Re: [PSUBS-MAILIST] Autocad advice?

["Sean T. Stevenson" <sts@telus.net>]

AutoCAD, as with most AutoDesk products and other CAD packages, permits
the use of externally referencing drawings in an assembly.  The
individual parts all exist in their own drawing file, which would
contain both the solid model and the drawing layout (dimensioned views
of the model).  Then a separate assembly drawing is created, in which
you externally reference the part drawings to create the assembly. 
This assembly file does not contain all the model geometry, but rather
information as to where the XREFs are located and how they are
assembled together.  Having all of the parts localized within the
assembly would result in a very large file size!  The assembly drawing
layout typically will show the parts in an exploded view, all with
numbered ballons which correspond to an entry in a parts list included
in that drawing.  Also, assembly details and the completed assembly are
shown.

If you are developing something like a PSUB, which when you include
o-rings, fasteners and so forth is quite a large assembly, using XREFs
is probably your best bet.  To keep track of the drawings you create, I
would suggest also keeping a spreadsheet which keeps track of your
drawing titles, descriptions, filenames, etc.

-Sean


On 25 Jan 2002 13:06:39 -0800, hal@midgardtechsol.net wrote:

>I suggest you read "Mastering AutoCad 2000" by George Omura.  I taught myself everything you mention and then some in about two and a half months with this book and some practice.  After some practice you will find several ways of "layering" or organizing your "model" to best suit your needs.
>
>Good Luck,
>Hal Hanson
>
>On Fri, 25 January 2002, John Farrington wrote:
>
>> 
>> 
>> I'm wanting to learn Autocad for my own use, and was looking
>> for some very general info on the proper techniques for designing
>> something with it.  Not the actual drawing of it, but how to use
>> layers and the organizition of drawings, and templates.
>> 
>> Maybe someone can answer some of these questions:
>> 
>> As an example, let's say that I was going to design my own
>> submarine, and do it in 3-D.
>> 
>> I want to be able to design the entire thing right down to the
>> o-rings, and all the way up to the overall shape of the sub.
>> 
>> My questions are with how I'd organize all of drawings.
>> 
>> I'd like to be able to pull up the overall drawing, which has
>> every single component of the sub, but would also like to
>> be able to look at, and work on, nothing but a single thru-hull,
>> or viewport.
>> 
>> ie.  Do I put a viewport frame in one drawing, the viewport acrylic in
>>      another, the rim in another, etc.?
>> 
>>      And then, somehow magically define the location of the viewport
>>      pieces and then be able to bring up an assembled drawing of the viewport,
>>      and at a higher level, an assembled drawing of the entire sub.
>> 
>> I know that you can merge drawings, but I would prefer to not have to
>> do that to see a final drawing of the sub (this would require 8 identical
>> viewport drawings, etc)
>> 
>> ie. Is there a way to draw the hull section of the sub in one drawing,
>> and tell it 'at locations (x1,y1,z1) and (x2,y2,z2), there are things
>> called 'viewports', that are defined in another drawing, viewport.dwg.
>> 
>> So, if someone understands what I'm asking, and uses, or has used,
>> Autocad to a great extent, I'd be interested in hearing some of the
>> ways that designs like this are organized.
>> 
>> 
>> Thanks for any help.
>> -John
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