An easy 2D drawing tool?

[nvshooter]

Is there an easy-to-use 2D drawing tool I can download to draw and to dimension a mildcat rifle cartridge that's swimmin' around in my mind? If so, please supply a link. Thanks...

 

[AMproducts]

LibreCAD. If you want something more, I would look at FreeCAD, between the two LibreCAD is the easier to use, FreeCAD is the more versatile.

 

[nvshooter]

LibreCAD

Thank you. Looking it up right now...

 

[plumbob]

TurboCad is an easy program to learn and use and I believe it is has a free option or at least a trial option. Do a Google search for FREE cad programs and I'm sure you'll find something that will fill your needs. I am a retired engineer and have used AutoCad for about 15 years and still have a copy on a dedicated laptop that is about 14 years old. There are many Cad programs that can do magic things when operated by someone trained to use them. Some are inexpensive and some are crazy expensive.

 

[Belevolk]

About FastCAD v7

Evolution Computing, makers of FastCAD, EasyCAD, and CollectedThought computer aided design and drafting software

www.fastcad.com

We used the first version of this for electrical drawings when I worked at the U in Tempe.
When I was working on my home drawings I found most of the free stuff was not good for small distances. I think fast cad allows you to snap a grid that you can choose the scale in the background.
Evolution computing was the original cad program done by 4 guys in Tempe AZ circ 1990. Then two broke away and formed a new company, Autocad. The other two wanted some that was simple to use and you did not need a main frame to render the drawings.

 

[nvshooter]

The below is all I want: Just a dimensioned drawing of a simple tapered cylinder. I want to change the shoulder angle to twenty-four degrees. Click on the image to make it full-size...

 

[AMproducts]

The below is all I want: Just a dimensioned drawing of a simple tapered cylinder. I want to change the shoulder angle to twenty-four degrees. Click on the image to make it full-size...

View attachment 6650

You want a flat drawing or a 3d model?

 

[nvshooter]

You want a flat drawing or a 3d model?

Flat would be OK, but if you could crank-out a 3D model, that would be super-peachy.

 

[Belevolk]

If I understand your drawing, changing the angle will result in a a couple of the surfaces becoming longer. Depending on the source drawing this could be at the start over drawing time. I only have experience in Autocad and Fastcad. I detest Autocad because of the hardware requirements. Still on a Pentium 4 processor. If you doing detailed scale drawings the average mouse is not going to cut it. To modify the drawing it needs to be in one of the native drawing files DWG or DXF so it can be imported; example. Then there is the possible issue with the version of the drawing file and the software. It might be time to see if there is a draftsperson near that can do it for you.
I got out of the drawing business when the software versions started changing twice a year.
If you hire someone make sure you get the drawing in both formats, and that the software and version is listed on the source drawing. They will not want to do this. I hired a draftsman for my house, in the contract I stated both drawings, he furnished pdf and refused to provide the other. After the judge decided in my favor he destroyed/lost all of my originals. Or so the story went. Needless to say he never got his full payment.
I can be no help with anything about 3-D.

 

[nvshooter]

The above drawing was done in April 2018. I don't remember if I was still a member on shootersforum.com, or if I'd been banned by then. I am unsure if any member on this website drew it. Whomever drew it did it in just a few minutes; I have a second drawing with the shoulder angle at twenty-eight degrees, and a third with the angle at 28 degrees 40 minutes. The lag between each drawing was less than half an hour. I figgered as quickly as the drawings were done and posted, the tool to draw them had to be easy to use-- or the draftsman was really good at it. I'm hopin' it's the former.

I want to change the shoulder angle from 32 degrees down to 24 so cold-forming can be completed without fireforming. My two previous mildcats were completely cold-formed; the angle on both was the same as we find on the .30-06 Springfield.

If I had not been denied to re-up at ammoguide.com in July 2014, I could draw the thing in minutes. There is something over there called the Cartridge Creator that draws cases down to 0.01" in seconds after you've input the various dimensions for which it asks. Annual membership is about fifteen bucks. Arguing with the owner of the site will trigger him into disallowing you to re-up once your current subscription expires. Don't ask me how I know that...

 

[AMproducts]

Ok.

 

[nvshooter]

Is that it? The neck looks too short. I'm thinking the reduction in size from the original made the dimensions difficult to read; the digits look to have became lost in pixelation. It's a good-looking drawing. I really like the shading. Thank you very much for drawing it. Allow me to post-up the original-sized one.

Length is 2.100 inches. Shoulder diameter is 0.4500 inches. Neck length is 0.264 inches. Shoulder angle to be 24 degrees. Click the image to make it big...

 

[AMproducts]

You need to specify your dimensions. You just said a change in shoulder angle, you didn't say what dimensions you wanted to keep.

 

[nvshooter]

You need to specify your dimensions. You just said a change in shoulder angle, you didn't say what dimensions you wanted to keep.

I'm pleased as punch you took the time to draw it. It looks fabulous. The only measurement that will decrease is the 1.7121" because the slope of the shoulder will decrease. Please keep the 0.450" at the lowered shoulder. Let me know what kind of adult beverage you drink, and I'll send you a money order to go buy a six-pack...

 

[nvshooter]

I never was any good at math in school. I passed first-semester Calculus by 0.6 points. I knew right then that I was never going to be a degreed engineer like is my dad, and like is my younger brother. I'm just a trucker, dumb enough to be still at it after 25 years...

I have calculated the lowered shoulder to be at 1.6619 inches above the head, down 0.0502 inches from the original design at 1.7121 inches. I have no idea whether I am correct with that number or not. I did my best rise-over-run calculation to figger it out.

 

[AMproducts]

Generally you need to have some of the dimensions in the sketch be driven, otherwise the sketch is over-defined. I'll do an actual mechanical drawing of it later today if need be, and I can get that to you in PDF.

 

[nvshooter]

. . . otherwise the sketch is over-defined.

I remember from when I did my first mildcat round between July 2008 to its first firing in July 2012 that it's not possible to dimension the radius at the neck because there is no distinct point there. The member of the bulletin board of which I was also a member at the time said such a measurement makes the drawing "constrained" or "overly-constrained." I drew things for years and years on vellum with triangles and a T-square. I never knew much about constraints.

I appreciate the effort you're putting toward this. It's amazing to me that you'd spend a small portion of your holiday weekend on my behalf...

 

[Ura-Ki]

LibreCAD. If you want something more, I would look at FreeCAD, between the two LibreCAD is the easier to use, FreeCAD is the more versatile.

Ditto on these, I use both and they are very good!

 

[nvshooter]

I use both and they are very good!

Can a brain-damaged trucker learn to use LibreCAD in less than a year?

 

[Ura-Ki]

Should be able to learn it in about an hour or less, from a Broken Medic/Firefighter/Redneck!