Practice Drawing - Squares

[RetroCAD]

Some of the discussions in this area of CADTutor got me thinking back to the days when I taught AutoCAD and the drawings I used to run people through the paces.

 

Give the attached image a look and think through how you might solve it. Can you draw the squares in three steps? Two steps?

[steven-g]

Two!  rectangle and array

[Dadgad]

You beat me to it, I was just about to post. 

 

Lots of midcommand clicks on the ARRAY command to sort it out, but yeah two will do it!

 

[steven-g]

 No clicks, 'arrayclassic' just fill in the numbers.

[Dadgad]

Much better, I prefer that, I am going to change    aa   in my AliasEditor, so that it goes to that ARRAYCLASSIC.

Old school dialog box works for me.  Thanks for the tip! 

[rkent]

I prefer the new array, but to each their own.

[Dadgad]

I tend to be pretty old school in a lot of ways, still favor toolbars despite all the

upgraded contextual functionality of the Ribbon.

You young guys tend to be much more objective and more cutting edge!  

Sometimes I get tired of having to click on so many commandline options

and favor a single dialog, as long as all the options remain the same.

In ProSteel there are tons of dialog boxes and less commandline options.

[rkent]

Dadgad,  I may be younger than you but I am 66 and retiring at the end of this week!  (May 29,2020)  I moved from board drafting in 1988 to AutoCAD V2.6 (R8) and over the years always tried to embrace the new commands and UI while keeping many old school functions.  I like a good customized Ribbon and all the contextual tabs. Good luck everyone. 

[RetroCAD]

And I'm over here still typing all my commands in. 

[BIGAL]

L A C Z E the hunt and peck typing method works for me.

Edited May 27, 2020 by BIGAL

[Dadgad]

@rkent, I was just cracking wise.

I thought you might enjoy being referenced as one of the young guns! 

 

You are LEGEND on the board, and words cannot express the high esteem in which I hold you.

You not only know all the magic handshakes of the CADeratti, rumor has it that you started a lot of them.

WOW, retiring?  CONGRATULATIONS for a job which I have no doubt was done in an exemplary fashion.

 

While, yes in 1963, I was in Drafting class when the school-wide announcement was made that JFK had been shot,

and much as I really enjoyed that class, it wasn't until 2008 when I jumped into the mix and started using AutoCAD.

I pity my dear friend who hired and indoctrinated me.

He had been using CAD since about '82 or '83.

He had worked as a CAD Manager on projects in Dubai with hundreds of CAD techs onboard.

He's a Brit, was trained on the Board.

I am highly driven to explore options and outside the envelope approaches.

I will never be as good a draftsman as he, but I have rocked the old boat, and shown him and our team

lots of more modern ways to do things.  I remember how happy I was when I finally modeled a full 3D threaded bolt,

a few weeks into my internship, and shared it with him.  He had been skeptical about it being possible.

When I started working  for him, all of our 3D modeled parts were TRACED for our fabrication drawings.

It gave me great pleasure to stumble upon, and introduce the SOLPROF command, shortly thereafter,

which had already been in AutoCAD for a number of years, and saved us huge amounts of time.

I am always eager to check out EXPRESS TOOLS with a new release.

 

That was well before I discovered CADTutor and the amazing online instructional resources.

 

Do you ever use the ACTION RECORDER?

Not that it is new, I know it is quite old, but I use it all the time, and really love it.

I know lots of members have shied away from it, and yes it has some limitations, but once you get used to using it, it can be a great tool.

As one who doesn't write lisp, and when I have tons of drawings to do in short order, I might create 4 or 5 new ActionMacros in a day.

I think it is severely under used.

 

One of my personal favorites of your posts was the one in which you created overlayed or clipped viewports,

with different viewstyles beautifully displaying some roof framing, seemingly through the decking.

Very clever, have never needed to use it, but I did replicate and save it for future reference.

Unfortunately it has probably gone to .DWG Heaven on one of my multiple "gave up the ghost" CAD laptops!

