Maker school: Design and Drawing thoughts for Makers
Software:
Find software that will do MOST of what you want
to do and stick with it until you're absolutely sure
that it has a fatal flaw that can't be overcome. If
you already know how to use CorelDraw for instance
(or AutoCAD for DOS or TurboCAD4 or whatever you're
comfortable with) there's probably a workaround for
the things that it can't directly do. If you're just
starting out and don't have a favorite yet, start
with something simple until you find out what you
REALLY need.
There's nothing that kills productivity more than
switching between 3 or 4 pieces of software...avoid it
at all costs. The exception is specialty software that
only does one thing but that's the one thing that you
need to do...boat design software for instance. If you
need it it's worth the trouble to learn it, even if it
only does one step.
If you find software that works for you, think VERY
seriously before you decide to upgrade to the latest
and greatest version. Most software companies upgrade
by piling on new features...just make sure they've
added things that you need without removing features
that you use and are comfortable with.
Don't get too wrapped up making "pretty" drawing and
presentations in the beginning...leave the
photo-realistic renderings 'til you're more sure of
things. They can eat up a tremendous amount of time
for something that could change twenty more times. And
shy away from 3d modeling software until you can come
up with a reason that you need it...it's slow to learn
and slow to use.
If you're using a CAD program, remember that the grid
can be a powerful helper...use it if it's available to
help you line things up. And learn about and use Snap
modes to connect things together accurately. If you're
drawing lines freehand with a mouse it may LOOK like
the ends join, but if you're not using some kind of
Snap I'll bet they aren't and will cause problems down
the line. If you zoom WAY in I'll bet you'll be
surprised.
Sometimes less is more. If your design has curves for
instance, try to use the fewest number of control
points possible. Take it from an old boatbuilder who's
reputation hinged on always having "fair"
curves...adding extra points to a curve to try to
force it into a shape that it doesn't want to take
will only make it un-fair.
Designing:
Try not to show anyone your first draft as a "virtual"
design on the computer. There's something about seeing
something on a computer screen that makes people get
wrapped up in the details and technique instead of the
big picture. Wait until you can show them a real
prototype...you'll get much better feedback. If you
have to show someone a preliminary design for feedback
it's better to show them a pencil sketch on a napkin
than a CAD drawing...they won't get hung up in the
presentation details with a rough sketch like they do
with something on the computer.
A pad of graph paper and a pencil works great for
preliminary work. You don't always need to use a
computer, especially in the early stages of a design,
and it's easy to end up making changes because of
software limitations and not design decisions.
Start simple. Don't over-design things in the
beginning but instead start with the simplest possible
version and add features if they're needed, not just
because you can. Don't feel like you have to cover
every square inch with features.
Don't forget the purpose of the things you're making.
You might design the coolest looking chair shaped like
a flying 3d oyster and it may well be a piece of Art,
but if it's not comfortable to sit on it's a bad
chair.
To quote Salvador Dali: "Those who do not want to
imitate anything, produce nothing." Keep your eyes
open for neat ideas and details, especially on the
web. You can learn a lot about the design process by
looking at someone else's work and trying to figure
out why they made the design decisions that they did.
You always want to make your designs original but
everyone can use inspiration.
Don't be afraid to start a design over if it isn't
working and don't get too stuck on the importance of
any one feature...sometimes it's just not meant to be.
But don't be too quick to discard things either...it
might be better than you think.
Always keep the cutting process in the back of your
mind while you're designing. It's awfully easy to add
a feature to your design that will make it awfully
hard to cut. Any feature that makes you flip the piece
over or stand it on edge to cut will end up being a
pain at cutting time...just make sure there's enough
value-added in that feature.
If your design has lots of different elements, think
about splitting it up so each one is a separate file.
That makes it easier to re-arrange and re-design, and
you'll be surprised how often you'll be able to use
one of the elements in something completely different.
Just because the desk you measured was EXACTLY 24.865"
tall doesn't mean that it won't work if it's 24" tall
or 25". The reason your mom's Chocolate Chip cookie
recipe says to use a cup of flour is not because it
needs exactly that much flour...it's just because
that's the closest convenient amount. Same way with
making stuff…most of the time you can change a
measurement to suit your material or design and it'll
work out just fine.
Be aware of your material sheet sizes when you design
and try to work within them so that you minimize the
waste. Leaving less waste not only means more money in
your pocket but also is "greener"...better for the
environment.
Don't forget that you can't put a square peg in a
round hole. If your design has a tab that fits in a
slot for instance, make sure that you think about how
you're going to deal with the radius that your cutter
will leave on the corner of all inside cuts. It
doesn't really matter how you deal with it... make the
slot longer, roundover the edge of the tab, make the
slot "dogbone" shape, square up the corners by hand,
or any other way that you like...just make sure that
you deal with it
Prototyping
Be willing to mess up on the first one of anything.
Don't feel like a design has to be perfect before you
can put the bit to the material to cut a prototype.
Your first idea might not be exactly what you imagine
the final design being like, but sometimes cutting it
is the only way to tell what you need to do to make it
better.
Sometimes it helps to make just a piece of a project
to see how it works in "real life". Often you can't
tell what something will really be like until you've
held it in your hands and spun it around a couple of
times. If it's too big or elaborate to make it full
sized, make a model of it using as many of the same
techniques as you can.