Week 2: Computer Aided Design

This week we worked on designing possible parts or components of our final projects.

2D CAD

Vector sofware 1: Cuttle

I used these tutorials by cuttle, here is part 1, and part 2. The first step in the tutorial was creating a polygon. The first step I took in cuttle was to make a five sided polygon centered on the center of the grid. I then made a rectangle connected to one side of the polygon. The next tool I used was the rotational repeat under the modify dropdown menu to make 5 copies of the rectangle around the polygon.

Next I selected the polygon and rectangles by dragging my mouse across the screen and using the Boolean union tool, it merged the shapes to make a this one:

Next I used the path tool to create a shape similar to a tear. The path tool is located on the top of the screen to the right of the cursor. When using the path tool, you must hold down the left click as you drag your mouse to create curved lines rather than straight ones. After this I used the rotational repeat tool again to make 5 more copies.

On the right side of the screen are your recent actions, I took the rotational repeat I made on the tear, and dragged it to the group everything else was in. Now whenever I make a shape under this group, it is rotated around the shape making more copies

After adding more details, circles, tears, and a smiley face, I was finished with my design and saved the file as an svg.

Cuttle Review

I think cuttle is a great 2D design software that would fit most people in their designs. However I think that cuttle is a bit too simple for some complex designs. I will most likely be using cuttle for my final project.

Raster Software: GIMP

As my 2D raster design software I tried GIMP for the first time. I used this tutorial by gimp to make a floating logo. The first step I took was making a new project from the file dropdown menu. I dimensioned it 256x128 pixels. Then I used the text tool (shaped like an “A”) to type my intials DJF.

Next I made a new from visable by right clicking on my text on the right directory and choosing new from visable. I then selected the newly created visable layer and under the filters tab on the top, I chose blur>Gaussian Blur. In the tutorial they chose 7 as the value to blur, however that seemed far to much for me, so I chose 2.5 instead.

To make the text colorful, I made a new layer by selcting layer on the top then I selcted the layer the pressed filters>render>noise>plasma then the OK button.

to make the text colored rather than the backround, I used the bump map command. to do this I used filters>map>bump map. In the bump map page, I pressed the question mark and selcted the visable layer and set the depth to 6. Then I added a layer mask by selected layer>mask>add layer mask. Then I copied and pasted the entire visable layer onto the new layer I made on the last step. then I pressed layer>anchor layer

Then I made a new layer and made the backround color dark grey with the fill bucket. For the final step I made a shadow on the text by dublicating the visable layer then I clciked on that layer and used colors>invert then layer>transparency>color to alpha. This created a shadow. Then I used the move tool(four arrows in different directions) to move the text up and to the left a bit to mkae the shadow look real.

My attempt without a tutorial: My idea was to make a battleship logo in gimp, I started by creating a new file and typing battleship with the text tool.

Then i edited the backround by clicking on it in the history bar. Then I chose the design blue web.

Next I added a blur to the text and a white border. Here is the final image:

Gimp review

In my opinion I think gimp is a very complicated version of a simpler image editor. I find it far to complicated for anything I would use it for. The interface is packed full of putton and tabs making a confusing workspace. Also for me on my windows laptop, everything was shrinked down so small, it was almost hard to see. For these reasons, I will most likely not use GIMP any further for my final project.

Vector Software 2: Corel Draw

First I made a small line horizontal and one vetical and connected them. Then I copied and pasted the on top of each other until it reached 8in. Then I copied the entire thing and made 4 copies.

Then I made a copy of each side and created two parallel horizontal lines and connected then.

Then I moved evything to the workplane and grouped it and made it all hairline.

Corel Draw Review

I think Corel Draw is a good software for specific projects. The interface is a bit confusing however it has some features not present in cuttle, such as the layers option. This makes corel draw better for some more complicated laser cuts requiring such features. Corel draw is also very expensive and is not accesible to all people. I may be using corel draw in my final project depending on how complicated the cut needs to be.

