Starting on AutoCAD 3D.

[JLG-TX]

I'm writing from Texas in the U.S., I'm an architect and I'm starting to draw with 3D tools and UCS, I understand there's a lot of people here with experience, what do you recommend?
How should I start?
Is there a web site that can teach me how?
I already have a book called "3D Design with AutoCAD" and the author is Brian Matthews.
:arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :?:
Doumo Arigatou Gozaima****a (Thanks a lot in Japanese)

[f700es]

I'm writing from Texas in the U.S., I'm an architect and I'm starting to draw with 3D tools and UCS, I understand there's a lot of people here with experience, what do you recommend?
How should I start?
Is there a web site that can teach me how?
I already have a book called "3D Design with AutoCAD" and the author is Brian Matthews.
:arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :?:
Doumo Arigatou Gozaima****a (Thanks a lot in Japanese)

Hello JLG, have you looked at the CADTutor web site yet? http://www.cadtutor.net/ David has some great information there that could get you started. I am not a super-dooper 3D master like a few others here but I found it easy to start with simple items and go from there. Maybe take a set of floorplan walls and turn them into closed polylines and then extrude them. Make a curved shape from some other polylines and revolve them to make a wine glass. Do a yahoo search on AutoCAD Tutorials and you should find more than you will ever need. Question for you: what do you want to do? Perhaps one of us can make a mini tutorial to help. There are a lot of great people on this board who can make most AUtoCAd tasks seem real easy :) Good luck and welcome.

[gcp310]

Try autocadzone.com, Its Mr T website that he has set up for reference for his students. Its very good. Also goes into coreldraw for presentation purposes.

Or stick around here, theres a few new users wanting to learn 3d using autocad.

G

[JLG-TX]

What I have found on www.cadtutor.net it's OK with 2D, but I believe there should be more on the web.

If someone knows a specific web site or link, please show it to me.

Any good book also?

Thanks for your replies.

Basically I want to draw 3D houses, offices and manufacturing plants.


JLG-TX

[f700es]

What I have found on www.cadtutor.net it's OK with 2D, but I believe there should be more on the web.

If someone knows a specific web site or link, please show it to me.

Any good book also?

Thanks for your replies.

Basically I want to draw 3D houses, offices and manufacturing plants.


JLG-TX

To be quite honest, plain AutoCAD can do this with no problem but it is FAR easier with something geared for this, like Architectural Desktop. It draws in 2D and 3D at the same time. I'll see what I can find.

[Flores]

Here is a site for 3D tutorials:
http://www.caddigest.com/subjects/autocad/tutorials/select/index.htm

P.S./Cadtutor:
I did a Google search for tutorials, and a few sites had something good to say about you:
http://www.3dlinks.com/links.cfm?categoryid=13&subcategoryid=107

CADTutor
CADTutor delivers the best free help and tutorials for AutoCAD and associated software on the web. (rated 10)

http://www.3dcafe.com/asp/tutacad.asp

CADTutor
CADTutor is always evolving to bring you the best up-to-date information and tutorials on your favourite applications.

http://www.llpsite.com/tutor.htm

CADTutor
Another great site, you can walk thru AutoCAD training like you were taking university courses. They offer instruction for other software applications, but the AutoCAD is top notch.

and this site links to you a couple of times:
http://www.docnmail.com/learn/autocad/drawing.htm

Flores

[randysanders]

hi There

JLG-TX

say i am over in Arizona, not too far away
check This out: it is a Link to some 3d Projects

http://www.viz2000.com/proj/main.html

all modeled in autocad 3d solids, rendered in VIZ 3 or 4

This is the most recent project:

http://www.viz2000.com/proj/html/lisa-guad.html

****

the earlier 3d models definately show a lack of Materials & Lighting

i have about 32,000 hours doing architectural autocad
i can also help you find additional 3d resources, books, cds

so let me know how i can help you

Thanks

Randy

[Orbit]

http://www2.ncsu.edu:8010/unity/lockers/project/graphicscourse/gc/acadtut/acadtut2000/tutor3framed.html

It could be helpful for basic 3D and the UCS understanding.

[JLG-TX]

I'm impresses with the answers, I'll check the links you guys sent, I hope this can be useful also for people in my same situation.

Thanks.

Any more help or ideas..?

I mean it.
:arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow: :arrow:

[JLG-TX]

Now that I saw the links, what do you recommend for Architectural design?

:arrow: Plain AutoCAD?

:arrow: Autodesk VIZ?

:arrow: Autodesk Architectural Desktop?

:arrow: Something else?

Greetings.

[flrrb]

Personally, for Architectural design I would use VIZ or Arch Desktop.
I haven' tused Arch Desktop, but it sounds right for the job.
I have used VIZ (R2 or R3) and it is great for makeing 3D pictures and moving walls, doors, windows, etc.

At the moment I am using Plain AutoCAD 2002 to create EVERYTHING we do in 3D. We are in the Petroleoum/Energy Industry and build valves and actuators. We end up shipping 2D PDFs of our 3D work, but we do have a few renders that we use for sales purposes.

Note the images below:
http://www.bbcc.ca/hosted/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_CP-0038%20Piping%20Detail.jpg
http://www.bbcc.ca/hosted/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_Direct%20Gas%202.JPG
http://www.bbcc.ca/hosted/gallery/albums/userpics/normal_snow%20globe%202.JPG

These were all created entirely by Plain AutoCAD. It just takes a little effort to learn the 6 new solids and how to union/subract them to get what you want.

[Mr T]

Cool models. Any chance of private messaging me and I'll send you my email and could you pleeeeease email a zipped copy of them ???

Ta

Nick

Sec School Teacher
2D&3D Autocad

[flrrb]

you could go to my online album:
http://www.bbcc.ca/hosted/gallery/index.php?cat=10004

If you can't get them there, i'll zip em.

[JLG-TX]

Thanks a lot, I'm amazed with those 3D Models.

Great!


JLG.

[gcp310]

Flrrb, What sort of modelling time are we talking about to achieve one of your models? are most of your components blocks, or is there a fair amount of new modeling to do?

G

[hyposmurf]

There pretty dam impressive 3D models,so you can produce good quality 3D models in AutoCAD I wont give up hope yet. :)

[gcp310]

Autocads built in renderer can output some great images.

I used to use it all the time untill the company i worked for got Viz and sent me to a training course.

G

[flrrb]

Each part in there is a separate (from scratch) component.
As we have been creating more parts, we have created a VERY large block library. (No. of parts in now:1627)

Each part is usually able to be created in an hour or two, assembleing them doesnt take very long since I have been making automating programs in VBA. Ome like for creating Bolts, washers, nuts, mounting spools with bolt hardware included.

And ALL parts are drawn to scale. Makes things much easier!

[Flores]

Those are impressive renders indeed! At first glance, I wouldn't have imagined that those were created and rendered in vanilla ACAD. Our graphics guy at work uses 3D Max 5, and I was thinking you had used something like that to create the renderings. Many complain that AutoCAD is over-bloated and over-priced (and it may be), but I guess in the hands of skilled users, you can appreciate it's power and potential. There are many companies (my empoyers included) that will not upgrade to a 3D-parametric modeler, so we have to squeeze the most we can out of AutoCAD.

Flores