AutoCAD to Solidworks switch

[markuswolfe]

hi thr.


is switching from AutoCAD to Solidworks easy??


right now, with the tutorials included on the SW Cd, it is not enough to start and really not the easiest way of switching from AutoCAD to Solidworks.

are those references by (planchard??) good ones?? who have read the SW for dummies reference? is that good also??


i need a fast way switching from AutoCAD to SW. practical applications that can be learned quickly.


thanks guys.

 

[riverwind1962]

well i did ( and still doing it ) just what you did went from autocad to sw and for me i didnt find anything out there that as much help as the tutorials that came with the solidworks cd one piece of advice tho try not to think of it as a type of autocad enviroment once you get past that mentality and more into the solid modeling mentality you will find it to be much better than autocad will do the same job faster and easyer with alot more toys to play with espeically the motion and mating assemblies then turning those models to paper prints much sweeter


I know this didnt help much but force yourself thru the first 4 or so tutorials and it will start making sence and in a week or two of playing with it you will start seeing this is alot nicer program than autocad will ever be took me about that long before the light came on

 

[tate owen]

I agree with riverwind1962, the real trick is to "unlearn what you have learned", SW will seam backwards for a while in sketching, but once you get used to it, AutoCAD seams very tedious. You have to get the hang of the 3D environment to see how much more SW makes sense than AutoCAD, I am dealing with going back to AutoCAD after 5 years in SW (this is only temporary, we have some archetectural stuff to do) and CAD has made some leaps with 2006, but you still have appreciate SW.

 

[markuswolfe]

thanks tate owen and riverwind.


well, i do have had some familiarity with SW interface.. as ive got on with the tutorials and i find it pretty easy and simple.


problem is application: how do i really start with the modelling stuffs? well parts made in the tutorial are simple. do you have references for modelling techniques for complex machine parts??

and i agree with what you said both, i have to really detahc myself with the AUTOCAD mindset when using SW>

i hope you can send me files that will be very helpful.


thanks.

 

[tate owen]

Markuswolfe,


I don't have any complex machined parts on my work computer, I do that work at home. I primarily deal with simple parts that make larger assemblies. If you go to 3D Content Central on the Solidworks web page, you could find a plethera of parts that you can download and roll back and see how they were built. I find it very interesting how people go about creating models! You can also get there from the Design Library in Solidworks.

 

[markuswolfe]

thanks tate..



ill try what you are suggesting right now.


i think that will be helpful also... how long are you into Solidworks??

 

[tate owen]

I have been in using Solidworks for over 5 years now. I would really like to expand my knowledge base to get into more tools like surfacing and molds. But we have accomplished some really cool stuff here. We are a custom sign manufacture and I have worked on a range of stuff from TV news sets to Stainless Steel Bus Shelters, to Chandeliers. So what about you? How long have you been in Solidworks? What's in the Philippines?

 

[markuswolfe]

well. i have been using autocad for about 8+ years now since time when CAD 12 was in use. right now, im doing 3d machine design stuffs for one of the CNC router manufacturer based in Germany as a freelancer (project based). and on daytime, i work as an architectural draftsman also. i do 3d solids in autocad.

right now, i wanted to really shift to SW since when i was first introduced in SW, it was way back 2004 early part. then imm just interested but really havent much given it a thought. after a year, i visited SW website, then that how my interest grew. requested for a CD interactive tour. got one, actually 2006. right there, i decided to realy study it.

i hope i can get used to this as soonest. i really have had a good comparison against AutoCAD in terms of time management in creating / producing drawings, models.e etc...

if you have any reference that you can share with me, that would be helpful. drop it at this email: [email protected]


btw, m chris.

are SW drafters / designers there have a better pay than as compared with ACAD users??

 

[ridein]

<DIV>to markuswolfe:</DIV>
<DIV>Yes, I would say you could definitely get more in salary as an "Design Engineer" using SolidWorks compared to using AutoCad as a draftsman. Try a search on Careerbuilder.com using each software name as the keyword.
</DIV>

 

[markuswolfe]

ridein,


thanks for your advise. well, i do hope i can land a job there ion the US. =) haha..


but im based in the Philippines right now. anyway, it will help a lot and can do get an insight about the salary brackets for each category.


cheers!