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making technical drawings


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In earlier days I had to make technical drawings for furniture and used a program on the Mac, but I forgot the name and cannot find it back on the internet. Maybe it doesn't exist anymore.

My question: I have Affinity Designer, can I use that program to make technical drawings? For example: I draw a line and the program gives me the exact length of that line.

So, is this possible with Affinity?

Thanks for helping me

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3 minutes ago, iMac1943 said:

My question: I have Affinity Designer, can I use that program to make technical drawings? For example: I draw a line and the program gives me the exact length of that line.

No. You would be best served by looking for an actual CAD application.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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15 minutes ago, iMac1943 said:

Thank you. Which program should you suggest?

The last few I used are no longer in business. You will have to do some research, try the search terms "2d CAD applications for Mac" "CAD for Mac". There will be a learning curve that is quite steep if you haven't used a CAD application before. 

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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I just did a quick look and realized I was wrong, one of the CAD programs I used was TuboCAD for Mac and they are still in business. Don't know how I lost track of them. They have a variety of products so make sure that the one you want is good for the Operating System you have.

Mac Pro (Late 2013) Mac OS 12.7.4 
Affinity Designer 2.4.0 | Affinity Photo 2.4.0 | Affinity Publisher 2.4.0 | Beta versions as they appear.

I have never mastered color management, period, so I cannot help with that.

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59 minutes ago, Old Bruce said:

... one of the CAD programs I used was TuboCAD for Mac...

I am guessing you mean TurboCAD, right? Quite pricey compared to AD.

1 hour ago, iMac1943 said:

Years ago I used a program called MiniCad

I don't know if is the same app but at the Mac App Store there is https://apps.apple.com/us/app/minicad/id935534677?mt=12 It's cheap but does not have a great user rating.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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24 minutes ago, iMac1943 said:

Did you ever heard about the one I used 20 years ago: MiniCad?

I assume you mean something other than the one I linked to at the Mac App Store?

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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3 minutes ago, iMac1943 said:

Indeed, and in the mean time I looked at the one you mentioned. Looks good. Do you use it?

No, I do not use it. Even though it is inexpensive, the low overall user star rating made it seem like it would not be worth the price.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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4 hours ago, iMac1943 said:

For example: I draw a line and the program gives me the exact length of that line.

Line? Yes, look into Transform panel. 

Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301
Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130.

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5 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

Line? Yes, look into Transform panel. 

Works only for straight lines that have only two nodes. Length.afdesign

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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1 hour ago, R C-R said:

Works only for straight lines that have only two nodes.

Of course - that's why I emphasize "Line", as stated in the question.

Affinity Store (MSI/EXE): Affinity Suite (ADe, APh, APu) 2.4.0.2301
Dell OptiPlex 7060, i5-8500 3.00 GHz, 16 GB, Intel UHD Graphics 630, Dell P2417H 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Dell Latitude E5570, i5-6440HQ 2.60 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics 530, 1920 x 1080, Windows 11 Pro, Version 23H2, Build 22631.3155.
Intel NUC5PGYH, Pentium N3700 2.40 GHz, 8 GB, Intel HD Graphics, EIZO EV2456 1920 x 1200, Windows 10 Pro, Version 21H1, Build 19043.2130.

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5 minutes ago, Pšenda said:

Of course - that's why I emphasize "Line", as stated in the question.

Both of the lines in my example were created using the Pen Tool in Line mode. But the lower one is not straight so like I said, there is no "L:" for it in the Transform panel.

All 3 1.10.8, & all 3 V2.4.1 Mac apps; 2020 iMac 27"; 3.8GHz i7, Radeon Pro 5700, 32GB RAM; macOS 10.15.7
Affinity Photo 
1.10.8; Affinity Designer 1.108; & all 3 V2 apps for iPad; 6th Generation iPad 32 GB; Apple Pencil; iPadOS 15.7

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