I have noticed that many people who are skilled at computer aided design, or CAD, undervalue their own work. They should appreciate the vital role their contributions play in the larger creative process.
Most projects that are done today using CAD . . .
It makes sense to create the drawing you’re working on with future editing in mind. Maybe the updating will be done by you, maybe by others. In either case, that editing will go quicker with a clean, well-organized drawing.
To simplify a complex CAD drawing, make your own special marks to help you navigate the various drawing parts. Here’s an example of how . . .
A CAD designer-tech-drafter-artist should have a thorough knowledge of the subject material that he or she is drawing, and constantly be seeking to add to that knowledge.
Drawings are essentially a form of communication. A CAD professional should always be considerate of the person who will be reading his or her drawing, and make the drawing as legible as you can. Here are some general rules . . .
Polylines are your friends. If you make more use of them, and learn more of the tricks and features of using them, you will, I believe, come to appreciate their many advantages…
Disabling the Irksome F1 Key
Disabling the F1 key in AutoCAD avoids accidentally opening the Help feature when trying to hit the ESCAPE key, eliminating a common irritation. Here’s how to re-map the F1 key to a “harmless” function . . .
Using the Ray tool in CAD to create or check alignments between views has many advantages over using normal lines. One is the speed with which you can create a large number of rays. Another is the ease of erasing the rays after you’re done . . .