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2-D autocad user but want 3-D

5/15/24

I have been using AutoCAD 2-D for years and it has worked for me, but I would like to be able to provide my customers 3-D cad drawings in black-and-white. I�m not interested in learning color renderings or anything of the sort.

I have been paying for a subscription through a company for AutoCAD, as many of you have been since they no longer sell the program. I am not very happy with the service being provided with the company I am currently with and as of December of this year, I will need to find a different company to have my subscription through. I asked them what program they would recommend to draw cabinetry, piece by piece in 3-D without having to relearn AutoCAD 3-D. I know there has to be a more user-friendly program than AutoCAD 3-D. Or am I living a dream here? For some reason, they can�t seem to offer suggestions of which autodesk program would be easier to learn than AutoCAD 3-D. I�m not looking for a program to do cut lists for me either, as I have a separate entity for that and it works well for me for the amount of times I need to use it.

Does anyone have any suggestions/recommendations of a 3-D CAD program by autodesk or someone else for that matter that will be easier to learn than 3-D AutoCAD? I�ve considered learning sketch up, but I don�t know what exactly is entailed and learning that either. Thoughts? Ty

5/15/24 #2: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Mike

I also do not know how to write code and I�m not interested in learning how.

5/15/24 #3: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

David Wishengrad

Member

Bricscad

5/15/24 #4: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Mike

David, can you tell me more about it? Is it intertwined with AutoCAD in any regard? How difficult is it to learn? Do you happen to know if there�s a free trial? Do you have a website?

5/15/24 #5: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Michael

Member

Budget?

There are dozens of AutoCAD-like programs, from free to $100US to $1k US.
(Bricscad, AllyCAD, NanoCAD) that have that ACAD feel, and go 2D-to-3D.
There are dozens more 3D focused mechanical CAD offerings with perpetual licenses, still, from $1k to $5k US, that have excellent 2D drafting. (VariCAD at the lower end, IronCAD at the higher end)

Sketchup was great for a time, but I can't conscionably support Trimble, for what they did to my (not cheap) perpetual license. I replaced my Sketchup, with IronCAD.

If you are doing free modelling every day, IronCAD feels very productive for making ideas into reality, and the convenience is worth the price. Otherwise, VariCAD is cheap and full-featured

https://www.varicad.com/en/home/online-store/

5/16/24 #6: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

David Wishengrad

Member

Mike,
They have a 30 day demo and perpetual licensing if that's what you want. It's the closest thing to Acad I can I've ever seen except, it's better and in many respects.
I know you don't do code, but I do and the source code I have complies for BricsCAD and Acad at the same time. So, it will probably be the shortest learning curve for those that already know Acad.

The 3d solid modeling tools allows the stretching of multiple 3d solids to a plane. That's something Acad does not have. It also has parametrics and bim and can unfold shapes flat too. It's basically Acad and Solidworks and Revit all at the same time, depending on what interface you might choose to use.

5/16/24 #7: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Mike

Ty michael and david.

Will any of these that you are proposing allow me the option to draw in 2-D and three separately? This way, I can avoid AutoCAD altogether and do 2-D for simpler jobs and then 3-D for obviously more complex jobs.� Or am I going to be stuck still using AutoCAD for my 2-D drawings and 3-D for things more decorative?

Here is one job I would have loved to have drawn in 3-D. I would need to draw all four parts of a column, plus the fluted part of it as well and then make it into one assembly and then have the capability to stretch and shrink the entire assembly without losing Say the flutes are 2 inches from the top and 2 inches from the bottom are either of the programs you guys are suggesting have tutorials in YouTube that I can start to learn from before I activate the 30 day trial?

Also, the programs you are suggesting, are they strictly black and white or do they have the option to do color and how realistic can you make it? I�m not really interested in learning the rendering part of things, as I�m a one person company and I have enough crap going on that I really don�t have Hundreds of hours to dedicate to learning another program to that degree but just curious to know what the program can do unless you guys know of a video that will show me what any of them will end up having the capability to do. Thanks again guys

View higher quality, full size image (2304 X 1536)

5/16/24 #8: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Mike

David, you are right regarding this is very close to AutoCAD. What is the best way to go about learning the actual program itself? Is there any type of support for people that would speak English, because it appears to be a European based software program. Here is a video I found that looks very close to what I�m looking to do.

Does this have the same capabilities as plotting that AutoCAD does, as I Have a big plotter

https://youtu.be/jQGK0ypYyaw?si=kw5WvQxp6a0XCcSn

What does using code benefit you?

Obviously I have 1 million questions that can�t all be answered in this forum. I remember the slice and subtract command, but I forgot how to use them. Is there a video that will go over the different commands and show you how to use them?

5/16/24 #9: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

David Wishengrad

Member

Hi Mike, per our phone discussion, grab a copy and we can do a walk through and you can see what it will take. It works almost exactly like Acad and will plot and use viewport and flatshot in addition to having parametrics for standard cabinets.

5/20/24 #10: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Brent Wilkerson

Member

In regards to writing code ... are you referring to code in AutoCAD (like AutoLISP, ARX or VBA) or G-Code for machine(s) or overall general "code" like VBA, C++, Python, etc.?

