Free 3D CAD

[Simon]

Dave Finney hs just shown me some 3mm parts he has made by Shapeways and they were very impressive. Especially an exquisite chimney and a fully built up signal box staircase.

On the basis of what I saw I should think using them as discussed above is a real option.

It all sounded very cheap too, although being based upon volume not quite so for 1/32 scale stuff.

Simon

 

[Neil]

Cheers.  I'm not sure about the quality of the 3D printing at the moment, but the new Shapeways Frosted Ultra Detail looks quite promising at a reasonable cost.  If that doesn't work, there are processes available with higher quality, but these come at a price.  It might be worth it for a one-off master though, I'll have to do a bit more research into it.

You've prompted me to update my findings with FUD. I've had problems. To save repetition I'll direct interested parties to the thread here.

 

[Dan Randall]

Dan - It is a lot easier to use than TurboCAD, once you get into it.  It took me a little while to get my head round it, but now I have I find I'm getting a lot quicker with it.

That buffer looks absolutely superb, even though the head is chromed as well. 

I've been playing with Alibre again tonight and must now go and lie down in a darkened room for several hours.  Not because it's a quarter past midnight, but because it's totally blown my mind!  :-[

By the way, is it possible to include a link to a photo (or photos), of the prototype acid tanks that these parts are destined for?  I'm rather partial to wagons. 


Regards

Dan

 

[Pugsley]

Thanks Dan.  In what way has Alibre blown your mind, a good way?  I've found that using TurboCAD has prepared me quite well for designing in Alibre.

These are the wagons in question:

Nitric tanks: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/trltan ... #h1eb8cbb0
Phosphoric tanks: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/albrig ... phosphoric

I'll probably do the Nitric ones first, as they're slightly easier.

 

[Dan Randall]

Thanks Dan.  In what way has Alibre blown your mind, a good way?   I've found that using TurboCAD has prepared me quite well for designing in Alibre.

These are the wagons in question:

Nitric tanks: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/trltan ... #h1eb8cbb0
Phosphoric tanks: http://paulbartlett.zenfolio.com/albrig ... phosphoric

I'll probably do the Nitric ones first, as they're slightly easier.

Hi Martin

Yes, Alibre has blown my mind in a good way (well the buffer you did certainly made me drool), but it's also proved quite frustrating too, as I can't see any similarities between TurboCAD (which I've started to get the hang of in 3D) and Alibre.

As you seem to be coping better than me, I might well be aiming a couple of questions in your direction, but rather than cluttering up this thread, I'll send you an e-mail or PM. 


Thanks for the link to the wagon photos.    I can see why you want to model them, as they are rather appealing.


Regards

Dan 

 

[28ten]

Dan
have you seen these?
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=756BEF23A9C3D766
I find videos by far the easiest way of learning

 

[Dan Randall]

Dan
have you seen these?
http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=756BEF23A9C3D766
I find videos by far the easiest way of learning

That's an excellent link thanks Cynric. 

I've just watched one of the demo videos and it was very interesting.  Just one thing (and this demonstrates how thick I am with computers), is it possible to make the demo videos full-screen?  What I had in front of me only occupied about 1/8th of the screen!  :-[


Regards

Dan     

 

[JimG]

Just one thing (and this demonstrates how thick I am with computers), is it possible to make the demo videos full-screen?  What I had in front of me only occupied about 1/8th of the screen!  :-[
 

Dan, 

If you click on the box on the bottom right of the smaller YouTube screen (with four small NSEW arrows),  you will get full screen playback.  You press "ESC" to get back to smaller screen.

Jim.

 

[Dan Randall]

Dan, 

If you click on the box on the bottom right of the smaller YouTube screen (with four small NSEW arrows),  you will get full screen playback.  You press "ESC" to get back to smaller screen.

Jim.

Thanks Jim, I'll give that a go later. 


Regards

Dan

 

[Pugsley]

(well the buffer you did certainly made me drool),

Thanks Dan, it looks even better now  :
[attachimg=1]

As you seem to be coping better than me, I might well be aiming a couple of questions in your direction, but rather than cluttering up this thread, I'll send you an e-mail or PM. 

No problem, just drop me a line when you're ready.

 

[28ten]

If all else fails you could print it in chocolate  http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-14030720   

 

[Dan Randall]

Thanks Dan, it looks even better now  :

[attachimg=1]

Arooga! 


Regards

Dan

 

[BrushType4]

Are there any suggestions for Mac?

 

[28ten]

Are there any suggestions for Mac?

Sketchup is probably your best bet and Draftsight is also available, but free sketchup wont export .dxf.
AutoCad mac is also available, and Fusion is available as a technology preview

 

[BrushType4]

Thanks Cynric

 

[BrushType4]

Right, I've got AutoCAD now.

More complicated than I thought. I was wondering if anyone has a DXF file they wouldn't mind sharing so that I can see how its been made while I do the Tutorials?

 

[John K]

I know it's rather late on this thread, but Autodesk Fusion360 allows free use for students and hobbyists.
I've been climbing it's learning curve for two weeks and I am hooked.
I still haven't decided what I'm going to do with my designs; so far I have been treating the whole exercise as an intellectual challenge.
John K

 

[Bill Bedford]

Onshape is also available free use for light use.

 

[Ian G]

Any 3D tutorials with AutoCAD would be good, Im soon to get access to Inventor.

Ian G

 

[Andrew Taylor]

For those new to 3d ad mac owners, I would recommend trying Onshape. With a lot of personal experience supporting high-end CAD/CAM I am very impressed. Easier to get to grips with than Autodesk Fusion 360 No installation required, just register and run from your browser or tablet or phone ( or all 3 at the same time! ) Plenty of tutorials and webinars to get started. There are some limitations on storage, but these can be overcome by making some documents public,