# What type of software is used in designing watches?



## Rxq

Would someone kindly point me in the right direction? I'm interested in getting some of my amateur designs on the judging table.


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## obie

plenty out there for free. you need a vector graphics program. those can range from adobe illustrater, paintshop pro, discreet 3dsmax, autocad or inventor or microsoft visio. try webattack.com for freeware. there site is very good.


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## Rxq

Oh, it's as simple as paint? I thought there is one just for watches.

What do the Professionals use? Some kind of custom Inventor/CAD software I assume?


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## obie

no. any program that can extrude 2d to 3d and give a virtual model. its alittle complicated for some of the software and some requires at least 2 years of school to use. I'll check on some user friendly free software and post it. I have all of the software I listed, but I do motorcycle systems modelling. so I'm heavy into animation software.


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## obie

try google sketchup. its free and a easy interface. then try povray. heres one more most don't know about thats perfect for designing watches. you can do the entire watch on a 3d plane, rotate in 3 dimensions, add lighting, textures and reflections. its about as real as you can get. also there pro version is inexpensive. the free version can do watches and even animate it. its called amabilis.
http://www.amabilis.com/


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## Rxq

Thanks.

I'll give it a shot with inventor and PS CS first, i have a disk lying around somewhere.

Edit

Amabillis looks pretty complicated, but the interface also looks like inventor, I'll check out the free version later on.

Edit

Meanwhile are there any tutorials lying around for Photoshop?

Edit

Also, people who make a living doing this kind of stuff, are they called Industrial Designers or Engineers? What type of post secondary training would they need? Applied sciences?


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## obie

its cad drafting. a mechanical engineers degree. but if your familiar with inventor, you are way ahead of most with degree's. theres some photoshop tutorials online for free. also photoshop cs comes with a full help section. also they have free tutorials online. theres also a lady named lynda? I'll look here up. she has in depth tutorials on most animation software.


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## bfgreen

Rxq said:


> Would someone kindly point me in the right direction? I'm interested in getting some of my amateur designs on the judging table.


https://www.watchuseek.com/showthread.php?t=88264

_*"What software do you use for designing watches?"*_

This question comes up a lot and for the most part it's a matter of personal preference and budget.

I use Adobe Illustrator to create my drawings. I've been using it professionally now for over 17 years and feel just as comfortable using it to quickly mock up designs as I do using pencil and paper (which I do habitually on ever corner of paper I have or in those long strategic business meetings - yawn).

I also use Adobe Photoshop, though I try to keep this limited to doing only the finishing touches that although I could do in Illustrator, are much easier and faster in Photoshop. I find the combination of the two tools give me exactly what I need and the fact that the designs are vector based and not pixel based means that I can work in minute detail and scale my images to whatever size I need (I have a full color poster print of my first Doxa blueprint on my home office wall - it's breathtaking).

Both of these tools are $$$ and not ideal for everyone, I'm very fortunate to have them and to have had many years of practice using them to the point where they are second nature.

There are many good free tools out there that mimic both of the tools I use, some are even available as standalone applications that do not require any installation and can be installed on a USB thumbdrive - a sort of design studio in your pocket! I've used one of these (portable GIMP) in a business situation where I was working on a computer in a controlled "secure "environment and was not given rights to install applications - it worked great and saved the day!

Here's some information on two great *free* applications that I hope will help those who do not have $$$ to spend.

*GIMP Portable* is a totally free, fully-fledged Photoshop alternative, I've used this and it is awesome.
http://portableapps.com/apps/graphic.../gimp_portable

*InkScape* is an Open Source *free* vector graphics editor, with capabilities similar to Illustrator, Freehand, CorelDraw, using the W3C standard Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) file format.
http://www.inkscape.org/


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## cjames

*I guess it depends....*

Do you want to be able to directly manufacture the watch from the design? If so you should/can use a program like Rhino, or Solidworks. I use Rhino for my jewellery modelling and I can manufacture directly from my design file. I learned it myself using their tutorials. You can then render a photorealistic image directly from the CAD file. Here is a render that I made of one of my rings.

Here is the CAD version










Here is the "photo" I took of my file










A lot of the watch "photos" you see for the new model releases and magazine/promo photography are actually done this way. Feel free to email me to ask any questions.
Cary


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## frank_be

IWC uses Siemens Solid Edge; The best mid-range 3D CAD software out there. But not the most spread however.
I use it too. But not for watches...

Greetings,
Frank


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## frank_be

Found some more info:

http://www.bct-technology.com/fileadmin/pdf/casestudy/iwc schaffhausen.pdf

Greetings,
Frank


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## leothelion

I don't if anyone has tried making jewelry watches (engraving and etc), but I would suggest Zbrush after a rough CAD model exists. 

