I constantly find myself during boring lulls of classes and the empty study hall drawing out various robot and mechanical ideas. I suffer from two major problems, however.
1- I don’t have the patience to convert these over to CAD.
2- I can’t draw for the life of me.
I’m wondeirng if anyone could give my tips on sketching mechanical designs on paper to quickly ocnvey meaning- my current sketches consist of crazy and messily drawn lines which are cryptic to all but myself.
An example of, say, a very basic transmission drawn out would be helpful too.
I’m not asking for artistic tips, only ways to better and quickly convey my ideas.
There are a lot of books on “engineering drawing” or “techinical drawing” but I think that’d be a little more in-depth than what you’re wanting
#1 - Draw it to scale. Get some grid paper, think about the sizes and make a scale (i.e. 1 inch² = 1 square on the paper). Then draw the transmission or whatever you’re displaying according to that scale. If there’s a 3" gear, then (using the above scale) draw it 3 x 3 squares. This helps when thinking about how it would fit in a robot (it can’t be too big!) and how feasible it is too build (it can’t be too small!).
#2 - Use guides. Use a ruler and compass. Trust me, these things helps your drawing more than anything!
#3 - Show different angles. I know you said you can’t draw but atleast TRY to show the different angles. This would give people a much better idea of what you’re trying to show.
#4 - ANNOTATE ANNOTATE ANNOTATE! - If there’s a 3" gear, draw a line with arrows on it (i.e. <—>) and put ‘3" Gear’ in the middle of it. This will help people distinguish the parts and compare sizes.
Just be precise. If you have to, draw different parts in different drawings then trace them all onto one drawing (but still retain the split up one so you can show everyone the different parts).
you dont have to draw a circle with 48 teeth in it to show a 48 tooth gear - just write G48 in the center axis of the gear, and draw one radius to show how big it is
dont try to show every detail in your drawings, only draw center axis lines for shafts
think of the schematic symbols used in electronics - a wire is just a line (no indication of how thick the wire is)- a resistor is a zigzag line
what you are trying to capture is the concept, not the way it looks visually, right?
My problem is twofold. While I like the latter response for its sheer speed, the former is accurate and exactly what I need. Unfortunately in study hall or spanish I don’t have the ruler needed to be precise. At times I find myself drawing out these ideas on simple lined paper. I’m very tmepted to simply bring a graph paper notebook to every class with me for this.
Can I see some sample drawings of a design you don’t mind sharing, so I may see a general idea?
And thanks for the help thusfar, keep the suggestions coming in!
PS- Are there any good websites that are good for this?
I will be the first to admit it, I suck at drawing… (Free hand technical sketches that is)
That’s why I actually use my 3d or 2d cad skills to make the simplest things!!
And it really doesn’t matter if you are the worst artist in the world, as long as the image or sketch conveys the correct plan for the final product or idea!!
Use lots of notes, make a basic shape (who do you know that can draw a perfect circle?), and maybe learn how to hatch or shade different parts if it is an assembly type drawing (more than just one piece involved)
I can tell you first hand that as a CAD Drafter I have to deal with all types of sketches from engineers (some) with really bad artistic skills. True it is nice when you can tell right away what something is, but if time is a concerning factor (which it almost always is) then it doesn’t matter what it looks like as long as the person viewing the sketch can tell what it is.
*Originally posted by Replic *
**I constantly find myself during boring lulls of classes and the empty study hall drawing out various robot and mechanical ideas. I suffer from two major problems, however.
1- I don’t have the patience to convert these over to CAD.
2- I can’t draw for the life of me.
Thanks CD! **
Sometimes there just is no shortcut to take and you have to bite the bullet and do it… “Just Do It”. I found there is no better way to get started in CAD then to have a project to draw. Mechanical drawings are the English Essay of mechanical designers. The only way you might be able to communicate is with your drawing. You have to get good at it for others to help you. Practice with simple shapes and use those to rough out a drawing freehand. Then start cleaning up the drawing using finer strokes.
A drawing teacher had us trace a line with our pencil just above the paper back and forth between two points several times and then let the pencil decsend with each pass until the point makes contact.
I started to draw my Senior Project (a balancing vehicle) and realized I needed far more than my sloppy hands could give me. So I just took a weekend to learn inventor and now I can do most stuff in it.
I really suck at freehand drawing too so I just learned Inventor so the computer can draw for me. It really isn’t hard and you’ll love yourself after you learn it.
There is a curicculum out called DIME from Spectrum Educational Supplies. It’s pretty cheap, I think $15 for the master copy and reproduction costs after that.
It covers how to sketch orthogonal and isometric views of objects very simply and easily. My son went through it when he was 11 or so. It also helps you learn how to think in 3D.
The ability to do freehand sketches that look something like what you want to do is invaluable for mechanical engineers. I can’t count the number of hours I’ve spent with a group of other engineers sketching out ideas for solving problems. It takes effort to learn but in the long run it’s worth it.
Learning how to use isometric paper is a good idea too. It will help greatly in making intelligible sketches. Actually practice with the isopaper and you soon won’t need it.
What ever you do DON’T get dependent on CAD. I’ve been a CAD jockey for close on 20 years, but professionally we rarely decide how to solve a problem at a tube. Generally the ideas flow faster than you can model them. Usually we sketch some stuff on the whiteboard and then go back and use the CAD tube to document the idea and make sure we haven’t overlooked something. (Hey where did that frame come from? it wasn’t in the sketch, get rid of it, it’s in the way!)
Remember it doesn’t have to look good, it just has to be understandable to other engineers.
Here’s an idea- a web page devoted to teaching new members how to draw out mechanical ideas, with every link and resource there as well as tips on how to draw FIRST related parts (such as drawing the drill mounts quickly).
Should be useful to rookie teams and freshmen. Unfortunately I’m obviously not skilled enough to do this.
*Originally posted by Replic *
**Thanks for the help everyone.
Here’s an idea- a web page devoted to teaching new members how to draw out mechanical ideas, with every link and resource there as well as tips on how to draw FIRST related parts (such as drawing the drill mounts quickly).
Should be useful to rookie teams and freshmen. Unfortunately I’m obviously not skilled enough to do this. **
hmmm… interesting… a combination effort between the mechanical team, the CAD team, the inventory team, and the web team…
