[Al Skierkiewicz]

1. What makes you a professional?(how long you have used it, awards, jobs, etc...) I have been using Autocad (self taught) since 1985, the first computer had a 40 MB hard drive and 4 Megs of RAM, two monitor setup. I use Autocad to draw building spaces, schematics, labels, block diagrams and 3D accoustic investigations. I have even used it for analysis of the interference of airplanes landing at O'Hare and received satellite signals from a geosynchronous broadcast satellite.
2. What is the greatest advantage Inventor has over other drafting softwares? Inventor was designed with more manufacturing processes in mind.
3. How would you describe the thought process used with CAD? Anything that can be drawn with pencil and paper can be drawn in CAD, faster and with more accuracy.
4. What is your favorite tool and why? I like object snaps because you never draw unrelated lines. Snap is a great method to draw both accurately and cleanly. (i.e. all lines meet and intersect exactly where they are intended.)
5. How do you teach this software to someone new? I start out with some basic commands and when they begin to ask "Is there a better way to do this?" I can then add the more complex commands.
6. What companies do you know that use this software? (if any) I am not sure what you are asking. Each software tool has some particular user. Some need Inventor or ProE while others need Autocad or Solidworks.
7. Please list the tools that you would show in a 5-7 minute demonstration?(for them to understand, not to be able to use) A demonstration for someone who has never used this program must be shown commands and operations that relate to paper drawing first and then move to simple operational commands like move and copy and modify. When the audience seems to grasp those then a move to more complex operations like arrays, blocks and dimensions would be the next step.
8. Is there anything else you can think of that is of importance? CAD is a tool just like a screwdriver or wire cutters. It is not appropriate for everything, but there are somethings it can do better than anything else.
9. What is your primary CAD software? AutoCad 2006.