Establish Design Standards Upfront
Creating and implementing CAD standards before beginning any new design project can save an immense amount of time throughout the design and documentation process. Start by developing templates for commonly used parts and assemblies that you can use as a starting point for future models. This includes defining custom features, material properties, manufacturing notes, and other parameters that you will reuse often.
For drawings, take the time to establish sheet sizes, border and title block formats, projection views, and other drafting standards. Create drawing templates with these details already inserted so that you don't have to recreate them every time.
It's also helpful to define model structure and organization standards like layer naming conventions, part numbering systems, and file storage structure. Develop model naming guidelines to maintain consistency across your projects. Document these standards so that everyone on your team is aligned. Taking the time upfront to develop these standards will streamline your design process moving forward.
Utilize Design Automation
Design automation tools can significantly speed up repetitive CAD tasks by recording your manual steps and playing them back automatically. Rather than clicking through the same commands over and over, have the software repeat tasks for you. Here are three ways to leverage design automation in your CAD workflow:
Record Macros for Repetitive Tasks
Many CAD programs allow you to record macros, which are automated sequences of commands. As you manually complete a repetitive task, start the macro recorder. It will capture all your steps. Give the macro a name and save it. You can then run the macro anytime to repeat your sequence of steps automatically. Macros are great for things like inserting standard features, applying materials, generating drawings, and more.
Set Up Rules-Based Modeling
Some CAD tools support rules-based modeling. This allows you to define parameters and have your model update according to predefined rules. For example, you can specify that a hole diameter will always be half the thickness of the part. If the part thickness changes, the hole updates automatically based on your rule. This saves time over manually changing dimensions.
Use Scripts to Batch Process Files
Many CAD programs support scripts and add-ins that can automate repetitive tasks across multiple files. Scripts can open files, modify designs, export drawings, and more. Develop scripts for anything you need to repeat across projects. Then run them on batches of files to process your work automatically. Check your software's API documentation for scripting capabilities.
The key is to identify high effort, repetitive CAD tasks and see if automation tools can save you clicks. The upfront time invested in learning macros, rules, and scripting pays off exponentially as you speed up your workflows.
Master Keyboard Shortcuts
One of the most effective ways to accelerate your CAD workflow is to master keyboard shortcuts. All CAD programs have dozens of default shortcuts for common commands and operations. Learning and practicing these shortcuts will save you countless clicks and wasted time digging through menus.
Here are some tips for learning and leveraging keyboard shortcuts:
- Focus on view manipulation shortcuts first. Commands like zoom, pan, orbit, and view orientations (top, front, iso) are used constantly. Master these early on.
- Learn sketching shortcuts next. Shortcuts for trim, extend, fillet, offset, etc. speed up sketching significantly.
Check the program preferences. Many shortcuts can be customized to your needs. Set shortcuts to your liking.
Print a shortcut cheat sheet. Having a reference sheet handy prevents wasting time looking up shortcuts. Keep it by your desk.
Set up custom shortcuts. Most CAD programs let you assign custom shortcuts for frequent commands or macros. Target repetitive tasks.
Use shortcut training modes. Some CAD programs include a training mode highlighting shortcuts as you work. Use this to ramp up.
Test yourself regularly. Evaluate what shortcuts you have mastered and where you still need practice. Stay motivated to improve.
Mastering keyboard shortcuts takes repetition through daily use. But the long-term productivity gains are immense, saving hours of clicking and menu hunting. Treat learning shortcuts as investing in yourself for faster CAD work in the future. The upfront time commitment pays massive dividends.
Standardize Modeling Workflows
Creating standardized workflows for common modeling tasks can greatly improve efficiency. Rather than figuring out steps on the fly each time, you can establish organized workflows that allow you to model parts and assemblies in a consistent, repeatable manner.
When first starting out with CAD, it's common to model in an ad hoc way, but this can lead to disorganization. By taking the time to develop intentional workflows around part modeling, assembly creation, drawing generation, and other core tasks, you'll work faster and with fewer errors.
Here are some tips for standardizing your modeling workflows:
Analyze your current modeling process and take note of each step from start to finish. Look for areas of inefficiency or variation.
For part modeling, determine a logical sequence of steps you'll follow, such as:
    1. Sketch base feature
    2. Extrude
    3. Add additional sketches and features
    4. Apply fillets and chamfers
Create a checklist for the required steps in completing an assembly. This may involve inserting and mating parts, adding hardware, organizing components into groups, etc.
Develop a consistent system for generating drawings from your models. Include steps for views, annotations, BOMs, and formatting.
Make templates for each workflow to automate repetitive steps. This may include model templates, drawing templates, and library components.
Identify areas where you need flexibility or options in your process. Build in decision points and alternate workflows.
Document each workflow for reference and training. Share them with your team.
As you gain experience, continuously refine your workflows to optimize for efficiency.
Standardizing how you complete core modeling tasks helps build good habits and reduce mistakes. It takes time upfront but saves significantly in the long run by enabling consistent, efficient design work.
Build a Robust Component Library
One of the biggest time-savers in mechanical CAD workflows is building a robust component library that you can continuously draw from. This component library should include:
Blocks for common purchased parts: For any nuts, bolts, fasteners, bearings, structural steel shapes, and other regularly used purchased parts, build a block that contains the part geometry. Then you can just insert the block instead of recreating the part every time. Keep the original manufacturer model files as well in case you need to edit the block later.
Library of standard models, features, and drawings: Develop a set of standard CAD models, features, and drawings that you reuse frequently in your designs. This can include things like standard holes, fillets, threaded holes, chamfers, title blocks, border templates, and more. Build them once and reuse them forever.
