Best Software for Creating Stickers on CAD drawings?

[moehio]

Hello all,

I'm in search of advice of a software solution for our small business needs.

Customers want to give us CAD drawings of their product, and in turn, want us to create vinyls (stickers) to go on these products. Usually they are vehicles - like bikes, scooters, cars, car interiors, etc.

I'm a designer fluent in Adobe software, I have no experience in CAD or have worked with CAD type software.

Is there a software out there that is intended to do exactly what we need or is there a software that can get the job done - preferably inexpensive and approachable by a novice.

Thanks for any help or suggestions in advance.

-Moe

[Ed Jobe]

We use Brady label printers and software. They also have durable labels for outdoor use.
https://www.bradyid.com/software

[moehio]

Thanks for the reply. Not looking for software to make stickers, looking for the right CAD software that will allow be to create stickers on a CAD drawing.

[Ed Jobe]

You mean like inserting a block? an electronic "sticker"?

[moehio]

I'll give an example - may be easier since I don't know what a block is. (Sorry!)

Motorcycle manufacturer comes to us and says, I want you to make a sticker for this motorcycle. I say ok, can you send us the bike or the part of the bike you want the decal on? They say "no", but they can send us a CAD drawing of the saddle bag. I want to be able to open the saddle bag in a CAD program, insert my designed sticker, and scale it to the the appropriate dimensions. And then take that virtual sticker, flatten it, and export it out to the correct scale.

From there, we can import it into vector program (or whatever) to cut/print out on our plotter, etc.

[Opie]

I'll give an example - may be easier since I don't know what a block is. (Sorry!)

Motorcycle manufacturer comes to us and says, I want you to make a sticker for this motorcycle. I say ok, can you send us the bike or the part of the bike you want the decal on? They say "no", but they can send us a CAD drawing of the saddle bag. I want to be able to open the saddle bag in a CAD program, insert my designed sticker, and scale it to the the appropriate dimensions. And then take that virtual sticker, flatten it, and export it out to the correct scale.

From there, we can import it into vector program (or whatever) to cut/print out on our plotter, etc.

Can they export the drawing to a PDF for you to do your work from? Otherwise, you could look at AutoCAD LT, BricsCAD, and DraftSight. There are other alternatives that may help.

[Ed Jobe]

I'll give an example - may be easier since I don't know what a block is. (Sorry!)

Motorcycle manufacturer comes to us and says, I want you to make a sticker for this motorcycle. I say ok, can you send us the bike or the part of the bike you want the decal on? They say "no", but they can send us a CAD drawing of the saddle bag. I want to be able to open the saddle bag in a CAD program, insert my designed sticker, and scale it to the the appropriate dimensions. And then take that virtual sticker, flatten it, and export it out to the correct scale.

From there, we can import it into vector program (or whatever) to cut/print out on our plotter, etc.

Do you have AutoCAD installed? It sounds like you don't. If not, it's going to be a steep and expensive learning curve just to make a sticker, even if you purchased one of the cheaper cad alternatives that Opie mentioned. You might subcontract to a cad technician for the drafting part. He could then send you an image file to print.

First, I would start by making sure of the specs for the "sticker", e.g. material and durability and quantity. For example, if they want thousands of them, plotting them will be slow, especially if you have to cut them out. And material types for a plotter is limited. I don't know if you can get a vinyl adhesive backed material for a plotter.

[moehio]

Do you have AutoCAD installed? It sounds like you don't. If not, it's going to be a steep and expensive learning curve just to make a sticker, even if you purchased one of the cheaper cad alternatives that Opie mentioned. You might subcontract to a cad technician for the drafting part. He could then send you an image file to print.

First, I would start by making sure of the specs for the "sticker", e.g. material and durability and quantity. For example, if they want thousands of them, plotting them will be slow, especially if you have to cut them out. And material types for a plotter is limited. I don't know if you can get a vinyl adhesive backed material for a plotter.

We screen print the stickers. I'm just looking for a user-friendly CAD software that can perform this simple function without breaking the bank. Appreciate the input.

- - - Updated - - -

If it was a flat sticker, and the PDF was to scale I suppose that could be done. Often times, its over a complex curve or multi-angle object. I'll look into the recommendations, thank you.

[Ed Jobe]

If it was a flat sticker, and the PDF was to scale I suppose that could be done. Often times, its over a complex curve or multi-angle object. I'll look into the recommendations, thank you.

By it's nature, CAD is not user friendly. It requires a lot of training. Especially if you want to warp a 3D surface into a 2D print. It's probably going to be cheapest to just sub-contract the CAD work. But hey, if the contract is big enough, you might want to invest in the software and training.