If you still have it, please post it.  I gave up after looking through a few years of your old posts.

 

That would make a great Tutorial!

 

DAMN, I just spent a LONG time trying to find that post, as I wanted to link to it.  It was a beautiful drawing.

I did find your earliest review of the Ribbon, wherein you opined that the OOTB Ribbon was pretty much useless.

In 2012 you stated that as of the addition of Contextual Tab States the Ribbon became the BEES KNEES.

 

Back in the old days there were lots more questions of the kind I like to jump in on,

because I could actually be of assistance!

 

Of late most of the questions on the board are LISP related.

 

I trust that unlike Tankman, Jack O'Neil, Nestly, JD and other old forum members, you won't stop visiting just because you have hung up your pencil!

Enjoy all the extra time you will have in your workshop!

CHEERS!!!    

 

Edited May 27, 2020 by Dadgad
corrections

[rkent]

@Dadgad, I figured you were being smart since I knew you are senior to me.  Being referenced as a young gun definitely cracks me up.

I thank you for the kind words.  You were always the voice of reason and always treat the posters with professionalism and I learned from the best.

I feel like I had an interesting career and tried to always learn and strive to do better.  When I went from the board to AutoCAD I knew very little about the program, just what I could learn in a 2 month class at the community college.  I was very worried about measuring up and consequently spent way too many hours away from work doing nothing much else but teaching myself more about AutoCAD.

I remember when we did a presentation on AutoCAD in ~1991 using slides and creating a slide show.  Everyone’s mind were blown and we were rock stars for a day or two. 

 

A few of us figured out how to create a virtual drive in the memory on our computers (~1990) and copy the AutoCAD.exe file there and then start the program.  This was all done with a DOS file, I think it was called a batch file but my memory is not that great anymore.  It was noticeably faster to do it that way and was possible back when the program was so small.

 

Even though I learned on R9 the first company I worked for had bootleg copies of R8 (v2.6) and we used that for about a year.  After that they bought R9 licenses and I was still able to copy the program and put it on my home computer, in fact my boss encouraged it.

I have used Action Recorder a time or two but never really got into the habit of remembering it was there.  It got better over the years and the few times I thought to use it I did like the result. 

In the bad old days of the early 90’s CADalyst magazine would publish a lisp file each month.  I would copy those by typing what was printed and of course I would make at least two typos and the thing wouldn’t work.  So off I went trouble shooting the lisp file and finally finding my mistakes.  I did learn quite a bit about rudimentary lisp writing but I have forgotten most of that.  These days if I need something I just look on Lee-Mac’s web site and can often find an awesome program that is light years ahead of what I could do.  I have donated to his site a few times but certainly not near enough.

The post of the ‘clipped’ viewports was not something I can claim credit for.  I learned about that somewhere else and simplified what they had done and added step by step instructions.  I will post the drawing since I do still have it.

 Digging up old posts of mine on the Ribbon: man I hated that when it first came out.  I am often too quick to judge a new feature like that but with time and learning to customize it I definitely became a fan.

I agree, there used to me more general questions from new users but I assume the number of new users of AutoCAD is going way down with the advent of BIM and 3D programs like Inventor. 

I can see myself still looking in and posting if I have something to offer.  As you said, more questions on programming and fewer on actually using the program. 

Thanks again.

viewport in viewport 2007.dwg

[BIGAL]

"I remember when we did a presentation on AutoCAD in ~1991 using slides and creating a slide show"

 

Way back when used to demo draw a full 3d spiral stair via lisp and then we had a fly through that followed the path through the front door and up the spiral stair all done with shade no render in those days.

[RetroCAD]

7 hours ago, rkent said:

A few of us figured out how to create a virtual drive in the memory on our computers (~1990) and copy the AutoCAD.exe file there and then start the program.

 

The .OVL files are copied to the ramdrive as well.  Heck, I still do this on my 368/486 machines.

[Dadgad]

14 hours ago, rkent said:

These days if I need something I just look on Lee-Mac’s web site and can often find an awesome program that is light years ahead of what I could do.  I have donated to his site a few times but certainly not near enough.

