Solidworks 2009

[Medwin_3sGTE_AE86]

Im definately lucky in my position I am now, to have had the CAM experience. It definately is a help in knowing what is possible and what is not, and enables me to design according to these capabilities of the CNC.

Providing a design to a manufacturer in 2D is easy, virtually all CAD packages are compatible with .dxf files (for example). However, in my experience, when it comes to 3D (solidworks, pro/e, etc) the file formats for saving models are not interchangable in most cases, clever on the program writer's behalf to force more people into using their program, bad for production people. A smart CAM program will have the capabilities to import many many file formats, but not all.

I guess the best idea if you want to get into designing 3D and having these designs manufactured is to do your homework first, find out what file formats the CNC software at your machinist's office accept, and buy/use a design program that will allow you to save in a format that is of most use to you (ie able to send straight to CAM operator ready to import.)

[Joel-AE86]

^^^Fosure.

I've delt with a number of manufacturing/CNC businesses that accept parasolid or STEP file formats (for 3D) and DXF for 2D.

Any CAD/CAM program worth its weight these days should have no issues with importing these file formats.

[Hen may possibly be a nut]

So true. Just because you can draw it in a CAD program doesn't mean you can make it or it is easy to make.

I think practical machining experience is hugely important for anyone designing parts.

Hen

[GOT-20V]

Hey, i do a bit on solidworks but i'm still learning alot!

Here is one of my better ones, i prefer to render in solidworks at the moment as well.

[PuGZoR]

Ooo, forgot about this thread, haha. I've kept potting away with my designs too. I spent ages working on getting a model done for the next generation Razorback. Did about 4 different cases before I started working on getting an exact copy of the USDM AE86 4AGE case, as it's damn small compared to most other Toyota ECU cases. Anyway, a bit of talking with a machinist and I got a model prototyped up out of aluminium. Very very similar physically, but a bit different on the inside. Has some outputs too for a hand controller and USB programming, etc. Looks tops too, very happy with how it turned out, fair bit of work went into it.

[Victim]

Anyone here use Rhino?

I was always a bigger fan of knocking up really simple ideas in Rhino, to get a feel for how things will work / look / interact in 3D.

Although, that's pretty much where Rhino\s usefullness ends haha...

[Kid Karola]

Yeah I like Rhino for free form 3D as surfaces are easier to manipulate.

[Victim]

Hells yeah, my point exactly.

Rhino is nowhere near as strict as SolidWorks, it doesn't mind if you pull that, adjust that, chop that... So as you say, you can manipulate your curves so much faster. But that's also it's downfall... Rhino falls flat when you're trying to determine if anything you make will actually work haha.

[Kid Karola]

It's more illustrative design tool rather then used for mechanical design or engineering. It also doesn't export files well into other applications, so the models are basically chunks use useless data. Alias 3D is much more better but also much more expensive.

[PuGZoR]

I know this thread is kinda old, but... is there anyone here that would be willing to give me a few pointers in terms of analyzing a design? I've mocked up a crankshaft, and I'd really like to put it through some kind of test to get it balanced. I've upgraded to SW2k10 SP0.0, but it's not that much different from 2k9. I'd settle for someone balancing it for me, but I'd prefer to be taught how to fish instead of being given a fish. Even a point to a good tutorial would be awesome.