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MachineDesign2008/Mechanical 3D project pictures?


DoWork

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I am curious what other people are designing with VectorWorks (specifically MD2008/Mechanical). I understand if you don't want to post your file, but maybe post a jpeg if possible or just a link to an image of something similar. Perhaps there is already a gallery somewhere on this site that I have not found yet?! I did find one small gallery on www.novedge.com.

I was unsure if I should post this in 3D Solids or MachineDesign, but more people seem to post here. I will be finishing up my first real 3d project using MD2008 within the next couple weeks and will hopefully post some pictures.

thanks,

DW

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Ray, thank you for the quick reply. I believe I saw that gallery when I was looking into VW MD2008. While I find some of those projects to be very impressive (such as Paul Cheng's tripod), some seem (to me at least) to be more "show" than "go". I'm not interested in special lighting or putting a realistic wood grain skin on a part. I'm more concerned with being able to accurately model my parts, constrain many parts into an assembly, and then check for interference/clearance issues. I don't know if Paul Cheng uses this forum but I would love to see detailed and different views of the more difficult/interesting/complex parts that went into the tripod assembly.

I'd love to see some of the stuff that people using the forum are modeling!

Thank you,

DW

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You can certainly use VW for some complicated parts, but it depends on your definition of "Constrain". VW does not have 3D constraints that would say, keep a wheel centered on an axel.

I find that by grouping assemblies I can get enough functionality for what I need.

I have also downloaded and use a 3rd Party add-on (from VectorDepot) called Explosion that will help generate exploded views of drawings. You can even use it multiple times in a drawing to explode different parts in different directions.

Pat

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Pat,

I was thinking of starting a new post asking about assemblies and constraints since I couldn't find any information out about assemblies (searching VW Help has nothing). So I'm guessing you just manually move your parts until they are aligned as best as you can tell. I had two 3D objects modeled (one above the other) with a gap in between them. I had a hard time being able to tell the exact distance (the gap) between the two objects. The tools did not seem to snap to anything and I believe I had the proper "Snap to Object" and other options in the "Constraints" window selected. I will have to look into that more I guess.

So, grouping the objects locks them to each other in such a way that they can only move in unison, and not relative to one another (I'll look up grouping object on Monday). Not being able to constrain parts has me a little worried though. I would assume then that VW does not have any interference warnings.

thanks for the response Pat,

DW

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If you have an assembly, put all the objects in the proper place and then group them. Each object will remain individual (with individual attributes/textures), but you can move the whole thing as one object. Snaps in 3D are still a little hit and miss. The best way I have found is to find the correct view and then zoom way in (~5000%) and use nudge. Or use the align commands to put one side of the objects at the same point and then move one the proper distance to get the placement you want.

Nope, no interference warnings. The poor mans version is to select two objects at a time, duplicate them and do an intersect surface command. If you get an intersection, then you know that there is interference.

Pat

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That is interesting. Snapping in 3D seems fairly important to me, and while I currently do zoom way in to insure that lines and arcs are closed (which seems, to me at least, to be another problem), I don't really feel comfortable using that technique to align holes and such in 3D.

Does anyone else have any images of what they are designing?

Thanks,

DW

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  • 2 months later...

Yes I also have problems with object snapping in 3D. I find it frustrating that you have to change views to get objects into the correct alignment.

Why when in ISO view can I not snap to object corners, for instance.

Does anyone know if there are plans to rectify this problem?

GW

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I use some workarounds, but better native performance and a 3d dimensioning tool would really help:

1. Create assembly components using ordinal views, then create symbol of assembly, even if the symbol will have only one instance. If an instance is rotated, edits are still performed in ordinal views.

2. Align command works with 3d objects. Alignment occurs relative to view plane. eg in plan view a bunch of objects can be aligned on a vertical shaft with horiz and vert align set to center.

3. Paste command always locates on object center.

4. Insert 3d loci, 3d lines or other guide objects, as snap guides within assembly components - center of shape, shaft axis, ends of shaft axis, insertion point of symbol, etc.

5. Manage object and component positioning with OIP.

Lots of work in some cases, and does not address constraints for interference.

-B

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3d positioning is a pain - Benson Shaw's list of workarounds summarises things precisely.

