A Blog About Computer Aided Design
Convert DWG to STL Format
If you’re into 3D printing, you need STL files to print with. And if you’ve developed your own designs, then converting DWG to STL format is your next step. You might want 3D printed parts for the following or other reasons: Visualize design concepts Create product mockups, architectural models, and terrain models Test form, fit, […]
Screen setups for CAD – Landscape vs. Portrait
Looking for the best screen setups for CAD? Well, the first thing that comes to mind when I personally want to setup a new system or rig is the display. That’s because at the end of the day, the display will be what I use to see what the system chooses to show me. For […]
What to Look for in CAD Monitors
Monitors are a tricky bit and with a controversial history in their making. From serial to Thunderbolt interfaces and from CRT to IPS LED, there is a lot of ground to cover when making the decision of replacing or adding a monitor to your rig. Read on for some tips on how to pick the […]
Recent Updates in SSD for 2020
The world of technology has virtually unlimited advancements and miniature evolutions every single day. Hence a new kind of optical drive or USB-interface peripheral popping up overnight is not that big a deal. What is a big deal is knowing what’s new, what makes it relevant and how far along has the parent technology come […]
Top 5 SSD of 2020
With almost 4 new mainstream abstractions for the SSD technology, we got around to putting the best options available in the market head to head. Reviewing the top products from each category we also added an extra product from the category we think will be the new thing in the coming future. Read on for […]
Five Best Computer Casings for CAD
Only those serious about performance and aesthetics go as far as thinking about custom casings, one very essential piece of a tech aficionado’s setup. For that very purpose, we took out the time to inspect a few of the hottest and hippest system casings available in the market. Judged on looks, expansion options and included […]
Creating Terrain Objects
Need a terrain for your upcoming game or Hollywood blockbuster? Or are you simply looking to master the art of creating landscapes and planes that can be used for hosting other elemental objects? Either way, and for so many others, you can do so with AutoCAD. Although there are other tools (Civil, Map, 3D Maya, […]
Drawing Aids in AutoCAD
To reinvent drawing methodologies would have been an impractical approach towards the development of CAD, almost 60 years ago when the whole thing started. Because of this traditional approach, most of the techniques and tools are the same as traditional methods with the digital transition the main cause of confusion and apprehension amongst newcomers. In […]
Coordinate Systems in AutoCAD
In the world of CAD, coordinates play a part as important as any other. Any rotation, skewing or other manipulation is done with the help of mathematical equations and the help of regular geometric and algebraic techniques that work with the coordinates. For this purpose, the inherent nature of coordinates and the subsequent introduction of […]
Best CAD Gifts for Christmas 2020
Christmas is a time to give. And as a friend or partner to a CADer, the question is a tough one. What to get for the CADers in my circles? And because we suffer from the same question, we have put together our holiday season gifts list (or a wish list) for our CAD enthusiasts. With […]
AutoCad vs Microstation: Head to Head Comparison
AutoCAD has gone head to head with a lot of other packages much capable of the challenge. One widely held debate is between the AutoCAD user base and the MicroStation user base. These communities like most others have no limit to the reasons why they would stick to one and not the other. Prior to […]
Optimization of Workflow
Experience comes with time, and it is no doubt that any man or woman adept at a certain skill, to the point that they can optimize their work methods beyond the traditional techniques, have put in time and effort to get there. As the saying goes, practice makes perfect, and it is with that age […]
Survey Data and AutoCAD
As you may all know, there are a ton of ways of entering data or importing it into AutoCAD. This can be done through automated scripts written in your favorite language or simply developed in LISP. It can also be done through the use of Autodesk’s extensions and packages such as Civil 3D or Autodesk […]
Preparing Drawings with AutoCAD for 3D
Any 2D drawing or model that has been designed and is ready for 3D development usually requires some kind of preparation before we can begin the 3D design. This is because in 2D, the design cannot be realistically assessed, meaning only once a 3D model is created of the drawing, the finer details tend to […]
Let’s Have A Walkthrough in AutoCAD
AutoCAD has the tools necessary for preparing presentations, image inclusive slides and other scripted hacks that can add so much more interactivity to your models and drawings. But with all that vastness, AutoCAD by itself has no methods, tools or functions for the development of animations, especially ones that be extended into walkthroughs. Yes, that’s […]
Auto Dimensioning in SolidWorks
Dimensioning is a general task for any drawing or drafting engineer. Every 3D model needs a 2D drawing to accompany it for manufacturing, hence the dimensioning needs to be annotated precisely. For larger or complex designs, this task can be very time consuming as well as redundant in light of the fact that SolidWorks has […]
What Is SolidWorks Used For?
For those of us having served any amount of time as a 3D CAD designer, the name SolidWorks is a name well known. Even though software packages with more complex functionality exist, SolidWorks is an industry favorite. It has a user base larger than any other 3D CAD package, almost as large as AutoCAD (which […]
Renaming References with SolidWorks Explorer
With SolidWorks we have the SolidWorks Explorer that is meant to make your job easier when it comes to renaming parts and files apart from the regular features such as categorical and hierarchical viewing of the assemblies and parts included in the project. Now, before we talk about how to use SolidWorks Explorer to alter […]
Copying Settings from and to AutoCAD Projects
Have you ever had to reconstruct your CAD environment simply because the default settings for the project we’re not what you wanted? Or do you work as a hobbyist on the weekends and would like to have project settings for your hobby-work different from your professional workload? These or a number of other reasons are […]
Linking Cells Within Tables in AutoCAD
If you’ve ever used a spreadsheet you know what tables, cells and references are. You also know how to operate tables in applications and you also probably know how to link tables and cells together. But did you know, AutoCAD has facilities for handling tables and databases? Not only can you link external spreadsheets and […]
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