Week 2 - Computer Aided Design

This week's mission: Master the digital tools. I explored both 2D and 3D environments to prototype my electric skate components.

2.1 Vectorial & Raster (2D)

For the 2D design, I focused on converting raster images into vector maps. This is essential for CNC cutting and laser engraving.

Software: Inkscape vs Illustrator
Task: Vectorizing a custom graphic for the skate deck.

2D Vectorization Process

STEP 01

Import & Embed Image

Go to File > Import to bring your raster image (JPG/PNG). Always choose "Embed" to ensure the source remains within the document.

[ RECOMMENDED_SPECS ]

Resolution: At least 300 DPI for sharp edges.
Contrast: High contrast (Pure Black & White is ideal).
Size: Larger than 1000px on its shortest side.
Source: Avoid blurry or "noisy" compressed images.

STEP 02

Trace Bitmap

Select the image and go to the Path menu in the top bar. Choose the "Trace Bitmap" option to open the vectorization settings.

STEP 03

Generate Vector

After applying the settings, a second image (the vector) will be generated right on top of your original raster image with the changes applied.

STEP 04

Generate Vector

Click on the vector and then on the "objects" section an click on filling and edges.

STEP 05

Customization

Now you can modify the vector to your liking: change the outlines (stroke), fill colors, or apply gradients to refine the design.

STEP 06

Export for Laser

Once finished, if you need the file for laser cutting or CNC, save your work in .DXF format to ensure compatibility with the machines.

Why vectorize?

CNC

Vectorizing is a crucial step because CNC and Laser machines operate on Cartesian coordinates ($X, Y$ movement). By converting my images into vectors, I provide the machine with precise paths to follow, ensuring clean cuts and the ability to scale my design without losing resolution.

2.2 Solid Modeling (3D)

I compared Onshape and SolidWorks to model the physical structure of the skate deck.

Onshape: Cloud-based, great for collaborative versions.
SolidWorks: Industry standard, powerful simulation.

[ INTERFACE AND FUNCTIONALITY BATTLE ]

P1: SOLIDWORKS

> IMPORTANT POINTS:

It's a heavy software and requires a certain amount of computer power to work properly.
It can take a while to discover all of the functions that it offers.
It can render and make animations very easily.
SolidWorks feels like a heavy-duty workstation. Extremely powerful for mechanical simulation.

FINAL VEREDICT:

[ CLICK TO VISIT SITE ]

P2: ONSHAPE

> IMPORTANT POINTS:

Oneshape is modern and clean. No installation, Google Docs style collaboration.
It's very intuitive and easy to learn.
It can't render as fast and easy as SolidWorks and it doesn't have as many functions as his competitor.

FINAL VEREDICT: Oneshape's best quality is defentely the possibility to do online modeling, since it's faster and easier than installing and opening SolidWorks.It's a very usefuel software when it comes to basic and fast modeling, but it lacks the amount of functions that SolidWorks has, so for stuff like rendering and animating it's not nearly as good as Solid.

[ CLICK TO VISIT SITE ]

[ MODELING MISSION: STEP BY STEP ]

STAGE 01

Primary Sketch

I defined the core geometry as a rectangle using the Top plane, using constraints is vital to ensure the design remains parametric and easy to modify later. For this step I extruded the Sketch to 35 mm.

STAGE 02

THE SURFSKATE BLUEPRINT

I selected these dimensions to emulate a "Surfskate" deck. Unlike standard boards, this geometry is designed for tight carving and sharp turns, providing the electric skate with enhanced maneuverability and control.

Using the Insert Image tool (marked in red), I imported the template. Critical: Remember to remove position constraints to align the sketch with your Step 1 base.

Finally, Extrude Cut (35mm+) to reveal the final shape.

STAGE 03

Curving the board

Go to the front face of the part, and with the help of three point arc circled in orange darw an arc of 1240 degrees that connects the tips of the upper part of the board.
Draw a second arc with the same measures 12 mm beneath the other one.
Close the drawing with lines, tracing the whole exterior of the rectangle (red lines) so your cut can be extruded properly.
When extruding the cut select everything above the the first arc and underneath the second one so the only thing that stays is the curved piece of the board (in between the arcs).

STAGE 04

Feature: Rounding the edges

If your board is a little sharp edged or pointy you can use the face blend function that's in the image and select the faces you wish to "soften", in my case I used the three that appear on the image and gave the side faces a radio of 200 mm and the top 50 mm.

