My needs are pretty basic. I am just drawing a circuit diag. to the effect of:

 

Batt(12v) --> to console with switches and gages, a fuse block for ea. cir. both on/of and on/off/on switches at console.

 

The actual line insertion isn't the issue. I have created assort. layers and assigned them to approriate circuits, with correspnding color codes. The thickness of the lines is sort of the problem. I am using LTS to make the lines fatter, and offset to give illusion of a stripe on some wires. This is the problem. I want a Lin. type that could already be fat/basic color + a stripe to be assigned. Using match-props is doable, but so many steps.

 

I havn't used autocad since 2004-5 very much at all, I picked up solidworks in '06, spent some time with it, and after 6 months or so I left the job (I had the software on my home pc!!) But some time later I needed to reformat the HD and lost the program, so I stopped SW ever since. Earlier this week I decided to reinstall my old version of autocad to brush up and work out this dwg for a wiring harness I am rebuilding, and this is where I am finding myself.

 

Any suggestion are welcome, esp. if they are useful. I'm also open to some software sharing. I have a free student version of inventor, but haven't installed it since it expires after 30 days and I can't be reformatting my computer every few weeks to conitnue the learning curve, and I would like to achieve some skill level and perhaps find myself marketable once again. I have been out of the CAD world so long most employers won't even offer entry level employment to someone who had about 7-9 yrs exp. They all seem to presume that the new bells and whistles of each acad version are so profoundly complex to grasp you may as well dig your grave and jump in. It seems to me that the essentials are going to stay at the core and the little goodies will find their place as you find the need to incorporate them.

After all I taught myself essentials in Solidworks prior to taking a class to boost me into and passing with perfect marks the advanced level user status. Same for photoshop and a few others.  

 

Anyway this is my hello and introduction to this forum, I hope it can become a useful tool for me.

 

Stephen