Drafting & Design Dispatch

AutoCAD’s Object Snap Tracking
Jay Helsel
For AutoCAD 2000, 2000i, 2002, and 2004

Technical drawing often involves placing points, lines, or other geometry precisely relative to other geometry.   Read more...

AutoCAD’s Plot Styles, Part I: Introduction
Jay Helsel
For AutoCAD 2000, 2000i, 2002, and 2004
CAD files are now commonly used directly to drive various manufacturing equipment and machinery.   Read more...

AutoCAD’s Plot Styles, Part II: Color-Dependent Plot Style Tables
Jay Helsel
For AutoCAD 2000, 2000i, 2002, and 2004
When you create a color-dependent plot style table, AutoCAD automatically sets up a table with 255 plot styles.   Read more...

AutoCAD’s Plot Styles, Part III: Named Plot Style Tables
Jay Helsel
For AutoCAD 2000, 2000i, 2002, and 2004
When you create a named plot style table, AutoCAD sets up a table with a single plot style named Normal.   Read more...

Tool Palettes Window
Jay D. Helsel
For AutoCAD 2004
The Tool Palettes window was added in AutoCAD 2004 to provide an efficient option for working with blocks and hatches.   Read more...

AutoCAD’s Plot Styles, Part IV: Using Color-Dependent Plot Style Tables
Jay D. Helsel
For AutoCAD 2002 or AutoCAD 2004
After you have set up one or more color-dependent plot style tables in AutoCAD, using them in your drawings is a simple matter of attaching the plot style table to a drawing and then printing the drawing.   Read more...

AutoCAD’s Plot Styles, Part V: Using Named Plot Style Tables
Jay D. Helsel
For AutoCAD 2002 or AutoCAD 2004
After you have set up one or more named plot style tables in AutoCAD, using them in your drawings is a matter of attaching the plot style table to a drawing and choosing a plot style from the table for each layer of the drawing.   Read more...

CAD in the Manufacturing Process - April 2005
CAD and CAM (computer-aided manufacturing) are used at every stage of a product’s life.   Read more...

The Blank AutoCAD Screen May 2005
As a newly hired designer, you are sitting in front of your CAD computer. The boss has asked you to design a new product for the company, but you don’t know where to begin.   Read more...

Starting Your CAD Career - September 2005
By Timothy M. Looney

Regardless of if you have earned a PhD or just graduated from at technical training school, you are going to need to get a job to support yourself.   Read more...

2D or 3D: That Is the Question June 2005
The major types of CAD packages are those that work in 2D, those that work in 3D, and those that work in both 2D and 3D.   Read more...

CAD: It’s Not Just About Designing October 2005
By Timothy M. Looney

When people discuss CAD, they are usually referring to some sort of design or manufacturing process.   Read more...

How Mechanical Engineers Use CAD - July 2005
As a student who is studying computer-aided drafting, you may be wondering how all of this knowledge will be used in your career. Of course, the answer depends partly on the type of job you have and the company that hires you.   Read more...

Change: It’s a Way of Life November 2005
By Timothy M. Looney

Most drafting careers start at “entry level.” For many drafters, this means starting at a company by processing change requests or Engineering Change Notice (ECN) documents.   Read more...

Reinventing the Wheel - August 2005
The world in which we live and work is dictated by budgets and schedules.   Read more...

Transitioning to a New CAD Product -- January 2006
By Timothy M. Looney

As you have probably noticed, many different types and makers of CAD programs exist.   Read more...

Parametric Modeling February 2006
By Randy Shih

There is a new kid on the block in the arena of Mechanical CAD technology.   Read more...

Designing with Inventor^®10—March 2006
Designing with Inventor^® 2006 by Randy Shih is now available for high school courses.   Read more...

The Future of CAD — April 2006
Remarkable changes have been made to CAD programs and the supporting technology over the past decade or so    Read more...

3D Printing in Education—May 2006
While mainstream manufacturers continue to adopt 3D printing technology to support rapid prototyping needs at a relatively swift pace, the use of 3D printers in educational settings is growing at a much faster rate . . .    Read more...