You can use alphas (black and white) images from photoshop or paint.net to extrude smooth and clean figures or designs from a high polygon case model made in CAD.


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## jporos

When I watch the videos from watch manufacturers showing their design, it seems that some are using AutoDesk Inventor. Inventor lets you model all the parts and then put them in motion to check how they work (or not). I'm sure they also must use some sort of finite element analysis program to see stress and strain on parts.


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## blerpa

Hi ,
I use doodlecad to design dials. Its cheap and can do most things in an understandable way. 

Its great to fidget around and try many things separately like small and big indices, lines etc.

Good luck, Hubert


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## dgart08

I use Rhino as well...


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## checknwatch

Here's a related question for you all. Regardless of the software program(s) I use to design my dial, case, and so on, what data file formats are typically required by the manufactures and fabricators?


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## workaholic_ro

I don't think there is a rule or a standard. CAM environment is a also a matter of option, the only thing that counts is the compatibility with the CAD environment, or with the exported files.


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## HDL

Hi, I would also recommand to use Rhino, now for renderings to look realistic you also need a plug-in.

Good luck, if you need anything please just ask.

Jacques


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## Guest

There are many software is used in design Watches.Image banner is one type of software which is used in designing watches.Using 3D modeling _software_ we animated the process.


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## hankthetank

Sound interesting all the different tools people use for Watch design. I use a high end CAD software package where I work but it is not to design watches with, of course it could be used for that. To design a watch case would not be hard once you know the basic dimension. The thing you need to pay for is the time and expertise that goes into designing and engineering the watch case the drawings usually takes longer than actual 3D design. It is always that way. Also the file format used is important if it has to be exported to another CAD software .iges & .stp are the most common. If you need any advice PM me.


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## rupertenberg

Hi, I would say like anything the best software to use is the one which you are most comfortable with. Personally I like to use Rhino. I find it is the most versatile as far as supported file formats go. Rendering, again the world is somewhat of an oyster. Hypershot is good for quick visualisation. All things considered though, if you cant draw on paper what you want, or at least get your ideas down on paper, no CAD software will help. Seems these days people don't think you need to be able to draw....couldn't be further from the truth i think.

Good luck.

Rupert Enberg


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## Raoul_Duke

does any of those work with a mac???


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## G Shock

so to have all in one which can make a list or top five software to design watch it could be easy for us to start making watches.

until now there are a lot.can we have it in a list?


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## Tanuki

There are lots of considerations in choosing such software. So consider this a basic list with basic considerations...

1st you need to consider your end goals. Do you want the software to produce concepts (2D and 3D visual images of your designs), or do you want to create production ready data (2D and 3D CAD?)

*2D Visualisation software (not for production)*

1: Adobe Photoshop- Great for 2D sketching/painting and renderings of your designs. esp when combined with a wacom graphics tablet.

2: Adobe Illustrator- Again, great for 2D visualization and renderings of your designs. This is vector based as opposed to pixel based like photoshop. This can actually be used to produce 2D scale production drawings for manufacture, but is inefficient and is not suitable for 2D CNC machining files.

3: Autodesk Sketchbook pro-
A cheaper alternative to photoshop. has useful features for sketching in particular, with circle guides and symmetry tools that are great for quickly designing front views.

*3D Visualisation (Not for Production)*

Not all 3D can be used as a tooling or 3D machining file. polygon mesh models are used in movies and special effects, but cannot be used for physical manufacture. These are fast to model, and are cheaper than 3D software that is suitable for production. They are only useful for generating your concept. Any file produced from this would have to be painfully re-modeled in suitable software to create tooling.

I wont bother making a detailed list for this, but if you are interested, look into the following:

3D studio Max
Maya
Lightwave
Modo
Sketchup
Cinema 4D.
lots more out there though.
*
2D Production Files*

1: Ashlar Graphite Vellum
Easy to use and fast to drive, this is a great program if you just want to make 2D files or drawings for production. Note that files from this (and all software in this category) can be imported into photoshop or illustrator for 2D rendering and visualisation

2: Autocad
While I hate this program it is still a standard for many an engineer. Grossly overpriced and a dog to drive I'd not like to be teaching myself this one...

3: Rhino 3D
While this fits into the last category it is also worth mentioning here because it is super fast and useful for 2D production drawings as well as 3D.

4: MOI 3D
A new program created by the original Rhino programmer. functions almost the same but with less functions. Certainly nothing that would hinder watch design. cheap as chips as it's in it's early days, it's great for 2D and 3D.

*3D Production Files*

These are the big boys. it's worth pointing out that these programs are not cheap, and they are not simple to learn.

1: Solidworks.
a staple in product design. very powerful 3D and automatically generates production drawings from your 3D data.

