Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?


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Thread: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

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    Default Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    I just started on a new job where I use AutoCAD 2014 and after a month of learning I start to feel that maybe AutoCAD really isn´t any good for 3D modeling. I have used Rhino 3D and Solidworks before which I liked and felt productive in. But with AutoCAD it just feel so slow and hard to do the small, everyday commands like measuring, changing drawing direction to Z, trimming surfaces/curves/solids etc. It just just doesn't feel like it was meant to work with 3D. And since it does cost ALOT of money, shouldn´t it work better?

    Is it just me? A lot of you people seem to be working in 3D with AutoCAD, what do you think? Will I learn to work with it if I just give it time or will I never be as productive as I was with Rhino 3D?

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    Gold Member LeeWay's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    There are a lot of things that can be done much faster in AC than in a 3D program. I use Turbocad and it is very similar. They are both old school CAD. I am starting to use Fusion 360 now. It is much better at 3D solid modeling more like SW.
    It is also owned by AutoDesk and will not break the bank. You may want to suggest that it be looked at for production purposes.

    Lee


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    Member ger21's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    And since it does cost ALOT of money, shouldn´t it work better?
    Imo, AutoCAD does work better in a lot of ways.

    Comparing AutoCAD, Rhino and Solidworks is like comparing apples to oranges. They all do things differently, and all are probably better at some things than others.
    A person with a strong SW background will have a lot of trouble modeling in AutoCAD. Someone who's been using AutoCAD daily for 20 years like myself can model most things much faster in AutoCAD than in SW.

    Rhino is more of a surface modeler, so has more and better tools specifically for working with surfaces. So if you need to work with surfaces, Rhino is probably a better choice.

    Gerry

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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    I may be in the minority here, but...
    I started with R12, and used various AutoCAD flavors over the years, including inventor.
    Unigraphics was, for me, a pain. Not intuitive at all, clunky, and just felt like it was cobbled together from a dozen different packages.
    SolidWorks, however, has become my immediate go-to for any 3D needs. It lets me work in a smooth flow, and it makes a lot more sense to me - I think the design team and the authoring team must all have some background in APT / CompctII / NiCam!



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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    I have used autocad and solidworks as well as several other programs for 3d modeling. I much prefer autocad for 3d and 90% of what I do is 3d. I feel that I can compete on a timed basis with someone using solidworks and finish just as fast or faster almost every time. That's with solids and surfaces. Now don't get me wrong I am not talking down about solidworks. I have just spent so many years in autocad it feels like home. I draw with one hand on the mouse and one on the keyboard and love the command prompt in autocad. I also detest all the pop-up windows and the like that so many programs use to do each operation. Autocad does all that with the command prompt using 1 letter action choices and doesn't throw a bunch of stuff on screen to block my view. Now if I had started with solidworks all those years ago I bet my view would be totally different since I would know all there shortcuts. I don't think there is a best program just a best for me or a best for you.

    Now here's the key to your problem. You are now using something unfamiliar at WORK. I've been there. Instead of thinking about why the program you would rather be using is better and complaining about the one you are using instead embrace the experience and grow. The learning experience can only increase your future job opportunities and your overall value to your employer. I learned along time ago to love every program that I use at work. Because of the I am efficient and productive within a short period with any cad or cam program I am introduced to. I think it's just a matter of time before you learn to love autocad for what it is. It will do almost anything that solidworks or rhino will and a lot of stuff they won't do. The same applies to them in relation to autocad. You don't have to stop preferring a different program over the one you use now. We all have our home/go to programs. Just don't let that preference prevent you from growing your skills or fitting in at your current occupation.

    Ben



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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    Out of curiosity what type of work are you doing in autocad?

    Ben



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    Gold Member LeeWay's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    I feel the same way about TurboCad. You can do just about anything with it as well including parametric parts. You can convert stuff to surfaces or solids. Turbocad also manipulates text very well. Solidworks and Fusion 360 have a little trouble with some of the most basic text aspects like single line texts. TC uses meshes though to get organic shapes and while it works, I don't think it is as clever and clean as what you can do in Fusion 360.I have the current student edition of SW and I am not even going to bother with it any longer. Fusion 360 also has HSM which can do 3D maching included. You have to pay extra for that in SW.
    So I will not ever get rid of Turbocad. It is my workhorse. Maybe one day I can figure out what the heck I am doing in Fusion.

