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Thread: AutoCad

  1. #11
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Norway, Fauske
    Posts
    1,206

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    I just have downloaded the Virtual Pc for windows.
    Maby that would do the trick. Need to install Windows XP it virtualpc
    I'll come back later...

    Pangolin FB3 QS/LivePro/SMS2Laser
    Riya MultiBus
    Pangolin LD2000 Pro

  2. #12
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Norway, Fauske
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    1,206

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    Virtual Pc works just fine! And SketchUp works like a charm.
    That is I am running Windows Vista Ultimate and inside vista, I am running Windows XP Pro. That is neat. Now I need to play around with the SketchUp software to learn it..well to do some simple steps tho.

    Pangolin FB3 QS/LivePro/SMS2Laser
    Riya MultiBus
    Pangolin LD2000 Pro

  3. #13
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    denver,co
    Posts
    1,078

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    Albre design is a great package for free. it is by far the best free software I have found for 3d solid modeling.

    Solidworks is much better, But Solidworks 2007 office pro cost us nearly $8000.

    http://www.alibre.com/products/

    chad


    When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro.


  4. #14
    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    Norway, Fauske
    Posts
    1,206

    Default

    SketchUp is great easy to make stuff...

    Pangolin FB3 QS/LivePro/SMS2Laser
    Riya MultiBus
    Pangolin LD2000 Pro

  5. #15
    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Posts
    2,478

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    Yep. That Alibre Design looks cool too though. Seems to have a SketchUp inspired sketching interface recently added too. I think other CAD packages are also using one now. Alibre Design is ready for Vista too. I use an older SketchUp v4 demo, cos I like W98. I got the new freeware one but I don't want to use WXP let alone Vista. I don't think I miss much with using SketchUp v4, not that matters for simple design. Also, if a CAD program didn't give me that immediacy of tactile feedback of turning a design, zooming, direct laying of construction geometry and lines and planes in 3D like SketchUp does, I probably wouldn't use it unless I had to import SketchUp designs to prepare for someone to run a CNC machine or something. For my own use, I'd rather spend that kind of time working directly with the metal and such. SketchUp rules because it saves me from having to make any mistakes with hardware. I can see all the nasty alignment gotchas that might hurt a real design before I start cutting stuff. So long as I think about my past experience of handling parts on the scale I'm working on, I do ok. It's tempting to make really fine moves with the program that can't be done easily in practise. It doesn't provide any kinds of cautionary checking for that, so you have to reality-check your thinking a bit.

    I still want to try that Alibre sometime though. Looks like it might be worth running WXP for, if SketchUp won't help me solve something. There is no value to go further than needed for a limited design type though. Like my scanning mirror idea with the 60 degree beam path, that won't be invalid if I don't use anything beyond SketchUp. I'm not designing the motors and drivers, or the position sensors, I'm purely applying an idea to the mirrors themselves, not concerning myself with the (as yet possibly nonexistent) motors that would get fast use of them. Any basic 3D modelling tool will do, along with a bit of maths to work out angles and inertia of each mirror.

    I did look at a review of SolidWorks, and some screenshots. It looks very nice too.I want to try. But it's not free, or even cheap, and I bet I couldn't open up a template file and design a few new metal parts in as many minutes with it, either. I want something to be as convenient as the back of an envelope, but as accurate as 6 decimal places or more. SketchUp was the only program I could find (was v2 then) that could do this.
    Last edited by The_Doctor; 04-20-2007 at 06:23.

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