Inventor, 3D and Other Geekish Interests

[Tnafbrat]

This is more of an interest than a problem or question.  But since it's computer related and not really a hobby I thought I'd post it in here.  Mods, feel free to move to a more appropriate location as needed.  I've been working with AutoCAD software since ... well forever and we just switched to Autodesk Inventor.  I'm hooked and obsessed and enjoying talking about it.  Any other 3D modeling or AutoCAD software users in the cave?

[LC EFA]

I used Acad for drawing some footing, slab and site plans back some years ago.

Had a brief look at Maya and declared that I wouldn't learn it unless I had more free time or more potential to earn money by doing so.

[thundley4]

I used Acad for drawing some footing, slab and site plans back some years ago.

Had a brief look at Maya and declared that I wouldn't learn it unless I had more free time or more potential to earn money by doing so.

I had downloaded the free MAYA and installed it, but it seemed way to complicated for something to use for fun. 

[Tnafbrat]

I haven't heard of Maya ... what's the info on it?

I've done foundation details on Acad, as well as steel detailing, grounding and conduit layouts (kind of like piping diagrams, Steel erection drawings and our electricals.  The electricals I do aren't the one-line diagrams, these are the drawings of all the electrical parts put together on the steel structures to show the substation ... closer to a cross between mechanical and architectural.  We were doing those in 3D but through Acad which meant we've been dealing with wireframes and 3D facsimilies.  With the Inventor, we're actually dealing with objects instead of lines and vectors.  It's a whole new world for me and I'm loving it.

I'll have to google the Maya.  I've heard of Solidworks and Vectorworks.

[thundley4]

I haven't heard of Maya ... what's the info on it?

I've done foundation details on Acad, as well as steel detailing, grounding and conduit layouts (kind of like piping diagrams, Steel erection drawings and our electricals.  The electricals I do aren't the one-line diagrams, these are the drawings of all the electrical parts put together on the steel structures to show the substation ... closer to a cross between mechanical and architectural.  We were doing those in 3D but through Acad which meant we've been dealing with wireframes and 3D facsimilies.  With the Inventor, we're actually dealing with objects instead of lines and vectors.  It's a whole new world for me and I'm loving it.

I'll have to google the Maya.  I've heard of Solidworks and Vectorworks.

Maya was supposedly the program used to create/animate ToyStory.  They've changed the name to Autodesk Maya .There is still a free trial version. When I first downloaded it, it was fully functional but would have a watermark on anything generated with it.