3D CAD

Past softwares

Befroe I learned how to use Fusion 360, I used Tinkercad, a basic web based 3D design software. Here is some of my past work:

3D design software 1: Free Cad

In my time takign engineering classes, I have used mostly fusion 360, (with the first week or so starting in tinkercad) I want to learn a new 3D design software. So as for my teacher’s and Dr. Gershenfeld’s recomendations, I tried free cad. I learned the basics of free cad by doing part 1 and part 2 of these tutorials given to me by my teacher. In part one of the tutorials, he taught me how to navigate the free cad software. In part 2, he taught me how to design a basic object. The first step I took in creating this object, was making a new design. Then I opened the sketcher workspace and made a centerpoint rectangle centered on the origin. I dimensioned it 100mmx50mm

Next I closed the sketcher workspace and used the pad tool to extrude the recangle 5mm

next I selected the top of the box and created a new sketch with the sketcher tool. Next I selcted the center point circle and made 4 circles that looked good in each corner(dont have to be exact, contrains will be added later).

next I group selected all 4 circles and pressed the circle diameter tool and entered 10mm.

the next step I took was dimentioning the top left circle from the top left corner. First press the external geometry tool and select the top left corner. Next right click away from the corner to get rid of the tool. Next use the horizontal dimention tool and dimention the top left corner and center of the circle 10mm. Do the same vertically by selecting the top left corner and the centr of the circle, then vertical dimention, followed by entering 10mm.

next use the horzontal and vertical constraint tools to horizantally contrain the top two circle and the bottom two, and then vertically ocntrain the left two and right two.

next repeat the same process in dimentioning the top left circle on the bottom right corner.

next close the sketcher tool and select the pocket tool. ensure the type is set to to first and four holes should be cut.

next create a new sketch on top of the box again and make a new rectangle contraining it on the left of the box and on the right of the box. Next selct the top left point, bottom left point, and the centerpoint of thee rectangle followed by the symmetical constrain tool. next dimention the sides of the recangle 5mm and exit the sketch.

next pad the new regtangle 25mm

now select the top left and top right of the newly padded regtangle and select the fillet tool. fillet these corners 20mm

next select the 4 bottom corners of the base rectangle and fillet them by 10mm

finally select both sides where the two recangles intersect and fillet those edges 5mm

Free cad review

I think Free cad is a great software for 3D designing. For me however, it was hard to navigate and a bit confusing. I think Fusion 360 does almost every feature better except the cost. With free cad being free, it is a perfect software for anyone to use regardless of budget.

3D design software 2: Fusion 360

I have had a decent amount of experience using Fusion 360, I learned most of my designing skills from Product Design Online’s tutorials, mainly Fusion 360 in 30 days. With my prior experience in fusion 360, I designed a boat to use in my final project, a single player battleship game. I started by making a sketch on the bottom plane, and I made an ellipse with a 70mm length and a 14mm width. I then extruded the shape 10mm.

Next I added a 2mm filet to the top and bottom edges of the shape. Next I made one gun on the front end of the boat by making a long rectangle and two skinny rectangles on top of the boat. Then I extruded the big rectangle by 5 mm, then the small recantles by 4 mm. Then I reopened the sketch and extruded the small rectangles by 2.5 to create the floating barrels of the gun. After that I made a main control panel by sketching two rectangles in the middle of the oval and extruding one by 5mm and the other by 2.5mm

Next I mirrored the gun(select it as a feature) over the halfway point of the boat.

Next I added some filets to the barrels of the gun, the back of the gun, and the control area.

Finally I changed the appearance to gray plastic for an accurate representation of the boat.

Simulate and render in Fusion 360

Since I already knew how to use the basics of Fusion 360’s design workspace, I wanted to learn how to use the simulation workspace to test designs before I print them. I used these tutorials by fusion 360 to learn the simulation workspace.

Fusion 360 review

In my opinion Fusion 360 is nearly perefct. I think the only downside to Fusion 360 that I can see is the cost. I am using an education subscription so for me, the cost is minimal. Fusion 360 has a simple interface, tons of features, in software rendering, animating, toolpath creating for cnc, scematic drawings, 2D drawings, and many more workspaces that I am yet to learn. I will definetly be using Fusion 360 for my Final project more than I already have. Files

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Last update: June 7, 2023