Drafting! Did you take it?

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In light of collegesurfgirl's thread, I started to wonder... Just how many members have taken drafting?

I know we have a couple inspiring Architects here on the boards, but I didn't know drafting was such a popular class. ;)
 
yes, many many times. High school, Tech school and College.

Funny thing is, it got me into this career, and I don't do it at all.

AO
 
What do you use?

I took 1 smester of drafting in about 1985, and it was in the Mechanical Engineering school. Half engineering drafting by hand, half CAD/CAM drafting on ancient mainframe with terminals. I've used none of it in my career as an architect.

I loved analog drawingI used to have quite a good drawing and lettering hand (I've been asked if some of my ink on mylar drawings were done on the computer) but computer drafting has killed that dead. Hell, my handwriting even sucks since I got my Palm a couple years ago.
 
I use a program called Mircostation. Its made by Bentley. Its primarily used for civil drafting, but my company seems to think it works perfectly for designing houses.
 
Would anyone like to see the house I designed for myself. I plan to build it within 5 years.

I am going to post it in the pictures forum.
 
Yeah, I've heard of Microstation a lot, but never used it. It seems overkill for a residential architect.

Hey, check out a way cool program called SketchUp at www.sketch3d.com. It's an amazingly fast and fun design tool.
 
I can't quite figure out how to post the pictures of the drawings on the site. If I do a print screen, you can't quite see the detail to the drawings. Any ideas?
 
I was a drafter last semester...I will be again next year.

Though my tech teacher doesn't like me on the net...He changed the whole user system because I kept going on the net, DLing stuff, and burning it onto CD-Rs. After the system change, I was able to hack around it and use the net, while I could DL stuff, I couldn't get it on a CD-R because of the inability to get to the desktop.
Anyone know any ways around Novell? He made it so that the only thing you can go into is AutoCAD, and through the open menu in AutoCAD I was able to get to IE...
 
Originally posted by neon_duke
Hell, my handwriting even sucks since I got my Palm a couple years ago.

At least you can say it was good. I've been using computers since I was 4 or so, so naturally, my handwriting sucks. However, I am decent at the Piano...

I'm still in HS, never taken 1 drafting class, but I use 3d Studio Max. It's a nice program, I downloaded an outdated version(r3.1) so I don't feel like I'm stealing from Kinenex, or however you spell the company's name. It's not like I've downloaded r4.0 or 5.0...

As of now, I'm mostly using 3dsm for 3d modelling of natural things(I'm working on a 3d head right now, it's taking forever!) but I originally got 3dsm for creating maps for Rogue Spear(the sequel of Rainbow Six). But, since America's Army blows that game out of the water, I use 3dsm for modeling other things than buildings, although I occasionally do that too... If anybody knows how to create realistic hair(like long hair for women), please tell me how for 3dsm, that's what I'll be needing to do after I finish the mouth and nose. After that, I might make the rest of the body, but I probably don't want to spend that much time on it.

Oh, does anybody know how to animate complex models such as faces/bodies/etc in 3dsm?

I'm also thining of putting Wings on my computer in my room, probably because Wings will work on 200mhz processor computers:D
 
Yeah, I'm taking a CAD course this year, I'll take another next year. It's pretty cool.

The only downside is that my class is really slow as it's filled with ingrates who don't know how many degrees are in a circle.
 
I'm taking Drafting for the 2nd Semester,but I'm still a 1st year student in AutoCad,so I'm not so sure if I'm gonna be takin' it again next year or what.Them dimensions can be a pain,grrrr....oh well,it's still a fun class,just hard sometimes

AE86Driver

yes I'm in High School =P,hehe
 
I took an introductory class to AutoCAD my freshmen year. We were using some ancient version that was for Windows 3.1, but running on 95. I got an A in the class, but I switched to programming. There weren't any good jobs for drafters in my area.

MazKid: In our CAD class, the computers were using Novell for the network in that classroom. At the login screen, press Ctrl + F1 (or something like that, can't remember). It will bring a drop down menu, click on Close, and it will boot from the internal hard drive and not from the network. You can access any program that was installed on that computer. I'm not certain if I'm correct, it's been 3 years since I used Novell and all of the school computers have switched to Windows 2000.
 
