Help: AUTOCAD BEGINNER 1

[cor2OO7]

I am a manufacturing engineering graduate and would like to apply as an Autocad Drafter soon (my first job). I am refreshing my autocad skills lately and there are few topics I forgot/do not understand:

1. difference of INSERT and XREF
2. what QUICK SELECT, REFEDIT and ATTRIBUTE, VIEWRES are for

 

[SeanSweeney]

Insert is for blocks, preformed objects which will often have numerous occurences within a drawing - lighting posts, gullies for me. Whereas xrefs are complete drawings pinned to your drawing often just as a background and with only one copy per drawing.

Quick select is the tool for selecting like objects such as all my gullies without having to select them one by one.

Refedit for editing blocks which are already inserted in your drawing, which thus changes all other like entities - very clever.

Attribute - seems to me to be the text information found within blocks which are active, but I need help here on their definition.

Viewres - to do with the definition shown on the screen - usually set low - I think 1000 out of 20000 but there is very little need to change this or even know about it, but I am now waiting for somebody to contradict me.

Cheers. Sean.

 

[borgunit]

A little extra...

-Inserts stay with the drawing (inserted in the drawing itself). WHen you give another person the drawing, they have everything.

-XREFs are a drawing (2) outside the drawing (1), when you give another person the drawing(1), if they do not get the XREFed drawing(2) also, it (2) will be missing from the drawing (1)when they open it.

-Quick selct lets you pick the properties for anything you wish to make a selection set of (eg. all lines, that are blue on layer 100).

Good luck.

"Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects." — Will Rogers

 

[JStephen]

If you're an engineering graduate, don't apply as a drafter- two different fields with different expectations.

 

[ctopher]

I agree with JStephen.
I suggest learning a 3D solid modeling CAD software.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks 06 4.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 06-21-06)

 

[cor2OO7]

This is my first job and I don't know yet what's the right field for me. -->kat23

 

[65Roses]

Applying for a drafting position with an engineering degree is selling yourself short. Don't do it. What are you afraid of most people never stay at their first job very long. Its doesn't matter right now what field is right for you because you will never know until you try a position that requires an engineering degree.

By the way stay away from 2D CAD its a dead duck!

 

[borgunit]

2D is not quite dead yet. The CEO of Autodesk earlier this year said 3D software accounts for 20 percent of their total revenue. Quite a bit of 2D left.

"Everybody is ignorant, only on different subjects." — Will Rogers

 

[cor2OO7]

I learned AUTOCAD from school and I took another separate short course on this when I graduated. I knowledgeable of creating 3d models too, but I was just refreshing my 2D skills when I came up with these questions. Anyway, I am clueless what position is good for non-experienced manufacturing engineering graduates like me. Can you please give me some suggestions? (Inventory clerk? etc.)

 

[CDH]

2D is a dead duck? I'm sorry to say, but there is no way you can not use 2D, especially in the AE industry. Even if you did all of your buildings in 3d, you still have to do details and sections which would have to be 2D. There is always going to be a 2D element.
Also, basic 2D drafting is fundamental for everything else about the CAD or engineering industry. If you don't know how to do a simple 2D drawing, how do expect to do a complicated 3D one? Also, if you are in an engineering role, you are going to need to be able to produce sketches, which would require some knowledge of how to actually draw.
I see nothing wrong with working as a drafter for a year or two before moving into an actual engineering role. It gives you a chance to learn how things go together, etc. It would also give you an advantage compared to other engineers that don't know how to draft. It's more productive for an engineer to draft up a detail in CAD once, than to draw it on paper, hand it to a drafter, have him draft it up, come back to the engineer if he has questions or it doesn't quite work the way it was sketched, go back and fix those issues, print it out, show it to the engineer... you get the point. If you have that extra bit of knowledge, it's only going to help you in the long run.

 

[ctopher]

I agree it is a good idea to learn drafting first ... and machine shop/inspection practices.
I have seen plenty of engineers that can make a very nice 3D model, but can not create a 2D drawing.

Chris
Systems Analyst, I.S.
SolidWorks 06 4.1/PDMWorks 06
AutoCAD 06
ctopher's home (updated 06-21-06)

 

[65Roses]

In the mechanical design world 2d is becoming a dead duck. Every mechanical or manufacturing graduate should know how to perform orthograghic projections. It doesn't matter if its on paper or CAD. You don't need to work as a drafter in industry to know that because it should have been taught in school.

As for 3d being only 20% of Autodesk's sales says a lot about their software. Ever heard of SolidWorks or SolidEdge? I won't say they are better because my buddy Rich942 and I will end up highjacking this thread to have another debate. Ha,Ha!

As far as the jobs go apply for a postion in a manufacturing facility in different industries such as automotive, health care, food, etc...

What did you mean by inventory clerk? My goodness what did they teach you in school. You did take engineering science courses related to manufacturing didn't you? Other technical courses for manufacturing should have included some of the following: tool design, automation, CNC, CAD, CAD/CAM. Why do you keep selling yourself short?

 

[cor2OO7]

Am I? I have knowledge about TOOL DESIGN, CAD/CAM, CAD, etc. I just thought of INVENTORY SPECIALISTS, and the like, to be able to get a job soon (and experience), so it would be easy for me to get a better one. I can find very few job opportunities around my vicinity/nearby places.

 

[65Roses]

Yes you are. What locations are you looking for work?

 

[cor2OO7]

I'm from San Bernardino, CA. I found manufacturing-related jobs around but require experience.

 

[CDH]

I don't really want to extend the 3D argument, but I want to point out one thing. An orthographic projection is not a 3d drawing. It's a 2d drawing that looks 3 dimensional. You still draw it flat. So to be good at that, you need basic cad skills. No better way to get that than to work as a cad drafter for a year or two. You could take cad classes, but you will learn much more real world knowledge by working.

 

[ajack1]

I wonder if 2D will ever be dead? Will the national grid system ever be modelled in 3D at full size where key features may be miles apart but only a few hundred feet in size? What use would they be?

Kittykat23 do or at least try to do what you enjoy most, the days will go by much quicker.

 

[65Roses]

CDH, pardon my mistake. I mean multiview projection.
And I mean 2d becoming dead in the mechanical part design world.

 

[CDH]

Ok, that's definately different that a normal orthographic projection!
And don't get me wrong, 3D is certainly the future, and I can see that more so in mechanical parts.
After re-reading my posts, I think I came off with a different tone than I meant to, I apologize!

 

[Beggar]

I just thought of INVENTORY SPECIALISTS, and the like, to be able to get a job soon (and experience), so it would be easy for me to get a better one.

Probably not likely, Kat. If you get a job as an inventory specialist (basically a clerk) or something, it's highly unlikely that you'll ever get an engineering job. If you don't want to be an engineer, fine. If you do, though, you need to be applying for engineering jobs.

You're foolish if you're limiting your search to just the San Bernardino area. As a new engineer, you should be looking all over the country for your first job. You should expect to relocate.

--------------------
How much do YOU owe?

http://www.brillig.com/debt_clock/

--------------------