What do you use AutoCAD for?

[Spectrefish]

Just curious what everyone uses AutoCAD for. I use it for 2D mechanical drawings mostly. I would like to see what the majority is.

If your poll is other specify what you use CAD for in a reply.

[CADTigress]

Hello! There was not a spot for 2D Mechanical, and 2D Arch.-- so my choice was other. I do mostly everything that deals with electrical, HVAC, power, lighting, RTU info, fire alarm systems, nurse call stations, ect...

But all in all it is in 2D.. I do my 3D for fun...

MOF CAD is all I have up all day along with my Outlook email...

[Maverick91]

I put "other". I've used ACAD mostly for civil engineering, both 2D and 3D, and before LDT or SoftDesk. Now, I use it for some conceptual architectural, some conceptual civil, and even some solid modeling for animations.

[bbapties]

same here doug

[mom of 3]

I'm in civil engineering as well, so I use it for that in 2D only. supposedly, I'm going to also be learning LDD, but who knows when that will happen!!!!!!!

:)

[raymond.p.remmers]

Civil. 2D & 3D.

[blads]

I voted "other" cos I dont use AUTOCAD - I'm a Reviteer... ;-)

3d Architectural

[Glenn Pope]

2D Civil and Map making.

[JASONM30395]

I've used it for 2d/3d structural, architectural, but am currently using it for civil. A guy I know uses it for electrical.

[arcadia_x27]

I voted other because I use ADT, for both 2D and 3D Architectural

[mfowler]

2D civil engineering

[CADMama]

ADT for LOG home design - I use the model options for layout out my 2D elevations. It just ain't ready for logs and all the different corner types.

[Globey]

I use it to design Baggage Handling Systems for Airports....cool job, lots of stress though...Worse thing about it is getting drawings originally done in Microstation, that dont always convert to well to Autocad...or deal with architectural backgrounds of airport terminals which dont match up at all with existing conditions....

[Maverick91]

wmazzabufi, I feel your pain.

We work on APM systems, and airports are among our major clients. We even dabbled in baggage handling for a while, before my time. it doesn't help that one of our major clients is all Microstation (yuk!). I was tasked with setting up a .dng for a presentation. I tried, and tried... ...and then converted it to ACAD. Everything was right with the world after that. :grin:

[Globey]

DDraper...
Especially government type projects...they love Microstation. Our Texas office uses both, the architects we work with in Manhattan generally use microstation as well. So when they send me a background, ussually something is amiss, for example the double doors, where necessary on the background, come out at least twice as large as the background itself. Microstation is a nightmare...

[bcowper]

Civil 2D 3D, Map creation, architectural, environmental management...

[Ferroequine]

I put "Other". I work in the Oil & Gas biz, and we do flowsheets (2D), plotplans (2D) and piping design (2D & 3D).

[treb]

3d solids and MAX 6 for presentaions

[Ken Lane]

2D/3D Civil and Structural

[rosterreicher]

I use Inventor 9..
Sometimes MDT 2005 for FEA's

I use it to design Tool & die. (Fineblank tooling), Specialized Machinery sometimes.
In my spare time.
I do Some Architectural, RC Planes, Rc cars & parts, Furniture, Some Car & Motorcyle parts. Done a few Lawn Tractor attachments. All sorts of stuff.

[michael.12445]

I voted "Architecture," but the real uses of AutoCAD in our office are:

- Automated mistake generation
- Causing or aggravating myopia and astigmatism
- Raising blood pressure
- corrupting drawing files
- Making random "art" on hardcopy output devices
- Giving everyone an excuse to revert to babyhood and miss deadlines.

Michael Evans

[Grumpy]

I voted 2D Architectural. I mostly use it to layout our equipment in customer buildings. I also use it to do wiring diagrams. Here at my 8-5 job we use AutoCAD 2005, but at my second job which happens to be for my dad (he as a small civil engineering firm) I do about half of his drafting for him. He does civil designs, house plans, etc., anything to keep working. He uses AutoCAD 2000i, and he knows that he will have to upgrade by January. :-x

[CADKitty]

I voted "other". We do commercial MEP work here on A2K4 and A2K4LT. Then there are all the "miscellaneous" uses - new garages, walkways, t-shirt logos, etc. It's amazing just how versatile AutoCAD is . . .

[clint.sowers]

I would have to say other also. I use it mainly for 2D Electrical Schematics, 3D Mechanical, Lisp routine animations, and VBA programming.

