3. Computer Aided design¶
This week I worked on defining my final project idea and started to design my final project.
Autodesk Fusion 360¶
I used Autodesk Fusion 360 since its the program I am most familiar using. First, I designed the desired shape of the mat (rectangle), then continuenly added different layers of sketches of the same width and height. Then, I changed the depth of the different materials based if they were copper or foam layers. After I finished the thicknesses, I started getting to the LED display.
Troubles with Autodesk Fusion 360¶
I found that it was pretty hard to undo mistakes in Fusion 360 mainly because it was hard to see them unless you went back in the log. I found this was hard to do, especially between width to width.
This is the product that I want to make for my Molding and Casting week. I’ll need it to be a two part mold, however.
Here are some of my public links to my designs!
https://a360.co/2QmkXoK
https://a360.co/2W3Nq8Q
This is the ball inside of a cube file that I made for week 5! 3D design has never been my forte, but this little project is easy to make and fun to finish afterwards!
FreeCAD¶
To be honest, I thought FreeCAD was for sure going to give me a virus, but now I’ve learn to love it. It feels a lot different that Autodesk Fusion 360, but they do feel very similar. I’m not mad at it, I think it’s a very useful tool, its just not my first choice. While I was able to do more on Autodesk Fusion 360, I feelt that if I knew more about FreeCAD, I’d be better versed in it a lot more..d would enjoy it more.
Troubles with FreeCAD¶
I had a lot of trouble with FreeCAD. Downloading it was one heck of a job, especially since I had to put it through my virus scanner. I also didn’t exactly know how to differentiate different models besides with their width. I did follow a couple tutorials though, but I felt that it should have been easier to get to different areas of the service than it was. This is why I prefer Fusion 360 to FreeCAD, though I really appreaciate it’s openness. It’s something I can keep with me after my Fusion 360 lease expires.