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Designing with CAD

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Anybody design with CAD? I want to create CAD drawings of baits that I've made. My problem is that I have digital pics (.jpgs), but need to change them into dwg's or dxf's. I have AutoCAD LT2000, but no time to learn all the details.

Anybody know any easy ways to take a .jpg and make it into a CAD file?

Thanks in advance.

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This isn't how to convert and image into a drawing, but may serve your purposes. Import the image as a raster image (Insert, Raster Image). To turn off the border go (Modify, Object, Image, Frame (then type "off")).

You can now trace lines over the image, dimension it, etc. When you are finished, move the lines you drew into some of the workspace and you have a drawing. If you want to leave the image as the background, you can do that also or delete it (turn the frame back on).

I do much more precise drawings (without images) for my purposes, but for quick basic reference I used this method to make the following "sales blueprint".

http://www.rivercitylures.50megs.com/lure/fibr/fibrloco/fibrloco375X.htm

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No way to convert a raster image to a .dwg file. As previous poster said you can import and trace over. I use Acad 2002, but it really is only helpful as a rough drawing. In the end if you are hand carving the only reason to use Cad is if you are better and quicker with Cad than hand drawing. I've been using Acad for 15 years so its quicker and easier for me to use that than a pencil. The only real advantage other than that is keeping a record of changes you make. And last but not least there is no way to start using even Acad Lite without putting in some time learning how to use it. Otherwise you will probably find it a very frustrating experience.

If you are planning to make a career out of lure design then the time you put in learning to use Cad will really pay off.

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AlamSo, cool pic.

You know if a person knew CAD I think it would certainly make sense to draw up your lures in this way. For the rest of us tho I don't see the advantage. I have virtually no drawing skills whatsoever but can easily sketch out about any crankbait shape I want in just a few minutes with some graphing paper. Most of us here are working with wood or wood prototypes which by design include much margin of error. Now if you plan to take your design to patent or to be machined for an aluminum mold and high production then sure the CAD would be great.

Jed

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At my "day job" I'm a CADD drafter for an architectural firm & have been using Autocad for 13 years. I don't know anything about molds, but for lure design I really like CADD. You can draw it in 3-D and rotate the views to really see what the finished product will look like.

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The other thing thats nice about autocad is after you trace the pic of the lure, there is a command called spline that takes all of your little uneven lines and makes them perfectly smooth. Also after you have the lure demensioned to the size you want, its very easy to increase and decrease the size of the lure to make all different sizes.

Good Luck!

Volp1

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