SpudFiles

i second PhotoShop CS4, it's a great program.

it is expensive but it is sure worth it!

Solid Works 3d 2009. By far the best program I have ever used.

This is a rather simple use of it's tools. I say simple because it hasn't been assigned a texture or color or the million other things you can do!

How does 2009 compare to, say, 2004?

I managed to score a free copy from a company who had upgraded and solid works was just laying around doing nothing.

Wow Hotwired, nice MS Paint work on the S.R.A.C. IV !!

http://www.a9tech.com/

This is a nice and free CAD program. Should be more than sufficient for a potato cannon, since the only thing I can see you needing it for is easy scaling.

I use Alibre (www.alibre.com). It doesn't do everything that Solid Works or Pro Engineer does, but it does everything I need and costs a LOT less (note that there is a free version too).

And to hotwired I would ask: OK, great... Now if you want to scale parts of the design up or down how long does that take? With proper use of a CAD package, it literally takes 1-2 seconds.

It needs a total redraw of course in a bmp format.

Unless done at a large scale to start with. Which is what I do if I make something I want at several sizes.

Was kinda tricky on my 17" monitor as it literally didn't fit the screen zoomed out but I've got a 22" TFT now which is sufficient for a canvas of 2000x750 pixels.

I use AutoCad too but I just cant be bothered for simple designs. More work required to draw it than make it. That cannon sketch, every part is blindingly obvious, it's going to be exactly the same the other side and nothing on there needs any detailed notes for fabrication.

If it was a machined valve I'd make a properly scaled and annotated diagram but for not for cannons using standard parts.

i know this is super off topic but how do you upload pictures because when i tried i tired to put the picture under filename when you push browse then i put add attachment. but then it said the file you have tried to upload is empty would anyone like to help me it would be greatly appreciated

I perfer to upload to photobucket and then use this tag without the spaces in the tags: http://i72.photobucket.com/albums/i177/ ... /Brass.jpg[/I M G]

Without the quotes it looks like this:


Hope this helps