Master TurboCAD With Video Training CDs
Details on the final 6 chapters of TurboCAD training CDs to draw airplane plans
TurboCAD training Lessons 1 -6 and Lessons 7 - 12 (below)
Purchase your training CDs here
The first six lessons on the TurboCAD training CDs start with an introduction to TurboCAD go to the finished wing of the Snapper RC design. In the next six lessons I will complete the rest of the Snapper aircraft structure and show how to prepare a final set of RC plane construction plans with text leaders and building notation.
Lesson seven shows how to draw the Snapper fuselage
Lesson 7 - Draw the fuselage
Drawing the Snapper fuselage demonstrates how to take an aircraft frame and add internal structure to come up with a finished design. The parallel line tool makes it very easy to draw the 1/8 inch square balsa members of the fuselage structure. The trim command produces a clean finished outline.
The TurboCAD training CDs show how to add down thrust to the firewall and draw the precise thrust angle for the plywood side former reinforcements. Lesson 7 concludes with a demonstration of using construction lines from the fuselage side and top views to quickly dimension the firewall former without the need for measuring. Snap commands aid with drawing the former’s curved top half, as well as cut outs for the fuselage 1/8 inch frame sections.
Lesson eight finishes drawing the fuselage
Lesson 8 - Finish the fuselage
In this section of the training CDs I offer another example of the power of the mirror command, this time to make the full fuselage top view. A demonstration of how to draw the wing saddle follows. The lesson concludes with some techniques for using the curve tool then discussed the use of trim lines with a curve cutting edge.
Next up is using a full size CAD grouping of the Snapper’s electric motor and showing how simple it is to position the motor accurately on the airplane’s nose and draw a cowl over the front section. Routine design elements such as holes for the wing dowels can be added at this time.
Lesson nine shows how to draw the tail surfaces
Lesson 9 - Draw the tail surfaces
At this point I discuss the use of text within the as the Snapper’s title box is created. TurboCAD has a wide variety of text formats you can access.
The horizontal stabilizer and elevator are drawn using the parallel and trim commands, with the mirror command taking one half of the horizontal tail and creating the finished product. The group command is employed to assist with positioning the stabilizer over the fuselage top view.
Lesson ten demonstrates drafting the landing gear
Lesson 10 - Draw the landing gear
Most RC model airplane designs have landing gear. It is always a challenge to bend the landing gear’s music wire and have the finished product come out even and straight. This portion of the TurboCAD training covers in detail how to leverage the power of construction lines to easily come up with an accurate rendition of the landing gear.
You will see how to copy the fuselage former the landing gear will be mounted on to determine the proper shape and location of wire bends. This approach holds for both the side and front view of the landing gear. As with the wing, the mirror command minimizes the time required for drafting tasks. Simply draw one half of the landing gear and use the mirror command to instantly make the second half. Trim cleans up the finished product for plan publication, and the fillet command adds attractive curves.
Lesson eleven shows how to add text and leaders
Lesson 11 - Text and leaders
This is the final chapter on the TurboCAD training CD for preparing the finished Snapper RC model airplane plan. I go over the text properties of TurboCAD and how these are applied to the final plan. TurboCAD uses a text height rather than a font size. Consistency is important for the visual appeal of a plan. I use Arial, a sans serif font, for all my plans.
There needs to be enough information on the plan for the modeler to build the model. Thus, wood size, construction notes, and even wood grain direction needs to be annotated. TurboCAD leaders (text with an arrow) provide a useful method to highlight building tips and directions for any RC plane plan.
Lesson twelve - bonus materials
Lesson 12 - Bonus materials
The final lesson goes over the use of the spline tool to draw curves. I take the Snapper’s tail and demonstrate how easy it is to use the spline tool to come up with a completely new fin and rudder shape. This same approach can be used for curved wingtips.
TurboCAD is very useful for drawing the components of an RC model plan, such as a servo or motor. Recall that all items in TurboCAD are “seen” within the program as full size. Thus, any components you draw can be placed within the model design to ensure they fit. By using simple forms like the square and circle, combined with the trim function, you can draw just about any piece of hardware for a model plane.
Thank you for your time reviewing the narrated video lessons on the TurboCAD training CD. The 2 hours and 50 minutes of instruction will offer useful insights on employing TurboCAD to draw your own set of model airplane plans.
Go to Lessons 1 - 6