# CAD software (computer aided design)



## JohnBrown (Aug 26, 2013)

Does anybody use CAD (computer aided design) software for designing building projects, fence / pasture layout, etc.? Is there anything out there designed for Agriculture?


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## bbos2 (Mar 20, 2015)

I took a cad course in college. I messed around with it quite a bit with buildings, farm layouts and Grain bin placements. Of course the class tought mainly about buiding industrial parts. Very neat program with a ton of tools to design anything you can dream up. Actually too many tools. Half of them I don't think I would be ever figured out without the class. I would be very rusty with it now.


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## JohnBrown (Aug 26, 2013)

It looks like Turbo Cad, $99, is a good choice for anybody except a professional. And they have a 30 day risk free trial. I am downloading TurboCAD Deluxe 2015. (two hour download out here in the sticks)

(I have an idea AutoCAD is very expensive.)


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Any decent CAD program will be just complicated enough to use that if you don't use it often, it will be like the first time all over again. The free or cheap ones can be a lot more frustrating than their worth.

Anymore I just draw up blueprints by hand than take to the local fab shop and have them enter it into their $$$$$ software.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

When it was free sketch up worked really well, I think it costs money now they made it more full featured.


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

I developed some of the features in a couple of the major CAD programs and have access to most of them. For the majority of my needs, I either use MS Visio or hand sketches. Most recently, I was building some cabinets and downloaded a free cabinet CAD program that would do everything.....It never got used, I could draw what I wanted by hand faster than I could learn all the features of the program. Sadly, that's one of the problems in engineering companies today, the tools try to do everything, have become very complex, and no one really knows how to use them. Sorta like MS Office but worse. Handiest thing I have is an app on my iPhone that does math using fractions.....


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Mike120 said:


> I developed some of the features in a couple of the major CAD programs and have access to most of them. For the majority of my needs, I either use MS Visio or hand sketches. Most recently, I was building some cabinets and downloaded a free cabinet CAD program that would do everything.....It never got used, I could draw what I wanted by hand faster than I could learn all the features of the program. Sadly, that's one of the problems in engineering companies today, the tools try to do everything, have become very complex, and no one really knows how to use them. Sorta like MS Office but worse. Handiest thing I have is an app on my iPhone that does math using fractions.....


I've tried numerous book keeping programs over the years, always went back to pen and paper, most were either somewhat confusing to use, or cost enough that that I never really got what I paid for as they had more features than I needed. Finally took my paper ledgers and put them all into excel. Works very well as most of the time when my banker sends me something it's already in excel anyways. Took the common used forms from my bank and enter them into excel as well.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

There is a reason that silly MS Paint Program is still used for all kinds of photo/image markup. I even get contractors submitting as-builts that are obviously done by it.


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## rjmoses (Apr 4, 2010)

mlappin said:


> I've tried numerous book keeping programs over the years, always went back to pen and paper, most were either somewhat confusing to use, or cost enough that that I never really got what I paid for as they had more features than I needed. Finally took my paper ledgers and put them all into excel. Works very well as most of the time when my banker sends me something it's already in excel anyways. Took the common used forms from my bank and enter them into excel as well.


As a software/systems engineer in a former life, I found that most software designers rarely had an understanding of the user, what his needs were, how he worked, how he thought, his pressures, etc.

This often lead to software that was "rich" technically but stank when it came to true usability.

To add to this, the software designers are often bombarded by "user needs" as perceived by the marketing organization and cost controls and time pressures imposed by management. Oftentmes, glitz was more important than anything else!

Sometimes, I would rework a screen or program as many as five times to make it more in sync with the user.

I usually spent several weeks at the beginning of a project doing the user's job.

A good example of feature rich, p--- poor design is Excel formulas. If you want a simple spreadsheet, it works well. Start adding formulas, totals and sub-totals, and it can get messy real quickly.

For fun and games, Check out the The Dunning-Kruger effect.

