Able2Extract PDF Converter Review

Often times in the world of CAD and engineering we find ourselves with a PDF document that we wish we could modify but can't. The solution used to be we had to recreate the document in its native program from scratch. This was especially painful if we were dealing with a complicated AutoCAD drawing in PDF format. Luckily, those days are long gone. Investintech has created the best PDF conversion software around and one of the best benefits is being able to convert those pesky PDFs back into DWG or DXF files. Not  only does it convert PDF to AutoCAD, it also does the whole range of Office products including Excel, Word, PPT, and others. How awesome is that? It's easy to use and there are Windows, Mac, and Linux versions available.

You can see some document conversion examples on their website as well as a link to download a free trial here: http://www.investintech.com/able2extract.html
I highly recommend you check it out!

How to Convert PDF to AutoCAD

One question many CAD users ask is if there is an easy way to convert PDF to AutoCAD format. Well, now there is an easy, and best of all, FREE solution for you. PDFAutoCAD is a free PDF to DWG  and DXF conversion for AutoCAD-designed PDFs.

Some of its distinct features are:

• High quality conversions with lines, arcs, scale presets and texts preserved, and no need for further touch-ups.
• Files of up to 40MB can be uploaded and converted quickly.
• All uploaded user data, including emails, is deleted in accordance with their privacy policy.
• Everything is free - they support themselves via ads on the homepage (please, don’t be confused by them).

I've used this site myself and find it very useful. Check it out here.

3D Boat Design Software

I recently found a nice 3D boat design software to help you design anything that floats. If you have ever wanted to design a boat yourself then this is the program for you. 3DBoatDesign is a versatile CAD software package that is easy to use yet also powerful at the same time. Some feature of 3DBoatDesign include enhanced hydrostatic calculations, easy 3d scaling, rotating, and moving, hull sculptor, resistance calculations and more!

3DBoatDesign is to boats as NoLimits Simulator is to roller coasters - simply the best available software to everyday consumers and affordable too!

Download 3D Boat Design today and starting designing the watercraft of your dreams!

Android Application Programming Basics

Today I’m going to share a few of my notes about Android Application programming basics. Recently I’ve been trying to learn how to program Android applications. This post is not directly related to CAD but I will hopefully one day be creating some Android applications for CAD users.

Android Programming Acronyms

• SDK = software development kit
• DP = density pixels
• IDE = Integrated Development Environment
• UI = User Interface

Android apps are written in Java. I think it’s much harder to learn than writing macros for CATIA V5. When you write a macro, you can type up the code in a simple text editor and it is read top to bottom like a book. When writing code for Android applications, code must be inserted into at least three different locations within the Eclipse IDE software.

Pages or screens in Android apps are known as Activities. An Intent is a communicator with another application and you use it to change screens. To create a new activity right click on package: New>Class. Give it a name and set Super class as Activity, which will be a java file. Each activity needs a layout file (.xml) created by going to New>Android xml. Name it file_name.xml. Xml is a way to organize information with structure (as opposed to just using a text file). The xml file is used to organize the layout and properties of all the text, input boxes, buttons, images, etc. Buttons use a method called OnClickListener.

Alright, that might have sounded confusing to you, especially if you’ve never programmed before, so I’m going to leave it at that for now. Would you like to learn more about Android application programming? Please let me know and I will write more detailed posts. I’ve recently created two Android applications and they are available in the Google Play store for Free here.

In your opinion, what are the best CAD apps out there?

CATIA Lego Training Download

I’ve long looked for a good LEGO CAD program and today I’ve finally found one. John B Cearns, founder and

owner of Solid Engineering Solutions, has created an outstanding exercise to help students learn how to use CATIA’s Assembly Design workbench while being super fun at the same time.

While building the Lego model you’ll learn how to use catalogs in CATIA to create different Lego blocks in 3D. Not all the parts required to make the Four Wheeler and Rebel Wrecker are present in the CATParts folder. There are 72 parts missing from this folder but they have provided 12 tabulated parts for you to use to easily create the missing 72 parts. Step by step instructions are provided in the documentation for both sets.  The Four Wheeler contains 102 different parts and the total parts are 338. The Rebel Wrecker contains 123 different parts and the total parts are 468.

