Last week we started a Link to Inventor for detailing a 3D model file.
I wanted to build on that and give you the final piece of how edits are handed of to the 2D drawing file.
The model and the drawing will maintain the link and this will ensure that the information that is being detailed is the latest model available.
Check out this video:
Enjoy,
INCAT CAD Geek
One of the features that is not used as much as it could be is the ability to link Inventor with AutoCAD Mechanical.
This allows you to detail parts and assemblies from Inventor with the tools of AutoCAD Mechanical.
Check out how easy it is to do.
Watch this video:
Enjoy,
INCAT CAD Geek
Here is a post for one of the tools that you do not get by having just plain AutoCAD. The ability to import IGES data and use it.
The IGES import tools are built right into AutoCAD Mechanical though. This is a very useful and simple tool to use.
It gives you some very good control over the data as it is imported in the "options"
Check out this quick video:
Enjoy the tip,
Jim...Another INCAT CAD Geek
Placing dimensions on drawing views has to be one of the most time consuming parts of creating working drawings. AutoCAD Mechanical has a set of automated dimensioning tools that greatly increase your producttivity when dimensioning your drawings.
Check out this video:
I will use the multi-dimension tool to place several dimension on the view in just a few picks.
Enjoy this one it will save you hours in no time.
Jim.....Another INCAT CAD Geek
Filling in for one of my colleagues today, I'd like to show one of my favorite Mechanical features - 2D Hide Situations. Usually when I show people this command alone, it convinces them that they should be using Mechanical instead of vanilla AutoCAD. If you create drawings that have hidden lines showing what objects are in front or in back of one another, you know how tedious it can be to break all of those lines and change the linetypes. Worse yet, make a change and you have to do it all over again. Yuk! Check out some options with the Associative Hide command in AutoCAD Mechanical...
John (trying to fill in for Jim) with the INCAT CAD Geeks
One of the really nice features that AutoCAD Mechanical has going for it today is its ability to manage your dimscale factor on the fly.
How many times have you created a drawing and then ran out of space on the sheet and had to change its over all scale?
Well with AutoCAD Mechanical those worries are over. The dimensions will update to the sheet scale on the fly for you.
Check out this video:
Enjoy,
Jim.....Another INCAT CAD Geek!
Another one of the many tools that are inside the AutoCAD Mechanical tools is the "Contour Tools"
When you are creating geometry and need to quickly create optional views from things you have drawn, using the contour tool can save you time and effort in knowing that the optional views have been created identicaly to the original view.
This is a very quick to learn and easy to use tool that will pay off in no time at all.
Enjoy,
Jim....Another INCAT CAD Geek.
From time to time it seems it always becomes necessary to create a drawing for something in 2D.
It could be just a quick sketch or a fully detailed drawing none the less. One thing that is common in them is the need to have views that are projected correctly and that we can be confident in how we generated each view.
One of the nice features in the AutoCAD Mechanical tools is the "Construction Lines" and "Construction Editing Tools"
These sets of tools empower the 2D designer to make faster more accurate views of anything they want to create.
Check out this Video:
I hope you will enjoy using these tools as much as I did when I was a full time designer.
Enjoy.
Jim.....Another INCAT CAD Geek!
Well, Twas the night before Christmas and all through the shop not a Geek was working including the boss.
From all of the CAD Geeks may you have a wonderful Holiday Season and A Happy New Year.
Well let's talk Power Snaps:
Just like AutoCAD, AutoCAD Mechanical has all of the same functionality for object snaps but AutoCAD Mechanical has more tools as usual.
Power Snaps:
These are object snaps with bonus functionality to them.
There are multiple settings that can be stored for use over and over.
Filter settings allow you to remove out objects from selection when using a snap.
Check out this quick video:
Enjoy,
Jim....Another INCAT CAD Geek!
Script Generator:
This is a great tool when you need to perform the same function to a bunch of files and don't want to take the time to manually sit and open each file and make the change and save the file.
I worked at a company that made a lot of the same equipment for different people. I would routinely use this command to save me hours of time changing title block information for a new customer and job.
Check out this video:
I hope you find this tool useful, I know i did.