I still do a lot of stuff with pencil and paper.

Ralph


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## Mike120 (May 4, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> For fun and games, Check out the The Dunning-Kruger effect.


The curse of ignorance is that the victim rarely suspects.......


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## glasswrongsize (Sep 15, 2015)

> For fun and games, Check out the The Dunning-Kruger effect.


Thanks Mr Moses, not I can put a name to the "I wish I could buy him for what he's worth, and sell him for what he THINKS he worth" description that I have for some people.
73, Mark


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## deadmoose (Oct 30, 2011)

So, do I gather this correct: Dunning Kruger basically figured out that stupid people are too stupid to know how stupid they are?

Thanks Cap'n Obvious.


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

My wife did 10 years hard time as a software developer aka programmer. The wonder they had was the sales folk went out and promised the world they came back and begged the programmers to build it on the platform they promised. The programmers ranged from hard core coders who didn't give a hoot about the user to my wife who had to clean up the interface end and answer to the client when they said I was told I could easily do this this and this.

Sales guys were long gone onto the next sale by that time.


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## wadek (May 28, 2015)

JohnBrown said:


> Does anybody use CAD (computer aided design) software for designing building projects, fence / pasture layout, etc.? Is there anything out there designed for Agriculture?


Here at work we use Autodesk Inventor for mechanical design but the package we use cost us a little less than $10k.

I think http://www.sketchup.com/ would probably be perfect for the fence / pasture layout and it works well for simple buildings and sheds too. You can use Google maps data in your drawings. Very easy to learn and lots of videos available. They have a 3d warehouse with thousands of predrawn objects you can download and place into your drawings. I have even used it at one of my other jobs to draw some agricultural equipment but this is where something like TurboCAD might be a better fit.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

rjmoses said:


> A good example of feature rich, p--- poor design is Excel formulas. If you want a simple spreadsheet, it works well. Start adding formulas, totals and sub-totals, and it can get messy real quickly.
> 
> For fun and games, Check out the The Dunning-Kruger effect.
> 
> ...


For some reason I caught right on to excel. while I absolutely hate everything about quickbooks. I'm a south paw as well so maybe that has something to do with it.

Studies have been done on offices that went to a totally paperless environment, productivity went down.

I have a landlord thats a code monkey, used to work with industrial/commercial routers, did something pretty amazing and sold it, stays home now and works thru emails. Also started Freehold games and wrote a cute little game for his kids based on Finnish mythology of all things. Top of the charts right now, http://jayisgames.com/review/sproggiwood.php , anyways classic ginger, think I've seen him outside maybe three times since 2010, he has post-its all over his desk and computer screen, says he can't think with out them.


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

South Pawl too. Use excel at work for lots of stuff, wife is a CPA so quickbooks at home for farm accounting. She fixes anything I screw up in quickbooks. She doesn't like my barter transactions. Apparently that's not a recognized transaction...


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

PaMike said:


> She doesn't like my barter transactions. Apparently that's not a recognized transaction...


Well if its not recognized you don't have to report it right?


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## PaMike (Dec 7, 2013)

mlappin said:


> Well if its not recognized you don't have to report it right?


Hahhaa....you obviously don't live with an accountant....


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## Farmineer95 (Aug 11, 2014)

Solidworks is the most user friendly for 3D modeling IMHO. Creo is something to be desired... Solidedge was pretty decent too bur dunno if it is still supported.


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## CDennyRun (Nov 26, 2015)

I feel like an idiot when trying to use Sketchup. If I took the online tutorials, I'm sure I would do fine with it, but haven't really cared to I guess.

I prefer what I call "Excel-Cad" I make each cell represent a particular amount of square footage, and build what I need. It has enough functions for just about any farm related component. I've done production layouts/flow charts with it, and it has worked well for large production facilities and warehouses. Even when applying it in the real world. Other than that, a pencil and paper do just fine.

Chris


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