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Autodesk Mechanical Desktop is one of the most, if not the most, versatile and flexible CAD programs available. With it, you can create 3D models, either solid or surface, of items typically manufactured by machining, forging, casting, and folding processes. You can also use it to make building plans, factory layouts, electrical diagrams, piping layouts, and just about any other CAD work you might need to do. Mechanical Desktop is equally suitable for both 2D and 3D work. Moreover, the program is highly adaptable, with interfaces for both internal and external customization programs. The downside to this versatility and flexibility is that Mechanical Desktop is a complex program that can be intimidating. It supports hundreds of different operations, and for new users it may not be apparent which operation should be selected to perform a certain task, let alone how to perform the operation.
An Overview of Mechanical Desktop
Mechanical Desktop runs on top of AutoCAD. Consequently, it can do anything that AutoCAD can do, and its user interface is much like AutoCAD's. It also uses AutoCAD commands for many basic drawing and editing operations. Mechanical Desktop also runs on top of AutoCAD Mechanical, which is a program for creating 2D designs and drawings of mechanical parts. [Editor's Note: AutoCAD Mechanical 6 is also reviewed in this issue, immediately following this review.] It has tools for drawing standard fasteners and structural steel shapes; for advanced dimensioning and annotation; for designing and drawing 2D shafts, springs, and chain and belt drives; and for performing 2D stress and deformation calculations. You can invoke any AutoCAD and AutoCAD Mechanical command from Mechanical Desktop, and you can also launch AutoCAD and AutoCAD Mechanical independently.
The 3D capabilities of Mechanical Desktop can conveniently be divided into two categories: parametric solid modeling and NURBS-based surface modeling. Most users spend the majority of their time working with parametric solid models. These are models that have their size and geometry controlled by dimensions. Such models are modified by simply changing dimension values. This makes them easy to edit and easy to adapt to meet a variety of design requirements.
Mechanical Desktop has all of the capabilities for creating parametric solid models that you would expect, including those for extruding, revolving, sweeping, and lofting...