Is there a program to sketch out a pedal?

[jaki54321]

Hello. I am looking for a program to sketch/design a pedal so I can print it out and put it on top of an actual pedal enclosure and drill holes in the EXACT spots they should be in for a good looking pedal with no problems. Basically a program to design a pedal and where the parts will show on the outside or something.

http://www.diyguitarist.com/DIYStompboxes/StompboxTips.htm

That guy made his stompbox from sketching the design on the program, printing it out and drilling the holes or whatever. And he made graphics and what not...

What program is good for that sort of work? I was thinking AutoCad, which he uses.

[John Lyons]

 Google Sketch up?
http://sketchup.google.com/

[jaki54321]

Google Sketch up?
http://sketchup.google.com/

nah... seems too 3D for wat im doing. Im jus wanting a program to design a pedal mainly. I think I am going to use AutoCad

[Thomeeque]

Google Sketch up?
http://sketchup.google.com/

nah... seems too 3D for wat im doing. Im jus wanting a program to design a pedal mainly. I think I am going to use AutoCad

I use DoubleCADXTv2 - very good 2D CAD for free! T.

[armstrom]

I use MS publisher. My decals are my drill guides (well, when printed on regular paper).

[mph]

I use FPD to make my front panel layouts (mostly modular synth panels), and the drill guides also.
http://www.schaeffer-ag.de/de/download/frontplatten-designer.html

Ok, that's not a real drawing software but for me it is really convenient.

[Steve Mavronis]

GIMP  - www.gimp.org

Set you default image dpi to 300 and grid size to 1/10th an inch which should end up being 30 pixels at that resolution. The great thing about GIMP is it is free and does everything Photoshop can do including building up your image in layers. I can post an example of my GIMP pedal graphics design to reality finished pedal photo if you want. I used it to print my panel etch design and drill hole crosshairs from one of the layers for an exact fit. Here is a scaled down (not actual size) example of the etched aluminum panel artwork I made with GIMP for a general idea. The crosshair positioning was critical for the PCB to fit the exact board mounted pot locations and the LED which centers directly into the middle of the triangle without overlapping. I printed the full scale version on plain paper, cut it out, and taped it to my pedal box with painters tape underneath the crosshairs and drilled through it:

[FunkyGibbon]

Hi,

I use Inkscape: http://www.inkscape.org/

Christopher

[GibsonGM]

One thing I do is to scan the actual pedal into my computer, and use Photoshop/GIMP, whatever, set at the same scale, to design "around" the holes I've already drilled.   This works well for re-using boxes.  I've done that mainly because of wanting the stomp switch in a particular spot.    It works either way...design and leave X's to drill, or drill and design around the holes. 

[mattthegamer463]

I tape graph paper to an enclosure, draw all over it, scan it, draw on a new layer above the graph paper in Photoshop, add text and images, and print a to-scale template.

[defaced]

I use Inkscape: http://www.inkscape.org/

This.  Or if you have it, Adobe Illustrator.