New to 3D, Where to start?

[Oxygen454]

I want to learn AutoCAD 3D but I havent found any good tutorials that explain the beginning steps or cad 3D. Can anyone point me in the right direction please? Keep in mind Im running AutoCAD 2004.

 

Thanks,

Oxy

[Cad64]

Try searching Amazon.com for a good 3D book. Or you could always take a trip to your local library. :wink:

[Oxygen454]

Sounds like a plan, any direction from here? How to draw a 3D box?

[shift1313]

there are tons of books out there and there should be a few tutorials and help files preloaded with the software. Are you comfortable with 2d? or are you starting from scratch?

 

You are going to want to get familiar with your line, arc, rectangle commands and all the other 2d operations. You will also want to get familiar with the PEDIT command which will allow you to convert your lines and arc to closed polylines which you can then extrude or revolve into 3d solids.

 

going through a few tutorials is really your best bet. since you are running 04 any book from autocad 02-06 will be sufficient.

[Oxygen454]

I know my way around basic autoCAD which I think is 2D? Drawing lines and dimensions but nothing like 3D.

[Oxygen454]

I want to start out by drawing steel structural channels. Being a steel fabricator / welder, I want to learn how to do drawings which contain structural objects like ie. Square Tubing, Pipe, Channel etc...

[Cad64]

Here's some basics:

http://www.caddigest.com/subjects/autocad/tutorials/select/081403_parsai_primitives.htm

http://www.caddigest.com/subjects/autocad/tutorials/select/081503_parsai_primitives2.htm

 

Also, take a look at some of the other tutorials here: http://www.caddigest.com/subjects/autocad/tutorials/3d.htm. They're not all for 2004, but a lot of them are.

[Oxygen454]

Great I will look into those, thank-you for your help!

[shift1313]

you want mechanical desktop or inventor. both have preloaded beams etc.

 

I use inventor at work when i need to design an assembly and check its function. It also has a weldment function and can analyze welds. Here is something i was looking at today for freeze points. Depending on what you fabricate, inventor also has some nice sheet metal features where you can draw a bracket how its needed and the software will flatten it if its possible. really nice.

 

[shift1313]

For drawing something like a beam you will be drawings its cross section or profile in 2d, and extrude it. This is the same thing you would do for tubing runs in ACAD04. You can draw the cross section of your tube and a path you want to extrude or sweep it along.

[ReMark]

Recommendation: AutoCAD 2004:3D Modeling, A Visual Approach by H. Wilson and Alan Kalameja. The book is available through Amazon.com.

 

You can also find online tutorials here and at other websites.

 

Practice makes perfect. Just because you can't afford to upgrade to 2009 or buy another piece of software (such as Inventor) doesn't mean it can't be done, with a little more effort, using 2004. Just keep at it. Post examples of your work here and/or come back with questions as they arise.

[shift1313]

sorry oxygen, i didnt mean you should go purchase those software packages, just that they have a lot of beams and components they will(may) save you time if you plan on upgrading at some point.

 

everything can be done in the package you have.

[Oxygen454]

Thanks for the tips! I still don't totally know the meaning of extrude but I think I generally do? The first couple of tutorials making cubes seemed easy but if I open my own cad drawing from fresh and type cube, it turns out like a 2D wire type design and not 3D? That demo files must have some sort of 3D setup in it?

 

Those programs sound cool but a bit expensive (beams, tubing etc) I think for now I will learn how to draw in 3D

 

Oxy

[Cad64]

The rest of this thread has been moved to its own separate thread HERE in attempt to cut down on the size and make it easier to read. :wink:

[Oxygen454]

Thank-you!,

Oxy

[joemaddigotz]

I wanted to say that I searched the threads to find something similiar to what I was looking for - here I read the two CadDigest links placed up on the first page but those are solid shapes.

 

Did you ever find out how to draw the hollow rectangular tubing? It is what I am looking for - I will keep searching the threads... link me to it if you can Thanks

[Cad64]

It would help to know what version of Autocad you are running.

Please update your profile.

[shift1313]

Do you want just a straight section of tube? there are several ways. You do not have sweep/loft in acad 06 but you can extrude straight sections of a profile and you have extrude>path.

 

If you were to draw your inner and outter profile of the square tube you could EXTRUDE these both, then SUBTRACT the inside from the outside. Or, when you have both profiles drawn you can use the REGION command, subtract them as 2d regions, then extrude the region and not have to subtract solids.

 

can you give a little more info on what you want to draw.

[joemaddigotz]

Yes of course Shift,

 

I for example am trying to create a recangular tube 8" x 1.5" x 1.0" with a wall thickness of 0.0065/0.065 i have to check the material again.

 

I will create 2 holes on the side of this as well to allow for .25" pins to be inserted through to lock it in place.

 

Once I learn to create this I should have the majority of the drawing at ease because I have created all this already but with SOLID blocks and not hollow.

 

 

So I drew my 8" bars - however they are all solid....

[shift1313]

This seems like a fairly simple thing. If you already have the solid blocks its just a matter of creating your id rectangle, extrude it through the solid where it needs to be and use the boolean operation SUBTRACT. Your holes will still be there and you will be done:)