2: Rhino 3D
Probably the most versatile 2D and 3D application for watch design in my opinion. perfect for 3D tooling files, 2D production files and 2D control Drawings. fast to learn and cheaper than solidworks. does not automatically generate your 2D drawings though

3: MOI 3D
If you're on a budget or want a more user friendly interface, this is the app for you.

other 3D applications:
Autodesk Inventor
Autodesk Design Studio
Alibre

My recommendations would be 
1 rhino and photoshop for a relatively cheap but powerful combination. 
2 Moi and Gimp/Sketchbook pro for and even cheaper combo. (not as useful though)
3 Illustrator if you want a 1 app for everything solution. It's not ideal but you can do both visualization and 2d dimensioned and scale drawings with it, as well as dial design drawings.

*Dial Designs*

Worth noting that dials will usually be designed in Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. You need a vector program for the printing of the dial, and both these programs are designed specifically for the graphic design industry. these are the ones you want to be using. 
You can use black and white 2D cad with color spec noted, it would be acceptable, but is not standard practice.

*Again, this is a very basic guide, what's best for individuals will depend on what their end goals are, and what they want to get out of their CAD.*


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## dacattoo

try '&cheese.com'


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## zephyrnoid

Awesome breakdown. Thanks. 
FYI. I use Freehand (similar to illustrator) for visualization in 2d and I can export plans and elevations out as DXF files for import in to 3D apps.


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## G Shock

thanks man for the info i just this is what i want


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## iam7head

you are asking the wrong question, the best software for designing a watch is the one you are best in.

there's always be limitation of one software vs another, it's about where do you want to go from the starting point. if all you want is a solid model then you can do 80% of what solidwork has with a free version of google sketchup, I use both software extensively for different purposes.

one of the tip i can give you is that to really refine the design even before going into "digital", meaning sketching out all the detail and spec before even fuzzing with the software.(of course that would require you to be a decent artist to begin with). 

Solidwork is more powerful than google sketchup but i can crank out 25 different different variation before i can finish one SW model, it's about managing the workflow and using the proper software.

if you don't even have the slight idea of the final detail, you can spent hours at the computer with little to no work done. Been there.


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## G Shock

solidwork is the specific software or there is from solidwork a program that someone can design a watch?

where can someone download the solidwork? is it free program? the now days is financial difficult for some peoples thats why i ask.


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## Tanuki

sketchup is not capable of producing CAD data to the best of my knowledge. polygon models are only useful for rendering and making pretty pictures. If you want to 3d print or tool from the 3d data you create you need to be making CAD data, such as the couple of programs listed in the production catergory of my post.
To the best of my knowledge, MOI 3D is currently the cheapest software capable of production ready files. Alibre 3D and Rhino are cheap too though.

Solidworks is the name of a piece of software, not a type of software. A single license of Dessault systems solidworks will set you back $10,000+ only in the last few years has this type of software become affordable in the form of MOI etc.

If MOI is too expensive then you will have to start looking at 2D CAD packages, not 3D. There are probably some usable ones out there these days that are free. you just need something that can export to .dwg or .dxf file formats.

To answer the last question, no, there are no programs specific to designing watches. a watch is a consumer product like any other that uses the same manufacturing processes, and therefore the same design software.


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## eldridge

Has anyone tried or seen Turbo cad 17 or 18 delux?



Lee.


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## wilkwatchworks

I've designed and made a few watches but I have no idea how to use the software so I just outsource it. However, I am not making the movements, just the case and dial and then assembling them with ETA parts. The guy that does the 3D modeling for me uses Rhino which he then grows in a resin using a prototyping machine and then I get that model cast in silver. Same thing goes for the dials. Then I do the finishing and assembly of the watch. Check out the finished product on my website:

http://www.wilkwatchworks.com

Love some feedback on them.

Scott


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## Guest

Adobe Photoshop + Illustrator
TellWatch
Solidworks


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## G Shock

so these 3 softwears design the watch.


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## Graeme

G Shock said:


> so these 3 softwears design the watch.


No, you design the watch, the programs help you visualise it


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## G Shock

ok you right i meant it your right hand to design watch.
so do you agree that these 3 are good enough to start design watch?


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## Liamskrinjy

Dear Scott. I didn't realize this until I looked at your name and felt familiarity, but you obviously found the right program for design as I personally have considered buying my own Wilk Watch recently! I am a young entrepreneur from Toronto myself looking to design watches and movements at some point hopefully, this was super inspirational to see your comment as I am just getting started, coincidently at the same spot as you only a few years ago. If you wouldn't mind letting me know what programs you used to get your ideas off paper and into a 3D model I could dissect and look at from all angles I'd appreciate it extremely. 
Thank you for your time and all the best this year, hopefully I'll be treating myself to a fine PVD Lydian Tourbillon soon  

Cheers, 

Liam


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## G. I.

