Use different tools and techniques to draw in 2d & 3d
Tools Used in This Assignment
For the final project i was thinking of making a Braille printer. Thus in this assignment I decided to try and draw a second scetch for my final project.Of course it's a first version which must be revised and modified after having mastered fusion 360°.
Inkskape
Inkscape is a free and open-source vector graphics editor. This software can be used to create or edit vector graphics such as illustrations, diagrams, line arts, charts, logos,and complex paintings. Inkscape's primary vector graphics format is Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG); however, many other formats can be imported and exported.
This is the inkscape interface
The design of my final project was not fixed in my brain so I tried to make the design of some parts in 2D to better fix the ideas. So I started with the left part of my machine which contains the motors and which is connected with the right part starting from the guiding and fixing axes.
Here I started by drawing the location of the fixing axis and also one of the motors, I used the rectangle shape found in the Toolbox.
After I drew the location of the cylindrical guide axis and also one of the motors, I used the circle shape found in the Toolbox noting that you have to click on "ctrl" to get a circle otherwise you will draw an ellipse. And to finish the frame of the piece I used the Pen (Bezier) tool ( Shift + F6 ) able to draw a sequence of straight line segments with only a series of clicks
In this drawing you will find the outer frame of the piece in gray, the location of the fixing axis in yellow and that of the guide axis in orange. The coloring is done by the tool (Shift + F7) and you can change and choose the color according to the palette below the canvas.
This first drawing helped me to fix the ideas and to think in detail about the measures and dimensions of my part and my machine too . A second 2D sketch is made in detail with the molten dimensions which will be the basis of the 3D design.
Fusion360
Fusion 360 is autodesk's latest addition to thier family. It is available free for educational purposes for three years. The software is cloud based and its good for colaboration. Along with being CAD software it offers CAM workspace.The interface of the software is bretty good, everything you need you will find it on single page.
These are links to resources I have found helpful here.
After opening Fusion360, go to File → New design and you will have a new workplac or open a design already made from your computer or your project .
When everything is ready go to Create → Create Sketch and choose which shape you want to have. You should choose the plane first and then start creating on it. Here I did the same part that I did with inkscape.
When the Sketch is ready,you have to press Finish sketch. After that you should Create → Extrude to give your model height.
Here is my work on fusion 360 , this version is not the last one but through it I noticed that I have to list the necessary material before making my design so I have to take the measures and dimensions of all the parts (rods, engines).
Final Thoughts
Although personaly I use Freecad before but its problem is that sometime it would crash before starting anything .Also I used solidworks and it has all the features to enable you to truly almost make anything,the only disadvantage I would say is that is price is quite expencive for normal users .If I am to recommend a software for beginners,I will go with fusion 360. It is the best option both for new users and experts, it has range of tools and features and can be used very well for 2d and 3d design add to that its very user friendly. On top of that its free for students and instructers (for 3 year).In my case now I'm going to try to do all the assignments with Fusion360 to better master it, but I'm going to work on my final project with Solidwork since I good at using it and it will save me time for the other tasks in the project.
