semperdesigns

Yeah for sure! It's tough with being in front of the software with you, but AutoCAD is completely command based, so I'll let you know the ones I use the most. l - line a - arc c - circle sp - spline - similar to pen tool with beziers in illustrator. Those are obvious, of course. Hit the command, then hit the length, radius, etc that you want. The interface will guide you through each step. Then for editing: tr - trim - trims one line to where another crosses it - really useful for fast drafting. ex- extend - opposite of trim - extends one line to another o - offset - offsets a line a specified distance away f - fillet - rounds a corner to a specified radius And for moving co - copy m - move ro - rotate. So, everything is pretty self explanatory, and just requires some practice. Other things I would note: - Dragging to select works differently if you drag a selection box leftward (selects everything contained by box) and rightward (everything touched and contained). - hitting spacebar repeats last command - hold down middle scroll wheel on mouse to pan, use scroll wheel to zoom. - use the command re to regenerate. Sometimes if you zoom way out, then back in, curves will appear jagged. Use re to get them back to normal. Hope that all made sense, and good luck!

Illustrator might be precise enough for the leather work that we do. It is capable, so by all means, use it. But AutoCAD is objectively more precise. Down to five decimal points of any unit, if I recall correctly. It's why you simply won't see engineers and architects using illustrator. In some of the work I do - CNC, manufacturing drawings, and architecture, Illustrator just won't cut it. Depending on the drawing It's also, at least for me, far quicker to draw in AutoCAD. If it's a simple pattern, I might just start in Illustrator if that's the end format I need. But if I need an extremely precise drawing and it's complex, it will be far faster for me to start in AutoCAD, and move over to Illustrator later for colour fills and other things it's better at. Which brings me to: different software excel at different things. No one balks at moving in between photoshop (raster) and illustrator (vector). And you likewise shouldn't be afraid to move between Illustrator (illustration), and CAD (drafting). If you haven't tried AutoCAD yet, I encourage you to. Certain operations are unwieldy at best in Illustrator like arcs, offsetting lines, dimensioning, and until recently rounded corners. These are extremely easy in CAD software. Back to the point though! In the case of this project, CAD software is unnecessary - dies don't need microns of precision. But, bylinesupplyco was having trouble doing the pattern in Illustrator so I simply I thought I'd mention AutoCAD as it is more purpose built for drafting, and might be easier for them to learn for that purpose.

With regards to creating a precise shape digitally, I find AutoCAD to be way more precise. It is quite easy to get an educational license, even if not a student. AutoCAD is far more precise than illustrator is, and I find it far easier to work with. Other CAD software (some free I'm sure) will be the same way. The question then becomes getting that drawing to illustrator. What I do is put a bounding box of a known dimension around my CAD drawing. Then I export this as a dxf from auto cad. Open the dxf in Illustrator. Now create an artboard (shift-O, CS6 or later) of the same size as your bounding box. Resize the entire drawing so that the bounding box snaps to the artboard. This eliminates scale issues. Now save in whatever format the die company wanted.

Hey Plinkercases, Thanks for the interest, and a BIG thanks for crossposting! I only thought of the EDC forums recently, and they are responding really well. You can still pre-order the watch on Kickstarter. That's how I'm able to meet the minimum order for the watch, as I don't actually have the watches yet. But, with the order now secured, the watches will be shipping in October or November. If you did want to pre-order, the Kickstarter campaign is here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1993848142/alberta-watches-stylish-rugged-and-affordable-watc I'll also note that the watches will get a little more expensive after the campaign. Thank again! Leo

Thanks! Two rivets is a very common style amongst pilot watches. Should look great! Also, nice truck! Might have noticed my 66 C10 in the product video.. needs a lot more work though!

Thor, that's an awesome idea - I'll get right on it!

Hi David, Thanks so much for your help!! That extra lace was the first thing I noticed when I got the picture back from my photographer - I can't believe I neglected to glue the stitch down! They will be in production. In the heat of getting everything ready for the campaign I missed it. As for the skiving, it's going to be a balance between strength and being able to fit through the slot in between the springbar and the watch case. We were testing difference thicknesses with these prototypes, each skive getting closer to the thickness limit. Once we are in production we will optimize that thickness, maybe even separating the straps into batches first to account for variations in the hide. Like you said, better be as good as possible before these straps leave the door! Thanks again, I really appreciate your advice! Leo

Hey folks, Not too sure if this is the right place to post a passion project turned into a Kickstarter Campaign. I've been working with leather for about a year now - about the same amount of time that I've been working on a new watch startup called Alberta Watches. It only made sense to combine the two! So I teamed up with Robert Nurse, an amazing Calgary based leather crafter and saddlemaker to make some unique hand stitched straps for the watch. He's helping with the clicking (once the dies are made), and the skiving, while I'll probably do the stitching. They're nothing too crazy, really: few stitches to save time, and unfinished Horween leather. But it makes for a nice rugged look I think. I hope you guys like it! If you're interested in seeing more you can check out the campaign here: http://kck.st/1IPsZfE