Ancient history
Paper space dimensioning is a reality in AutoCAD 2002. You can now select model space objects from paper space, and dimensions no longer rely on defpoints. In fact, there are now three levels of dimension :
- what used to be called non-associative dimensions (i.e., individual lines, text and arrows) are now called exploded dimensions (the now-obsolete dimension variable DIMASO was Off).
- what used to be called associative dimensions in AutoCAD 2000i and earlier (DIMASO = On) are now called non-associative dimensions; these still update when you scale or stretch objects, as long as the defpoints are included in the selection set, but if you modify the object itself, the dimension remains unchanged.
- what are now called associative dimensions updates their location and value when their geometry is modified (see Figure 3). This is a great feature, but it takes some getting used to
when you move an object, for example, the dimension comes too!
The dimension variable is obsolete, but remains for backwards compatibility. It's replaced by the new system variable DIMASSOC (with 3 settings), which controls the type of dimensions you create.
Autodesk had called the old-style associative dimensions "semi-associative”.
Working with Attributes
There are two brand-new dialogue boxes (Block Attribute Manager and Enhanced Attribute Editor) for editing attributes, and an Attribute Extraction Wizard which does exactly what its name suggests.
Extensions
AutoCAD 2000i was the first AutoCAD to include extensions-modular plug-ins available free to members of the Autodesk Subscription Program. AutoCAD 2002 includes the extensions offered to 2000i users. The plan is to release new extensions every quarter. There are many dealers avaliable to contact for details of the subscription program.
System Requirements and Installation
As was not the case with most previous versions, you can't install
AutoCAD 2002 on a computer running AutoCAD 2000.
Requirements
For us to run and install AutoCAD 2002 we are going to need a PC or laptop with the following specifications. (We are also going to require a licence to operate it).
A full install of AutoCAD 2002 requires 129 MB of disk space.. For AutoCAD 2002, Autodesk recommends a Pentium II or AMD K6 of 450 MHz or better, 128 MB, 200 MB disk space and 1024x768 video. Supported operating systems are Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 98, Windows ME, and Windows NT4/SP5 or later (Windows 95 is not supported).
AutoCAD 2002's Setup also installs MS Internet Explorer 5.5 and the latest version of Volo View Express (see Figure 5), which is needed for viewing AutoCAD 2002-level DWF files. (Volo View Express is a free, limited-function version of Volo View, Autodesk's DWG/DWF/DXF viewing and markup program.)
Suggested PC’s and laptops
Avalaible from www.Pcworld.co.uk
Product Features Intel Pentium 4 2.66 GHz 512 Mb DDR RAM, 80 Gb HD DVD / DVDRW Drive 17 inch Monitor (15.9 inch VIS) Packard Bell 1200 Colour Scanner Hewlett Packard DJ5552 Printer + Cable Kodak CX4300 Digital Camera Digital Media Software Suite 1 Year FREE Onsite Warranty £1,399.00 inc VAT
Product Features Intel Pentium 4 2.66 GHz 512 mb DDR RAM 80 Gb Hard Drive Digital Media Software Suite DVD / DVDRW Drive 17 inch Monitor (15.9 inch VIS) Kodak CX4300 Digital Camera Hewlett Packard DJ5552 Colour Printer PC Line 1.8M USB Cable £1,299.00
Product Features Mobile Intel Pentium 4 M 2Ghz Processor 256 mb RAM Memory 30 Gb Hard Disk Capacity DVD/CD RW Drive 15.1" TFT Display 3 hours Battery life (up to) 1 x Firewire Port 64Mb Shared ATI AGP340M Graphics Windows XP Home Edition 1 Year FREE Warranty £999.00
All of the above PC’s would be suitable for running AutoCAD 2002 on.
Summary
We can now try AutoCAD 2002 for free as prospective purchasers for fifteen days, as long as we are registered members at Autodesk's Point A Web site. You actually run the software over the Internet with, according to Autodesk, "…near-desktop performance, more convenience than a trial CD and the ability to store files locally". On logging in at Point A, you can download a 10-15 MB client and the site suggests even a 56k connection would be enough to run the software over the Internet.