Liamskrinjy said:


> Dear Scott. I didn't realize this until I looked at your name and felt familiarity, but you obviously found the right program for design as I personally have considered buying my own Wilk Watch recently! I am a young entrepreneur from Toronto myself looking to design watches and movements at some point hopefully, this was super inspirational to see your comment as I am just getting started, coincidently at the same spot as you only a few years ago. If you wouldn't mind letting me know what programs you used to get your ideas off paper and into a 3D model I could dissect and look at from all angles I'd appreciate it extremely.
> Thank you for your time and all the best this year, hopefully I'll be treating myself to a fine PVD Lydian Tourbillon soon
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Liam


What about reading what he wrote?



wilkwatchworks said:


> I have no idea how to use the software so I just outsource it. [...] The guy that does the 3D modeling for me uses Rhino which he then grows in a resin using a prototyping machine and then I get that model cast in silver.
> 
> Scott


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## Inspiredezigns

I am a new WUS member but long time follower. I have been working in the computer engineering, design, and rendering world for 25+ years as a SW engineer and as co-principal of an interior design firm where photo-realistic rendering is critical to conveying our design ideas to clients.

Recently I have begun designing watches and experimenting with design ideas using the same SW that I utilize for interior design. While most of the movie, advertisement, creative SW world tends to be Apple IOS based, the architecture world seems to be mainly Microsoft Windows based, commonly utilizing Autocad, Revit, and other Autodesk products. The SW I suggest below is Windows based but I know that Rhino has an IOS version...

It is important to realize that design SW for design is generally broken in to at least two pieces:

1) Modeling SW - Tools for building a structural model of the watch including complex shapes/curves, multiple layers to separate materials, etc. This model will eventual feed in to a Rendering tool to create photo-realistic images and possible other tools like animation SW that will utilize your model to build a frame by frame movie, where each frame is fed in to the Rendering SW. The model can also be utilized as input to a 3D printer for rapid prototyping of your cool watch model. The modeling SW usually contains the camera as well allowing you to control the frame size, focal length of your lens and ISO speed of the film.

2) Rendering SW - SW that allows you to assign properties to each component and layer in your watch model. Beyond just assigning jpg images, most high-end SW will allow you to describe the texture, hardness, reflectivity, emissivity of each component and add natural sunlight, artificial lighting, background images, etc. This SW tends to be complicated with a bizillion knobs and switches and is usually rather intimidating to master with a steep learning curve to proficiency.

SW flow - in general I usually spend 10% of my time modeling and 90% of my time with the rendering since the output from the rendering is super critical for communicating your design to the world. You can have the greatest model but if you can't generate a good rendering from it, know one will know... Obviously this is an iterative flow since you will make many improvements to your model and render material and lighting settings once you see the output from the rendering. The more detailed you make your model, the more realistic the final images will be. Rendering is also CPU intensive so a modern system with 4 or more CPU cores is suggested. I have a desktop system with 8 cores, a notebook with 4 cores ( so I can render on the road), and a rendering farm on my local network with 2 systems with 16 CPU cores each for additional horsepower. The size of your final images and the density (DPI) will dictate the rendering time and the ultimate power you may want.

There are lots of excellent SW products out there. I have been doing this for many years and suggest the following SW:

Modeling SW - Rhino3d is an amazing and powerful SW tool that I highly recommend. It is a NURBS (see Wikipedia description below) based modeling tool that allows you to create incredibly detailed models with complicated curves and compound shapes. The other very important feature is that Rhino will take a number of file extension types as Input including Autocad, Revit, and 3ds Max model types for importing models created by others (there are a lot of watch and movement models out there on turbosquid.com and other sites) that you can use as a starting point for your own creations. It also supports a vast number of output file types allowing you to share your models with others or send your model to a 3D printer without additional processing.

Non-uniform rational basis spline (NURBS) is a mathematical model commonly used in computer graphics for generating and representing curves and surfaces. It offers great flexibility and precision for handling both analytic (surfaces defined by common mathematical formulae) and modeled shapes.

Rendering SW - While Rhino has a decent built in rendering tool that will get you going, for extremely detailed photo-realistic rendering you will want to invest in a rendering package. It might be a standalone product or a Rhino plugin. I suggest VRay for Rhino which is a plugin rendering package in Rhino that allows you to model and render inside of Rhino, speeding the SW flow. VRay is a powerful, fully featured commercial rendering product that is utilized by the architecture, interior design, and movie studio/production business. VRay for Rhino utilizes materials that you create or you can download other materials as a vismat file from many different sources. 

You will find the the Rhino and VRay SW professional support is very good and the web community is friendly and helpful. 

I hope this SW overview is helpful. Please ask questions and comment!
Chet


inspiredezigns


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