AutoCAD's Workability?

[pennreeler]

Is autoCAD a good program for boat design. I mean it seems as though everone uses it and i mean i use it everyday, but is it the best for boat design. If no, what is?

[Raggi_Thor]

You can search this fourm for "software", "rhino" etc.

If you know AutoCAD, then I think Rhino3D is a good choice for boatbuilding. It has all the surface commands that is missing in AutoCAD.
AutoCAD (or low cost clones) is great for 2D drawings, but very hard to use in 3D modelling.

[antonfourie]

How do you do dimensions in Rhino there is no scale on the grid ?

[Raggi_Thor]

You can change the settings for the grid.
When you draw you can type exactly coordinates.

[antonfourie]

So how would you "stretch" a curve to fit between two points. For example in TurboCAD you can draw a arc with a diameter of 2000mm and then stretch it so that it forms the curve from the side of the hull to the bow

[Tim B]

In rhino you build curves direcly by manipulation of control points. Starting from control points, however is not the preferred way. Generally I build a surface with 8 control points down it, 5 control points across, then move the control-points to get the hull you want.

Cad in 3D is a different mindset to 2D.

For 2D cad work, I prepare everything in Rhino, then use either ACORN !Draw (on a Strong-arm RISC-PC) or QCad under Linux. Often, I just produce drawings straight from Rhino.

Tim B.

[antonfourie]

Still not great for creating "Fair" curves, unless you draw then in 2D first then, input the control points.

Are there any applications, that do not cost the world, that you create and size a arc in 3D ?

[Raggi_Thor]

You cn draw arcs in Rhino if you like, and specify the radius.
You can also make your 2D sections in turbocad or aca d and open the dwg file in Rhino and then loft the hull.

[yipster]

Raggi, hard to make 3d from dwg you say?
dont know much more from acad than some instruction cd's and some fat books.
so exploded some nested dwg blocks to get to the poligons i want to export to 3d studio.
is there an easy way to get the polygons out without having them fall apart in splines?
thinking of redrawing but it feels stupid...

[Raggi_Thor]

Dwg files can contain 3D solids, surfaces and wireframes (curves).
I thought 3DS wiuld open DWGs?
It's Autodesk :-)

Rhino can often work as a translator and a "healer".
You can import dwg, sat, iges etc and save as 3ds.

I just spent the day trying to teach som "Autocad'ers" how to use Rhino for hull modelling. It seems like a typical lines drawing (3D) from AutoCAD contains more info than you need to loft a smooth hull in Rhino.

[yipster]

these flat dwg's (with lots of detail) give no problem converting with the right versions. from 2d making 3d in acad seems very intensive so i tryed to export some polygons but when eploding dwg blocks the drawing comes apart in lose splines. starting my study cd again ):-[

[Raggi_Thor]

If you email me a dwg, I can have alook at it.

[yipster]

thanks for the offer Raggi, getting to know autocad better i have to save for later, i'm doing an artist impression and got the lines i want.

[doctor]

if you have doubt on autoCAD use Rhino3D , its a good software for boat design . yes it is true that you can build curves directly by manipulating the control points in rhino .. try using rhino3d and you see the difference beetween te two by yourself ...