The free download contains all instructions necessary to assemble the Four Wheel and Rebel Wrecker. Or, if you just want to build the physical Lego sets you could just do that as well using these instructions. Get them here:

 http://www.solengsol.com/solid_engineering_downloads.htm

After you have created these two CATProduct models, there is a wealth of Kinematics joints you can perform on them: Revolute Joint, Cylindrical Joint, Spherical Joint, Rigid Joint, Universal Joint, Gear Joint, Cable Joint, and Rack Joint. The Lego parts also use a relation law created by a Multiple Value User Parameter to define the color: PartBody.Color = PartBodyColor.

This exercise is a great example if you want to use CATIA or other CAD software as a Lego design software. Many different bricks can be created from the template of a few using catalogs. All around, I highly recommend checking out this tutorial because, as I said, it is a lot of fun and very educational too (and it's free)!

Download the Lego CAD files and instructions here:http://www.solengsol.com/solid_engineering_downloads.htm
Please note: CATIA V5 R19 is required.

Download Architects Cad Drawings

Are you looking for AutoCAD symbols, details & drawings? Download Architects Cad Drawings contains a huge database of downloadable CAD symbols, drawings, details, and building templates in AutoCAD format. This symbols are perfect for creating floor plans or site layouts.

This is the perfect resource for CAD draftsmen and CAD technicians. There are over 6500 CAD files to download from. Click Here!

New DraftSight Learning Resources Flipbook Available

We invite you to check out the DraftSight Master Series – an online flipbook designed to help you maximize your design skills. The book includes a collection of tips, tricks, videos, webinars and more from DraftSight’s training guru, Mark Lyons.

We hope you’ll find this to be a useful tool, and invite you to share it with your friends and colleagues. 
Thanks for using DraftSight! - The DraftSight Team

Theo Jansen Machanism Matlab Code Download Updated

The matlab code for the Theo Jansen mechanism has been updated and is now available for download. Also, in exchange for using my code I would appreciate your help by subscribing to and promoting the site and sharing it with your family, friends and coworkers. Please subscribe to my YouTube page and consider following me on Twitter. Thanks!

Theo Jansen matlab code file download

How to simulate rolling kinematics tutorial

How do you simulate wheels rolling down a hill or track in CATIA? A reader recently asked if I could put together a tutorial for the kinematics rolling simulation that I created. This may not be extremely detailed but should give you a pretty good idea of the steps to take when trying to simulate rolling in CATIA. This was one of the preliminary tests I ran before attempting to simulate my entire roller coaster model. Download the kinematics rolling powerpoint tutorial here.







How to simulate rolling in CATIA DMU kinematics workbench tutorial.ppt download

Theo Jansen Mechanism Matlab Code M-file

 A few readers have requested the full m file for the Theo Jansen mechanism. I've uploaded it here. If the download won't work for you lease me your email address and I will gladly send it to you. Please don't just copy the file. This is meant for reference only. In other words, figure it out on your own!

http://cadsystemshelp.blogspot.com/2010/04/theo-jansen-mechanism-matlab-code.html

Theo Jansen Mechanism Matlab Code.doc download 

*7/22/2011 download link should be fixed now!

Which version of CATIA program.zip free download

If you are a user of multiple versions or CATIA (R18,R19, etc) it can get quite frustrating attempting to open a R19 part in R18. Wouldn't it be great to be open to tell which version of CATIA a part was created in without having to open the part in CATIA? Well, now there is a such a program which you can download here. This software is the easiest way to know which version of CATIA a part has been created in. Run the .exe, browse and find the file and you'll see the latest version of the saved file and the minimal version to read it. Download it for free right now!

How to install :

Copy the .exe file in your directory. That's all.

It's also possible to add a shortcut to this exe in the C:\Documents and Settings\%UserName&\SendTo' directory.

In this case, you can use the right-clic Sento "Which version" menu (in the windows explorer).

Be careful ! you must install the VB6 runtime file that you can find here :

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=7b9ba261-7a9c-43e7-9117-f673077ffb3c


Click here to download: Which Version of CATIA.exe