Microsoft Visio API Created Auto Drawing Software.

[CF2010_2015]

Hello all, so quick background to set the stage. I'm working at a company as a CAD Tech however its more a graphic designer... makes little since but I live in a rural area so I take what I can get. In the company I work at I'm one of very few that has a background in 2D CAD along with standards. The reason I set the stage is for whats up and coming. I have going on this year 15 years of 2d experience and 13 in 3-d parametric.

I've been with this company for 7 years, in these 7 years they've been developing or trying to develop a software using templates via Microsoft Visio to create electrical drawings. Your thinking, okay whats so wrong, So its not just create to Auto Generate Drawings. User inserts basically an MML in and then it thinks and shoots out the end result no thought needed. Practically thinking to churn job after job out not a big deal. However, being more in the scene the past month of working on drawings and back in my element. I'm seeing issues with it in more then one way. from just drawings never getting done, to drawings not being submitted to manufacturing and being told use "XXXX" as reference.

Reason, I post this is growing up in school and around a family member who was also in drafting I'm old fashion in the sense of just drawing it outright and if I need to use something from an old drawing that is still relevant go get it. However, I feel like this "corner cutting" , "faster is better" approach has actually caused issues in not just our quality of drawings but understanding of how things should be built. I say this because up til last year and me digging into ADDA standards the president of the company was discussing to me about some stuff and forgot about it....So, this may seem more like i'm "Venting" however. Just, trying to help my company not waste anymore time on something that should of been deemed unrecoverable.

Also, we're on the 3rd version of this and we only get drawings every other attempt and we still must touch them up everytime.

[Frederick_Law]

There are electrical "CAD" programs. Like: https://www.kicad.org/
Some can check the circuit and tell you if it works.
Even AutoCAD blocks will do a ok job.

"corner cutting" , "faster is better" means swipe the $hit down the road and cleanup later.
I got one boss like that and I fight him all the way.
Well I don't need to fight if I'm not the one cleaning up later

[CF2010_2015]

There are electrical "CAD" programs. Like: https://www.kicad.org/
Some can check the circuit and tell you if it works.
Even AutoCAD blocks will do a ok job.

"corner cutting" , "faster is better" means swipe the $hit down the road and cleanup later.
I got one boss like that and I fight him all the way.
Well I don't need to fight if I'm not the one cleaning up later

So, looking at KiCAD. Yeah that is way over what anyone I work with does or would do in general. To more so specify the Drawings are for machine controls in Water & Waste Water. However, seeing KiCAD is generally interesting since I had not heard of it before.

Yeah the swiping the $h!t down the road and cleanup later has become a norm at the company for the past month+.

[Frederick_Law]

Using blocks in AutoCAD could be easier.

If they're swiping it down the road, make sure you won't be there to clean it up.
Staying on a sinking ship is bad.
A sinking ship is worse.

[CF2010_2015]

Using blocks in AutoCAD could be easier.

If they're swiping it down the road, make sure you won't be there to clean it up.
Staying on a sinking ship is bad.
A sinking ship is worse.

I do not disagree at all. Issue is the president won't agree to pay for it because it's "too expensive" or for a similar 2D software. Because he wants robots basically and this is been put in the broad front for a lot of us. I've tried to stay positive however, just watching the sinking ship is difficult. I have for my own education delved back into electrical and mechanical standards (I know most mechanical but been a while so gotta jar the good ole' knoggin.) and I'm hoping this pays off in the long run and they appreciate me bringing documentation and showing where we are wrong.

The biggest argument I've heard from our previous electrical engineer who left in January. "We don't do standard stuff because apparently since we're proprietary and do everything in house we don't have to." Once I heard that I knew real quick that we have been driving towards the iceberg.

[Frederick_Law]

I do not disagree at all. Issue is the president won't agree to pay for it because it's "too expensive" or for a similar 2D software. Because he wants robots basically and this is been put in the broad front for a lot of us. I've tried to stay positive however, just watching the sinking ship is difficult. I have for my own education delved back into electrical and mechanical standards (I know most mechanical but been a while so gotta jar the good ole' knoggin.) and I'm hoping this pays off in the long run and they appreciate me bringing documentation and showing where we are wrong.

The biggest argument I've heard from our previous electrical engineer who left in January. "We don't do standard stuff because apparently since we're proprietary and do everything in house we don't have to." Once I heard that I knew real quick that we have been driving towards the iceberg.

They won't change until they close the door.
They won't appreciate anything.
Get out before you go crazy.