I Need To Learn CAD And Photoshop Type Stuff. (screen, graphics, transfer)
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I'm totally ignorant of it and I need a new hobby and a few more skills in the tool bag. It's actually good that I will be starting from 0, I'm not corrupted.
Online courses would be the most economical. Not sure if they exist for graphics work, they should. Most of these courses would require an name brand product like Adobe. If you are learning on your own, you can use anything. You could also get an e-book or similar.
Nowadays you rent Photoshop don't you?
I hate this subscription based BS but that seems to be the way it's going. What it means is you get regular updates, many don't need them and it makes the software companies more money in the long run.
It's a "Subscription". Agree, it sucks and I go out of my way NOT to support that model in my personal life which is why I recommend Gimp. It's really good and once you know it there isn't a huge curve to learn PShop.
When you say you want to learn CAD, do you mean 2D layouts or 3D?
Also, it's not just a matter of learning how to operate the program. Are you familiar with the principles of mechanical drawing - Orthographic projection, isometrics, surface development, sectioning?
Also, it's not just a matter of learning how to operate the program. Are you familiar with the principles of mechanical drawing - Orthographic projection, isometrics, surface development, sectioning?
Exactly.
Photoshop is a consumer computer program. You cna probably get a pretty good basic proficiency by going through some online tutorials. I am willling to bet that someone has downloadable tutorials in Photoshop available for short money.
CAD is a whole different ball of wax. Basically this consists of three elements:
1) 3 dimensional modeling. This is basically using geometric concepts to create a simulated 3-d item in the computer. If you have not done this, or if you do not have a good working grasp of plane and solid geometry, you're going to struggle. First you do individual parts, then you do assemblies.
2) Simulation. This consists of doing different things to the model and seeing how it would respond if it were a real thing. For example, your model of a beam can be subjected to a load at its end, and you can then simulate (given a material assigned to it, with the material properties) how much it deflects under the load and the stresses in the beam. You need a good understanding of the principles of what you're trying to simulate, before you start running simulations, otherwise you'll get garbage and not know it. For example, two dimensional flow, three dimensional flow, heat transfer, static stress analysis, kinematic analysis, etc., etc.
3) Drafting: turning the modeled part of concern into a usable drawing. If you are already a competent draftsman, it's pretty easy. If you have no idea what the terms listed above even mean, then you need to learn "drafting, computer aided". Instead of spending time learning about how to sharpen pencils and how to square up a sheet on the board, you'll learn how to use the computer's tools; but the fundamentals of how objects are represented on the sheet/screen are still essentially the same.
And the subject of properly dimensioning and tolerancing a drawing so it can be used to make parts, in the most efficient manner, is a lifelong study. I've been doing this for almsot 40 years now and I still find errors in dimensions and tolerances. Heck, just determining how much diametral interference should be used to press fit a bearing into a housing can blow up into a huge study before you know it, and people have been doing that for at least a hundred years now.
So, my point is that while "Photoshop" can be largely self-taught, "CAD" would be VERY difficult to achieve competence without significant instruction, and such instruction is unlikely to be found in You Tuba videos. I would recommend making contact at the local community college to begin.
When I set out to learn Solidworks, as a professional mechanical engineer with already more than 20 years of experience, but limited CAD experience, I paid for a proper course at the local junior college (6 weeks, classroom three times a week (I think each class was 2 hours?) and keep in mind that Solidworks is one of the easiest CAD programs to pick up. Unigraphics, or Pro-E? Gonna take more than that, even.
Also, it's not just a matter of learning how to operate the program. Are you familiar with the principles of mechanical drawing - Orthographic projection, isometrics, surface development, sectioning?
Yes, knowing how to drive a computer program is not the same as knowing how to do what the program is helping you do. I get really tired of people who think that competency in project management consists of knowing how to operate Microsoft Project.
Photoshop is a consumer computer program. You cna probably get a pretty good basic proficiency by going through some online tutorials. I am willling to bet that someone has downloadable tutorials in Photoshop available for short money.
YouTube is free and all you need to learn ... GiMP. (or Pshop).
A good free CAD program. Since it's free you can take your time and mess around with it.
I used AutoCAD for about 20 years and the Draftsight program will read and write DWG files and the operations are so similar to AutoCAD it can easily be a first step.
But, as others have said, there are things you need to learn before really understanding CAD.
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