Re: CAD University

From: B. J. Arnold-Feret (ppsltd@airmail.net)
Date: Fri Sep 10 1999 - 20:14:22 EEST


No, I'm not just limiting my remarks to traditional users of CAD in the RP
industry. As a part of the tool and die industry as well as RP, I see the
best and worst of CAD usage. Innovation seems to decrease as CAD/CAM use
increases. And for designers and other independent users of CAD technology,
it is sorta of a catch - 22. If you don't need to use the technology
everyday, you lose some of the expertise. It is something like a doctor
that I know told me that he was going to learn how to use Pro/E by
"fiddling" with it in his spare time, and thought that he could have it down
cold in three months. I told him it was like me doing surgery and training
in the same matter. Somehow he just didn't seem to like the idea nearly as
much then.

So you are an independent designer, which system do you train on? Pro/E,
Solidworks, AutoCad or some other? Do you learn to use the system well to
take full advantage of the features, or do you use bare bones aspects with
take less time to use. and to learn? Then, is it cost effective?

Plus one of the main differences in the widespread use of personal PC in
publications during the past 20 years was the availability of standardized
and cost effective platforms. Then people wrote new programs which used the
capabilities of the machines even better than the orginal manufacturers set
out to do. We just plain don't have this at this point in CAD systems.

B. J. Arnold-Feret
ppsltd@airmail.net

>As to CAD University, I think you got my point but in a sense missed it
too. Y...<snip>
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