Week Three

~ Computer-aided design ~

Assignment: Model (raster, vector, 2D, 3D, render, animate, simulate, ...) a possible final project


This week, the first steps of the final project are carried out. What I know about my final project is that I will need to design the casing, which is a wooden or plastic box that will cover my the pcb but I don't know yet the size of my pcb. This week, I will learn how to design the box in both 2D and 3D.

According to the time I have, I can only learn two design software. I chose Inkscape for 2D design and FreeCad for 3D design.


Let's start with Inkscape !

Step1: Installing Inkscape


You can Download and install Inkscape here.

Step2: Taking online tutorials


Since I have not used Inkscape before, I took some time to go through tutorials to learn basics on how to get started with Inkscape. I found a great serie of tutorials on Youtube.

Step3: Using the commands I learned to design the box


A) Setting up the page size and grid


inkscape inkscape inkscape

B) Draw the sides of the box using nominal dimensions (type the dimensions rather than drawing exactly)


inkscape inkscape

C) Use the path tools for tabs and slots


The union command is used to create tabs and The difference command is used to create slots

inkscape

We need to create a cutter to be able to create slots. Here, I made a copy of the side part and changed its color to red to indicate that it's a cutter.

inkscape

The cutter (in red) has to be on the top, to raise the cutter on the top I used bellow command

inkscape inkscape inkscape

The difference command will directly create the slot

inkscape inkscape inkscape inkscape inkscape inkscape inkscape inkscape

D) Set line color and thickness for laser cutting


Select all the image and left click on the bottom left cross box, shift click on the color you would like the lines to have.

inkscape inkscape

Click to object, go to fill and stroke to verify the stroke style for laser cutting. I changed it to 0.001in width

inkscape inkscape

E) Save as Pdf


Remove the grid (click on view) and save as pdf

inkscape inkscape

~ Learning FreeCad ~

Step1: Installing FreeCad


You can Download and install FreeCad here.

freecad

Step2: Taking online tutorials


I found a few online tutorials on Youtube. This was my favorite:

Step3: Using the commands I learned to design the box



Create a new project

freecad

Click on create new sketch, select the XY palne and draw the top of the box.

freecad freecad

Give it the dimensions by selecting the line and using the vertical and horizontal icon.

freecad

Remove constraint and make it symetrical to the XY axis

freecad freecad

Click close and Use the pad tool to create the 3D dimension.

freecad

Create a new sketch on the top and give it the dimensions, indicating the width of the box

freecad

Create the box pocket with one of the tool above:

freecad freecad

Conclusion:

When it comes to choosing the best design software, it can be hard, especially when you don't have experience with any other design software. For me I chose Inkscape and FreeCad because they are free, open-source and they are compatible with any operating system. Meaning that I could learn and use it anytime, anywhre. These two facts pushed me to learn more and focus on them during the completion of my assignments and future projects.

Inkscape is also ranked as one of the best professional quality vector graphics software. It is highly recommended for beginners. I chose to focus on it because it is very easy to use and has great tutorials to help you get started and advance.

FreeCad is also ranked as one of the best 3D parametric modeler. I chose it because it is free and I can access it on my PC anytime. It is recommended for beginners and helps in creating the best 3D objects. Though, I found it is very hard to get good tutorials to get started with FreeCad.



Files:


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