[jonathan_fairholm]

I voted "other". I mainly draw 2-D poultry processing factory layouts, covering building / plant room design, mechanical & electrical services schematics and processing line layouts. Some 2-D & 3-D mechanical design, also.

[allenjl]

I voted other, because of multiple uses - architectural and also industrial automation (control panel design, loop diagrams, wiring schematics) - all in 2d to this point.

[Scott D Davis]

We use AutoCAD 2005 for 2D Architecture, primarily in educational work. But we also do civic, police and fire facilities, and some mutli-unit resisential.

Currently transitioning the office to Revit, so soon to be using AutoCAD to clean up consulatnats drawings, and to help keep our detail library up to date.

We had ADT 3.3, but it was best used when users needed something to prop up their monitors to a higher level...the multiple volumes of manuals came in handy for that.

[J. Grouchy]

Backgrounds to engineers (imported from Revit).
Editing projects done before we came to our senses (by moving over to Revit).

Some work (prototypes) still require ACAD...so there are a few poor souls in our office that still use it more regularly...

[Brian Myers]

I use AutoCAD mainly in 3 different applications:

1.) I complete construction drawings for Residential projects (mostly single family homes).
2.) I do as-built drawings of our office and ever increasing distribution center (my company creates and distributes home plan books).
3.) I create the house floor plan drawings and 2D elevations you'll find as you flip through these home plan books.

Between these publications and the drawings I did at a previous job (we had plants in multiple countries) I can honestly say my AutoCAD drawings and/or designs have been seen in the follow areas (that I know of):

1. United States (every state)
2. Canada
3. Mexico
4. South Africa
5. England
6. Scotland
7. Malaysia
8. Cuba (yes.. I know of some mechanical components I designed 12 years ago that ended up in Cuba along with my drawings.. no one knows how they got there, but we had a call on them!)
9.) Ireland
10.) Brazil

In reality, most of them are nothing special as far as CAD work goes.. just an interesting tid-bit that sounds impressive!!! ;)

(That's reminds me of 9 years ago when I did plans for NASA! That's the truth and doing work for NASA sounds impressive enough! Of course, it was just the plans for a large, open, and very unimpressive metal storage building. ) :-D

[bmichell]

I work for a manufacturing company so I voted 2D mechanical.

[BushDog1]

I use AutoCAD 2005 (started on R12) to design/draw and reverse engineer big-rig truck exhaust systems and components (2.5" dia. - 7" dia. tubing) and to design machine replacement parts and add-ons to our existing production machines in the shop. Everything is 2D, I have only messed around twice with 3D..... so far. (I'm waiting for Autodesk to feel sorry for me and send me a free upgrade to Inventor!)

[Wanderer]

you know, I don't remember how I voted... but, I guess I didn't make any comments...

probably 'other', I don't know...

i use vanilla acad and/or map for facilities management...

I update our composite architectural and mepfp's with contractor 'as-builts'

lots of layer translate, layer merge, and exploding blocks (because they're inserted on layers they aren't drawn on and don't turn on/off properly because of it... ~snore~)

I use access almost as much as autocad to keep up with the past projects (approx. 75,000 blueprints dating back to 1912, and approx. 50,000 cad files dating back to 1995, so far... quite a few others not entered into db yet, and at least 15% of our campus under reno every year...)

oh, I also do fruity stuff like making a pretty little map of the campus so all of the overweight dr.s and nurses are motivated to walk around and know how far they've gone before they can order another latte' and cheese fries...

[sid.fontenot550]

I didn't have to vote. I stated that I had already voted?!?!? Really?

We do 2D w/ vanilla acad. Transmission and Distribution substation design and Transmission Line design. This is my regular job.

Night time job is power, lighting, mechanical, special systems, nurse center, & fire alarm systems.

[Globey]

I use ACAD 2K4...
I design Baggage Handling Systems for Airports, most of my designs have been implemented in JFK and Newark, but I have also done work, in either a design function, or punchlisting at Logan in Boston, Raliegh Durham, Detroit, Dallas, Houston, Tampa, Miami, Syracuse...along with international work as well...
Basically I design the conveyor systems which takes your baggage from the ticket counters, and/or curbside areas, transports them via the conveyors, through the TSA screening areas, and out to the associated sort piers, or make up devices...and also the inbound systems, including the baggage claim areas....Federal inspection areas, etc...

[Wanderer]

I didn't have to vote. I stated that I had already voted?!?!? Really?

We do 2D w/ vanilla acad. Transmission and Distribution substation design and Transmission Line design. This is my regular job.

