2. Computer Aided design¶
This week we were introduced to alot of softwares(2d, 3d, image and video editing softwares) which was in fact very interesting to get to play with them as I start learning more about them. The only challenge this week was the frequent mood swings as in Bhutan it’s our third lockdown and it has been more than 21 days and we also experienced heavy snowfall which let to network congestions and internet connections were fluctuating every now and then.
But somehow I could tackle all of them and get through successfully with one foot on the chest of all of them obstacles. What I did the whole week has been detailed below;
Task in hand¶
- Use few 2D and 3D design softwares(minimum 2 each).
- Model final project sketch using 2D design software.
- Demonstrate and describe the usage of 2D design software.
- Model final project using 3D design software and show how you did it.
- Put original files while documenting.
- Compress your images and videos and show the process in the documentation.
2D design¶
The 2d design is the one that is composed of only two dimensions, the length and the width or we can say a design with only x and y-axis. Following are some of the elements that you have to be familiar with while doing 2D designing;
- Line: A line is the path of a point, or the connection between two points. Lines can be made on their own, or they can be created where two shapes meet.
- Shape: Shape is a perceivable area. Shapes can be created by lines or by color or value changes that define edges. The shape itself is the positive space, and the space around the shape is the negative space.
- Value/Tone: It’s the relative lightness or darkness of an area.
- Texture: Texture is the perceived look, feel, or quality of a surface.
- Color: Means human perception of different wavelengths of visible light; Component parts include hue (the name of the color; example:blue).
- Saturation: Purity or intensity of the color.
- Value: Relative lightness or darkness of the color.
The above meantioned are some of the basic elements that we have to be familiar with while doing a 2D design.
There are two types of computer graphics: raster graphics, where each pixel is separately defined (as in a digital photograph), and vector graphics, where mathematical formulas are used to draw lines and shapes, which are then interpreted at the viewer’s end to produce the graphic.
You can see in the raster image having squares forming the image which are pixels where as in the vector image you can see a clear image of the leaf without any pixels.
Raster Graphics¶
Raster images, also known as bitmaps, are comprised of individual pixels of color. Each color pixel contributes to the overall image.Raster images are capable of rendering complex, multi-colored visuals, including soft color gradients. Digital cameras create raster images, and all the photographs you see in print and online are raster images.There are different types of raster files: JPG, GIF, and PNG are examples, and each file type has its own nuances.Raster images are ideal for photo editing and creating digital paintings in programs such as Photoshop and GIMP , and they can be compressed for storage and web optimized images.
Vector Graphics¶
Unlike raster graphics, which are comprised of colored pixels arranged to display an image, vector graphics are made up of paths, each with a mathematical formula (vector) that tells the path how it is shaped and what color it is bordered with or filled by.Since mathematical formulas dictate how the image is rendered, vector images retain their appearance regardless of size. They can be scaled infinitely. Vector images can be created and edited in programs such as Illustrator, CorelDraw, and InkScape
Because vectors can be infinitely scaled without loss of quality, they’re excellent for logos, illustrations, engravings, etchings, product artwork, signage, and embroidery. Vectors should not be used for digital paintings or photo editing; however, they’re perfect for projects such as printing stickers that do not include photos.
2D design softwares¶
For this week we were told to use one 2D raster graphic design software and one 2D vector graphic design software so i chose the following softwares accordingly;
- Gimp(raster graphics)
- Inkscape(vector Graphics)
GIMP(GNU Image Manipulation Program )¶
The first 2D software that we were introduced to was GIMP(GNU Image Manipulation Program). GIMP is a cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, macOS, Windows and more operating systems. It is free software, you can download it from here. GIMP provides the tools needed for high quality image manipulation. From retouching to restoring to creative composites, the only limit is your imagination.
With the help of GIMP you can customize your images in the following areas;
- Retouch Images.
- Scale images.
- Draw pictures.
- Conversion of graphical file types.
- Design texts and graphic rich banners.
- Create animated GIFS.
Gimp’s layout is shown in the image below;
Gimp’s layout looks complex at first but can be understood as five main sections. Toolbox- Contains all your tools. The toolbox is broken into four main tools namely selection tools, paint tools, transform tools and other tools. Tool option- Contains settngs for the tool you have selected. Canvas- will display your image or composition. Layers, channels, paths- displays the items mentioned in its name displaying the layers panel first by default. Brushes, patterns & fonts- this panel displays those items mentioned in its name.