I can provide tips and resourses for AutoLISP inside AutoCAD ... but you would need to give specifics of an example of what you'd like to do with a LISP routine.
And my honest opinion ... if you've been doing AutoCAD 2D AutoCAD can and does 3D .. ok. It's not parametric like Inventor or SolidWorks though.

5/20/24 #11: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Brent Wilkerson

Member

Here is an example of 3D cabinets in AutoCAD via Microvellum

View higher quality, full size image (708 X 537)

5/21/24 #12: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

David Wishengrad

Member

Hi Brent,
Mike isn't coding anything.
I have all kinds of code in different languages for different tasks. My preferred language is C# these days. I get help from others as frequently needed, mostly friends.
Mike doesn't remember the 3d basics in Acad and we are going to do a walk through on BricsCAD doing a screen share and maybe learn a few things together. They gave me a developer licence for BricsCAD and my first piece of code is a brep traverser. I still have not finished it because I don't have the time. I need to focus with some time or it becomes too complicated and frustrating for me. Without all of the checks for errors in there for currently unsupported geometry, it runs fine in any version of AutoCAD 2008 up and BricsCAD too. Same code. It compliles to 4 different versions. A release and a debug version for both. Me doing that.... that's a testament to the support I have and are given by others. Matrices and transformations and translations, xdata, xrecord, opengl projections, sqlite, and much more is next, and then most of it will be thrown away if something new that I know about becomes available because that uses all of the understanding above with the practical understanding of the construction business and the priority issues and the learning vs output and the accessibility to all users.
I currently have a c# program that finds the MV window and then is used to communicate with and drive Microvellum via the commandline and scripts that are large and instantly dynamically created on the fly that MV runs, as well editing the cad data I want to edit as a dxf in netDXF. The code tells oem MV what to export via the commandline and wblock, the editing is done in netDXF, and then tells oem MV or Acadlite to import the dxf.
The funny thing here is that it seems to me that Acad actually does the operations faster than arx or VB. It's scary fast for the simple things I have used it for.
My brep traverser needs a rewrite. I was still learning and have so many comments and notes that need for output to a csv for development purposes and that unneeded code in my code there is tripping me up now.
For the fastest CNC feature recognition for 3D solids I need to get the face normals, and that can only be done after traversing the entire loop of a face to get the clockwise or counterclockwise order of vertice points. e.g. I have to have the correct normal for each entity of it's corresponding face, but I am already past that in my loop and would have to go back and edit the data as it's currently written. I'll get it figured out sometime, if I ever have time. It's not a problem that cannot be solved at all. It's key to avoid the transactions to save time. I want this particular feature recognition module to be magnitudes of time faster than what I was doing previously. I can create the files basically instantly If I don't need to manipulate the CAD environment in the process.

5/21/24 #13: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Brent Wilkerson

Member

Wow .... that's alot and good luck with that :-)

No help with C# or C++ - Mainly know LISP and VB - And haven't had the need for learning anything more ... LOL

But what you described sounds very interesting though!

5/22/24 #14: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

David Wishengrad

It's nice if you have acadlite or verision of acad that does not have support for 3rd party apps. I can fill out title blocks automatically from the data already have, measure entities much easier than with acad's data collection, clean up 2d drawings of 400,000 lines or more in just seconds and create and generate the documents that I will need for that specific project and ot goes on and on. Sometimes we don't know what is possible, but if it saves time and makes it easier than a business probably needs it or at least can benefit from it. Yeah, it's a lot.

5/22/24 #15: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Dan

Mike,

If you already know AutoCad and are adept at drawing in 2d, the transition to 3d AutoCad should probably be easier than learning a new software.

Once you draw something in 3d AutoCad you have the ability get sections and all information needed for your 2d drawing in Paper Space.

With some add-on programs you can also get a bill of material and use the 3d parts to make the part drawings needed for a CNC. If a cabinet is drawn in 3d AutoCad, there is rarely a need for any 2d drawings. All elevations, sections and details for the drawings in Paper Space are derived from the 3d model.

If I have a cabinet drawing in 3d AutoCad, there is rarely a need for any 2d drawing All elevations, sections and details are derived from the 3d model.

Personally I have tried other software that draw in 3d environment and find AutoCad was an easier transition, than learning a product like SkethUp or Inventor.

5/24/24 #16: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

David Wishengrad

Member

Dan, a few people have mentioned to me that Acad 3d is not as fun as SketchUp.
One of the best signatures I have ever read in a forum post was something like...
"May your osnaps always snap to where you intended".
What a nice thought..... :P

5/24/24 #17: 2-D autocad user but want 3-D ...

Dan Jensen

Hey David,

I hope all is well.

AutoCad may not be as fun as Sketchup. Though, AutoCad can be quite productive even in 3d. It may also be the easiest transition to 3d if a user is proficient in 2d. If a user wants more color and fun in AutoCad you can always try rendering.

Lastly if a user wants to have more fun, try Fusion by AutoDesk. To add even more fun, if you are drawing cabinets add the app JoinerCad.

In the end, what is the user looking for. Fun and a pretty picture and Sketchup may be the best for them. If the user wants to learn a marketable skill and produce drawings that provide more than simply lines, well then AutoCad is a good program.

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2-D autocad user but want 3-D

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