I always work/build using the cardinal views and make use of whatever snap points work (take care that the right options are selected on the constraints palette, double click on some to get further options). You need to know the dimensions of what you are drawing fairly intimately so that you can use the 2d move command to achieve the alignments you need; drawing becomes a pretty mathematical process but the positioning is absolutely correct.

Frequently I find myself drawing 2d circles/lines/arcs/rectangles over 3d objects to add more effective snap points, shift-clicking to select the underlying 3d object as well, moving the selection too where it needs to go and then deleting the overlying 2d object afterwards.

The original lead on this thread was pictures of things designed with VW Mech. I haven't updated to 2008 yet so all my stuff is 12.5.3 drawn. Website : http://www.padcouk.com I make large self propelled potato harvesting machinery; there are a number of pictures scattered over the website but most particularly at http://www.padcouk.com/computerpics/computerpictures.html

There are of course many others other than those on the website. Incidentally for animations I use Cheetah as well as VW.

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Whoa, Charlie P - What a great set of drawings in your potato harvester!! In-house design and manufacture? Do you translate directly from VW to CNC cutting, milling, machine work? or fab work done printouts?

Nested symbols are another thing to add to the 3d assembly creation and the snap and alignment techniques. A symbol added with the paste command inserts at the symbol center. A symbol added with the Insert Symbol tool inserts at the origin defined during symbol creation. Objects added to a nested symbol may shift the geometric center, but not the symbol origin.

-B

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Thanks Benson,

Mostly in house design & manufacture; we sub out some of the larger machining work (some components weigh 3/4 of a ton and my lathes aren't up to that) but the majority is in house. Our lathes & mills are not full CNC (numerical readout but no programming) so turned & milled components are from drawings; we have a Hydefinition Hypertherm plasma cutter with a Burny controller able to cut to 1" plate which we indirectly program from VW - sequence is this - design part in vw (all the way to 3d), extract by various means the 2d version of the face of the plate, export a dxf of that over wireless link to the Windoze lump beside the plasma, import the dxf into the cutting program and add cut paths, nest with other bits, add the settings for the Burny etc. then export from that to the burny and cut the parts. Prolonged but flexible and not too many disasters yet (parts coming off at 1/25.4 size is easily done).

Some fab work is subbed out too which means talking to Solidworks, Radarn, Inventor etc. which can be very entertaining; 3d export as SAT or IGES tends to segment arcs when imported into foreign systems which is a real pain - no such problem importing their stuff.

I don't make anywhere near so much use of symbols as I should, I shall instill some disciple and make sure I get a firm handle on it.

Sorry to cross thread slightly but I was reading another post that was bemoaning the lack of sheet metal tools in VW (fold & unfold etc) - this would be seriously handy in my situation.

Charlie

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  • 2 months later...

VW 3D capabilities is extremely limited and it looks like they not goiing to do very much about it. Very inconsitent and deform some extrusions and work done on extrusions or 3D forms. Snapping and joining is terrible issue.

The best you can get now for the price of one VW Designer + Renderworks with one upgrade is IntelliCad with Arch, Mech & Struct with both added programs having FEA capabilities - it is AC based and can take a host of other valuable engineering add on packages that is a standard for a CAD today. This make VW a very much overpriced accurate for 2D Drawing Program and not a CAD for today's 3D needs.

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clb,

I am very sorry that you are having problems, but you may be talking out of turn. I for one have not seen the problems you are talking about.

I have some every complicated 3D objects (more than 20 steps deep, additions, subtractions, sections, fillets, chamfers). Most of this started in VW11 and has been upgraded first o VW12 and now to VW2008. These are accurate to the nearest 1000th. I can not find any indication of the types of problem you are talking about.

I understand it is not working for you, and you are upset, but many, many people are not seeing your problems.

Pat

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It is at TECH and acknowledged - sitting with the same right now.

It started fairly well in SP1 but there after it went haywire.

Yep - mad at heck as a simple 1 day dwg is goiing for 3 days and it is embedded in VW as the old Drawing Program. Just suffering through this one and the it is the last one.

If you can supply E-Mail I will ZIP this one of 63 MB and then you can try it as a complete file. Seems if I copy and paste only a part of the multiple problems then it is OK. It is the latge files that VW gets suddenly stuck with.

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