STAGE 05

Cutting the Truck holes

Choose either the top or bottom face and create a sketch.
Choose the line feature and before drawing with it press "Q" to convert it into a contruction line (inly for reference outside the skecth it's imaginary).
Draw a construction line vertically across the midle of the board.
Draw two circles as pictured with the same measures, one above the other on one side of the line.
Choose the mirroring option (circled one in the image) and click on the construction line, then click on the two circles.
Draw a construction line horizontally to the middle of the board and repeat the mirroring process, only this time select the four circles.
Extrude the 8 holes at least 100 mm.

STAGE 06

Adding the truck bases

Draw one rectangle with the measures shown and then mirror it horizontally with a contruction line. (i did one different but I don't recommend) and extrude the shape's 60 mm.

STAGE 07

Giving the truck base a shape

Use the base of the rectangle that was just finished to drwa the shape in the image.
You can simplifiy the process by using the mirror function and only drawing half.
Use the three point arc to make the curve part of the drawing.
Close the contour both in the drawing and the rectangle (close your drawing properly an then trace the outside of the rectangle).
Mirror the process with the base on the other side.
Extrude a cut selecting the pieces outside of the drawing you just made, the remainings in the rectangle.

STAGE 08

Smoothing the edges od the truck base

With the function "fillet" as shown in the image you can round your edges to give it a smooth look. Just choose the function fillet and select de edges or the faces (selects all the edges in that space) that you want to round.I chose to give the lines in orange in the image a 10 mm radius but it's free choice.
Repeat the process with the other truck base.

STAGE 09

HOLE

Just to give a better look, draw a hole using the truck base flat face as the starting point with the measures in the picture, or use your own but make sure the hole stays in the middle of the part.Extrude the cut up to 10 mm.

STAGE 10

Creating another plane

For the next step you will need to create a new plane to work with.
Click on the "plane" icon and use the top plane as reference and give it a seperation of 6 mm, it's important that you move the plane TOWARDS the board, not the other way.

STAGE 11

Creating the shelf for the electronic's

For my project i'm making an electric skateboard, so for that I need to secure the electronic's somewhere so I decided to give it a speciall look so it doesn't look ugly.For this step you should use the "elipse" function an use the meassures in the image, and after you're done extrude the figure 50 mm.

STAGE 12

Roundign the shelf

In order to make it look better I rounded the edges as shown in the picture, and gave it a 30 mm radio.

STAGE 14

Get creative

For the design I chose to give the shelf a "Blue beetle" (DC superheroe) look, so I drew scarab-type legs , I didn't really use exact measures since it's just aesthetic, but I did mirror my drawings.You can give it the style you want or wish.

STAGE 14

Styling your work

This is another example of what you can do, for the top part I chose to make some patterns and mirror them in order to extrude a cut and leave a cool pattern engraved on the top .

MISSION COMPLETE

ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD MODEL V1.0

This is the final result of the 3D modeling process.

[ MODELING MISSION 2: RENDERING YOUR PART ]

STAGE 1

Locate the Appearances Menu

On the right-hand task pane of the SolidWorks interface, look for the icon featuring a multicolored sphere to open the Appearances, Scenes, and Decals menu.

STAGE 2

Explore Material Categories

Within this menu, you will find a wide variety of materials organized into folders such as Metal, Plastic, Organic, and more.

STAGE 3

View Material Variants

By clicking on a specific category, different versions and tones of that material will appear in the selection box below.

STAGE 4

Apply Materials to the Model

To apply a material, drag the desired preset onto the part. Do not release the cursor immediately; a context "micro-menu" will appear, allowing you to choose whether to apply the material to a single face, a body, or the entire assembly.

STAGE 5

Setup the Environment

Switch to the "Scenes" tab in the same menu to select a specific background color and lighting setup for your final render.

STAGE 6

Apply the Scene

Use the same drag-and-drop process as with materials: drag your chosen scene into the background area of the viewport.

STAGE 7

Open Add-ins for Rendering

To activate the rendering tools, click the gear icon (Options) in the top menu and select Add-ins.

STAGE 8

Enable SolidWorks Visualize

Locate SolidWorks Visualize in the list and check the box to activate the module.

STAGE 9

Optional Animations

If you need to create a motion study or animation, repeat the Add-in process and enable SolidWorks Motion (instead of Simulation).

STAGE 10

Use Simple Export

Once Visualize is active, a new tab will appear in your CommandManager. Select it and click on the Simple Export function.

STAGE 11

Visualize the Workspace

This action opens a new window where you can preview all the changes made to your part, including material textures and environmental lighting.