Night time job is power, lighting, mechanical, special systems, nurse center, & fire alarm systems.
I believe this poll was started last fall... I JUST noticed that once you vote in a poll, one of the options is italicized so you can see which one you voted for???

[campbell.58097]

I teach in the Computer Aided Drafting and Design Technology program at a State University so we use ACAD and other CAD packages for just about everything from architectural work to mechanical work to technical illustration.

[mtlynn]

I use it for Civil work mainly subdivisions. I think it's the best thing since sliced bread.

Because I've also used microstation, what an unuser friendly program.

[scwegner]

Plain old vanilla 2000i for 2D architectural -residential remodelling to be exact. Occasionally they let me play and do some 3D perspectives and rendering, but with four designers and one draftsman, I'm usually too busy. I've worked with vanilla 2002 and ADT 2002 and I've played around on my own with Revit so I feel like I'm stuck in the stone age.

[sid.fontenot550]

I believe this poll was started last fall... I JUST noticed that once you vote in a poll, one of the options is italicized so you can see which one you voted for???


Well in that case I voted "other".
I so do not remember voting on this. Maybe it was that last :beer:

[Ms. Serene]

civil, electrical, and sometimes mech. 2 and 3d

[Globey]

Back in the mid 90's I worked for Subway World HQ here in Ct...as a Store Designer. We used Autocad Rel 10, when 12 or 14 was starting to come around...We actually had to save our dwg's to a disc, then we brought it over to the plotter room, and put our dwgs on the computer in there in order to plot....

Besides all that nonsense it was a pretty cool job...we had franchisees from all over the world coming in there for two weeks of training, so you actually got to meet and discuss the design with the franchisees you were designing for...

Fred Deluca, the founder of Subway was great to work for...the first tuesday of each month he would rent out a movie theatre for all of us (roughly 500 people) to go see the latest film...and since the franchisees were here for two weeks, every other week in the lobby of the building we had a cocktail party for them that it was mandatory to attend, complete with bartender, buffet, etc...

We also had a mini subway right in the building, so your lunches were always free...but forget that Jared person you see on the commercials...subways can be quite filling! but with a gym built into the office...we could work it off after work....the downside to all that coolness was that the pay was quite low...I loved the job, but couldn't really make ends meet working there...

[andy.manninen]

I use AutoCAD mainly for Civil Engineering.... i also use it for quickly editing pictures ("THEY" won't let me install Photoshop) to add text and clip pic's together. Then i just print screen the finished picture and paste into paintbrush, and then clip out the stuff you don't need and save as a JPG. LOL!

:Cheers:

[Railrose]

I use it as a base for Raster Design for working with old scanned drawings for clean-up & updating.

[pauljordan]

Plain old vanilla 2000i for 2D architectural -residential remodelling to be exact. Occasionally they let me play and do some 3D perspectives and rendering, but with four designers and one draftsman, I'm usually too busy. I've worked with vanilla 2002 and ADT 2002 and I've played around on my own with Revit so I feel like I'm stuck in the stone age.

So are you handicapping yourself or does your company not want to upgrade to newer software??

After progressing with each release, I think I would go insane if I had to be limited to what 2000i had to offer.

I think if I interviewed with a company and they said they were using 2000i and had no plans to upgrade, the interview would conclude at that point.

[Sammie]

So are you handicapping yourself or does your company not want to upgrade to newer software??

After progressing with each release, I think I would go insane if I had to be limited to what 2000i had to offer.

I think if I interviewed with a company and they said they were using 2000i and had no plans to upgrade, the interview would conclude at that point.
ppsssttt..I woulnd't expect Simon (scwegner) to respond anytime soon. He left the CAD business a while back and hasn't looked back since! (to my knowledge)

[Brian Myers]

I'll revise my own input in this thread. I've since changed professions and now work for an Autodesk reseller where I do training and implementations of architectural software after years of work in the residential sector. In truth, I'm using AutoCAD less and less as I envelop myself more and more into the Revit line of products. I doubt I'll ever work again for a firm that uses strictly AutoCAD for production, but I imagine that I'll still use it on occasion 2 1/2 years from now when I celebrate my 20th year using the program.

[SRBalliet]

Civil & Structural (roads, subdivisions, bridges & retaining walls, etc.)

[Inferno6919]

I voted "other" since I am using all of the above and more! Building Management, Construction, Ground Investigation, Cut and Fill, etc etc... the list is never ending!

:beer: