suggestions for CAD software for designing bike parts

[Greg]

Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
appreciated. Thanks.

 

[S. Anderson]

"Greg" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
> particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
> software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
> to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
> appreciated. Thanks.

ProEngineer or Solidworks. Good general-use 3-d design packages. There's always good old Autocad LT
if you want to go the cheap and cheesey route!

Cheers,

Scott..

 

[Dan Daniel]

On 29 Feb 2004 20:40:59 -0800, [email protected] (Greg) wrote:

>Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
>particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
>software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
>to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
>appreciated. Thanks.

Look at Rhinoceros

http://www.rhino3d.com/

Free demo download which gives you full function and 25 saves. You can find the program for
$600 or so.

I work with designers and prototypers and have been asking many of them about CAD programs and about
Rhinoceros. Its reputation is good.

The only significant problem I have had with it is that it doesn't recognize AutoCAD x-refs. Its
text layout seems limited.

For the money, it seems like a great NURBS program. I have been learning the demo, and I have no
regrets. Even if I don't purchase it and use it on a daily basis, the concepts are helping in other
programs (AutoCAD and SolidWorks).

 

[Jim Beam]

there are some no-cost legal cad applications out there - it can't hurt to check them out. a lot of
them are linux based, but some are ported to windoze, it that's your poison. google is your friend.
they may not be as advanced as autodesk's offerings, but they work.

Greg wrote:
> Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
> particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
> software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
> to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
> appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Dan Daniel]

On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 23:51:11 -0500, "S. Anderson"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>"Greg" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
>> Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
>> particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
>> software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
>> to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
>> appreciated. Thanks.
>
>ProEngineer or Solidworks. Good general-use 3-d design packages. There's always good old Autocad LT
>if you want to go the cheap and cheesey route!
>
>Cheers,
>
>Scott..
>

Isn't LT 2-D only?

 

[S. Anderson]

"Dan Daniel" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Isn't LT 2-D only?

Like I said, cheesey!! ;-)

Cheers,

Scott..

 

[Tim McNamara]

jim beam <[email protected]> writes:

> there are some no-cost legal cad applications out there - it can't hurt to check them out. a lot
> of them are linux based, but some are ported to windoze, it that's your poison. google is your
> friend. they may not be as advanced as autodesk's offerings, but they work.

There are some CAD packages available for GNU/Linux (let's get that correct- Linux only refers to
the kernel, the rest of the system is GNU. A pet peeve of mine) and BSDish Unixen, just as jim
mentions. The GNU Web site (http://www.gnu.org) is a good place to start (click the "free software"
link and use the search box to isolate the CAD options). I've never used them so I can't give them
any rating, however.

 

[Chris Zacho "Th]

AutoCAD (CAD= Computer Aided Drafting/Drawing) lite is relatively inexpensive, and good for
mechanical drawings. It's only 2D though

BobCAD/CAM, although more expensive, will do the job too, and you can transfer your drawings right
into the CAM (computer Aided Machining) program. to run them on a CNC when you're done.

"May you have the wind at your back. And a really low gear for the hills!"

Chris Zacho ~ "Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"

Chris'Z Corner http://www.geocities.com/czcorner

 

[Matt O'Toole]

Greg wrote:

> Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
> particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
> software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
> to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
> appreciated. Thanks.

I recommend Linuxcad:

http://www.linuxcad.com/

I'm not a big CAD user, but I could still use it fine. That's probably a good testimonial -- CAD is
inherently complex, with a steep learning curve -- and easy to forget if you don't use it for
awhile. Linuxcad is similar enough to Autocad that your skills will transfer easily, should you need
to use Autocad later. I bought Linuxcad for one of my helpers. She already knew Autocad, and
couldn't be bothered learning Visio. Linuxcad was cheaper than either, and she's very happy with it.

If you take an Autocad class, you can get a big discount on Autocad LT. Either/both would be a good
investment if you're serious about this.

For free stuff, www.sourceforge.net has lots. (Note -- Sourceforge and SoftwareForge are completely
different entities.)

Matt O.

 

[Eric Lambi]

CATIA V5!!!

Don't have $20k? Get SolidWorks.

[email protected] (Greg) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
> particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
> software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
> to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
> appreciated. Thanks.

 

[cycleboy]

Originally posted by Greg
Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
appreciated. Thanks.

Do you have formal training in technical drawing? The reason I ask is that these CAD packages assume so and there's a very high learning curve. CAD software like most other highly technical SW took a manual acitivity and computerized it. I would suggest you go to a good bookstore and browse the companion books to some of the mentioned packages. Pay careful attention to the early chapters on setting up your drawing space (coordinates, scale, perspective etc.). If it looks like more than you bargained for consider downloading a shareware 2D drawing package and playing around. You'll have more fun getting your part drawn and printed fairly easily.

If you have made up your mind already, find something Autocad compatible or an Autocad product. This will give the greatest portability to your drawings. This is also the most widely used CAD software. To save you might try to find a used copy of an older version. Like most software, newer versions are just more bells and whistles that beginners don't use anyway.

Good luck.

 

[Matt O'Toole]

Greg wrote:

> Hello, does anybody out there have any good/bad experiences with any particular CAD software,
> particularly for the design of bike-related components and parts? I am looking to purchase some
> software for CAD design and the choices out there are many.b I am seeking something somewhat easy
> to use and not astronomically expensive. If you have any suggestions, they would be highly
> appreciated. Thanks.

I was just working on Linux last night, and I rediscovered QCad. I had forgotten all about it. It
runs on Windows too, if you pay a small licensing fee. The software is GPL licensed, so it's free,
but they don't distribute free binaries. If you have Linux already and you know how to compile
source, you can compile it yourself for free. Otherwise it comes with some Linux distributions. If
you don't run Linux already, the easiest/cheapest way to try QCad is with Knoppix -- a Linux
distribution that runs from a CD.

http://www.knoppix.net

This is what I use a lot, for Docbook tools and stuff. QCad is on there. You can save your files by
configuring Knoppix to save your home directory in a folder on your Windows hard drive. Otherwise
Knoppix is totally safe. It won't touch your Windows system -- no partitioning, etc.

Matt O.

 

[merubeyurubu]

Originally posted by Dan Daniel
On 29 Feb 2004 20:40:59 -0800, [email protected] (Greg) wrote:

Look at Rhinoceros

Remember though that the frame has to be manufacturable... so creating a wonderful curvy shape in a surfacing package might look good on screen, but cost a bomb to produce.

Pro/ENGINEER is used by more than a few bike manufacturers (Cannondale is one off the top of my head). It has better assembly capabilities than CATIA V5 and is much easier to learn (especially now with the Wildfire release)