Great program for box graphics

[notneb]

  Hey guys, I downloaded some open source cad programs to do my box graphics for silk screening and quickly got discouraged. I'm sure they were capable of doing what I need (although I don't need advanced 3D rendering and wire-frame motion) but they were so friggin complicated (or I was so friggin dense) I couldn't even get them to draw a circle. After trying Image Composer ( i have a bootleg buggy version) where you have to convert inches to pixels, and Paintbrush (yeah well...) and some others, I hit pay-dirt.

I had Open Office from Appache installed and tried "Draw" on a whim. It's perfect. I hadn't considered it because I figured it was their version of Paintbrush. But it's just what the doctor ordered for box graphics. It's not overly complicated. You can use multiple layers and groupings so you can see how much space your components take up inside the box while you're arranging the outside.

I make the box transparent, then make a pot out of two circles, one the size of the shaft, the other the size of the housing, then send the housing to the back and the shaft to the front and group them so when I put it on the front of the box I can see how much room it takes inside the box.

You can set it for inches or mm's. Save in lots of formats. You don't have ready made libraries of parts like Eagle but it's so easy to whip up the basic shapes I don't think you'll miss them, they're just place holders anyway.

[notneb]

BTW, it IS open source, so the price is definitely right!!!

http://www.openoffice.org/download/

[duck_arse]

I used to use xfig on linux, but it seems to have been replaced by inkscape. I was trying inkscape at the weekend, and found I hardly ever knew what was happening. and then the printer started a fight, so I just dumped that project.

I also used to have open-office, but ubuntu, for instance, now has "LibreOffice", which includes draw. I might try that next time. have you tried "front panel designer"? it's very well targetted, doesn't do all the other things.

[Hatredman]

Inkscape is modeled after Adobe Illustrator. Both need time to get used with, but the end results are worth it. I have it on my Linux and Windows machines, so no matter where I am I can always work.

[bluesdevil]

I just started using Inkscape trying to ween myself off MS Publisher, but it has some issues with HP printers, I believe. Converting to .pdf and printing from Adobe reader is a work around for me.
I'll look into "Draw"  if I start getting too frustrated with Inkscape's learning curve. Thanks!

[Keppy]

As a Mac user I found Inkscape clunky. I've been using iDraw, and it works well. I use different layers in a single file for drilling template, graphics, layout, and transfer to make sure everything lines up, and that makes it easy to use board-mounted pots, toggles & LEDs.

[Hatredman]

"Clunky" is the mark of open source. Those kids are awesome programmers and terrible interface/usability designers!

[deadastronaut]

I just use this verctorpack . with inkscape....job done.

click ''download document ''  PDF, top left..

http://www.aronnelson.com/gallery/main.php/v/chickpea/pedal_vectorpack.pdf.html

[deafbutpicky]

"Clunky" is the mark of open source. Those kids are awesome programmers and terrible interface/usability designers!

Gimp is quite good. It's a photoshop workalike, not shure about vector graphics but it supports them too.

[WhiskeyMadeMeDoIt]

+1 on vector pack and Inkscape.  It makes it very easy to layout the design and internals so it all fits.  Only downside to Inkscape is it has issues printing.  Export as PDF and print from that. 

[deadastronaut]

^ yeah i had issues with that too, now when i print there is a 'general' setting and a 'rendering'

setting with vector/bitmap....i choose bitmap. on the rendering setting...and now it comes out sharp.

before i found if i resized my text manually it wouldn't come out as sharp as the rest of the image...sorted.

[WhiskeyMadeMeDoIt]

Rob I have never seen that option on Inkscape! Thanks for the tip I will try it on something with complex curves and see if it fixes the issue.