Computern Aided Design
Introduction
Computer-Aided Design or CAD is a software suite that allows designers to digitally draft their designs in a virtual workspace. CAD serves as the central hub between the design and manufacturing process. In modern hardware development, CAD has become the heart of virtually all part and assembly design.
When Should I Use CAD?
CAD is really the heart of all modern digital engineering and design processes. Any part that needs to be accessed or manufactured repeately in the future, requires revision control, or is part of a large assembly should be designed in CAD, since it now is the universal digital workspace that can support the data required to execute virtualy all manufatcuring techniques avialable.
When Should I NOT Use CAD?
Strangely enough, this is a topic not spoken enough. Even though CAD is probably the most efficient bridge between digital design and automated manufacturing, there are many instances where it may be unecessary. For example, dependency to CAD seems to negatively alter our workflow in certain circumstances. In many instances we may have noncritical temporary tooling fixtures that are needed for only a single application, yet we find ourselves out of habit sketching the fixture in CAD. This adds unnecessary complexity to the project wasting time and resources. R&D processes require loads of temporary parts and fictures, and designing these components in CAD is not always neccesary.
Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is our primary CAD suite we use for designing, rendering, and simulating variables. It is an extremely powerful CAD software suite with many features. It's popularity is rooted in the free license offered to hobbyist, which in turn has created and grown a huge online community. This makes it the ideal software for managing and collaborating on a more open hardware basis.
What F360 is NOT
Fusion 360 is NOT an engineering specific software. F360 does share many engineering features with Autodesk Inventor. Inventor was catered specifically for engineering. Based on more experienced people with sufficient experience with both software suite, F360 will lacks more technical features required in advanced engineering. This does not mean F360 is not for engineering, its more of a general design software suite that includes engineering as a sub discipline. In general, Fusion 360 was highly catered for product designers (which consequently will require engineering applications). This means fusion 360 retains a good balance of features and tools for integration and fabrication of your design into manufacturing processes, basic analysis and calculations, and (this is the product design part) a great suite of tools for aesthetic works and renders.
F360 Student License
If your a student like us, Fusion 360 is free to use after submitting proof of enrollment! We highly recommend you to take this opportunity since the education license offers the entire software suite at no cost.
Check out all the other software suites Autodesk has to offer for students and educators!
F360 Hobbyist License
If your no longer a student, Autodesk offers a personal use F360 license with some immitted features. It offers the full fledged design features, so it isn't a total deal breaker. However features like simulations, PCB design, and technical drawings are completely gone or very limited. This may make this a deal breaker for people intending to use this for more complex designs.
Learning Fusion 360
Product Design Online
Product design online offers both paid and free online CAD courses regarding Fusion 360. Everyone has different learning styles, and their tutorials may not work for you, but in our experience (and based on our learning style) it was one of the best Fusion 360 courses out there. We highly recommend new CAD users to check out their 30 min Fusion 360 crash course (It got us up and running on Fusion 360 very quickly)
Autodesk Fusion 360 Course
In our experience the Autodesk Fusion 360 Course is not necessarily the best structured tutorial for new users. We found the overall course to be a bit lengthy with emphasis on steps that anyone even mildly experienced with most software would be familiar with. To be fair, Autodesk had to adopt this format assuming some of the users will not have any prior digital knowledge. Our suggestion for this is to skip or skim over overly obvious steps and move on quickly. Some users may find the Autodesk course helpful, in our opinion it serves as a great didactic tool to learn more features/processes from intermediate users.
Tinkercad
Okay we know it, tinkercad is often associated with new CAD users. But did you know the starting from our legacy K-9 Landing Legs and up to the V7 TVC gimbal, they were all designed in Tinkercad? Its not always the tool, but its how it can be applied.
Tinkercad as a teaching tool
Tinkercad is a really great teaching tool for
Tinkercad as a tool
Tinkercad easily imports .STL files and allows you to add ediitable geometires over it. This is extremly convenient for quikc file editing on the go. SInce its browser based, the files can be easily acessed anywhere with an internet connection.
3D Connexion Space Mouse
CAD is a three dimensional virtual work environment, but its often interfaced on a two dimensional plane with a traditionally computer mouse. The space mouse is the first true 6 axis joystick interface to utilize your non dominant hand while CAD designing or 3D modeling. We found it to very effectively make our CAD design process more fluid and efficient!
The Space Mouse is not for everyone, some experienced CAD users have expressed their preference to using a traditional computer mouse
The Space Mouse has a bit of a learning curve, it will take a about a week to get used to!
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