line <none> at TMnet Malaysia wrote <<Is AutoCad useful for E&E
engineering?>>
That depends on what you do in E&E engineering.
<<Isn't this software specializes for civil and mechanical
engineering?>>
Not at all. It has been *very* useful in my work on microwave
hardware, antenna systems, system lay-outs ranging from small
circuits through racks through block diagrams of buildings full of
equipment, also test routines (e.g., temperature vs. time), even maps
showing antenna locations. When I wanted test fixtures to be built,
I used CAD to experiment with panel lay-outs until they looked good;
then I drew 1-to-1-scale templates of the hardware mounting holes
etc., taped those templates to the panels or chassis boxes, and
center-punched right through the drawings. Generally, it was faster
for me to do that sort of thing myself, than to tell the drafting
department what I wanted, wait for them to get to it, and then work
with them until it came out the way I wanted.
<<Aren't Advance Design System, Pspice and ex-cetera capable
enough to do E&E job?>>
Some of those software packages are very good for their purpose.
If you do circuit design, then probably you want something like that.
AutoCAD does not replace them. AutoCAD does not do circuit analysis.
<<Some of the companies out there does require their applicants
(E&E engineering) to know some knowledge of AutoCad as minimum
requirement before hiring them.>>
That depends on the company's drafting department (if any), and on
the conditions under which you may work. For example, if you need
something in a big hurry, and the drafting department is busy on
another hot project or has gone home for the night or week-end, and
the customer is due in the next morning, and the world will come to
an end if you don't have the work ready for him, then you may need to
do a lot of things yourself.
Suggestion: For electrical engineering, consider AutoCAD LT
rather than full AutoCAD. AutoCAD LT probably will do everything
that you want, and it is *much* less expensive than full AutoCAD,
also easy to learn. And you can trade drawings fairly well with a
drafting department that uses full AutoCAD. Talk to your company,
and probably also to your company's Autodesk dealer, before deciding
on AutoCAD LT, as there may be some minor incompatibilities over
software release dates.
AutoCAD and AutoCAD LT use a lot of computer memory, and require a
fast computer in order to work at reasonable speed. You also may
want a big plotter, rather than just a letter-size printer.
Hopefully, you company will have all of that available.
Dick Alvarez
alvarez at alumni dot caltech dot edu
