Nick,
Thank you, and that's funny...
My first exposure to CAD was in college. I received an aerospace engineering degree in '90. There was one lesson in a hand mechanical drawing class and my sr. design project had a sophisticated (for the time) airplane modeler. Looking back it wasn't much in quantity or quality.
John,
Thank you very much. I'm glad you asked.
I became very proficient using an Illustrator like product at my first engineering position (in the medical industry). I only used it personally during my tenure at Lockheed.
Almost 7 years ago when I moved and entered the golf design world, I picked it back up and have been using it heavily since. I infrequently check out the Illustrator forum for new items. I'd say I'm an expert in the range I use it, there are many other features that I don't use often.
Here is the illustration from the article:
I used my plans for the mass excavations, I left room for adaptation but didn't need much as the amounts were small enough to handle in the rough shaping stages. I do have detailed plans, but they have been beter served as a visualization and thinking tool for myself. Most of the shaping has been improvisation by me or Don in the field based on those plans. The operators are not able to read those drawings, and Don and I have learned what communiations work best with the shapers - each individual requires different instructions to be most effective - actually depending on the days and tasks individuals require different directions from day to day. Communication is king.
I am getting better and Don really speaks their languages well and helps with my translations - both figurative and literal.
My notebook that I use in the field is filled with numbers and contacts and quantities mostly, very few sketches. Don does like when I take a pic of a rough bunker and e-mail it back with some suggestions. This was done with photoshop:
Please ask away.