AutoCAD, the Versatile Veteran
With the release of AutoCAD® 2016, I began thinking about what other software applications are still viable after 35+ years. Autodesk has done a magnificent job of moving AutoCAD forward, growing with trends, adapting to new technology, and building a product that people still want to use. Think about its beginning—it started in the mid-1980s on DOS, as one of the first non-mainframe based CAD programs, and the first version didn’t even include dimensioning!
With the addition of Coordination Model attachment within AutoCAD 2016, you can now attach Navisworks® models as references. AutoCAD has become a platform that supports many different formats, regardless of the source. What other system can pull together Navisworks, Point Clouds, SolidWorks models, Inventor data, STEP, IGES, Microstation, and PDFs into a single document?
AutoCAD not only provides a collaboration environment, but also provides an avenue to document these models. This is especially useful for those systems that do not natively contain detailing and annotation features.
Look at Fusion 360 (or any of the newer cloud-based design applications). Let’s be honest, the detailing and annotation features are lacking. This is not a slight; no CAD system in its infancy had great detailing tools. AutoCAD didn’t, Inventor didn’t, SolidWorks didn’t, and the list goes on. So, instead of struggling with an inexperienced drafting system, why not detail your designs with a product that has a 35-year history? Moreover, if you have data from varying sources, use AutoCAD as the common platform to complete all the detailing requirements, building consistency across all the documentation
Detailing STEP Models
To detail a Fusion 360 design you must first export it as a STEP file.
Figure 1: Exporting STEP file from Fusion 360
Within AutoCAD, create a new drawing (using your template) and import the STEP file.
Figure 2: Imported STEP file in AutoCAD
During the import process, you must select the type of file to import. Looking at the list, AutoCAD supports a wide range of files. The model could be a ProEngineer file, a model from SolidWorks, or in many of the neutral file formats such as STEP or IGES. If the originating system is not on the import list, it is highly likely the system can export to a neutral format that AutoCAD supports.
Figure 3: AutoCAD’s importable model formats
Tip: as the Fusion 360 export is non-associative and the Fusion 360 model may change, I save the imported data and attach the drawing as an xref into a new drawing. This way, I can export the updated model from Fusion 360, overwriting the STEP file. When you update the xref, the drawing views and annotations remain intact.
Figure 4: Creating an xref from the drawing-based model
As you have created the drawing using your template, the title block is already inserted and your styles are configured and ready to go. Use the Place View – From Model Space option, and select the model. After specifying the layout, locate the view by placing it into the desired location.
Note: before picking the location, you can use the Contextual ribbon tab to adjust properties including the orientation, the inclusion of hidden lines, the view scale, and other appearance options.
Figure 5: Initial view placement in paper space
With the placement of the base view, I now create the projected orthographic and isometric views.
Figure 6: Drawing views
Once the views are generated, you can make adjustments by selecting the views and using their grips or the Contextual ribbon tab. In the example below the side view is adjusted to include tangent edges and the ISO view to be shaded. A detail view is added to detail the cut-out.
Figure 7: View detailing
With the views generated, use standard AutoCAD annotation tools to complete the detailing. This includes dimensions, leaders, text, and any AutoCAD object.
Figure 8: Dimensioning
Back in Fusion 360, a change to the model is made and subsequently re-exported in STEP format.
Figure 9: Modifying the Fusion 360 model
Within the AutoCAD file previously created, delete the original imported model and replace it by importing the new version, and save the file. Flip over to the detail drawing and update the xref. Because the cut-out was removed, the leader is no longer associative, and AutoCAD warns you and highlights the issue.
Figure 10: The detail drawing updates
Native Inventor File Support
If I use this process with Inventor models, it works the same. Within AutoCAD, I select the place from Inventor, browse and select the Inventor model.
Figure 11: Inventor Model associativity
The bonus when using Inventor models is that the model data remains associative, meaning changes to the Inventor model will update the AutoCAD drawing. No exporting or importing.
Figure 12: The Inventor model changes are automatically updated in AutoCAD
The above example was completed with vanilla AutoCAD, but any of the vertical versions will work as well. So if you are using AutoCAD P&ID, AutoCAD Electrical, AutoCAD Map, etc., you can use the core functionality to detail these models.
This shows that sometimes turning to an old friend can have big benefits. Don’t be quick to dismiss AutoCAD and its place in today’s design workflows.
