Hello MRR community,
New member to the forum here. My history is with O scale trains. My layout always had kit buildings. The O scale stuff has now been handed over to my nephews. I’m switching to HO scale.
I want to get started in scratch building. Do any of you use autocad or any software to design your structures first?
Thanks,
Ed
First [#welcome]
I’m a long time CAD user and have used my CAD from layout design to scratch building structures. My favorites are homes, I get blueprints off the internet and have at it.
I found AutoCAD out of my price range many years ago and went with Pro Design in 1983, that became DesignCAD and now is IMSI Design/TurboCAD.
It worked out very good for repairing a Rivarossi articulated locomotive with a cracked frame. I drew up a new frame using K&S brass strips that turned out better than the original frame.
http://melvineperry.blogspot.com/2014/08/august-9-2014-remotoring-rivarossi-cab.html
This is my first scratch built using my CAD. I have several more on my blog.
Ed,
I don’t, but I tend to be a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants sort of modeler. I do tend to calculate critical dimensions to get spacing, clearances, etc right, but I will usually jump in and start cutting and gluing after some preliminary thought. But I’ve also built 1:1 scale buildings this way and I do know my way arund a plan.
So nothing against developing new skills here, I’m certain it will be useful. I’d encourage you to think of these as two tracks that are somewhat related but also independent. Planning and design are only a couple of the many skills involved in scratchbuilding, so there are plenty of other places to make progress as you develop CAD to support those aspects of this skill set. You’ll find satsifying results quickly.
Hello all,
The cad program I loved; Canvas for Mac, has been discontinued for OS X.
Since then I have gone analog- -Graph paper, a scale ruler, mechanical pencil and a BIG eraser!
Hope this helps.
there are so many many measured drawings of structures around 2 to 3 thousand on the library of congress site under the HABS/HAER tab that one dosen’t need a cad program , also older issues of model magazines have them if you go to the MTF you can see photos of some i’ve built from them.
I’m like Mike, I don,t use plans, somtimes a picture but most times just a picture in my mind of the end results. Like grandpa said ‘‘if it looks good ,nail it’’
To me; if you need a plan and instructions, buy a kit
A scale rule, X-Acto knife and an idea is all the planning that I normally use.
Wayne
I’m with Mike, Wayne, and the others, an idea, and what size space I have.
I have built cardboard mock-ups, while planning a build, to get a sense of the size, roof designs, etc.
Mike.
Dang good advice there![:P]
Better than a measurement, a mockup can provide someting that fits.
The earlier advice about working from pics is also excellent[Y]
I do want to emphasize that there is value in making a plan to guide one’s efforts. In some cases, it’s indispensable. Many people work better from a plan and they should do so without apology or remorse. All I’m saying is you don’t need to let lack of a plan stand in your way of building many things that are worthwhile as skill builders.
Hi Ed:
Welcome to the forums!! [#welcome]
I use my mind mostly too. I get my inspiration from photographs but my finished products often only bear a resemblance to the prototype. I tend to focus on architectural style rather than getting the number of windows exact.
I actually do my design drawing right on the styrene or wood without doing a sketch. All I need is an idea of what it should look like and how much space it will take up on the layout.
One piece of advice I would offer, whether you are using CAD or not, is to keep your interiors in mind when you are figuring out how to build your structure. A couple of my early attempts worked out great from an exterior point of view, but I didn’t pay any attention to what would be seen through the windows. That resulted in multi-storey buildings that had no interior floors, or had structural components like bracing clearly visible where it shouldn’t be. There were no interior walls so everything was wide open. That’s fine for a factory, but not for a house.
I could go on forever but I’ll wait to see if you have more questions.
Styrene is your friend!!
Cheers!!
Dave
Thank you all for the warm welcome and great responses. It is much appreciated.
I have an older version of DataCad, a professional architectural CAD program. While I don’t use all of the program’s features to design my (many) scratchbuilt sturctures, I do use it to design floor plans, elevations and roofs. It is VERY helpful determining the dimensions of sloped roof sections. It is also very helpful whenever a structure needs to be compressed to fit a layout space.
I typically print out the structure on cardstock, then cut, fold and paste it together into a scale mock-up. Such mock-ups allow you to determine whether a compressed structure still “looks” right or if it needs more dimensional massaging before the final structure is built. These mock-ups also make nice stand-ins until the final model can be built.
Before I spent a ton on a CAD program for buildings at least, I’d look at the software for making your own cardstock buildings. I’d think it would work fine and be a lot cheaper.
I do the same, but if I can get a visual idea from a photo, or better yet, some drawings, I will certainly use them. And, as mentioned here, I use card stock mock-ups (I save the empty cereal boxes), especially for my own creations with no plans or drawings, maybe just a conceptual sketch that I’ve drawn to go by.
.
Oh, you knew I would agree with this comment!
.
.
-Kevin
.
Still enjoy using my old drafting equipment & working from a scale drawing when scratch building. Conceptualizing with cardboard mock-ups is a good idea & like Tom I also save up the cereal boxes.
Regards, Peter
While I kinda understand the reason for mockups, arent you building the thing twice? If the measurement works for the mockup, it should be ok for the building… You can come up with a foot print, to see if it would fit with a quick job with a ruler.The height will be determened by the building being built. How long ,wide and high, is all you really need.
I have used a very low key mock up when the building had to go around an unmoveble object,just to get the angles right.
Anyway mockups would be of little value to me,as I tend to design as I build. And yes there were times it didn’t fit,oh well, not the end of the world. Relocate or make it fit
Mockups let you look at how the buildings look in relation to each other. Both positive spaces (the building) and negative spaces (space between) and an idea of how the finished buildings will look on the layout. You may see changes in placement and sizes that will improve the layout design.
The mock-ups, are much quicker to build. An idea, cardboard/paper board/foamboam, whatever, and a hot glue gun. And I will admit, some of my cardboard mock-ups were strengthend, and used as the structure foundation, with siding, windows, details, etc, added to the original cardboard mock-up structure.
It’s definitely not a waste of time, in my book. Studying architecture, working towards a license, (which never happened), mock-ups were an important part of creating and even a convincing way to put pages and pages of drawings to life.
It’s a hobby, and what one finds as part of the design process, will not work for others. It’s all in the fun, the creation, and feeling of accomplishment of creating what you want, and making it convincing, and maybe even the “wow” factor to others.
Mike.
It’s a hobby, and what one finds as part of the design process, will not work for others. It’s all in the fun, the creation, and feeling of accomplishment of creating what you want, and making it convincing, and maybe even the “wow” factor to others.
Mike.
[/quote]
I agree 110% but every now and then I feel the need to speak my mind. Never ever intending to offend anyone