There is also an 860-page printed User's Guide avaliable to getting started. So is it going to benefit the company to purchase AutoCAD. I think so. For me, the new drafting features-especially paper space dimensioning-and the Standards Manager is so simple to use less training will be required and the company can only benefit from this marvelous engineering tool. It's definitely worth purchasing.
Solid works 2001
3D Drawing ability
This drawing program enables you to draw 3D models in which you can rotate around, and view every part. It gives you more appreciation than a 2D model of what the component will look like when finished. I have found the following report of solid works 2001 at www.softwarereview.com
SolidWorks 2001, at a glance, SolidWorks hasn't changed all that much. But looks can be deceiving. Beneath the familiar interface lies a lot of new functionality. SolidWorks has taken its "if in doubt, click & drag" approach even further. They employ what they call "Heads-Up" interaction. Basically, you don't have to take your eyes off the screen to do stuff. The property manager, introduced in 2000, has been expanded so that there's very little you can't do to the selected object. New to the scene are context sensitive call-outs. I've seen these before in other packages, but they are a very welcome addition to SolidWorks 2001. What they amount to are interactive labels you can use to alter values of features like blends, extrudes, and so forth. The label displays the feature name, and its appropriate value. (A blend will show its radius.) It's very straightforward and intuitive. They have also added drag handles. I've been wondering when 3D modeling packages will catch on to what the graphic market has had for years. These are great. They work pretty much like they do in any Windows program. Just click and drag to resize. It's easy. Another new feature is the confirmation corner. Once again, it is a way for you to accept or reject an operation without having to take your eyes off the screen. SolidWorks 2001 now has graphical previews of operations, either shaded or dynamic. When you are satisfied with what you see, just go to the upper right-hand corner of the graphics window and choose either a check to accept or an X to reject. No more looking for the OK, you know where it is. I like it.
You spend a lot of time in the sketcher, so SolidWorks thought it would make sketching easier. They have added new things to help you get where you want to go in as simple a way as possible. How many times have you been sketching along and had the whole sketch turn inside out on you? Be honest. Well, I have, and it's frustrating. You have to undo and get it back to the way you had it, then try to sneak up on what you had intended. That doesn't sound even half as bad as it really is. But now, SolidWorks 2001 will allow you to tell the sketch "Uh-uh, I wanted some other result". By using the alternate geometry creation tool, you can explore all the possible outcomes a sketch can have. They have also added such things as a tangent arc transition constraint (which lets you sketch merrily along creating tangency’s where you need them); graphical constraint callout (goodbye frustration when trying to find geometric constraints); dynamic offsets; ordinate dimensions (I can't think of anyone else who is doing this in a sketch); and greater control over dimensions.
SolidWorks 2001's sheet metal capabilities are coming on strong. They allow you to designate a base flange feature to build the rest of your model off of. They have edge flanges, miter flanges, tab flanges, and even 3D bends. They have normal cuts, a selective fold/unfold feature, obround bend reliefs, corner features and Microsoft Excel-based bend tables. They offer all this and it's all fully associative. This makes SolidWorks 2001 a powerful tool for sheet metal design.
SolidWorks 2001 also incorporates advanced new modeling capabilities. They allow thin lofts and sweeps (think fully associative freeform surfaces). They have a new nested profile sweep feature that assures that your parts will stack in just the way you need them to. A really great new feature is weighted tangencies. When you bridge a gap between two surfaces with a third, you can tell SolidWorks 2001 that the tangency on one side of the bridge is more important than the other. This will change the shape of the bridge. Another nice feature of SolidWorks 2001 is how it handles imported surfaces. Many modelers will bring a surface in from another system, but you can't do much to it. SolidWorks 2001 will allow you to cut holes through such surfaces. Not only that, but it will allow you to eliminate holes from imported surfaces. That's something you don't find very often. You can also sketch right onto an imported surface, making a 3D sketch. That's really handy for trying to edit imported surfaces. You can bring in the surface, create curves on it, edit the surface to use the curves as the creation curves of the surface, and Voila! You have a fully associative, and editable, surface. That will allow you to truly use the data you get from other software packages.
