×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

want to learn CAD

want to learn CAD

want to learn CAD

(OP)
Hello everyone, not sure if this is the right area for this post, so please pardon me.
As an Engineer (approx 6 years experience), I have always sucked at CAD, but now want to invest some personal time in learning and getting better at it, especially because these days CAD programs can do so many different things!


So, my question is:
Does an Engineer need to be CAD savvy? I read a few posts online about how Engineers become "CAD jockeys", and wanted to get everyone's opinion here before I dive deep. any suggestion is very appreciated.

RE: want to learn CAD

CAD is my b!+ch.  It's my palette and canvas.  It's my toolbox.  I certainly am not any less of an engineer because of that.

RE: want to learn CAD

Absolutely! You need to have a certain familiarity with CAD, but do not have to use those skills to become a CAD monkey.  Use your knowledge as a way of estimating CAD time required to complete projects as a Project Manager.

I'll bet I suck at CAD worse than you.  I'm the only person I know who has managed to delete the viewport on their drawing when I took a CAD class.  Even the instructor couldn't replicate my error.   Luckily we also learned Inventor 7 which was far more intuitive for me.  I was good with that one.  

I don't know what specific discipline you are in, but you might also peruse wanted ads or ask around if there are other programs that might be more useful, or that you should learn in addition to CAD.  

"Gorgeous hair is the best revenge."  Ivana Trump

RE: want to learn CAD

Your employers will determine how much of a CAD jockey you would become. If they don't have dedicated drafters to assist the engineers, then you will end up performing that function.

Being CAD savvy would increase your effectiveness and value to a company.

CAD is a useful tool in the arsenal, but if not used correctly it can also be a pain in the arsenal.

RE: want to learn CAD

CAD is like an amplifier.  Many companies use it to amplify the skills and knowledge of their most capable and experienced employees.  So it's your choice; do you want YOUR skills and knowledge to be 'amplified' or not?

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: want to learn CAD

Quote (engr4life1979):

...

So, my question is:
Does an Engineer need to be CAD savvy? ...

   You do if you want to do any sort of design work.  Whatever you do, you need to know how your tools work.

   You never will become really proficient with the tool unless you use it on a day to day basis.   

               JHG

RE: want to learn CAD

"Does an Engineer need to be CAD savvy?"

No.

I'd estimate only around half of the Engineers around here are vaguely CAD savvy.

Of those, most aren't awesome CAD users.

However, it may come in handy, may enable you to get jobs you wouldn't otherwise...

It varies a lot by discipline, or even by individual employer so there is no single answer.

If you are in role where you're primarily doing analysis, especially of stuff designed by other folks, then it may be of limited use.

If you're at a place that has a lot of drafters, it may be of limited use.

What do you mean by learn CAD - there are lot's of different CAD packages and some of them are different enough from each other that learning one doesn't translate directly to another.

Or, do you really mean learn drafting - CAD is a tool used to do drafting.  The CAD jockeys are often the guys that can operate the software but don't know how to properly draft to convey design intent etc.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: want to learn CAD

Just be careful because there's danger in knowing too much CAD.  Don't let anyone turn you into a drafter, unless that's what you want to be.

RE: want to learn CAD

Um, anything more than a sales pitch intended there John?

I know what my CAD company, and most other CAD companies try to tell me CAD looks like.

However, the reality for many smaller or even mid-size companies, in at least some sectors, is a bit different.  Heck, seems to me a lot of civvies and the likes are still hardcore 2D Autocad devotees.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: want to learn CAD

In my 34 years of CAD experience I've watched the 'D' in 'CAD' evolve from where it was once almost 100% 'Drafting' to where it's now primarily 'Design', and while 2D still has it's place, the real impact of CAD goes way beyond what it seems that people have commented about in this thread so far.

As for whether I was 'selling' or not, I'm not sure that I can even find a reference to a non-vendor produced site which would provide an up-to-date look at what CAD actually is like today.  Granted, I can find several sites where one can learn about the history of CAD (one of which I developed myself) and to a certain extent, would show the evolutionary nature of the industry, but that would still not give anyone a good idea of what the state-of-the-art currently was.  My primary intention was to try and make sure that an engineer of today, when asking a question like that, was not being offered a 25 year old response.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: want to learn CAD

I would die without using Cad in my engineering.  I used to draw details by hand on a quad sheet, give it to a drafter, who would attempt to draw it more accurately to scale and nothing fit properly.