STAGE 12

Configure Export Settings

To export your image, click on the Output Tools icon (indicated in the interface). Here, you can define the file type and final quality.

STAGE 13

Select Media Format

In the Media tab, specify the exact format for your output file (e.g., JPEG, PNG, or TIFF).

STAGE 14

Finalize Output and Render

Customize your preferences in the menu; when you reach the Output section, select your save destination and press the Render button.

STAGE 15

Monitor Progress and Download

A new tab will show the real-time rendering progress. Once complete, select the PNG icon or the progress bar icon to download and save your final high-resolution product.

MISSION COMPLETE: DUAL VIEW

FRONT PERSPECTIVE

Isometric view of the full assembly showing the scarab-leg aesthetics.

TECHNICAL DETAIL

Close-up of the internal components and force distribution system.

Compressing videos

STEP 01

In order to compress videos for your page, you can use the software FFmpeg. This tool allows you to reduce file size significantly without losing visible quality.

[ CLICK IMAGE TO VIEW SOURCE ]

STEP 02

Open the terminal in your computer.

STEP 03

Go to the terminal and paste the following line to compress your video:


                ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "scale=-2:720" -c:v libx264 -preset slow -crf 30 -pix_fmt yuv420p -movflags +faststart -an output_new.mp4

Command	Function
-i input.mp4	Defines the Input file name.
-vf "scale=-2:720"	Sets the Resolution to 720p (keeping aspect ratio).
-c:v libx264	Uses the H.264 codec for high compatibility.
-crf 30	Controls Quality (0-51). 30 is a great balance.
-an	Removes Audio to reduce file size even more.
output_new.mp4	The name of the Result file.

STEP 04

If an error occurs like the one on the image, it is most likely that you have to install FFmpeg in the terminal (using winget or setting environment variables) so the terminal can find the program.

STEP 05

If an error occurs like the one on the image, it is most likely that you have to install FFmpeg in the terminal (using winget or setting environment variables).

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Another common error is the File Path. FFmpeg won't find your video if the terminal is not "standing" in the correct folder. Check the default path written in your terminal; if it doesn't match where your file is, the program will return a "No such file or directory" error.

[ CHECK_DIRECTORY_PATH_DEFAULT ]

STEP 06

Navigating with 'cd'

To fix the path error, you need to "move" the terminal to the folder where your video is located using the cd command:

cd Documents - Moves you inside the Documents folder.
cd .. - Moves you back one level (upstairs).
cd "Folder Name" - Use quotes if the folder has spaces.

            Pro Tip: You can type cd  and then drag and drop the folder directly into the terminal window to get the full path automatically.
        

[ MASTERING_THE_PATH ]

[ SYSTEM LOG: AI COLLABORATION ]

PROMPT_02

"Can you add a menu for the 2 different tutorials?."

PROMPT_03

"Can you add a new icon for the downloading files section?."

> STATUS: DOCUMENTATION_OPTIMIZED_BY_GEMINI_3_FLASH

📦

MISSION ASSETS ACQUIRED

Download the complete ZIP with .STL, .STEP and .SLDPRT files.

GET .ZIP

2. COMPUTER-AIDED DESIGN

2.1 Vectorial & Raster (2D)

2D Vectorization Process

Import & Embed Image

Trace Bitmap

Generate Vector

Generate Vector

Customization

Export for Laser

CNC

2.2 Solid Modeling (3D)

[ INTERFACE AND FUNCTIONALITY BATTLE ]

[ MODELING MISSION: STEP BY STEP ]

Primary Sketch

THE SURFSKATE BLUEPRINT

Curving the board

Feature: Rounding the edges

Cutting the Truck holes

Adding the truck bases

Giving the truck base a shape

Smoothing the edges od the truck base

HOLE

Creating another plane

Creating the shelf for the electronic's

Roundign the shelf

Get creative

Styling your work

ELECTRIC SKATEBOARD MODEL V1.0

[ MODELING MISSION 2: RENDERING YOUR PART ]

Locate the Appearances Menu

Explore Material Categories

View Material Variants

Apply Materials to the Model

Setup the Environment

Apply the Scene

Open Add-ins for Rendering

Enable SolidWorks Visualize

Optional Animations

Use Simple Export

Visualize the Workspace

Configure Export Settings

Select Media Format

Finalize Output and Render

Monitor Progress and Download

FRONT PERSPECTIVE

TECHNICAL DETAIL

Compressing videos

Navigating with 'cd'

[ SYSTEM LOG: AI COLLABORATION ]

MISSION ASSETS ACQUIRED