    Lee


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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    3d modeling cover too many different things..

    you can say you model a 1x1x1 inches cube.. that's already 3d model.. even sketchup or any modeler can do..

    model a boat hull... rhino and solids will be very much good..

    model a dragon with skin texture, zbrush or 3d coat will beat solidworks or any praised modelr even 3d studio..

    designing a new car possible catia works the best.. tough you can make same good model with hexagon..

    what youre try to modeling?

    by the way, for 3d layouts even the free draftsight works very well like autocad did in 1980..
    first spaceshuttles were designed with autocad..

    and theres the question, if rhino worked, or solidworks, then why did you try a 3rd program?



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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    As some of the others have stated AutoCad can be very good and fast for basic 3D. I have been using AutoCad for about 25 years and professionally for over 20. I started doing 3D with it 15-20 years ago and I can whip up 3D drawings much faster than people I know that use SolidEdge and other advanced 3D modeling programs every day. Of course when you are looking for elaborate curvy surfaces you can't beat something like Rhino and if you do bent sheet metal SolidEdge is the ticket. I do mostly bridge consoles for ships with electronics in them so my work is extruded shapes and flat surfaces mostly.



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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    I have been using autocad for about 13 years and started with inventor at R8. For myself, Inventor was so much more intuitive for modeling parts and assemblies, I loved it from the very beginning.
    Today I find myself sketching in acad and ctrl c/p into inventor. Sketching in 3d required constraints and for me is not natural, but you get use to it the more you do it. I still feel there is a place for both software, but everything I machine is hsmexpress inside inventor at this point.

    Inventor is so easy to use and you can model anything.

    If you have the time/aptitude to model with inventor, you can literally create detailed 2d drawings in a manner of minutes with full annotation and dimensions. BIG + for me
    And when things change Inventor automatically updates all related drawings you have created from the model. And then there are levels of detail...etc.



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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    Thank you all for sharing your thoughts and experiences! I can´t comment on every answer, but they have all been very interesting and useful to me! I must say, I´m a bit overwhelmed

    Maybe Inventor would be best suited for my needs, but getting my employer to buy it just because I´m unwilling to give AutoCAD a real chance is of course wrong. The proper thing to do is to use AutoCAD for a year or two and then evaluate if there is a need for something else. Just because I would LIKE something else doesn´t mean it would be cost effective to my employer. Therefor I have come to the (very adult) conclusion that I will give AutoCAD a shot. I will start asking for help here on cnczone in a new thread and you are all welcome to join me there as I embark on this adventure.

    I (will) use AutoCAD to make 2D drawings and 3D models of pump stations, sewer water cleaning stations and fresh water facilities. The 3D models are mostly for me to see if everything fits together, if there is enough room for a certain component etc, but also for the people who will build, to be able to show how to route the pipes etc.

    This was the first thing I modeled while learning the basics in AutoCAD, a pump station, just to give you a hint of what I am trying to do. I feel that I probably will be ashamed of it soon though

    Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?-ps-3d-old-png

    Thank you all!



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    Gold Member LeeWay's Avatar
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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    I think that looks pretty good. I don't know if AC is the same, but Turbocad also has a Drafting component and a Sheet metal component.
    I would expect AC to have those features.
    In TC, you can draw a line and add a few dimensions and you have a full studded wall, roof, doors, windows etc. That really makes short work of modeling anything building or architecture related.

    AC is what they use, so I think you are right, you will need to adapt. You won't be worse for wear though. AC is an incredibly powerful CAD software package.

    Lee


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    Default Re: Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

    As a 3d draftsmen myself, I am currently using Inventor for all my jobs, with other programs for rendering. I started with autocad but feel it really is much more useful for 2d modeling then 3d. In school I used soildworks and I think that may have been my favorite program. If you are going to be dealing mainly in 3d I would really look into inventor. The commands are so much more 3d oriented but still share similar traits with autocad since same manufacture.



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Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?

Is AutoCAD really any good for 3D modeling?