CAD designers deal with a lot of complex tasks, tight deadlines and humongous calculations on a daily basis. At a certain point CAD professionals may feel overwhelmed and exhausted from their work. Staying organized and planning the work day proactively can help reduce burden and anxiety for people in this profession. Following are five tips to enhance CAD workflow for designers:
- Have a design plan
A CAD professional has a range of tasks and responsibilities such as 3D modeling, rendering, finite element analysis (FEA), performing complex calculation and running computer simulations. Having a plan in mind and dividing a typical work day in to various segments to work on separate tasks makes the lives of CAD designers a lot easier. It not only reduces the burden from a person but also improves the productivity. - Organize design files
One of the most important task which is often ignored by CAD designers is organizing the drawing files properly according to the project or tasks. A typical CAD model has a number of linked files from part drawings to assembly model files. Not using a proper naming convention and designating a proper repository for drawing files from different projects directly impacts the productivity of a designer. - Use design libraries
Engineers and designers can take advantage of thousands of CAD models available online for free. Many times a CAD assembly model may contain standard parts such as screws, bolts, etc. which can be easily downloaded from online CAD libraries. This saves a lot of effort and valuable time of designers and improve the design productivity. - Use Macros
Automating repetitive design tasks by the use of macros hugely benefits a CAD designer. Macro is a small line of code usually written in a program like Visual Basics for Application (VBA) which automates certain actions performed on a computer. These can be easily recorded in various CAD software such as SolidWorks and can save hours of design work for engineers. - Use Keyboard Shortcuts or Hotkeys
Keyboard shortcuts or hotkeys can help speed up designing process by enabling the user to quickly access design tools or make modifications to a design. CAD designers no longer need to rely on the toolbar to search for various tools, saving their time and improving efficiency.