Organized library for easy access: Use a logical folder structure, naming convention, and other metadata to organize your CAD component library. This lets you quickly search and find what you need without sifting through thousands of files. Keep a consistent organization system that makes sense to the entire team.
Leveraging this type of organized component library saves huge amounts of time by allowing you to rapidly retrieve and reuse existing CAD models instead of recreating the wheel every project. The time invested in building the library pays back tenfold over time. Treat the library as an evergreen asset that grows in value as more parts are added.
Use Design Checker Tools
Design checker tools in CAD software help identify potential issues early in the design process, saving you time and headaches down the road. By running design check routines, you can spot problems like interferences, gaps, mismatches, and other flaws before they have a chance to propagate through the model and into drawings or downstream stages.
Design checkers automate time-consuming error checking tasks that would be tedious and difficult to do manually across an entire complex CAD assembly. For example, clearance checks can validate minimum spacing between components, interference checks detect clashes between parts, standards checks compare against company or industry design rules, and hole alignment checks ensure fastener holes line up across mating components.
Setting up design checkers to run in the background or on an automated schedule prevents small errors from slipping through the cracks. Review all identified issues in a consolidated list, and you have all the design flaws highlighted in one place for efficient fixing, instead of having to manually inspect every part and interface. Implementing robust design checkers into your workflows helps maintain model quality and ultimately saves significant time reworking problems further down the timeline.
Simplify Geometry
Creating models with overly complex geometry can significantly slow down CAD workflows. Consider simplifying geometry in the following ways:
Use the minimal features and details needed to achieve the design intent. Adding intricacies that don't serve a purpose wastes time.
Remove small fillets, rounds, chamfers, holes, threads, and other features if they are not critical. This reduces rebuild times and simplifies the overall model.
Replace complex surfaces, splines, or lofted features with simpler options like extrudes, revolves, or sweeps if possible. Limit blended surfaces as well.
Use midplanes and symmetrical modeling techniques to minimize the number of features needed.
Convert 3D geometry to 2D profiles and extrudes when feasible.
Leverage mesh modeling tools to simplify complex curvature and geometries. Convert objects to meshes to reduce rebuild times.
For large assemblies, substitute simplified part representations or envelopes when full detail is not required.
Focusing on clean, efficient geometry while modeling is crucial for CAD performance. Evaluate if each design feature is necessary and aim for the simplest representation of the part or assembly that meets requirements. Taking the time to optimize and simplify CAD geometry will pay off tremendously in accelerated workflows.
Automate Drawing Creation
One of the most time-consuming aspects of CAD design is manually generating drawing views of your 3D models. However, you can greatly accelerate the process by automating view creation and using drawing templates.
Link Models to Automatically Generate Views
Most CAD programs allow you to link or associate your 3D model files to drawing files. Once linked, you can automatically generate projected, section, and detail drawing views based on the model. As you update the 3D model, the linked views update too. This avoids having to manually insert and arrange views.
Create Templates for Views, Sheet Formats
Set up reusable drawing templates with your company's title block, border, logo, and standard sheet formats. Include predefined layouts for projected views, section views, detail views, etc. Then start new drawings from these templates instead of inserting all the views manually.
Script Drawing View Creation
If generating drawing views requires many repetitive steps, consider scripting the process using the CAD platform's API or macro tools. Scripts allow you to automate inserting views, adding dimensions/notes, creating bills of materials, and more. This bypasses manual work so drawings can be created almost instantly.
Batch Process Drawings
Some applications let you batch process multiple drawings at once by applying the same commands to the entire set. Make global changes to layer settings, scale factors, line weights, text fonts, dimensions, and other attributes across all your drawings in one step.
By linking models, developing templates, scripting view creation, and batch processing, you can save numerous hours when transferring 3D CAD models into 2D production drawings. Automated drawings mean more time for actual design work.
Utilize Collaboration Tools
Collaboration is key when working on CAD projects with multiple team members. Taking advantage of built-in collaboration features in your CAD software can greatly improve efficiency and streamline workflows.
Store Files on Team Server
Storing CAD files on a centralized team server makes it easy to control access and enables the entire team to work from a single source of truth. Set up user permissions to limit access as needed. Team members can check files in and out as they work on various design aspects.
Control Access and Track Changes
Managing access through your team server allows you to control who can view and edit files. You can also track all changes made, so you have a complete revision history. Before overwriting any major changes, have them reviewed.
Use Built-in Collaboration Features
Modern CAD programs include real-time collaboration capabilities. You can have multiple team members in the same design session working on the same model and communicating via audio/video. Collaborative assemblies allow assigning parts to different team members. You can also link models between team members so that changes sync automatically.
Taking advantage of these collaboration tools ensures the whole team stays in sync, leading to huge time savings and avoiding costly design errors. Work together for accelerated productivity.
Take Regular Breaks
Taking regular breaks while doing intensive CAD work is crucial for maintaining productivity, accuracy, and your overall wellbeing. Sitting for prolonged periods staring at a screen can cause eye strain, headaches, and fatigue which leads to work lagging and more mistakes. Here are some tips:
Follow the 20/20/20 rule for eye breaks: Every 20 minutes, take a 20 second break and look at something 20 feet away. This allows your eyes to refocus and reduces eye strain. Set a timer if needed.
Get up and move around periodically: Take short breaks every hour to stand up, stretch, walk around, grab a snack, etc. Moving improves circulation and re-energizes you.
Maintain a healthy work/life balance: Avoid marathon CAD sessions. Stop work at a reasonable hour and make time for other activities. You'll come back refreshed and be more efficient the next day.
Taking regular breaks gives your eyes, body and brain a chance to recharge. You'll return to your CAD work invigorated and able to focus better. The brief downtime can spark creative solutions you may not have seen otherwise. Prioritizing breaks leads to improved productivity in the long run.