3. Computer Aided design¶
Concept: Raster & Vector softwares¶
Raster graphics are composed of pixels, while vector graphics are composed of paths. A raster graphic, such as a gif or jpeg, is an array of pixels of various colors, which together form an image.Raster data model record value of all the points of the area covered which required more data storage than model represented by the vector model.
In this week of Computer Aided Design (CAD), I explored:
1. Raster
a. GIMP
b. Photoshop
2. Vector
a. Corel Draw
b. Inkscape
3. 3D
a. Fusion 360
b. Solidworks
GIMP:¶
I took tutorials on YouTube to learn this software.Davies Media Design
a. Installing GIMP and Setting Preference:
1. Theme setting to system which made the background White.
2. Icon theme to legacy which made the icons colourfrul.
3. Setting system resources: to allow the internal memory usage by the software.
4. Image Size: Width to 1920 and Height to 1080. X & Y are also important because while displaying on website we want to compress the image(72 ppi) as far as possible on the other hand during print we want a high resolution(300 ppi). Higher resolution would mean adding more information.
5. Window Type to single: Setting up window type to Single window. In single Window mode everything is put on 1 window. Makes easier to work on GIMP. Main areas are:
Tool Box: I tried various tools and created a few designs. The interface is good.¶
1. Rectangle:
A. Normal
B. Union
C. Difference
D. Intersection
2.Crop Tool:
To cut a part of a picture.
3.Cage Transform tool: Isolate a part of the image by making nodes. Dragged the nodes to see the change. By selecting the area+ Shift we can get the nodes activate. Active notes are in square shape.
4.Warp Transform Tool: We can basically change pixels in these. We
can move pixels, grow area, shrink area.
I have enlarged the eyes of the human and shrinked the eyes.
5.Perspective Tool:Using this tool we can fix a image into another image excatly from edge to edge.
6.Scissor select tool & Path tool:One can easily crop from point to point a part of image from a big image.
7.Duplicate of layer:I really liked the feature of layers. Using CAD for the first time it took me time to understand the importance of layers. Once layer selected we can duplicate and get the copies of image.
8. Scale & Move tool: We can incarese or decarease the size of images using scale tool and fit it into other place or image using move tool.
Corel Draw:¶
In Corel Draw I made my visiting card using the following tools:
1. Rectangle: Simply selecting a normal rectangle or making a 3 point rectangle. We can adjust the length, breadth by making the size small or big otherwise directly entering values in the tool bar. The position of rectangle can be adjusted by giving values to X and Y axis.
2. Contour: We can have a contour to the rectangle. Outside, inside or centre all 3 contours can be sketched.
3. Outline Pen: Using the tool we can decide the spacing between the dots of the line.
4. 2-Point line & Shape Tool: We can make straight lines selecting 2 points.Using shape tool we can give curves to straight lines.
5. Smart fill tool: We can colors to the area we have selected.
6. Final image after using Colour Eyedroper and Interactive fill tool:
Corel Draw design files available here
Inkscape:¶
I really like the tool “Path” of Inkscape and explored it thorughly by making a lot of designs.“Path” too has feautres:
a.Union
b.Difference
c.Intersection
d.Exclusion
e.Dvision
f. Combine
a.Union:This will mearge the intesecting parts and make the image as a single whole image.
b.Exclusion: This tool will delete the intersecting area.
Using the above tools made designs to clearly show the effect:
The below image made using the tool”Combine”
Inkscape design files available here
Fusion 360:¶
1.Setting Preferences: The first step is to look at the preferences and set it to our convenience.
2. Data panel and Creating new project: The left most side of the screen has Data Panel. Here we can create a new project and inside it creates folders and uploads files from our local system.
3. Selecting Workspace: Fusion 360 has options of various workspaces like Model, Animation, Drawing, Patch etc. The tools change slightly with changing workspace.
