Reference Material 2

[dvcrogers]

I am new to CAD and was wondering if anyone knows of any reference material that would pertain to "standards" in CAD drawings. Specificly items like proper linetypes/lineweights, dimensions, text/style, and drawing layout.

I am just looking for some gererals on "good CAD pratices/standards". Can anyone help?

 

[architech]

CAD drawings revolve around drafting standards, in terms of weight & graphics.
A good source for this would then be ....
"The Professional Practice of Architecturl Working Drwings - Second Edition" by Osamu A. Wakita & Richard M. Linde (1994)- Distributed by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

CAD standards will only address:
filenames
layer names
file structure
do & don't about drafting so you don't corrupt your file
etc...

Hope that helps

 

[Adrian2]

Dear dvcrogers;

A great deal of CAD standards are derived from common sense and experience. There are many good books on drafting practice and the rules and practices from the pencil and paper drafting era still apply as much as ever.

Make your object lines bold so that the item you are drawing stands out. Keep your dimensions lines and text thin, keep a consistent text height and style throughout your dimensioning that remains the same regardless of drawing size. Keep centerlines and hidden lines thin.

Drawing layout is best learned by experience, eventually you will come to know that only certain views are necessary to fully describe an object. Keep the views to a minimum with an eye to making the drawing as easy to understand as possible. Use commonly accepted engineering scales, that all skilled trades can understand.

These things are doubly important to know in these days of automatically generated views. Your computer does not know about how to reduce confusion and clutter. The operator still has to exercise considerable discretion on how the final drawing looks. After all your name is on the drawing, and you will be judged harshly regardless of how the drawing was completed. Make your drawing something you are proud to add your initials to.

Best Regards

Adrian D.

 

[dvcrogers]

Thanks for the advice.

 

[billtati]

If you are in the AEC industry the most widely known layering standard are the AIA standard. It is a logical system (with a heavy emphasis on architectural elements) but all other discipline are covered (electrical, mechanical, plumbing, structural). If you only use the layers you need it actually is a cleancut system.

If you are not in the "building" inductry then all bets are off. There does not seem to be a layering standard. I have evolved my practices to use names like:

"Oscillator Housing"
"Oscillator Housing Hidden"
"Oscillator Housing Hatch"
"Oscillator Cover"
"Oscillator Cover Hardware"
"Oscillator Terminals"

and so on. Spelling everything out helps when you merge two layouts and need to decypher what layers need to be on and off.

 

[rhodie]

Look to ANSI's American National Standard Drafting Manual - Y14

This text was coauthored and approved by such organizations as ASME, ASEE, SAE, ASME, SME, and ASE. Most company CAD standards adopt portions, if not all, of the standards contained in this manual.

A great general practice drafting book is: Technical Drawing by Giesecke, Mitchell, Spencer, Hill, Dygdon, and Novak. I used this book all the time. You can't go wrong with a book authored by Mr. French, either, but it might be a little out of date.