Another request for AutoCAD-compatible 2D profiles of common wood trim — casings, crown mouldings, bed mouldings, baseboard + caps + shoes, etc. Preferably some “wide” stuff appropriate for models Victorian-era home (i.e. about 5″ wide).
I’ve gotten some leads both here (Breaktime) and elsewhere, and have done tons of Google searches. The results have been frustrating. I’ll go to a site and find a list of *.ZIP files with no images and names that are often cryptic (the sweet heritage of DOS’s 8 character limit). Once I download the *.ZIP file and check the files it contains, I am once again presented with a list of files with short, usually cryptic filenames – and again no way to view them at this stage.
Having unZipped the files I cannot view them easily with my version of AutoCAD (R13). I have to insert them into a *.DWG to see what they are. Or use Volo View Express, which is faster, but still dreadfully tedious in contrast to File Preview.
Once I open the files it appears that the designer may have been “winging-it” on many of them. The dimensions often appear random…not integer fractions, or decimals, or even metric! On most files I’ve checked, the Origin (0,0) position in the file is not located at a logical vertex for insertion either — it also appears random. In short, I don’t “trust” them to represent the real stuff I would get at the lumberyard. And they don’t “behave” nicely when I design with them.
AAARRRRGGGGGG!!! Help!
“Anal in Oregon”
Replies
Woody,
I know what you're going through. I run AutoCad R14, and I just sat down and made my own drawings and use them as "blocks."
Get some drops from job sites or your local supplier and draw'em up.
Good way to practice using the drawing tools available on AutoCad.
Some of the more complicated trim could be represented by just a properly sized rectangle for your spatial requirements. Unless you're doing 3D modeling for clients it should work. It does for me....
Tom's suggestion of creating your own blocks is probrably your best bet. Not what you want to hear but at least you'll know what you have. Your local lumberyard should have full size profiles of trim in chart form (Brosco has one) and Dover Publications has reprints of pattern books for the really old stuff.
http://store.doverpublications.com/
Here is one company that I have used.
http://www.mouldings.com/cgi-bin/wr-selectinv2
I don't know what version these are drawn in (I haven't downloaded their profiles for a couple of years). Most of the online companies have gone to PDF files which I hate. The ones that offer cad files seem to hire high school students to draw up thier stuff. Since each millwork company has slightly different profiles it really does not matter what you show unless you have to have that exact profile. Your drawing is showing the intent of the design. I my experience most contractors submit profiles from their local or preferred suppliers. Most are close to what I had drawn and are acceptable unless I am trying to match an existing condition. You could also scan in the profiles from a catalog and either covert the raster image to vectors (a lot of clean up) or insert the picture into a drawing (I'm not sure that r13 will do that but 98 and 2000 will). Draw a generic profile (the correct size) in your sections, elevations, details and then reference a sheet of molding images for the specific profile. Sort of like when we were hand drafting.
Here's some sources....thread in a different forum. R.13 may be a problem though.
http://www.woodweb.com/cgi-bin/forums/cad.pl?read=226750cabinetmaker/college instructor. Cape Breton, N.SWAY too conservative to be merely right wing