4. Display settings:At the bottom we have the icon to change the display and the background changes with the settings.
5. Viewports: Gives the option to have a single view or multiple views. The command key is in the bottom.
6. Grid & Snaps: users according to their preference may wish to have or not have grids in the background of their design. The command key is in the bottom.
7. Sketch: This important tool gives us the options to make 2D shapes like line, rectangle, circle, eclipse, arc, polygon, slot etc.
8. Create: We can make 3D shapes like box, cylinder, sphere, torus, pipe, coil etc.
9. Versions: With every change in the design there is asterisk (*) mark on the folder name which signifies some changes have been made.
I moved the handle and saved the file 4 times so is the file name V4. I can see the details of every change.
I have made a wine tester glass in Fusion 360:¶
1. Selected plane & Attached Canvas: Insert>attached canvas and selected the image on a wine glass saved in the local system.
2. Line & Spline tool: Sketch>Line, Sketch>Spline, drew the boundary of half the image of the glass using straight line and the curve tool.
3. Offset & Trim: Used Offset and selected the sketched curve and got the exact copy of my sketch and used it as the thickness of the glass. The unnecessary lines were deleted using the tool Trim.
4. Hide Canvas & Revolve: Hiding the canvas vanished the wine glass photo. On revolve tool 3D wine glass appeared.
Wine glass design files available here
Solidworks¶
I am learning the software from tutorials Ioniya Edu
1.Three basic types of files in Solid Works:
a. Part: It is just to make a 3D design component.
b. Assembly: To assemble parts mode in Solidworks or any other software and imported in Solidworks
c. Drawing: To make sketches/drawings/2D engineering drawing typically of a part or assmebly.
Solidworks Interface:
1.Feature Manager: design tree is on the left most side of the screen
2. Graphics Area: is the white area in the centre
3. Sketch: In the beginning to make any part we need sketch or a 2D design. Sketch tab is present on the top left corner and it has various shapes.
4. Plane: We need to define plane before every sketch. We have the choice to select one out of top,front and right planes.
5. Heads-up view toolbar: in the top section of Graphics plane. It has the access to most used commands.
6. Smart Dimensions: Gives options to define any kind of angle,sides etc deminesions to the shapes.
7. Task Panel: on the right hand side which is visible below.
2.Fillets and Chamfer Tool: In engineering we never have sharp corners. We either have fillets or chamfer. The drawing below I have used the Chamfer and fillets command in the same design.
2 ways of applying fillets:
a. Fillets to the base structure
b. Applying fillets to solid body.
3D modelling in Solidworks:
3. Smart Dimension: Using the command we can resize lengths, angle of any side of the design.
4. Extruded Boss/Base: 2D designs can be converted to 3D objects.
5. Mirror: selecting the entity to mirror and the axis we get the exact copies of the design.
6. Construction geometry: Any entity we convert to construction geometry will not be extruded. The line type of the selected design changes.
7.Linear pattern in Solidworks:
We can make linear pattern in X and Y direction. I have used the tool in both the direction in the design.
8.Creating Helix: this command is insert>curves>helix. Adding degree we can make tapper Helix.
Solidworks design files available here
Learnings and my Software Comparison:¶
1.I liked the feature of Corel Draw that each tool has a name and description. When the pick tool goes near the discription appears. Being a beginner this information was very useful to me.
2. One point I did not like about GIMP is it doesn’t have a select tool.
3.A difference between Photoshop and GIMP is in GIMP when you move a layer you can see the layers in the background. It is not the same case with the Photoshop.
4. In Inkspace when we want a new file it only opens in a different window unlike Corel Draw where we can have different files on top bar in the same window. It becomes very convenient to switch between files.
5. I loved the feature of fusion 360 that all our files are saved on the software. So everytime we use the software the files are very handy and can be organised in different folders. In case, the local system breaks down even then we will have all our files safe on software.
6. I realised SOlidwoks interface is user friendly. It was easy to learn the software.