How do you generate CAD drawings?

The technical guide to CAD drawings is comprehensive, but CAD blends art and science. Experienced users often customize their drawing environment for specific projects, making the process deeply personal and iterative. These drawings are not static; they evolve based on project shifts and team input, making collaborative features like cloud storage crucial. Additionally, CAD is not just about geometric accuracy; annotations add narrative value, making each drawing a story in itself. By balancing technical skills with creativity and adaptability, CAD drawings become more than digital outlines—they transform into dynamic tools for storytelling and problem-solving.

In Nigeria's built asset sector, AUTOCAD is the go-to for CAD drawings. It led the transition from drawing boards to CAD, preferred for integration with other design apps and developer support. While templating promotes design consistency, it's crucial to grasp drawing environment basics: Setting measurement units, line types, printing styles, Layering and annotation styles. Also, creating Blocks for frequently used drawing elements speeds up drafting. Understanding these essentials help with efficient generation of CAD drawings

When exploring Mechanical Design for Product and Industrial Designs, my top pick is SolidWorks. However, if you're considering alternatives, options like Inventor and SolidEdge are worth exploring. These parametric software solutions streamline manufacturing-focused design. Virtually every tangible product can be crafted using these tools, spanning Solid Modeling, Surface Modeling, Weldments, FEA Simulations, Motion Analysis, Mold Design, and beyond.

Join me in unraveling the world of Computer-Aided Design (CAD) drawings from a mechanical engineer's lens. Begin with a blueprint, choose specialized software, and construct foundational sketches. Add precision with detailed annotations, simulate interactions, and elevate designs to 3D models. Collaborate for refinement, analyze mechanical behaviors, and document for fabrication. Embrace continuous learning to navigate this dynamic realm. Let's engineer a future of precision and innovation together! ????? #MechanicalEngineering #CADDesign #Innovation #Innovation #EngineeringExcellence

You should pick you CAD software based off what you are trying to design as well as the type of equipment your CAD drawing will be used. If you are always cutting 2D parts on a water jet machine, maybe something like AutoCAD works best for you. If you are designing complex equipment, something like Solidworks might be best. Solidworks is generally the industry standard as it has many specific variations based on the industry you work in. The best advice is to pick one and stick with it as practice drawing because that is the best way to learn.

Having a comprehensive and effective template that lays out everything needed for the drawing task at hand (whether for BIM or more traditional 2d CAD) can improve the standard of work and help people get started with their drawings faster. For CAD drawings in particular, the following should be standardised: - scale - layers and layer names - plot styles - standard blocks - drawing sheets and title blocks - position of the model in relation to the origin point - file naming conventions

How do you generate CAD drawings? Generating Computer-Aided Design (CAD) drawings typically involves using specialized CAD software. Here are the general steps you would follow to create CAD drawings: Choose CAD Software: First, you need to select the CAD software that suits your needs. There are various CAD software packages available, both free and paid, each with its own features and capabilities. Some popular CAD software options include AutoCAD, SolidWorks, Autodesk Fusion 360, Rhino, and many others. Set Up the Workspace: After installing the CAD software, launch it and configure your workspace. This includes setting up units of measurement (e.g., inches, millimeters), grid settings,

Another useful guidance while setting up the environment is to check your country's technical standards related to engineering documentation. Those documents cover an immense amount of detail (sheet formats, units, arrows, annotations, projections etc.; the list goes on and on) regarding each and every sheet of engineering documentation.

It is important to know how the part you are working on will be obtained... machined, cast, etc. Depending on this there are specific ways on how to model the part.

This is a stage where knowledge of how components will be produced is essential. It's also very tempting to model components in as few steps as possible. This can cause problems down the line when edits need to be made. It's important to consider the trade off between time saved now and time spent later.

Sometimes it becomes necessary to have 2 cad files for an object - one for production and another for renderings as production cad has added tolerances to it and the look of a production cad may completely differ from a cad made for rendering purpose

One practice I have been doing is that i will imagine myself to be a third party without access to the 3D model. Then look at the drawing, am I able to identify all the features and dimensions from this drawing? That helps me to reduce the missing items in the drawing.

Be prepared to take full responsibility for your actions. Don't leave features without annotations and dimensions. If the person who is manufacturing your part has missing or controversial information on the drawing, then the chances are problems will occur and mistakes will be made. Generally this leads to waste of production time, waste of stock material and leaves unpleasant feelings in everyone involved.

Checklists, standards, and a method for automatic or third party (manager or peer) checking of drawings is very helpful here- a clear 'playbook' of the layers,blocks,best practices and items that commonly need correcting can make checking of drawings much simpler. Using an approval workflow such as eg. Power Automate flows on Microsoft 365 can help keep track of the number and type of corrections needed

When first starting producing CAD drawings it's a good idea to create a checklist for yourself that you tick off while doing new drawings. Over weeks/months this will become ingrained and become a mental checklist you use for every drawing.

In the realm of PCB design and fabrication you may often hear "Talk to your fabricator." Hence, consider the contractor who will actually manufacture your part. Does the part need to go through a specific computerised process or a machine? Does this machine require a specific data format to work with? For example, NC drill operations on a PCB are handled as separate files that contain information (coordinates, diameter, depth, count etc.) about the holes present on a board. If the board is comprised from multiple layers, then the manufacturer requires a separate file for each drill pair. Take into account the processes your part will go through, the order of operations and what is required at each step.

Use BIM software like Revit and model everything as it would be installed. Coordinating with other services to ensure correct placement of cable ladders and wire mesh comms trays are accessible for future.

In my opinion, another crucial aspect of CAD drawing generation is leveraging parametric design principles. This involves creating relationships between elements in the drawing, enabling dynamic changes by adjusting parameters, fostering efficiency in design iteration. Moreover, incorporating libraries of standard components and employing scripting languages within CAD software can automate repetitive tasks, enhancing productivity and maintaining design consistency. The process of generating CAD drawings can at least by utilisez parametric design to create drawings that can be easily modified by adjusting parameters. Integrating these advanced techniques into your CAD workflow adds depth and flexibility to the drawing generation process.

Always get your work sense checked. It is easily possible, especially in complex jobs to become 'job blind' where you may miss minute details. Often a fresh set of eyes will pick these up in seconds.