3D CAD for woodworkers

[rlah]

Alibre comments?

I've been using a tool called Alibre Design, which is available in a free version that works with up to 10 or so parts. They recently came out with a version specifically for woodworkers that includes BOM and sheet layout software which looks pretty interesting (Alibre Design Workshop)

This is an interesting thread. One of the magazines published a review of CAD software (in the past 2 months) by Bill Hylton, the router expert. He gave Alibre a fairly good review with some reservations... I've downloaded their free software but haven't tried it yet. How difficult is it to use? You mentioned a limitation of 10 or so parts - wouldn't this be mostly unusable? ... I did not realize there was this limitation. I think I dabbled with this program several years ago and found it took more time to learn than I wanted to invest then.

I see the "Workshop" software is over $1000 - much too high for my home use needs... but I'm still interested in the comments of an actual woodworker using this software.

Since my regular work is in printing, I have access to Adobe InDesign which I find quite useful for 2D design work. I just wish it had 3D capabilities and auto re-dimensioning... but I'll probably stick with InDesign because I don't have the time (or the $$) to experiment with all these packages to see which one is the best. There is too much of a learning curve... (I had hoped SketchUp would be a little easier to learn...)

rlah

[Alex Franke]

Yeah, there is a learning curve for any of the 3D parametric modeling software, but I think if you give it some quality time and work through some tutorials then you'll find it's pretty straight forward. You basically just model a bunch of parts, then join them together in a number of different ways.

The limited parts can be an issue for some projects, but it is ten unique parts, and you can put each of the ten parts into an assembly as many times as you want. For example, the shelves in a bookcase can be multiple copies of the same part.

I got around that limitation in some cases by breaking the design into smaller components, each in its own file. There is also a fantastic user community (great example) -- one guy developed a highly configurable drawer bank, which is only a single part! (just a complicated one!)

I also like it because they have an API with allows me (I'm a programmer) to automate tedious tasks. For example, I've written a number of applications for it (basically shareware) that people use to model dovetail joints, bang out lots of similarly shaped boards (Virtual Saw Mill), import text, etc.

You can see examples of those apps on my site if you're interested (Scroll down to Alibre Deisgn Users). The Primitive Wizard (saw mill) is particularly handy because it automatically applies best practices to the pieces it generates.

I thought InDesign was basically PageMaker (of yesteryear). I didn't know it could be used for design, too! You might end up sticking with that, but maybe give the others a shot when you have some time. After a bit you'll find yourself saying, "oh, I get it now!" then everything will come a lot easier!

BTW, Alibre Design also has forums specifically for woodworkers, so that might be worth a visit, too, to see what kinds of questions are being asked. I think there are even some video tutorials up now for woodworkers.

[rlah]

Thanks, Mr. Franke, for the info on Alibre... I can see you've got the kind of experience that I was interested in hearing. Your comments make me want to try this again, at least the free version! The other packages reviewed in the magazine article mentioned above did not seem to have the power or ease-of-use I was looking for, at least not enough advantages over a free version of Alibre.

As for InDesign, it is the successor to PageMaker. It has increased capabilities and behaves *much* better. I was fortunate to have a patient, experienced teacher at work to show me how to use it... a key ingredient. It's quite easy to export PDFs or other Adobe formats. Also imports (places) all kinds of formats quite well. I'm working on a fairly complex credenza for my wife now with some challenging angles. But I now yearn for the software to "connect the dots", auto re-dimension, and show me 3-D views.

I see others here using CorelDraw which sounds similar to InDesign and Adobe Illustrator - "Graphics" software. Price for this package doesn't seem too bad... but Alibre has all that 3D *power*... (somebody show me that SketchUp is *exactly* what I should take the time to learn.. ha, ha...)

It seems to me this topic could use more "air time" on this forum - the premier woodworking forum on the 'Net. I'll check out the info and forum you mentioned soon. Thanks again.

rlah

[skipwill]

I use Turbocad. Learning curve is high, but there are a bunch of tutorials on the net that help quite a bit. Also, older versions are available on ebay for cheap.

Skip

[Alex Franke]

As for InDesign, it is the successor to PageMaker.

Not to stray too far off topic, but I actually started with PageMaker and Corel Draw back in . . . must have been around '89-90 or so. They helped me get through college because I was able to undercut traditional typesetters with much faster turn around because my competition was still cutting, waxing, and pasting ads together. Ah, those were the days!

Back on topic: I used Corel Draw for all of my original designs. In fact I still use it from time to time because I got so familiar/fast with it. (I actually stopped at Version 5, and believe it or not, I have a computer still running that version!) PhotoPaint was pretty cool, too, but I've since moved to the GIMP.

Corel Draw used to come with a 3D application that I tried from time to time, but it took too long to get anything done in it. It felt like I wasn't getting anything accomplished with my time. But then when I started with Pro/Engineer and then Alibre Design, I realized I actually had already ramped up on the basics using the old Corel product!

So the 3D stuff can be a little frustrating at first, but if you stick with it it'll jsut keep getting easier.

-Alex

[ScottGolden]

In the past i have used AutoCad (older version) and found it very difficult to work with. I understand why they charge some much for thier training.

I have recently switched to Alibre and love it. I find much of the UI easy to work with and the free version has done every thing I need to date. When (not if ) I win the lottery, I will drop the $495.00 for it. After all when the choice comes down to new jointer vs cad software .... well you can guess my answer.

I know the web site says $1,095.00 but just about every 2-3 months they put out an email with it dropped down to $495.00. So if your willing to wait you can save.

Scott

[rlah]

Alibre - must try now

I know the web site says $1,095.00 but just about every 2-3 months they put out an email with it dropped down to $495.00. So if your willing to wait you can save.

That seems to tip the scales for me... I might checkout TurboCad, but the comments on Alibre seem to tip the scales on what I'll spend my time with - and maybe (just maybe) spend my money on.

rlah