C5 Familiarity with Computer Aided Design and modelling.
Initial knowledge/skills rating *
September 2011
I have used 2D design and IKEAS kitchen design program but I am rarely comfortable around computers.
A lot more practise for me I think!
A lot more practise for me I think!
Lost Images!
Oh no I have lost my images! I am having difficulties saving to my memory stick and I am not sure why. I must see if they are still on the Uni computer. I didn't achieve very much anyway the taught session was about using the drawing tools. I found this really quite hard even though I have used 2D design before. I think I just need to practise
Today's session taught by other members of our class led us to drawing a 3D image of a camera. I managed this so I must be improving. I still need a lot more practice.
We had a tutorial using Solidworks today. I managed to do most of it and was feeling really pleased with myself for not being the person coming last in the class. Right up until the last step that was and I could not achieve a cut out. My euphoria was short lived. Obviously I needed to practise.
I decided my next step was to try a tutorial. Kelly and I worked through it together. It was long and difficult and I think it started to melt our brains. It became difficult to hold onto all the new skills and see ways of utilising them in future.
I decided my next step was to try a tutorial. Kelly and I worked through it together. It was long and difficult and I think it started to melt our brains. It became difficult to hold onto all the new skills and see ways of utilising them in future.
Constructing Spidy
I have been experimenting with the spline tool and the revolve tool. This was very frustrating because sometimes the revolve worked and sometimes it did not. Revolve seemed to work with points not touching the centreline with consistency but when the point is on the centreline it will not always evolve. There is no obvious reason to me why this works sometimes and not at others which is very frustrating.
In the end I decided it was not possible to build the spider from one drawing and had more success braking it down into smaller parts. it is very frustrating knowing how to draw something quickly on a drawing board but it seems to take me forever on a computer! I know what i want to do I just do not know how to do it with modern computing programs.
Look I have made slots, lugs and an internal web!
I struggled and struggled with Solidworks. it reduced me to tears on more than one occasion out of pure frustration! I think Solidworks is brilliant with what it can do. Forming three dimensional shapes from two dimensional drawings is amazing when it works but I have hated the way I know how to draw but the program does not like the way I have constructed the drawing, there is no logic for this what so ever!
I think CAD drawing is really clever the way you can switch views and change the appearances of the drawings from rendered to constructional at the flick of a button without any more work. I love the way you can view your three dimensional drawing by moving the mouse and it is just like looking at the real thing. This was just not possible with the old fashioned drawing board.
I think these drawing look pretty impressive but will the 3D spider look just as good?
Today I produced this little pot complete with an assembled model. I found making the individual component drawing quite straight forward to make. Although I had never used the assembly tool before I also did this with ease. I must be getting better!
Up until now everything I have done using Solidworks has been challenging and required a great amount of perseverance. I am delighted that when trying to do something using basic skills it came very easily. It proves to me my skills have improved. I am delighted with my progress.
I am looking forward to consolidating my knowledge by making drawings to be used in conjunction with other CNC machines.
Up until now everything I have done using Solidworks has been challenging and required a great amount of perseverance. I am delighted that when trying to do something using basic skills it came very easily. It proves to me my skills have improved. I am delighted with my progress.
I am looking forward to consolidating my knowledge by making drawings to be used in conjunction with other CNC machines.
As my confidence grows around using drawing programs and finding the limitations of each program or rather the facilities offered by each program so too is the application of my logic in resolving what I want to achieve.
When drawing using Solidworks, dimensions can be altered easily and the drawing rebuilt. This is not the case with 2D design. When I wanted to build a three dimensional circle I needed to work with a very geometric construction. This is not really compatible with 2D design. To get around this problem I set the grid to the thickness the acrylic. I used a nominal 3mm as I did not have any acrylic to hand. I adjusted the overall circle size to give me equal divisions.
When drawing using Solidworks, dimensions can be altered easily and the drawing rebuilt. This is not the case with 2D design. When I wanted to build a three dimensional circle I needed to work with a very geometric construction. This is not really compatible with 2D design. To get around this problem I set the grid to the thickness the acrylic. I used a nominal 3mm as I did not have any acrylic to hand. I adjusted the overall circle size to give me equal divisions.
Unfortunately the acrylic sheet varies greatly depending on the brand. To make alterations to the slot width could have been changed easily using Solidworks but in 2D I had change the grid setting and reconstruct the drawing from scratch.
I wonder if I can construct the drawings in Solidworks and import them to 2D design. I don’t think that is possible as the files are not compatible. Shame, nice thought.
I wonder if I can construct the drawings in Solidworks and import them to 2D design. I don’t think that is possible as the files are not compatible. Shame, nice thought.
I could have cried trying to draw these fish. It is not that I found drawing a fish in 2D design difficult providing I did not mind fish that looked like a three year old had drawn them! Trouble was that I very much minded I wanted fish to the same level as I could achieve by hand drawing them. If I had not been planning to use the CNC milling machine that is exactly what I would have done. I wanted the curves to be precise and the proportions exact. With hindsight I would have taken a whole load of screen shots to evidence my progression but in the grip of pure frustration at not being able to do what I wanted to and holding off the tears I didn’t keep evidence. I can tell you that I drew with immaturity. I discovered the parabola tool and bazar curves but I still didn’t achieve the perfection I wanted.
Sitting quietly at home that evening I used the technique of tracing my fish by laying my cardboard cut outs on the computer screen. Success at last!
Sitting quietly at home that evening I used the technique of tracing my fish by laying my cardboard cut outs on the computer screen. Success at last!
I tried to construct these legs using the drawing tools in
2D design, but again getting the mixture
of accuracy and freeform was proving difficult. It was easy enough producing
one leg but getting a variety of leg shapes using some of my previous
construction was very difficult. Scaling was very hard.
Biff suggested I photocopy drawings import them to 2D design and then tidy them up. It worked! Relief!
I feel like everything I try to do is so difficult to achieve. I think what I need to do to improve is not to give up! Keep trying I am sure I will get there in the end or go slightly insane.
Biff suggested I photocopy drawings import them to 2D design and then tidy them up. It worked! Relief!
I feel like everything I try to do is so difficult to achieve. I think what I need to do to improve is not to give up! Keep trying I am sure I will get there in the end or go slightly insane.
Using a JPeg image from the internet to cut out an octopus using the laser cutter.
And here is my octopus tidied up using the edit tool to make a lovely smooth edged octopus.