INFO
WEEK TWO
COMPUTER AIDED DESIGN
3D DESIGN
As I already knew somethings about fusion 360, I invested more time into it this week. I knew how to use basic tools to model simple structures and designs and since I already studied prospective design, I had basic idea of some three dimension structure will look from different angle so I just incoperated my understanding of the 3D design using the Fusion 360 tools into 3D CAD design. This week I focused more on how I can model faster with shortcuts from the keyboard like 'c' for circle, I found this image useful to understand the shortcut tools from the keyboard.
I also understood the convenience of using parametric designs. parametric allows us to change the dimensions of the designs with many similar parts without the need to address them individually which saves a lot of time if the design get changed in the middle of the designing process. Setting up parameter also makes it easy to assign dimensions of an object with respect to another which is a useful tool to use. I tried solid works too but I found out that Fusion is so much easier to use and has lot of more feature than solid works. Though solid works is much powerful than fusion and is used for heavy designing, I think Fusion 360 is something everyone can learn easily and is very useful & powerful software which is probably why its becoming very powerful. "CAD are meant only for people with degrees in computers science", this was what previously many people believed in but fusion 360 breaks this believe.
Project Parts
In this week, I would like to design gears for my final project. I will design a pully system that will pull in the strings.
The Design Process
So I started the design by creating a sketch and drawing a circle by approxmating the diameter, I'll be using fishing line or bee hive frame line so since the strings are very thin, I only need enough space on the pully as all the required strings can be accomodated in the small space. Then I extruded the circle. I drew a cirle with a small rectangle(for tieing the strings on the pully) on the side by creating a sketch and then I used the revolve tool to make a circle and the rectagle cut around the simple wheel. I finished the design with a hole through the pully for the axel rod to go through.
Advantage of using Fusion 360
The GUI of Fusion 360 is also top of the class and there is a good feeling when using it. This week I designed a water bottle to use many of the features that Fusion 360 offers. I have also tried simulations, animations, rendering, CAM and model modes. I ran across some issues like making a rotating joint and different parts, but this issue was all hopefully solved with on-line resources available on YouTube and Fusion 360 forum.
2D Desgins
In 2D designs, I used coral draw for various of reason. The first reason is it has lot of useful tools and that helps to make vector designs faster and better. Coral draw can also be used for machining directly with laser cutter or printer with extra drivers. This so much useful as it reduces lots of time. Since I already had some basic knowledge in coral draw, this week I focussed in unlocking more features. This week a new skill I learned is using the transformation tool which can help us to make, copy or change orientations of vector path. This tool helps me to make beautiful pattern easily which helps me to make bends in acrylics and woods. I designed a logo concept that I am planning to cut out later during the machining week on vinyl cutter by using just the basic tools of connecting lines and fill bucket and the text tool samilar to paint in microsoft.
RASTER & VECTOR
Raster and vector are two types of images that differ in their composition, resolution, and detail. Raster images are made of pixels, which are tiny square units of color, and vector images are made of paths, which are mathematical lines and shapes. When zoomed in, raster images show the individual pixels, while vector images remain smooth. Raster images have a fixed resolution, which means they can lose quality when enlarged, while vector images can be scaled without losing quality. Raster images can display more colors and nuances than vector images, but vector images allow for more precise editing of shapes and fills. Depending on the use, either raster or vector is used. In the above example, I used VECTOR as I wanted to be able to percisely cut the boundries.
Simple Raster and Vector graphics example
Image Processor
I tried various software for image processing and two of my favorite that I want to share today is GIMP and Photoshop.
Both have their own specialty and I prefer to use each for different purpose. One amazing fact about GIMP is its free for
everyone
to use, thank you GIMP team.
For changing size and pixel of the image, I found GIPM much nicer to use but for more powerful processing
I prefer Photoshop
as there are many professional tools available to use in Photoshop. I think all software are good, its what work for us and
how we work it that makes them great.
Video Editor and Audio Processing.
For video editing, I prefer to use Camtasia as there is even screen recording built into it. And all the video I used are edited in Camtasia. It is same as any other video editing software and is powerful enough to make basic videos that I need. Even professional works can be done here. I am using the trial version of 30 days. One other plus point is its also relatively cheap than other similar software. And its super easy to learn.
This software is easy to use. There is even a basic tool to edit audio but for audio,
I am trying out Audacity. I will also be trying out Blender, there are lots of tools there which looks similar to other cad software but
I am still figuring out how it works.