One thing SolidWorks is very proud of, and rightly so, is that they can mirror components in an assembly. So what, you say? Well, when they do it, you don't end up with parts that are mirrored but identical. Huh? If you take a suspension assembly and mirror it, there is no reason why you would need mirror images of things like screws and springs. SolidWorks 2001 is smart enough to know that you need an instance of those objects, not new objects. This is high-end functionality at its best! Also in Assemblies are things like previews of instances and mirrors, new mating options, and flexible sub-assemblies. One of the new mate types is a cam simulation. It's a lot like a tangent condition, but it allows you to mate to an undulating surface such, as you would have between a cam and a follower. This is good news to engine designers. Flexible sub-assemblies are long overdue. Before 2001, you could put an assembly through its range of motion, but sub-assemblies were static. Now, they go along for the ride.
Drafting is improved in SolidWorks 2001 by including features like the Alternate Position View. This is where you can show the range of motion of an assembly on the drawing. This is done by showing components with object line representation at one end of their travel, and repeating them in phantom lines at the other end. Other drafting enhancements include Multiple Projection Views, the ability to pull a section view from off of a section view (asked for all the time), and numerous new Detail View options. One thing that's interesting in drafting is that when you open an AutoCAD drawing, you will see it EXACTLY like it was in AutoCAD. Once you make any changes, though, it will convert it to SolidWorks' display types. They did this to calm those who, when they opened an AutoCAD drawing, it didn't look exactly as they remembered, thus causing concern as to whether changes had been made. And speaking of importing, you can now import data directly into a sketch! Another cool thing is that SolidWorks has partnered with Visio to allow you to create schematics in SolidWorks 2001 drafting. And it works like a charm.
SolidWorks 2001 now has fully HTML based help, as well as online tutorials. Learning SolidWorks has never been so easy! Visual Basic implementation allows for new and more powerful macro capability. It is so powerful, in fact, that you can literally rewrite the SolidWorks interface. Add to all that the new 3D Instant Website. This allows you to park SolidWorks files in a secure place on their server and assign passwords to people you want to give access to. (You can give time-limited access or full, but the data will only remain there for two weeks. If you want more, there are other options available.)
Here's an interesting little tidbit I picked up that I can't wait for. Since the introduction of SolidWorks, they have been unable to accommodate more than one solid in a file. I have complained about this numerous times. I ask about it every time I review them. This time, they surprised me. I asked, "Are there any plans?" The representative just looked at me. I could tell he was trying to make a decision. He then picked up his cell phone and moved away from me (but not so far that I couldn't hear him). "Can I show it to him?" he asked. My ears strained to catch anything they could. At length, he came back over to me and with a sly smile, said, "We're working on that." As I said, I can't wait for it to happen.
So, how is SolidWorks 2001? Is it worth the upgrade to a 3D modeling system? Absolutely if were going to need a 3D view of certain components before way manufacture them.
DIFFERENT CAD CAM CAE APPICATIONS
Below are some popular CAD/CAM systems and a small definition of what they do, CAD CAM is a way of drawing the component on the computer and then transferring it to a a engineering machine. CNC is a popular machine to revert to:-
Overall Summary
CAD is obviously a very useful tool in the field of engineering. To us, as a company, I feel that we will slip behind in the times if we do not install a CAD system in the near future. Most companies are running several systems with CAD operators on them full time, some even operate a three shift system, covering 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The most obvious choice to me is auto CAD 2000, as it is the most commonly used. There are also several training programs available from a 1-day course to a degree. They are fairly costly to buy and a license is required but I think the benefits will soon be realized as work can be easily saved, restored and edited. It is also a lot quicker to draw on CAD than by hand, so time and money will be saved there.
I think the cost for Auto CAD will be recouped in a matter of month’s, a year at most. As for the solid works it all depends on how much 3D drawing we are going to be doing. It is also very difficult to operate and more specialized so more training will be required. In the near future this could be a more worth while tool to invest in but for now I recommend that we stick to auto CAD 2000i.
I have also included a couple of sample drawings from AutoCAD 2000 and solid works 2001, these drawings display quite intricate detail. These were produced in a matter of hours at Rangemaster on their CAD systems.
Sean Watson