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Ive been checking out the forums and I see alot of people use CAD to get plans for there guitar. Are they any certain CAD program i need to look for? Or are there any free ones out there that i can use. Any help is appreciated. Thanks

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Thank you MzI for the link to the programs.

But i do have some questions. I can find a rhoads drawing so if anyone has one please notify me.

And when i print it does it print each part then i tape it together? Thanks.

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In either program you'll use, do print it in full scale. Go to a shop to do so. It is not that expensive and the result WILL be better, much better...

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does solid works have free trial downloads?
Heh heh...no way.

This is a little bit more advanced than Photoshop, so there are no "trial versions". At least none that I know of. You might be able to find SW2000 or SW2003 cheaper online somewhere (2004 files can't be read by 2003 so lots of folks are upgrading). If you do get it somewhere else, be sure to get the manual!

im looking at the downloads part and it has solid works viewer, is that the same kinnda thing?
The Viewer only allows you to view SLD files, and rotate/move/zoom them. It's basically QuicktimeVR for CAD.
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does solid works have free trial downloads? im looking at the downloads part and it has solid works viewer, is that the same kinnda thing?

I think the SolidWorks viewer just allows you to view SW files. I don't think they have a trial of the modelling software, but Rhino does. Check this site out: Rhino 3D

It is a 3D modelling program that does 2D as well. The learning curve is pretty steep if you've never done any solid modelling before, but for 2D it seems to me like AutoCAD pre version 13. It's only $900, but if you are a student, you can get it for $200. I think you'd have to arrange something with your instructor to get it though.

Incidentally, I may (or may not) have acquired a full working version of SolidWorks 2003 on P2P - that site that begins with a 'K' B) And yes, it does work. I don't know if it is still "available" from the site what with all the lawsuits and stuff, but it's worth a shot. Be warned though, the learning curve for SW is almost vertical IMO :D

P.S.Actually, I think 2D in Rhino even resembles later versions of AutoCAD. It's got pull down menus as well as symbolic tool bars. Just to clarify.

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Rhino looks kinda neat, but you still have to have other software to do the rendering. I noticed that most Rhino users were using 3DS to render. That's cool and all, but SolidWorks does both in one package.

I might have seen SW2003 on a couple of those P2P things (or I might not have). I might also have heard that they're only in Italian (or maybe not). I suppose if you're going to learn SolidWorks, might as well work on a romance language at the same time. :-P Even if you score it via a P2P, you don't get the manual. The manual is INCREDIBLY helpful. Check FleaBay for a used version of 2003, but remember that 2003 can't read 2004 files.

For PC power, think about something from Alienware. LOL Just kidding, but you should get a quick machine. Check the site to see what they recommend, but I'd say something over 1 GHz. I'm a Mac guy, so.... SolidWorks is the only reason I have a PC. :-)

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I think the Flamingo rendering plugin is reasonably priced; only 200 bones if you're a student and it's simple to use. I have used 3DS, Alias, SolidWorks and Flamingo. Flamingo is easy as hell to use compared to the other three, although PhotoWorks is a very close 2nd. You probably can't touch a seat of SolidWorks Office (bundled with the PhotoWorks renderer) for under 4 grand.

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when i press "print", its not printing in full size

What program are u using? AutoCAD?

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Autocad works very well for guitardesign as you actually only needs a 2-dimentional drawing for routing etc.

As I use SolidWorks at my day-time work as a mecanical engineer, I have designed my guitars in SW and I really enjoy making the 3-dimentional models and even render them with the PhotoWorks extention in SW.

I think that you can get a 30 day trial full version of SolidWorks, but you might have to contact your local dealer. After you have made the models and drawings you can view and print them with the free SW viewer.

I have made a web-page describing the process using SW as a design tool.

The price is though far to high, so I think they have to make a Luthier version... - couldn't aford this if I had to make a living from guitar building :D!

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You can use fastCAD's free CAD-View7 viewer to print out .DXF and .DWG files from any CAD program that saves in those formats. It also has an option to tile a larger drawing into legal sized pages with adjustable overlap, so you can do a tape-up with several sheets. I've used it for some templates - be sure to use some kind of registration marks in your drawing so you can line up the "tiles".

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