 

The post of the ‘clipped’ viewports was not something I can claim credit for.  I learned about that somewhere else and simplified what they had done and added step by step instructions.  I will post the drawing since I do still have it.

 Digging up old posts of mine on the Ribbon: man I hated that when it first came out.  I am often too quick to judge a new feature like that but with time and learning to customize it I definitely became a fan.

I agree, there used to me more general questions from new users but I assume the number of new users of AutoCAD is going way down with the advent of BIM and 3D programs like Inventor. 

 

I can see myself still looking in and posting if I have something to offer.  As you said, more questions on programming and fewer on actually using the program. 

 

Thanks again.

viewport in viewport 2007.dwg 265.53 kB · 1 download

@rkent, Thanks for your kind words, and for posting that drawing.

That is a great technique, and one I wouldn't have learned had you not brought it to the attention of the board and thus the Global AutoCAD community.

In rethinking it, I believe I did have one occasion to put it to use, can't recall what I was working on.

As you state on the .dwg it is particularly interesting used  in isometric views of 3D models, with different visual styles and Viewport Layer settings applied to make them POP!

 

You joined CADTutor 4 years before me.  DAMN, having looked back through about 30 pages of your earliest posts yesterday trying unsuccessfully to find this...man you posted a lot!

Another one that caught my eye in passing was you at age 55 talking with a 26 year old Tannar (AKA Stykface) about the passage of time, sort of within the context of being a draftsperson.  That would have been back in the day before Styk went "over the hill", or should I say FORWARD> to REVIT? 

 

LEE MAC RULES!  The Prince of LISPNESS!  

 

All the best in your woodshop, get some Festool Sanding tools and you won't let your wife deprive you off the pleasure, and you'll be able to get a lot more done!   

 

 

 

Edited May 28, 2020 by Dadgad

[steven-g]

@rkent are you going to be able to keep up with AutoCAD as well or is that going to be one of the 'work tools' that stays back at the office. I can't imagine life without my CAD it gets used for so many things, even my kids play with it from time to time.

Edited May 28, 2020 by steven-g

[rkent]

@steven-g,

I have a 'Not For Resale' copy of AutoCAD (courtesy of the EE program with Autodesk) at home so I will be drawing my woodworking projects with that before cutting any boards.  I have my first post retirement project drawn mini-workbench to raise the work off of the main workbench for detail work.  I will be making it from hard maple and walnut, with Greene and Greene mortise and tenon joints.

 

@Dadgad,

I might have been on this board even earlier but I let Stykface get under my skin and I left for a while and came back under a different user name.  Later we became friends.

mini work bench 2-Layout1.pdf

[steven-g]

@rkent I just saw one of those (similar) on instructables earlier today, there may be some good ideas there whilst you are busy making one. Found it

EE's get perks!!! I'll have to read the small print.

Edited May 28, 2020 by steven-g

[BIGAL]

Good idea rkent a mini bench, for me I take on the task of using recycled timber its amazing what quality timber is out there just thrown away. I had timber stools outside no screws or nails just glued and dowelled sat out side for like 20 years left behind when I moved, the timber was 200x40 from a boat yard it was shipping packaging something big.

[Dadgad]

@rkent,  That looks great, nice to orient the work to you, rather than you to the work, ergonomics.

A lot more comfortable than always having to bend over for the intricate stuff.

Walnut and Hard Rock Maple, very nice.

Greene & Greene, styling.

If I was making it I would expand the field of Bench Dog holes to cover the whole top.

They don't get in the way, just provide a lot of extra easy and quick field clamping options.

Do us all a favor and post a couple pictures when you get it finished. 

 

I just noticed and visited the link which steven-g put in his post.

Yours will look much better, being from hardwoods, but share the same great functionality.

Too bad he had to countersink the Bench Dog holes on his, presumably due to tear out?

I do like the addition of the second vise though, and the holes fill the field. 

 

Edited May 29, 2020 by Dadgad