD program is LibreCAD (formerly known as QCad): http://librecad.org/cms/home.html. I have only used AutoCAD once for about 10 minutes, so I'm not sure how it compares, but I *think* the interface/command structure is somewhat similar. This is open-source and multi-platform -- runs on Windows, Mac, and Linux.

[seal killer]

Steve--

Gee. You sound PRECISELY like me.

I spent my career in the community college world, too. I installed and supported the first versions of Auto CAD in the early 1980's. I was not a real user, but could use it with some competency. I moved out of the faculty and into administration. That spelled DOOM for me as a hands-on technology guy.

Right before I retired in '07, I cranked up the latest version of Auto CAD with the intention of using it to whip out some simple drawings for my then new machining hobby. Ha! No luck. Auto Desk had actually changed it in the last thirty five or so years!

Hope you find something. I fell back on what my 8th grade drafting teacher taught me. Today, I am very glad he was the meanest !$&@? I ever ran across because I still remember a lot of what he taught me half a century ago. (I still don't know how he could tell when you started an arrow from the wrong end!)

I would like to know what you decide to use. Maybe I could learn it.

--Bill

[ZipSnipe]

Well its not cad but for sketching up quick ideas, I use http://www.sketchup.com/

I love its simplicity