Cad

[kokopelli dream'n]

is there a cad program already with school bus dimensions already plugged in? I know it's putting the design before the horse i mean bus but it will help me to my decision on what to buy and if my plans will work.

[o1marc]

Drawing a floor plan of what you want in your bus will indicate how big of a bus you need.

[ACamper]

Originally Posted by kokopelli dream'n

is there a cad program already with school bus dimensions already plugged in? I know it's putting the design before the horse i mean bus but it will help me to my decision on what to buy and if my plans will work.

The most common CAD file format is .dwg, The CAD program won't have the dimensions "plugged in" you will need to get a file or template file.

Usually you can import and convert different files in common formats in most grades of professional software.

[turf]

i used sketchup when i built my skoolie out. i found it real handy for designing parts of the bus as i built it.
i never had a whole model of the as built. but i seem to recall that they had models of several buses in their warehouse of downloads but i never used one.

i recently started learning fusion 360 and i like it. i applied for the free license and was granted it. as long as you stay under a $100k sales a year. easy, since its just for personal use.

the better cad programs are going to take a couple weeks of learning to feel comfortable.

room designer programs work ok for space layouts but can be real inaccurate.

for a floor plan your looking at about 7'6" x ~30' depending on the the length of your bus. the wheel wells are located where they will be in the way.

good luck!

[travelinLight]

Drawing in "real dimensions" is the essence of computer-aided-drafting (CAD).
When drawing any real-world item, from a map of the known universe to an internal part for a wristwatch, a floor plan or deck layout, the one cardinal rule is that you draw to actual size.


So in AutoCad for example, one of the first tasks for beginning a new drawing or plan is to define the units of measure desired.. Inches, inches/feet, or millimeters, etc.
This is set in a menu.


Next comes setting the resolution. So if for example you choose to work in inches, your next choice is whether you want factional inches to perhaps 1/16th inch, to 1/32 inch, etc.



Or, alternatively you chose to work in decimal inches, to perhaps .01 inch precision.


Having set up the working environment this far, you can then begin to draw the floor plan to actual dimensions from measurements you take of your bus.
And then work from there.


In the CAD environment, you draw real things (as opposed to diagrams for example where there is no dimensional aspect) to their real-world desired or measured dimensions.


You can draw a line (perhaps as a piece of wood board) by simply dragging the cursor with the mouse. Or, you can command the line to be the desired length, from the starting-point you choose.


Some CAD software can be learned in a few hours.
Professional-grade CAD such as AutoCad requires more effort and time.


I know many people have performed bus conversions using only paper and pencil, but I can't imagine it. CAD is a power-tool.

[s2mikon]

I used a general use CAD program on mine. Cardboard aided design. Worked good.

[travelinLight]

Originally Posted by s2mikon

I used a general use CAD program on mine. Cardboard aided design. Worked good.

Pencil and paper, measuring tape, plastic architect's scale, cardboard templates, pieces of string. Whatever works.


Not as if we're talking so much space anyway... I hope to have that much space with which to concern myself.


I don't have AutoCad personally, and I no longer get paid to use it.
There are several good CAD programs available free and open-source.
And there are several commercial CAD programs for less than $100.


CAD is a powerful tool for planning any space. But for something like layout of a bus floorplan, AutoCad is expensive overkill. There are far cheaper less complicated CAD software available.


There's even free open-source software you can use to model the entire interior in 3D if you're up for it.


.

[Jimot]

Many CAD programs will let you upload ascale drawing. Then enlarge to correct dimensions.

[jmsbnd]

https://www.3dcadbrowser.com/3dmodel...n=buses&page=2