Anyone familiar with AutoCAD or 3DS MAX or Inventor?

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JasonM

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I try to keep myself challenged and learn new things. I have wanted to learn how to do 3D design, develop ideas I have into 3D models and also want to learn how to use CAD for residential and commercial site development. The software is as much as a used cessna 150, so i'd like to make the best choice.

Will the standard AutoCAD 2015 program do all that or will I need to learn all 3 programs? Where should I start?
 
JasonM said:
I try to keep myself challenged and learn new things. I have wanted to learn how to do 3D design, develop ideas I have into 3D models and also want to learn how to use CAD for residential and commercial site development. The software is as much as a used cessna 150, so i'd like to make the best choice.

Will the standard AutoCAD 2015 program do all that or will I need to learn all 3 programs? Where should I start?
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For your "3D design" are you talking about mechanical design, or civil? There are better 3D modeling programs for mechanical design like Solidworks. Autocad is the standard for civil design though. I would start with the basic package, get proficient with it and then decide which add ons you want to get after that. You don't necessarily have to go with Autodesk's civil design package if you don't want.
 
Sac Arrow said:
For your "3D design" are you talking about mechanical design, or civil? There are better 3D modeling programs for mechanical design like Solidworks. Autocad is the standard for civil design though. I would start with the basic package, get proficient with it and then decide which add ons you want to get after that. You don't necessarily have to go with Autodesk's civil design package if you don't want.
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I would like to be able to layout lots and do roads, cut/fills, stormwater stuff, but also I have a big itch to create 3D models of ideas/inventions I have thought up. The standard AutoCAD seems awefully boring to me what what I see. I like the Fusion 360 trial I have, but not sure that has the capability I am looking for.

What other software options would you recommend? I wasn't aware of Solidworks. I will look into that.
 
JasonM said:
I would like to be able to layout lots and do roads, cut/fills, stormwater stuff, but also I have a big itch to create 3D models of ideas/inventions I have thought up. The standard AutoCAD seems awefully boring to me what what I see. I like the Fusion 360 trial I have, but not sure that has the capability I am looking for.

What other software options would you recommend? I wasn't aware of Solidworks. I will look into that.
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Autodesk has a civil design package that does cuts and fills, auto stationing, auto profiling, etc... but it's pricey. There are some other third party add ons that do the same thing. I -think- you can still get a "student licence" of Autocad for fairly cheap, but I don't know if you can get other add on packages at the same discount.

It's all boring staring at a blank screen. Autocad is a fairly powerful program, and it has a lot of features and a steep learning curve. I would personally invest in a class on CAD design in a local CC before investing too much in software and equipment.

Also, you can't just run to the building/planning department with a set of grading and site improvement plans. In most cases they will have to be stamped by an civil engineer. I'm assuming you either are one or have access to one that can review and stamp your plans?
 
For 3D mechanical design, Solidworks is the great. Inventor will do it but not as user friendly. I have several years on both. If you just want 2D layouts, get an AutoCAD lite if you can. Lots cheaper.
 
I work with engineers on projects and have no interest in becoming one. I have always been that guy that takes a piece of land and draws up an idea and hands it over to the engineers. I would like to have more ability to do this stuff on my own to see how well it works. I definitely want to be working in a 3D environment. I was just hoping that there was a program that would allow me to do both aspects. Really more for visually seeing things than detailed specs. I'd also like to be able to do some landscape design in 3D.
 
Our design dept works with tools that require both 2D and 3D cad. For 2D, we use AutoCAD, 3D we use SolidWorks.
 
You're asking a VERY broad question here. It depends what aspect of "mechanical" design you are looking into. My office, for example, is a MEP consutling firm. We mainly work in Autocad, with an occasional project in revit. We use these programs to lay out designs of ductwork, plumibng, electrical...things like that. If you want to design a radically new engine, for example, Solidworks, Pro/E, Inventor, etc....would be a better option.

Aside from getting a 30 day trial version, if you happen to have your .edu email address handy from college, and have access to it, you can get a "student" version from Autodesk (any product they offer, actually). The program will be a full and complete version. However, any time you are going to plot a drawing, it will have "For Educational Purposes" printed along the margins.

If you throw out some examples of work you would like to do, it would give people a better idea of suggestions to give, as each project will have a better-suited product for it.
 
If you just want to mess around in 3D, sketchup is just fine. No need to invest the money to buy and the time to learn an engineering CAD program like SolidWorks, Inventor, Pro/E etc unless that's something you want to do professionally.
If you want to learn 2D similar to AutoCAD, download Draftsight. It's free and has most of the functionality of AutoCAD with a similar interface.

Another upcoming product that may be more up your alley is SolidWorks Mechanical Conceptual. It's aimed at people who want to design to a point, then hand off to the engineers. I also think the pricing structure was based on a monthly subscription, but the last news I had heard was a year ago.
 
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I got a degree in Architectural drafting, and for that pretty much everyone uses autoCAD, and it's almost all 2D. You dont need 3D modeling to draw floor plans.

Now that I use the computer for creating things other than floor plans I use solidworks a lot more. I build lots of folded steel parts, and the sheetmetal tools make that a snap, even when your "sheetmetal" is 1/4" thick. It's also excellent for designing anything that will be machined, or even something that will be built in multiple parts and welded or bolted together. There's a reason it's the king of this market.

I would never use solidworks to design a house, and if I weren't so fast with autocad I'd never use it for designing parts, but if it's a flat part that I'm cutting on my CNC table I often do only because I have years more experience with AutoCAD and can get it done in a hurry. If it's anything remotely 3 dimensional I use Solidworks though. AutoCad is HORRIBLE for 3D modeling. I only used 3D studio when I was in college and I hated it. I found it to be a pain in the ass that didn't do what I wanted it to.
 
+1 for Solidworks. The drawing side will do light 2D.
They have a student/personal version that is cheep to learn on.
Lots of tutorials to learn with.

Have funu
 
I have a seat of Solidworks, it's a great program, but I don't use it too often and it's a perishable skill, at least for me. It is also pretty expensive, but works great. I echo autocad lt for 2d.
 
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