Now, I have learned to bang out the main parts of the detail to scale so I know it "works", then hand it to the drafter to finish up.

Then, too I can used my Cad details in the calulations.

And Cad will give you areas and moments of inertias of sections.

And I can Cad much faster than hand drawing.

And with my arthritis, I can barely draw by hand anyway.

Bob

RE: want to learn CAD

Fair enough, I suppose "CAD is a tool used to do drafting" is an over simplification.  However, it seems a lot of Civil, Environmental & Structural guys are still primarily using 2D Autocad, and since the OP flagged themselves as Civil/Environmental that's what I used the simplification.

My bigger point was more to do with knowing what to do with the software, rather than just what the software can do.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: want to learn CAD

That's where the 'amplification' of one's "skills and knowledge" comes into play.

We are not asked this as often as we once were, but years ago one of the first questions asked by managers at companies just starting to implement CAD/CAM/CAE was, "Who do I train to use the system?"  Our standard response was that one should try to train your best people first since you will gain more if you 'amplify' the "skills and knowledge" of people who already understand what it is that you're doing and have already demonstrated that they know how to do their jobs using the current tools available to them.  Now that does not mean that someone should be forced to learn to use CAD if they feel that it's not what they wish to do, but everyone should be given the opportunity all the same.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: want to learn CAD

Ah, so you're to blame for all the disgruntled Engineers forced to do their own drawings (often badly as they have have limited training/instruction in drafting and little interest in learning to do it properly) and all the unemployed drafters lamenting their lot.winky smile

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: want to learn CAD

I did my share of my own detailing long before CAD came along winky smile

But long term, this is what many of us in the industry sees as the future when it comes to 'documenting your designs':

http://machinedesign.com/article/the-changing-face-of-model-annotation-0315

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Design Solutions
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
 

RE: want to learn CAD

Oh I know what you think the future will be, you might even be right, eventually.  I've spent many hours trying to implement Y14.41 in the real world - outside of the integrated supply chain some big boys get to take advantage of.

However, I fear MBD is a long ways off for the OP, given their nominal specialization - unless he's really at the cutting edge of their industry.

Posting guidelines FAQ731-376: Eng-Tips.com Forum Policies http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm? (probably not aimed specifically at you)
What is Engineering anyway: FAQ1088-1484: In layman terms, what is "engineering"?

RE: want to learn CAD

I find that knowing a bit of CAD is necessary for high-end analysis work. Sure, you could tell the CAD designer how to dice up your model, but wouldn't you rather just do it yourself?

Now, high-end CAD work, like top-down design of assemblies, is more likely to be done by a CAD designer rather than an engineer. Still, it can't hurt to have the skills. Besides, knowing CAD gives you a tool to go out and create your own designs. You can take that to the bank and cash it.

RE: want to learn CAD

forgive the dorkness, but I love AutoCAD and I love Revit.

In addition to all the other facats involved with being an engineer, I do all my own drafting.  Wouldn't have it any other way.

Having a draftsman is like sitting in the passenger seat and trying to tell somebody how to drive.  wrong turns, accidents, miscommunications, are waiting to happen.

RE: want to learn CAD

I know lots of NX guys.  Doing my best to help them find jobs.

RE: want to learn CAD

Mostly self taught on Solidworks & AutoCAD, gotten me 3 jobs to date, food on your plate in lean times (like now) as well. Working through good books or sets of lessons will get you acquainted with features, skills and methods that just stumbling around with a project and the help files to sing for your supper(a useful skill in it's own right) may not teach you. Try and learn good practices, the people that touch your stuff later will thank you.  

RE: want to learn CAD

engr4life,

I would take what is said by the mechanical engineers with a grain of salt as they tend to use cad in a different way as part of the design process rather than just presenting the design.

Engineers using CAD entirely depends on the part of the industry that you are in and also the size of the firm that you work for.

All my work is issued in sketch form in my current role so I dont use any CAD. I have had other jobs where I did all the CAD on my own projects.

I would suggest caution in agreeing to do a lot of cad as this can reduce the amount of actual engineering you do and therefore your learning curve.

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources