Rick Stavanja (of http://cadwire.net) tagged me for the Bloggers “5 Things You Didn't Know About Me” meme. I’d already been tagged but as that appeared on my personal blog I decided to do another “5 sort of CAD related things you didn’t know about me” for this “sort of CAD related blog”…
- My first CAD drawing was a group effort, done with AutoCAD 2.something, which took us several weeks! It was a side elevation of a motor scooter project but the combination of limited access to slow, if top spec for their day, machines combined with the desire to draw curves (this was just 2D not 3D) then fill them with hatch patterns and “the first encounter with AutoCAD factor” meant it was a long process. I regret that I don’t have that file other than as a print…
- The first CAD program I ever owned was AutoSketch. It was a package deal with my first CAD PC – A 436 dx33 with 8mb ram, Windows 3.1, 1mb video card and whopping 170mb hardrive. I remember wondering how could you ever fill a drive that huge? It cost $5150.25 in 1993 and still goes today. BTW, I didn’t remember all that without digging out the invoice!
- When I picked that machine up the dealer fired it up and after the c:\ prompt appeared said;
- D: “You just start Windows then launch AutoSketch from the icon”
- Me “How do you do that?”
- D: “You just click on the AutoSketch Icon in Program Manager”
- Me: “No, I mean start Windows”
- D: “Ummm, you type win”
- Me: “I’ve never used windows before…”
- D: “I can tell, don’t worry you’ll pick it up…”. I could see the look of dread as he anticipated endless support calls but they didn’t happen. I did pick it up, sort of…*
- I got my first CAD job because the CAD guy quit, literally walked out, while I was contracting at a company. I was there doing hand drawn illustrations for a sales brochure because they had no spare CAD machines…
- If I purchase a PC from a company they cease trading in New Zealand. Strange thing is all these machines have been faultless and are still operational. I do suggest if you work for a PC company and you like your job it’s not a good idea to sell me a machine!
- CADS – Closed down, admittedly years after I got that 486.
- PC Direct – At the time a market leading local assembler. Not long after I got one of their machines they sold to Gateway.
- Gateway – Soon after I buy one of their machines they quit our market, no longer in NZ.
- The PC Company – Again, once a leading local assembler. I was lucky as think my machine was one of the last out the door before they crashed.
I’ll tag Shaan, Beau and Scott and see if they bite!
Thanks to a tag from; 5 Things You Didn't Know About... Rick.Stavanja.com
* I must admit to still asking the occasional “Stupid question of the day” now only a “sqotd” away thanks to this ActiveWord substitution…