Most of the images I used till now have been scaled down using Gimp and the following image shows how I did it:
For final project, I have decided to make a fountain lamp with speaker and ultrasonic sensor where by the audio is triggered by the ultrasonic sensor if it detects any movements within 100 cm range. I will be 3d printing the fountain lamp and will be inserting led strips inside to make it a lamp. So my first final project sketch I tried in GIMP. It will consist of 3 bodies, the fountain, glass bowl and a wooden box for keeping the electronic parts inside. To sketch the final project, I used free hand drawing with the help of pencil and paintbrush. So it came out to be something like given in the following image.
To understand more about the usage of gimp you can refer this beginner’s tutorial and slowly advance to complex designing tutorials online.
Inkscape¶
Inkscape is a free software multimedia and graphic design tool that lets you create vectors with all the versatility and simplicity you need. Inkscape features a full suite of design tools to let you work with scalable vector graphics that are referred to as SVG. It also lets you work with raster images as well. You can download Inkscape from here. Inkscape is free and open source.
Features¶
A spray tool lets you pretend that you have a spray can in your hand that lets you instantly put a preselected shape onto the canvas. The spray tool can create multiple objects at the same time. The eraser functions as a drawing tool since the path that you draw with the eraser will become erased. While you can slice through vector graphics with the eraser, you cannot remove portions of text with the tool.
The zoom tool is a convenient feature that lets you drag and drop a selection area above your vector image to get closer to the details. You can zoom in to vector images as closely as you want since the image resolution quality will not be impacted.
Advantages of using Inkscape¶
- Easy to use
- Open source
- Cross platform
- Clean user interface
- Complete suite of tools
With the help of this tutorial I was able to explore some of the Inkscape functions like fill and stroke, grouping, allignment, bezier curves and lots more. Everything you need to learn about the Inkscape is availabe on Youtube.
You can draw different parts and then join/group them to be one. Just select the parts you want to group and then go to Object>> group and then the object will be made one just like shown in the image below;
For uniform allignment of the objects you have to first select the objects, go to objects>> allign and distribute and then choose the kind of allignment you need.
I tried to sketch my final project using Inkscape, for that I used bezier curve tool to draw the whole thing and used some square and circle shapes for the speaker, box and the ultrasonic sensor.. The sketch came out like given below;
3D design softwares¶
- Fusion 360
Fusion 360¶
Fusion 360 is a cloud-based 3D modeling software platform for product design and manufacturing.
Features¶
- A 3D design and modeling platform.
- Sketching.
- Direct modeling.
- Surface modeling.
- Parametric modeling.
- Mesh modeling.
- Freeform modelling.
- Rendering.
- PCB design integration.
- Assemblies. You can read more about the Fusion360 features here.
At first I found the fusion360 software a little complicated but as and when I went on using it and designing stuffs, it felt a lot easier and user friendly. You can get alot of Fusion360 tutorials online. For my final project for CAD design I needed a hollow lamp shade kind of boject with about 4mm thickness which will make the leds light through and form a lamp. So starting off firstly I opened fusion360 and went to cerate sketch to make the shape of the lamp.
First I used the’create sketch’ function to make the sketch of half side of the lamp using ‘fit point spline’ with proper measurements. I drew only the half side so as to make it possible to use the ‘revolve’ function to make it round in shape.
Once the sketch is completed, press finish sketch, select the profile and use the ‘revolve’ function to make it round using 360 degrees as shown below;
Now to make the lamp hollow from inside so that I can attach the led strip inside I used the ‘shell’ function from ‘modify’ as shown below. I kept the thickness as 4 mm so that the led light can easily pass outside.
Now that the body was complete, I had to make the tip of the fountain through which the water pumped up using a DC pump will flow down. For that I again sketched the shape of the tip first with given measurements first.
Next I extruded the sketch by 15 mm.
Now I started using the ‘hole’ function to make holes for the water to pass through inside the tip of the fountain.
For my final project these are the two parts I will be 3D printing. The box for electronics will be made using laser cutter.
Design files¶
tip of the fountain
top body of the fountain
bottom body of the fountain