Box design programs and rendering

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

What program is used to create box printouts with dimensioning, and possibly 3d rendering? I used to use AutoCad but I forgot how, I can't even figure out how to set a dim....

in anycase I'd just like to use a quick and easy prog because I'm going to have someone do the cutting and assembly work for me on my box so I don't have to but $130 worth of tools...

Click to read more...

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

I have used Sketchup and Autodesk Inventor. Inventor is an awesome program, personally I prefer it over Sketchup.

 

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

I have used Sketchup and Autodesk Inventor. Inventor is an awesome program, personally I prefer it over Sketchup.

hmm sounds good... I loved autocad (was using it in 1999) but the new ones got me stumped... I'll try inventor

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

Inventor is amazing compared to CAD!!!! Its unreal, takes a little getting used to though. Basically you have multiple sketches and you can draw out the side of the part, then dimension and alter dimensions in any sketch at any time. Then you can extrude, revolve, shell, theres just tons of stuff to do in this program. Theres even a part library with tons of parts for use when creating working assemblies. Just read through some of the tutorials and you'll figure it out. Its not that hard of a program to use at all. Good luck! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

argg... I already have autocad 2004 laying around, I make a square, make dimensions but can't figure out how to edit them so it resizes the box... it's sooooo basic too.. argg

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

Yeah with CAD you can't go back and edit dimensions like in Inventor, you just gotta delete em //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

 

[trevor87 5,000+ posts]

From pics ive seen sketchup is awesome and never heard of inventor so if you can get sketchup id use that

 

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

Yeah with CAD you can't go back and edit dimensions like in Inventor, you just gotta delete em //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/crap.gif.7f4dd41e3e9b23fbd170a1ee6f65cecc.gif

huh, I remember doing this, but it was old school cad so it must be inventor that I need... argg...

do you know how to set a legth of a line segment in cad...???

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

Yeah there a couple different ways to do it, I haven't even messed with CAD in a while lol, but you can use polar and just set the angle in the settings for polar, then type in the value when you are creating a line. The other way is to just punch in the points in the command line, type l or line then the points where you want it at. Polar is much easier, but Inventor is awesome. It is such an amazing program, Sketchup is sweet too, but I prefer the layout of Inventor better. Not to mention the different drawings you can create. I usually make a box or whatever, save it then create a .idw file, then you can just slap in whatever views you want of the part, create some dimensions on it for refrence, print it out and then you have a cut sheet. Lemme hop in Inventor and take some screenshots fo ya! //content.invisioncic.com/y282845/emoticons/wink.gif.608e3ea05f1a9f98611af0861652f8fb.gif

 

[Bolognablake 10+ year member]

Jeebus, Autodesk Inventor is a huge program.

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

 

[AcidicDreams 10+ year member]

thanks! Inventor FTW!!!

I **** hard with a pen/paper... it's just a big square sealed but but I want to give this guy a nice set of blueprints so he doesn't f*ck it up

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

Once you use it for a little while and get familiar with it you can create almost anything in no time. I'm not gonna lie, it is weird to use at first, but once you figure it out, its amazing. SketchUp is nice because it is very easy to learn how to use, but in the end when you are familiar with both, Inventor offers a lot more.

 

[Chevyaudio 5,000+ posts]

Thats sketch-up...I like it, Its easy as hell to use. I have not tried inverter though...the only other 3d modeling softwares I have worked on is Rhino, and Autocad.

 

[MikeyB 5,000+ posts]

The two programs are kind of similar in some aspects, but SketchUp is definately easy for someone to use that isn't familiar with it. Inventor is a program created for the Manufaturing and Engineering areas, its more of a professional program. I like it a lot though, but its kind of biast because I plan on going into the Manu/Engineering field.