I took a drafting class back in high school. 1990 if I recall correctly, and to this day, I still write in all capital letters.
 
I took architectural design (mostly drafting houses and small buildings first half of the year, while everybody dropped out the second half and i was designing an apartment building the second half of the year on cadkey97)

i also took engineering design and converted kida paper drawings of their shop class projects to the computer.

viper zero, novell uses ctrl+alt+del, i spent 2 and half years on novell. got it down to where i could see everybody elses network drive. I ended up with a lot of roms, music and other crap that way:D
 
On my Novell at school we have to just hit cancel, then cancel again every time a new box comes up or you can just click the x at the top and then the x every time a new box comes up. Ive been using Novell at school for almost five years now since sixth grade.

Oh and I have taken drafting intro., drafting, architectural drawing, AutoCAD intro, AutoCAD Inermediate, AutoCAD Advanced, and Home and Building Design. I am now in tenth grade and fifteen.
 
Originally posted by Snacker1281
On my Novell at school we have to just hit cancel, then cancel again every time a new box comes up or you can just click the x at the top and then the x every time a new box comes up. Ive been using Novell at school for almost five years now since sixth grade.

Oh and I have taken drafting intro., drafting, architectural drawing, AutoCAD intro, AutoCAD Inermediate, AutoCAD Advanced, and Home and Building Design. I am now in tenth grade and fifteen.

I've nver used AutoCAD or taken any classes on it, but I use 3d Studio Max for making blueprints and extruding those blueprints into actual 3d-models. How different is 3dsm from AutoCAD?
 
3dsm is true 3-d modeling. You can develop and render 3 dimensional objects with much better clarity and precision (and ease) than you can in AutoCAD. Also 3DSM has a better rendering interface than Autocad. They both work similarly, and can actually work together quite nicely. You are able to design in in 3DSM, drop the model into AutoCAD, and build the construction drawings right from there.

When properly interfaced, you can change details in 3DSM and it will update in AutoCAD. So the designer can move a door and change it's size, it'll update in the floor plan, the interior elevations, the exterior elevations and the door schedule.

You can reference it to a sedan and a Jeep. The sedan will allow you more comfortable travel in the highway, the Jeep will give you better travel on the back roads. Each one comes with 4 wheels and engine and a steering wheel. It's just they do different things.

Not sure if that helps any... This is an example of something I've done in Form Z, built from an Autocad Drawing.

AO
 

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Thanks guys. THe biggest annoying probelm I had with the rendering was that I couldn't get the grain of the wood railing to go in the right direction.

As for Jeep or Sedan, it coudl be either. It's just an example both vehicles will get you there, they are just suited to different paths to take.

AO
 
I've been drafting since AutoCad R12 and I am currently on AutoCad Map 2000. I have used ArcView/ArcMap, Microstation.

I do civil engineering/survey drafting mainly for the natural gas and communications industries. I like what I do, it's just that we have been slow for about 6-8 months. I am considering architectural but I won't make as much so I will probably stay put for now...

I love what you did there Der Alta, I have always wanted to get into the 3D modeling and do some renders.
 
Originally posted by Magic069
What version of Mircostation?
We use Microstation J.
A few of our clients require their final products in Microstation.
Usually we do all the line or base work in AutoCad and then
just pretty it up and plot it in microstation. (they never know the difference)

I'm mainly working in AutoCad Land and Development, AutoCad Map, and Cad Overlay 2000 (for imaging).
 
Oh, we were using "J" but just recently switched to "SE" Don't ask me the difference between the to, because I have no idea. I just know enough to do what I have to do everyday.

I am a self taught Mircostation user and the funny thing is, its the only thing I have used in my Professional carreer. :confused:
 
I'm a self taught user for everything except AutoCad. I learned AutoCad on R13 but my 1st job I was on a board. My next job was on release 12, but I have been where I'm at ever since and we have upgraded pretty much when the new version comes out.

Here is our company website, Universal ENSCO, Inc. I work in the Tulsa, OK office though.
 
Well hear in the near future I hope to be in a postion where I am using AutoCAD, the program I have been using since R12. I really don't like Mircostation. I can see where it could be useful in Civil Engineering, but not Arcitecture.
 
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