CAD For Dummies?

Jim

Jim

Beyond the edge is the unknown. Here be Dragons
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I'm gonna give Send Cut Send a try. You can send 'em a drawing and they'll convert it to CAD for you..... for 50 bucks!!:yikes:
So I need to learn how to make simple CAD drawings. These are basic circle and tube type items I want to make... not rocket science stuff.
Three requirements...

1. Free. Not free trial or any other such nonsense, honest to goodness free. As in we don' need no stinkin' credit card free!!
2. Can export in either DXF, STEP or EPS (don't ask me what those mean, I barely understand what CAD stands for).
3. So simple, a caveman with his Trash-80 could do it.
:smoke:

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Not sure if I am right here
But I assume you will provide the file / drawing and they use it for cutting items

There used to be torrent files that had the latest but can have been removed because of legal issues
but a couple years old can be out there

There are also free don't know about them

I would check out LibreCAD

https://www.cadcrowd.com/blog/10-free-autocad-alternatives-for-cad-design/
 
DanielBlack said:
Is this a one-off need? Just a few items? Or is this a skill you want in the proverbial toolbox?
Click to expand...
Yes, yes and yes. It's one-off, but if it works I might share... ;) Two items to make for one project, but...

And yeah, I've always wanted to learn CAD. Problem is, I always seem to pick the ones with the steep learning curve, get frustrated and give it up. I'd like something that, when I learn something, I can do it again a month later instead of just scratching my head and staring blankly at the screen. :er:

Appreciate the offer though.
 
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Be wary of Turbo cad I drew some stuff to be water jet cut and converted to DXF files and the cutter program could not open them.
Tried all ways in the end I had a friend redraw the items in a different (professional) program and those files opened.

One tip when you do your drawing draw a calibration square, that is a square 25mm x 25mm and dimension it.
When the operator opens the file they measure the square to check the machine has not scaled the drawing.

There are hobby machines now that can scan a cardboard template then plasma cut.lots of
I use Fusion 360 for my 3D printing its free for personal use but I find it slow going when learning to use it. Fusion 360 does not meet your other criteria.
 
Signal said:
One tip when you do your drawing draw a calibration square, that is a square 25mm x 25mm and dimension it.
When the operator opens the file they measure the square to check the machine has not scaled the drawing.
Click to expand...
Thanks. I'll remember that tip.
 
gggGary said:
Send Cut Send has some nice ads up that sure seems like the way to go.
Click to expand...
I watch a sailing channel where the guy has learned CAD and uses Send Cut Send. He needed an alternator mount bracket for his Yanmar motor. Yanmar wanted $120 for it. About 150X20mm... 8mm thick, a hole, a slot and one bend. His cost with Send Cut Send? About 15 bucks.
I thought to myself, fuck me... why do I always pick the hard way. :doh:
 
I tried Fusion 360 but the learning curve was steep. I wasn't willing to invest the time and brain sweat for the simple stuff I design.

I was able to create what I wanted in TinkerCAD almost immediately using it's basic capabilities. It has advanced functions such as code blocks for more complex designs that I haven't needed. Yet.
 
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