Adobe App For Wood Working Design

[westdr1dw]

Not sure if Illustrator is the best Adobe app for designing wood working projects? After reviewing a few tutorials on the Dimension tool in Illustrator I was not able to find enough to get started on the project. There are videos showing how to use the tool to place objects within a room. What it failed to show was how to set up Dimension to "Scale" to fit the artboard. However, after exploring which Scale to use I was able to start the project. A discovery which appears to need some work is setting the line dimension tool or have a dynamic tool. An example I want to set the Dimension too to 5.5 Inch mark. As I am dragging out the 5.5 Inch reference line it stops short at 5.35 inch. I can drag out the line to the 5.5 Inch point. However, the recording at the 5.35 is fixed vice changing based on the line length. There also does not appear a way to set the line dimension manually?

[Jacob Bugge]

westdr,

Depending on your actual needs, the Line Segment Tool can be your friend (as can Smart Guides).

You can click with it on the Artboard, then set the length and angle, then ClickDrag the line with the Selection Tool by one end Anchor Point to snap to whatever wherever.

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/tools.html

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/drawing-simple-lines-shapes.html

[westdr1dw]

Thanks, Jason

How awesome would it be though if there was a way to set the Measuring tool precisley. AFAIK this is not built into the tool. When using the Line segment tool you can set the line a precise distance. However, this is not scaled to your project. If there was a way to also apply a scale to the Line segment tool or setting a precise distance on the Measuring tool. I know the majority of Illustrator Advanced Users have been accustomed to Art projects. I just think there is far more capability working with Vectors. Just a thought.

[Jacob Bugge]

westdr,

As I (mis)understand it, you can include the scale in the length for the Line Segment Tool.

If you have a real length of say 17.5" and a scale of say 1:4, you can insert "17.5 in/4" or  "17.5/4 in".

But for woodworking I have always created the drawings/designs in real size numbers, using a unit that makes it manageable such as points or maybe millimetres if preferred depending on the real unit.

And I always let Illy (job description Adobe Illustrator) make the calculations; she is better at it and always eager to help, so I can just draw..

You can still use the Dimension Tool, just tick "Hide Units" in Tool Settings > Dimension Tool Options,

https://helpx.adobe.com/illustrator/using/measure-and-show-dimensions.html

When all is done, you can scale afterwards as desired/needed in connexion with the final PDF or whatever; it is safer to Save a Copy rather than Save As.

Apart from all that, it is always possible to make a feature request,

https://illustrator.uservoice.com/forums/333657-illustrator-desktop-feature-requests
https://illustrator.uservoice.com/

You can also try to see whether one has been made already and join it, but I doubt whether any has been made.

[westdr1dw]

Yes, I submitted one already. Thanks

[Jacob Bugge]

You are welcome, westdr.

[Jim_Rick6879]

Hi @westdr1dw,

Illustrator isn’t ideal for woodworking or scaled technical drawings. It’s mainly for graphic design. For precise, scaled woodworking plans, you’ll get better results using Adobe Illustrator + Adobe Dimension (for visuals) or switching to tools like Fusion 360, SketchUp, or AutoCAD, which support true scaling and measurement input.

If you stay in Illustrator, enable Smart Guides and use the Transform panel to manually input exact dimensions.

[westdr1dw]

Thanks Jim, appreciate the info. The apps referenced come with a price. If you are in the business of making technical drawings then it would be a worthwile investment. However, for a DIY home user who has a subscription for Illustrator want to leverage the use of a Vector program. With minor tweaks can expand the use of this great app. The other apps appear to have one specifc purpose.  Illustrator reminds me of MS Access database. An app that can be many things, and do them very well.

[Jacob Bugge]

westdr,

The most suitable ways to draw/design, and the need to include measurement, depend on both the kind of woodwork and who is going to actually perform the work. If you can show sample parts/describe, it may be possible to get some suggestions.

Unknown to most, it is quite easy to directly show images in posts, hence the following general suggestion:

Please show images by using the Insert Photos button (looks like moon over mountains) for each at the top of the reply box which makes everything appear right there in your post together with your text, rather than he more conspicuous Drag&drop attachment which requires helpers to open a new tab for each image and wait for its showing, then go back and forth; and if they just click it and wait for its showing and press the X to get back to the text, the image is gone, so if they need another look they have to open it again and wait to see it again.

[westdr1dw]

Thanks Jacob. I have muddled me way through to achieve the end state. The point is to make an enhancement to the Measuring tool. Has a chance from moving from Good to Great by adding the ability to lay down a specific measurement based on a value you are looking for at the same scale you are using.