Week2
Computer aided design

Trying new tools

I love discovering new tools, I just finished installing the ones I could and should...Mainly following this list.I am going to try them one by one and see if I can add some to my work flow.

RASTER

Gimp: I am using it regularly for photo edits.
Pixlr: I like that it is online, I was able to edit one of my drawings, smoothing the strokes and adding colors to elements like underlining text.
Tiny PNG: Nice and quick jpg and png online, somehow I was not able to download a .jpg version and only got a .jifi file that I can not open in gimp...?

VECTOR

Inkscape: Love it, been using it for years, here is the inkscape file of the base designed for the first prototype of my final project, I ´m going to spend more time trying other tools for now.
Autodraw: nice for quick sketch and drawing, also lots of nice icons the only way I found to save the work is by screen captures. I need practice with the tablet...
Gravity design pro: The “advance” export option (JPG,PNG,PDF…) is not available for the free version.
Sketch pad: Similar to the previous sketch tool, this one allows for work download into different formats.
QCAD: not free, QCAD: not free, I mean you have to restart the software every 15min? moving on

THREE-DIMENSIONAL

Free CAD I am struggling a little with free cad, it is actually disappointing, I was hoping for something fairly intuitive but it may also be that I am getting used to Fusion.
I tried to build a simple parametric finger joint box and I honestly can find the nice features and usability that fusion provides. I will have to dig a little deeper for that one.

Blender: Installed it as some of our students uses it. I would like to see what is new, I tried it a long time ago, it is nicer, and for animation its great but I find myself looking for tools and functions. I prefer fusion.
Sverchok Plug-in: Works with blender, requires additional sofwear for it to work on an old version of blender, I couldn´t try it.
Metasequoia: CG design tool...couldn´t find a version for ubuntu. It looks like there is no unit display and more features not available in the free version. maybe I am just trying to find an excuse but I just don't feel it will be useful for me at this moment.
Fusion 360: Probably will be using this, I have been trying to get better as I feel it is a very complete package... Here is the start of the project
X design: Are we talking about the 3Dcreator part of the 3DExprerience from Solidworks? It looks very similar to fusion, a component and part modeling tool, I haven't tried it yet...
Sculpt GL: very nice love it for organic 3D shape, remind me of Zbruch
BlocksCAD: very similar to tinkercad code design section.
Beetle Bloks: nice, But I didn´t like the user interface.
Unity: Used it before for game development, never needed it since.
Houdini: There was a time when I would probably have used it a lot for animation fx edits but not anymore...
Meshmixer Use it a lot to modify/inspect 3D files: hollowing, inspections, fixes and perp for slicing.

NOTE: There are a few that I have not tried and probably won't, or because I can do what it provides in other tools or it is just not for me.

Unreal engine: account needed, looks like a game dev. could be useful for renders but...

Godot Engine (lo mismo que Unreal pero opensource): same as the above

Vectary: need to set up an account.

GrabCAD: no, thank you

Retopologia Did not try it

CAD

Qcad: See in the vector section

Archimedes: Tried to install it but it looks like it requires some additional software, maybe I did something wrong during installation…? Anyways it looks more for architecture, moving on to the next one.
Libre CAD: Nice for 2d, but I prefer inkscape, then there is the snap tool, not sure if it helps or if it makes me lose time. Also a little buggy when I delete layers, it keeps shuting down. I don´t know if I like this interface either.
Solvespace: I started but I stopped, just really don't like the interface feels like Beetle Blocks.

I think now I am going to stick with fusion360. I have started using it a while ago and getting used to it, also It is a full package for additive, subtractive processes and much more.

So I try to draw quickly a representation of what I would like to produce.

Here are the first renders I tried.

I have yet to try and share a fusion project and see if I can put a 3d viewer on this page, maybe do an animation but I think I´ll wait for the assembly and animate that.

So, the new laser machine arrived this morning...

But the extractor is going to take a few more days so I am going to set it up with the existing extraction system we already have...For that! We need an adapter for the tube because of course the tubing diameter we have for one does not fit the other…

I will take this opportunity and try to design it and add parameters that allow for diameter adjustments.

A 3D view...



Here is a wee clip to see the parameters working, it is not perfect, meaning that if the diameters have a big difference, it may start to affect the shape.
In addition the thickness can also be adjusted.

Just put it to print this morning...

Here is the finished print installed, perfect fit!

If you want to play with the parameters and make your own adapter, here is a .zip archive with the fusion project file, you can also download an stl version here.