14 Questions to ask when interviewing for a CAD position.

Everyone that uses CAD needs a job but how do you know if a potential employer is right for you? It's very difficult to hire the right person and it is equally challenging to find the right employer. As a worker, you are putting your faith and trust in your employer to create work for you, to keep the business running, to create an environment you can work in, and for the sake of your job. If your employer fails you are out of a job. It can be difficult to trust somebody else with your future. Make sure this job is right for you. Here are a few things you can do to help you vet out potential employers during the interview process.

There are several typical job interview questions you should probably ask when seeking any job.

Autodesk to close Subscription Center

Autodesk has announced their plan to close Subscription Center. Subscription Center is a web portal where users can go to manage their Autodesk product licenses, subscriptions and services. This site provides access to download files, tech support, and other services. Autodesk is closing that service on March 13th, 2015.

Fortunately they are replacing it with a new website called Autodesk Account.

http://www.autodesk.com/account

Autodesk Account will be a one-stop place where users can track and manage their licenses, subscriptions, products, services, and benefits. Maintenance subscription customers will be affected most by this change but all Autodesk customers will be directed here and will be able to use this service.

Autodesk says the interface and tools in Account will be simple to navigate and use. I found it much easier to navigate than Subscription Center.

Autodesk product users will not have to wait until March to start using Autodesk Account. It is available now and is fully functional.

Autodesk has supplied a video describing this change and the services available through Autodesk Account.

CAD Standards Should be Vague

It is fairly standard these days for a company to have a CAD Standard. The point to a company CAD Standard is to ensure production quality and to maintain an efficient work flow. It keeps all construction documents in line and makes certain that everyone can work with everyone else’s files. If your CAD Standard fails at any of these items then it is failing you.

One key aspect to help ensure a CAD Standard works properly is to keep many of its aspects vague.  Locking down criteria to something exact can stifle production and increase bloat. Definition and specifics are great but they can create bottlenecks in your production process. If your template CAD file has several thousand layers (as an example) but yet you find you never have the right layer, then there is an issue that needs to be resolved.

Can't find the right file? Fix your filing system

Image credit:qwasyx / 123RF Stock Photo 

It hurts me to see people in an engineering office (or any office) fumble around in a hurried bustle trying to find a drawing(s) for a very important client meeting while freaking out!  Seriously…I want to cry.  I hurt from the inside.  You know that scene in Star Wars, A New Hope, when Obi-Wan Kenobi is training Luke Skywalker on route to Alderaan via the Millennium Falcon?  You know…when Obi-Wan is suddenly faint, is forced to sit down under the weight of death caused by the sudden destruction of an entire planet and says, “as if millions of voices suddenly cried out in terror, and were suddenly silenced” ?  That’s how I feel when I see or hear this kind of story.

2012 the Year of the Software Update

I am dubbing 2012 “The Year of the Software Update” because of all of the major updates that are scheduled to take place.  Autodesk has a yearly update schedule and if they follow what they’ve done since 2003 the next release of AutoCAD® should have a new DWG file type.  Adobe has announced that they too are on a yearly release cycle for their Creative Suite® with CS 6 due this year.  Solidworks yearly cycle will give us a new version this year.  Draftsight seems to be on a yearly release that should come out this April. Now Microsoft has announced that Office 15 will come out this year.  On top of that Microsoft Windows 8 is also scheduled to release this year.

What AutoCAD Variables do You Set in your ACAD.LSP file?

A quick question if you have the time to answer.  I am working on something and I want to get input from the best CAD readers on the internet.

What AutoCAD Variables do You Set in your ACAD.LSP file?  or the ACADDOC.LSP file?

I want to know how other people use these two files.

How Not to CAD – File Paths and Name Changes

File paths, yes, file name changes and/or relocations, no!  Some background.  I was presented a drawing from a former project and was instructed to use the details from that sheet.  I knew we were starting off on the wrong foot.

Side note:  Avoid using notes, details, etc. from past projects when possible.  You never know what will be carried over accidently that you do not want to deal with.

Regardless of my pet peeve of not using custom details from other projects I did anyway.  With a lot of time and effort.  The drawing I was given had a date on it that makes the drawing about five years old!  A file name was given in the titleblock as well as a project number.  But nowhere to be found was a file path showing me where the file was located on our servers.  I assumed (my mistake) that since our project folders are named by their project numbers that I would simply go to that project folder and would be able to find the drawing file.  There was no project folder with that name!  Not wanting to waste time I queried the PM that gave me the work as to the location of the example drawing.  He had no idea.  I was on my own.  Everyone’s initials that were on the title block were no longer employed here so I could not go and ask them.   Grrrrr…

File Naming Conventions are Really Data Management Rules

How you name your files is important.  In fact, it is crucial that you name them properly.  Since file naming procedures are so important why do so many companies (and individuals) do it so poorly?

In our design process we need and use many different types of files.  We share files.  We send files.  We receive files.  We use files like crazy!!  How do you know which file is the right file?  Which one is the latest version?  Which file goes with which submittal package?  Is it a concept plan?  Is it just a “one of” exhibit?  Does it need to be updated when the design is updated?  How do we collaborate with other departments?  How do we incorporate third party files?  File naming conventions are difficult to manage because there are many issues to consider.  That’s why so many of us do poorly in this part of the design process.  Yes, file naming is part of the design process, unfortunately.

The name of your file is irrelevant.  It can be as simple as FILE-01.dwg.  Your next file can be called FILE-02.dwg.  It really doesn’t matter.  What matters is that you are using the correct file at the correct time in the proper place.  If you have created a list of file names to use then you have started off on the wrong step.  Instead, create a method to name your files that includes their saved location.  The method is in the method, not in the naming.

Robert Green's CAD Manager's Survey 2010 is ready

How much money do CAD managers make? Do they work part-time or full-time? These questions and more are answered by Robert Green, CAD Manager Extraordinaire, in his annual CAD Manager Survey.

Robert takes a look at the average CAD Manager salary, education, age, and even more. If you want to see the questions he asked in the survey follow this link. Survey Questions.

Robert conducts this survey every year and the results are interesting to look at, especially in these past tough economic times. You can see the economic tool taken on CAD Managers over the past few years through his survey results.

Take a look at it and draw your own conclusions. Is your pay close to the average? How secure is your position? Looking to become a CAD Manager then take a moment to look at this survey, and those past, to get an idea of what might be expected of you.