Layering 1/2" bars

Hi there.

I draw a lot of custom metal products at my work, many times they require an isometric view to fully understand what needs to be fabricated. My problem is, I need to show what is welded on top of what, which usually involves me drawing out a whole line, and then large amounts of trimming to show what gets layered underneath,thus making my eyes go crazy. It is annoying but not so bad until the design gets changed, and then I basically have to start over again because any changes at all cause all the lines to not match up. Is there an easier way to do this? I have tried drawing these in 3-d, but my computer freezes up on me too much. I was thinking if there was a way to draw something so that it is solid, I can then use draw order to show which bar is to be welded where. The only way I know how to do that now, uses solid hatching, and then prints the solid area solid black, and you can't see my anything but a black grid, not showing layers at all. I hope someone understands what I'm trying to explain, this is proving to be difficult for me to get into words:? I'm attaching an example of what I sometimes draw, I hope it helps to clarify.TRASH RACK.dwg Thanks for any help!

Stop torturing yourself and do it in 3D. First we have to figure out why your computer is freezing.

What are the specs on your computer?

Is it 32-bit or 64-bit?

What program are you using?

Not to pick on your isometric but if your bars are 1/2" thick why isn't that shown?

Thanks for your reply. My computer is 64 bit, the I.T. guy at my work picked it out especially because it was "CAD Certified", however when I went to do this trash rack TRASH RACK2.dwg, it froze on me more and more frequently the more detailed it got. By the end it was freezing nearly every time I rotated the view. I am using AutoCAD 13, and the last trash rack I sent was just a typical drawing we use, the dimensions on it vary on project to project, so I took them off of the file I sent to I wouldn't confuse anyone.

Would it be too much to ask for the specs on this CAD Certified computer?

If you are using you should probably change your Profile from 2009 to 2013.

HP Z420 Workstation

Intel ® Xeon ® 3.60 GHz

6.00 GB RAM

64 Bit

I just switched to 2013 this month, profile is now updated.

On the surface I can see no reason why your system should be freezing unless you computer has some piece-of-junk graphics card in it.

How big is the file size you are working with?

it is small, 457 KB

What do you have for a graphics card?

I see no clear reason why a drawing of that size should cause AutoCAD to freeze. In the past I worked on larger 3D drawings using a system running WinXP Pro with the maximum of 4GB of RAM without issues. There has to be something else going on.

Are you current with service pack 1.1?

Are you running off a network or standalone?

What other programs are running in the background?

I don't know how to check my graphics card, and am not sure if I am running off a network or not.

After it started freezing on me, I closed down all other programs except for Outlook.

Windows Control Panel > System icon > Device Manager > Display adapters.

Is there a CAT5 cable in the back of your computer? Do you have to log onto your computer with a user ID and password? Are your drawing files stored on your hard drive or elsewhere?

Are you current with service pack 1.1 for AutoCAD 2013?

Do you also close down your antivirus program? What about your browser?

NVIDIA QUADRO 600

Yes, I do have to log on, however I know that CAD is on my computer because it still works when the network is down. The files, are saved to the network. Is that the problem?

We just bought CAD 2013 a few months ago, so I would assume that it is current.

The Quadro 600 isn't bad. It has 1GB of DDR3 videoRAM. Adequate for what you are doing but no powerhouse.

Try downloading the file to your desktop and working with it from there. See if AutoCAD freezes or not. Report back here with the results.

Go to your pulldown menu and click on Help. Now click on About AutoCAD 2013. In the upper left hand corner of the dialog box it will tell you the product version. Do you see this (S.P. 1.1) at the end of that line? If yes your version is currently with the latest service pack.

G.55.0.0

Thanks for your help, I'll have to try that out at another time, I don't really have much time for messing with 3-D today. I'll keep you posted.

The right hand end of the line not the left. Is there anything after the words AutoCAD 2013?

No, it just has that product version and then a serial number there.

Then it would appear that your IT guy has dropped the ball. When you have a moment send him an email telling him there is a FREE service pack for AutoCAD 2013 version number 1.1 (there is no version 1.0 as it was withdrawn due to a bug). He should install it reasonably soon after downloading it. Also suggest that he create a Windows Restore point prior to installing the service pack in case something goes wrong (which it shouldn't but one can never be too careful).

Thanks. What will the service pack do?

It corrects any bugs found in the original release based upon user feedback. It is usually a good idea to install it. I've never had a problem doing so.