generate an isometric?

my boss said i could generate an isometric view of a drawing if i have the plan, elevation, and side views (makes sense enough). how do i go about doing this? is there an existing thread i can be forwarded to? (searching "isometric" didn't seem specifically helpful.) do monkeys really throw poop?

From the 2010 help files. I have the full version, but most of this should apply in LT too. Consult your help file under "isometric views" to be sure:

The Isometric Snap/Grid mode helps you create 2D isometric images that represent 3D objects.

The Isometric Snap/Grid mode helps you create 2D images that represent 3D objects. By setting the Isometric Snap/Grid, you can easily align objects along one of three isometric planes; however, although the isometric drawing appears to be 3D, it is actually a 2D representation. Therefore, you cannot expect to extract 3D distances and areas, display objects from different viewpoints, or remove hidden lines automatically.

Topics in this section

• Set Isometric Grid and Snap
  Simulate a 3D object from a particular viewpoint by aligning along three major axes.
   
  
• Draw Isometric Circles
  Represent circles on isometric planes using ellipses.
   
  

Hit the post button too soon...sorry. There will be a bit of artistic tomfoolery involved in this process and it may take some practice. There are some lisp routines around that help too, though I don't have any of them myself. Place I used to work had one, worked pretty slick, should have swiped it I guess.

will do. i'm just wary on help files because in CAD '04 (which is more readily available for me at the moment), help prefers to answer the "what" more than the "how."

and um, what is a "lisp routine"?

will do. i'm just wary on help files because in CAD '04 (which is more readily available for me at the moment), help prefers to answer the "what" more than the "how."

and um, what is a "lisp routine"?

OOPS..I forgot. No soup for you! Er...I mean....No lisp for you!

The help files in 2010 are better than the old ones were in most cases. When you get a topic page open, there will be three tabs at the top. Concept, Procedure, and Quick Reference. Sometimes they go into great detail, sometimes they dangle a carrot at the end of a stick, but on this particular subject, its not too bad.

What types of drawings do you create? Architectural, civil, mechanical, etc.?

type "autocad draw isometric tutorials" into your internet search.

also "monkey throws poop". Lots of good videos there.

mechanical.

and i'm working with '04. i [still] haven't gotten to explore 2010.

but i'd like to keep this less about me and more about the anonymous noobs out there, so when people search the forums for "isometric," this thread pops up and lo' and behold, "that's how you do it!"

mechanical

Unless it is something very very simple I would do a 3D model and have the software generate the isometric rather than fool around with isometric grid.

If you decide to go the 2d isometric grid route (the hard way) look into isocircle and F5 as well.

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe an isometric drawing is a 3D "representation". But does not actually match a 3D Viewpoint. I've done 3D drawings and use Flatshot with say, NE Isometric, and when you take Distances from that they differ from what would be on an Isometric drawing. The reason being the distances in 3d are actually moving away from the eye.

did you look at this site: http://www.we-r-here.com/cad/tutorials/level_3/3-2.htm

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe an isometric drawing is a 3D "representation". But does not actually match a 3D Viewpoint. I've done 3D drawings and use Flatshot with say, NE Isometric, and when you take Distances from that they differ from what would be on an Isometric drawing. The reason being the distances in 3d are actually moving away from the eye.

An Isometric projection exactly matches a 3D object shown in one of the Isometric Positions, say NE. An isometric drawing will look identical, just larger than an actual projection.

As much as I like isometric drawing I would still recommend drawing in 3 dimensions and viewing the solid model in any view needed.

I don't understand why anyone would draw in iso mode with today's modern 3D tools available. Especially for mechanical drawing...

KC

I don't understand why anyone would draw in iso mode with today's modern 3D tools available. Especially for mechanical drawing...

 

KC

I'm sure you've had bosses over the years that didn't really know anything about what he was a boss over. You'd do it because his first reaction to the suggestion that it be drawn in 3d is "we don't have time for that, it's just lines on paper. Go make it happen". Sound familiar anyone?

I don't understand why anyone would draw in iso mode with today's modern 3D tools available.

i don't understand why my office still has a computer that runs on DOS, but here i am.

and ty qball, that site helps for simple drawings at least. i was looking more for an automatic feature, like if i provide the program with the three views, it would generate the isometric projection accordingly, and then i could erase hidden lines and such as need be. or something like that...

Very few programs offer an automatic isometric generation feature. Plain AutoCAD and LT don't.

i don't understand why my office still has a computer that runs on DOS, but here i am.

 

and ty qball, that site helps for simple drawings at least. i was looking more for an automatic feature, like if i provide the program with the three views, it would generate the isometric projection accordingly, and then i could erase hidden lines and such as need be. or something like that...

Years ago, Mechanical Desktop would do just that. Draw your model, then when it was time to put it on paper, you picked a side to be the front of your part, picked where you wanted the view and it popped it in. It would then to a top, bottom, left, right and or iso automatically for you, just by picking the option and position. Loved that feature, have wished ever since that they'd incorporate that into regular autocad. I haven't played with inventor since very early releases, but I'm guessing it will do that too. JD would be the one to ask on that.

Years ago' date=' Mechanical Desktop would do just that. Draw your model, then when it was time to put it on paper, you picked a side to be the front of your part, picked where you wanted the view and it popped it in. It would then to a top, bottom, left, right and or iso automatically for you, just by picking the option and position. Loved that feature, have wished ever since that they'd incorporate that into regular autocad. I haven't played with inventor since very early releases, but I'm guessing it will do that too. JD would be the one to ask on that.[/quote']

 

AutoCAD 2012 has this feature added in PS. It has been ported over from Inventor. But you still need a 3D model to start with...

 

Inventor also has a 2D to 3D tool from AutoDesk Labs that lets you import 2D geometry to generate 3D models. I think though you need to be on a subscription to get that...

 

 

KC

JD would be the one to ask on that.

Or Ken too....

Inventor also has a 2D to 3D tool from AutoDesk Labs that lets you import 2D geometry to generate 3D models. I think though you need to be on a subscription to get that...

No subscription need for labs.autodesk.com stuff, but of course you need Inventor.

I think the OP is looking for Easy Button solution 2D-to-3D. There isn't one.

I have seen various 2D-3D conversions stuff over the years and frankly it has always been my impression that it is easier to model 2D to 3D yourself.

And of course once you have the 3D model you can get any view your heart desired so trivially easy. 3D is the single source of truth.

i was looking more for an automatic feature, like if i provide the program with the three views, it would generate the isometric projection accordingly

That is basically how 3D modeling works - but you have to know a bit about it. For example, you usually don't even need to provide the program with the three views - it will create them for you. Take a baseball bat - 1 view revolved. A cube - 1 view extruded. You never need to create all of the three basic views in total, the software does that for you. So easy!

I think the OP is looking for Easy Button solution 2D-to-3D. There isn't one.

poop

Take a baseball bat - 1 view revolved. A cube - 1 view extruded. You never need to create all of the three basic views in total, the software does that for you. So easy!

A railroad spike - simple yet three different views. i'm fiddling around with 3D views right now. if i make some magic, i'll bring it up.