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Thread: Best way to do isometric drawings?

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    Default Best way to do isometric drawings?

    I recently became the one-man CAD department for our small company and had no previous AutoCAD experience. I took an intro class to AutoCAD that helped a lot, and everything else I've learned from trial-and-error and browsing the AUGI forums. Thanks for all the help already!

    We have a bunch of existing isometric drawings for equipment we produce, and any time I do new drawings they want them to look the same. The existing isometric drawings are not true isometrics because they have 20 degree angles instead of the typical 60/120 degrees as shown at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_projection.

    I currently produce the drawings by setting my polar tracking to 20 degree increments and essentially freehand it using the real dimensions. I've attached a simple example of what my drawings look like.

    Is this the best method for producing these drawings, or is there an easier way? I guess isometric drawings are typically done using isometric snap and isoplanes as described in http://www.lions.odu.edu/~averma/IsometricAutoCAD.pdf, but I don't know if I can produce my 20 degree "isometrics" using this method. I could also draw everything in 3D and then set the viewpoint accordingly but that would take way way longer than just faking it in 2D.

    Thanks in advance for the help!
    Attached Images Attached Images

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    Certified AUGI Addict jaberwok's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best way to do isometric drawings?

    Hi Ryan, welcome to AUGI.

    I guess you could use the Snap command to rotate the snap grid to 20 degrees and draw the "up to the right" lines. then rotate the snap grid to 70 degrees for the rest.

    ATP152 "Isometrics in AutoCAD" (in the ATP archives) may help you but it is based on the standard 30 degree grid.

    BTW, the 3d model idea won't give the desired result either.

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    Active Member dtamplen's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best way to do isometric drawings?

    Howdy, Ryan -

    Welcome to AUGI.

    Another way to "fake it" might be to rotate your UCS to achieve the 20 degree layout that the company is looking for.

    David

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    Default Re: Best way to do isometric drawings?

    to draw iso's in autocad look at the example below



    Command: snap

    Specify snap spacing or [ON/OFF/Aspect/Style/Type] <0'-0 1/2">: s
    Enter snap grid style [Standard/Isometric] <S>: i
    Specify vertical spacing <0'-0 1/2">: 1



    then you use control E to switch the iso axis,

    another point if you go this route for drawing iso's use the ellipse commad to draw circles
    see below


    Command: el
    ELLIPSE
    Specify axis endpoint of ellipse or [Arc/Center/Isocircle]: i

    Specify center of isocircle:
    Specify radius of isocircle or [Diameter]: 2'



    good luck, i know what its like to be the whole cad department.
    i will do another post later for you and others for doing isomectric text as a lisp routine

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    Certified AUGI Addict jaberwok's Avatar
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    Default Re: Best way to do isometric drawings?

    Quote Originally Posted by vtmiii
    to draw iso's in autocad look at the example below............

    That will give 30 degree "isometric", not 20 degree as the OP asked about.

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    Default Re: Best way to do isometric drawings?

    Quote Originally Posted by RyanSS
    I could also draw everything in 3D and then set the viewpoint accordingly . . . .
    This would be my suggestion. I agree that 3d is more time consuming, but not so much if standard orthos are also required in the drawing set. A "Iso20" macro [^C^C_vpoint;-1,-1,.55264;] for view setup, equipment with round parts and skewed angles; who knows, it may even be faster in 3d.

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    Default Re: Best way to do isometric drawings?

    Quote Originally Posted by RyanSS
    I recently became the one-man CAD department for our small company and had no previous AutoCAD experience. I took an intro class to AutoCAD that helped a lot, and everything else I've learned from trial-and-error and browsing the AUGI forums. Thanks for all the help already!

    We have a bunch of existing isometric drawings for equipment we produce, and any time I do new drawings they want them to look the same. The existing isometric drawings are not true isometrics because they have 20 degree angles instead of the typical 60/120 degrees as shown at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isometric_projection.

    I currently produce the drawings by setting my polar tracking to 20 degree increments and essentially freehand it using the real dimensions. I've attached a simple example of what my drawings look like.

    Is this the best method for producing these drawings, or is there an easier way? I guess isometric drawings are typically done using isometric snap and isoplanes as described in http://www.lions.odu.edu/~averma/IsometricAutoCAD.pdf, but I don't know if I can produce my 20 degree "isometrics" using this method. I could also draw everything in 3D and then set the viewpoint accordingly but that would take way way longer than just faking it in 2D.

    Thanks in advance for the help!

    This drawing with 20 degree we can named Cabinet or Oblique method.
    It can realise working with polar coordinates.

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