Help with Unusual Aerospace Design Project

[Arctic Fox]

I need help on a project I'm wanting to build. I think I need CAD or something like that, but am not sure. There may be people who can draw designs like blueprints, but I don't know where to go for this help. I think I'm stuck.

My idea goes along an aerospace theme, but at the moment I'm not sure if I could give out details of this design (you'll laugh).

Does anyone here know what I'm talking about?
Does anyone know where I can get help with this problem?

-A.F.

 

[Averagesupernova]

Uh, other than "I think I need CAD", you still haven't defined the problem.

 

[Arctic Fox]

I'm sorry.

I can't draw in specific detail. I have ideas that I can draw rough diagrams on, but minute details are a problem (like the workings of a landing gear).

Before I can go to companies for custom designed parts, they want blueprints on my ideas. For this I am wondering if I should learn CAD (or something like it), or if there are companies/people that would be able to take simple drafts of my design and improve on them.

 

[enigma]

If you're designing parts, then you'll want to look into solid modeling.

There are companies out there who can do the drafting for you, but I don't know what you'd be charged.

Most modeling packages which I've worked on are fairly expensive, but I'm sure there are some out there for a few hundred. There are plenty of 2D packages which are fairly affordable.

If you can share a little more detail about what you're trying to do, we may be able to guide you toward the best solution.

 

[Integral]

If you have an idea you want to draw up it is not clear to me how you will convey this idea to anyone else without drawing it yourself first. You can do a lot with 2d drawings. Sure all the big boys use 3d packages now, but they are pretty recent in the scheme of things. After all, we went to the moon with hand drawn 2d blue prints. http://www.imsisoft.com/faminfo.asp?fam=1 has some free trial software you can start learning on. It used to be you could legally run their trial 2d for free as long as you wanted. I am not sure if that deal is still in effect.