Enjoy,
Jim.......Another INCAT CAD Geek
For this post I wanted to highlight a couple of commands that are a great reason to be using the AutoCAD Mechanical software.
Power Copy: This command allows you to copy Mechanical objects that are placed in your drawing all at the same time and all of their intelligence goes with each copy.
Power View: This command allows you to create a projected view of Mechanical objects based on their intelligence.
Enjoy,
Jim ... INCAT
No this is not a list for parts to build a BOMB.
It is a list to keep things very organized and build uniformity in the engineering department.
I was thinking of all of the times that I looked at parts lists and BOM's in my past and it seemed like everyone always had a unique way of listing things.
Well we all know that everyone has their own way of abbreviating things, and not all are right. I thought about that and from a company view, it is better to do it all the same. Using the BOM tools in AutoCAD Mechanical, you can create very detailed and controlled standards.
Check out this video:
In the video I took a list of common materials that our company would use and created a list so no one has to type them in ever again.
It is very easy to do and will save tons of time down the road.
Enjoy,
Jim
One of the rarely used features of the AutoCAD Mechanical tools is the ability to quickly organize and reuse your custom blocks.
AutoCAD Mechanical contains a very nice block library manager. You can create folders, set options and quickly add blocks for reuse.
This tool will save you a lot of time in the future for reuse of the blocks that you have today.
Enjoy this tool,
Jim
Well today I thought I'd share some functionality that can help everyone using AutoCAD Mechanical today.
Wew have all had a design that the more you worked on the assembly the deeper it got and before you knew it you could not tell one object from another.
Every Object line was on OBJ, every Hidden Line on HID.... You get my point.
Well in AutoCAD Mechanical there is a great tool set for layer management. Layer Groups!
This aloows you to name Groups of the same layers by things like part name.
I think you will like this one a lot!
Jim......Another INCAT CAD Geek
AutoCAD Mechanical has tons of features for the machine designers. One of the nice ones is the ability to create Chain and Sprocket drives for equipment.
This can be a very tedius task in plain AutoCAD. The catalogs of standard components makes the a snap to design today.
Check out this video on how to create a quick 2:1 drive.
Enjoy,
Jim........Another INCAT CAD Geek!
One of the great tools inside of AutoCAD Mechanical is the ability to create "Detail Views" that are intelligent.
When I had to add one of these in the old days of AutoCAD, I always worried. Did I get the dimensions the right scale, did anything change in the parent view.
When I made the change to AutoCAD Mechanical I found the tool I wanted for so many years.
Check out my video that shows both ways of making a view below.
Enjoy the tip,
Jim ........Another INCAT CAD Geek!
On this episode of the AutoCAD Mechanical CAD GEEKS....
We find Jim in a STRESSful situation. He has a design that has been in the field for a while and works pretty well, but now he needs to create a new version and test it out.
In the old days that meant designing one up and having it built for the sole purpose of breaking it and recording forces.
Since his company has gotten with the times and updated his regular AutoCAD to AutoCAD Mechanical he has power at his finger tips. This comes in the form of mechanical calculators.
Check out this great video on how he did his new design FEA.
Enjoy,
Jim.......Another INCAT CAD Geek!
Realizing there are a lot of companies still using 2D today, I want to help add some tools to their bag of tricks.
The best tool available for the 2D machine and tools designer is AutoCAD Mechanical. It has tons of features that I will be highlighting in the future.
One of the really great tools is its "Shaft Generator". This tool can make designing a complex shaft a snap.
I hope this post will allow you to see how much more you can strat doing in 2D besides using plain old AutoCAD.
Enjoy,
Jim...........Another INCAT CAD Geek!
With so many companies having to move to 3d today there can be a lot of out of the pocket expense not only for software but also for training there users also. Autodesk has a great workflow to allow companies to take baby steps in moving to 3D. This workflow will allow a company to model parts inside of Inventor and have the ability to do the detailing work inside of Autocad Mechanical with a direct link to that Inventor model. At the end of the day a company can spend less money on training and software and bring there entire design team up to speed as time permits with 3D. With the direct link to the model file the Autocad Mechanical users will be notified when there detail is out of sync with the Inventor model.
Check it out
http://screencast.com/t/0Xgxn603B
Submitted by Dave of the INCAT CAD Geeks
