Looking for info on the proper way to use QCAD

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luggw1
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Looking for info on the proper way to use QCAD

Post by luggw1 » Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:06 pm

I'm new to QCAD, but not new to CAD in general. I a past life I created engineering drawings from my 3D models for the US Army and US Air Force. In doing this I learned through experience and training that behind the design of the S/W used there was a concept of operation. If the engineer and draftsman adhered to this the S/W would "sing" (more or less) for you as you completed your work. Otherwise, you'd feel as if you were poking around in the dark trying to figure out how to get your work done.

That's where I'm at with QCAD. I feel like I don't fully understand the concept of operations for it and can't find documentation that describes that. Reading through the reference manual is like examining all the pieces of a puzzle very carefully. You know what each piece looks like, but it's difficult to see the big picture. So, is there some documentation, or a tutorial or three that describes how to use QCAD to create a drawing - the process, not the minute steps.

I understand how to create and modify entities. I'm having trouble understanding how things like models, layouts and viewports, for example, fit into the picture.

Thanks
Bill Lugg

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andrew
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Re: Looking for info on the proper way to use QCAD

Post by andrew » Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:20 pm

You can find some QCAD tutorials at:
https://qcad.org/en/documentation/tutorials

For the big picture on the model, layouts and viewports, it's this one:
https://qcad.org/en/tutorial-working-wi ... -viewports

luggw1
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Re: Looking for info on the proper way to use QCAD

Post by luggw1 » Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:43 am

Thanks for the reply; this helps a bit, but raises some additional questions.

I found a set of ANSI drawing borders with block attributes at https://qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?t=2498. I have a drawing (model) that I've put together prior to finding these in a separate file. What would be the correct way of getting my drawing combined with the desired ANSI border presumably in a single file?

In the future, should I begin new drawings in a file containing the desired border? What about scaling the model to fit on the sheet of paper - is that something I should do when I place the parts in the layout?

Thanks for the additional help.
Bill Lugg

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Husky
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Re: Looking for info on the proper way to use QCAD

Post by Husky » Thu Nov 22, 2018 3:52 am

Hello luggw1,
luggw1 wrote:
Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:06 pm
If the engineer and draftsman adhered to this the S/W would "sing" (more or less) for you as you completed your work. Otherwise, you'd feel as if you were poking around in the dark trying to figure out how to get your work done.
Yep - I would second that. :wink:
luggw1 wrote:
Wed Nov 21, 2018 11:06 pm
That's where I'm at with QCAD. I feel like I don't fully understand the concept of operations for it and can't find documentation that describes that. Reading through the reference manual is like examining all the pieces of a puzzle very carefully. You know what each piece looks like, but it's difficult to see the big picture. So, is there some documentation, or a tutorial or three that describes how to use QCAD to create a drawing - the process, not the minute steps.
Additional to Andrews recommendation there is an excellent QCAD Book out there which will answer a lot (but not all!) of your questions. Here is a brief preview of the content ...
https://qcad.org/qcad/book/qcad_book_preview_en.pdf
https://qcad.org/en/qcad-book

BTW: The knowledge of the Tool puzzle will help you to paint faster a bigger picture. You will never use all tools at the same time but knowing what would be available helps you on your daily task ...
luggw1 wrote:
Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:43 am
I found a set of ANSI drawing borders with block attributes at https://qcad.org/rsforum/viewtopic.php?t=2498. I have a drawing (model) that I've put together prior to finding these in a separate file. What would be the correct way of getting my drawing combined with the desired ANSI border presumably in a single file?

In the future, should I begin new drawings in a file containing the desired border? What about scaling the model to fit on the sheet of paper - is that something I should do when I place the parts in the layout?
If a followup question isn't directly related to the initial topic please open a new thread - that keeps the forum overseeable and searchable. Thanks.

However - short answer would be: We don't have enough information about what do you intent to do. Right now it sounds to me that you should go familiar with Layoutblocks which are also explained in Andrews posted tutorial links. If you then have further question we are here to help you - just open a new tread for that and we walk you through...
Work smart, not hard: QCad Pro
Win10/64, QcadPro, QcadCam version: Current.
If a thread is considered as "solved" please change the title of the first post to "[solved] Title..."

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andrew
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Re: Looking for info on the proper way to use QCAD

Post by andrew » Thu Nov 22, 2018 10:06 am

luggw1 wrote:
Thu Nov 22, 2018 12:43 am
What would be the correct way of getting my drawing combined with the desired ANSI border presumably in a single file?
The drawing goes into model space and the border into a layout block.
In the future, should I begin new drawings in a file containing the desired border?
That's entirely up to you but that's certainly one way of handling it, yes.
What about scaling the model to fit on the sheet of paper - is that something I should do when I place the parts in the layout?
When using layout blocks, do NOT scale the model. Keep the layout block 1:1, i.e. your border is created in the same size as your paper. The viewports do the scaling of the model. A viewport may for example have a scale of 1:100 to show the model at that scale.

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