2. Computer Aided design

My SST

Assignment for the week

• Practice 2D and 3D design by trying various software, including:
• Blender
• Fusion 360
• Inkscape
• GIMP
• etc.
• Sketch my final project in 3D
• Compress videos

My knowledge of 2D and 3D Modelling

I’m still learning how to model in 3D. I have so far mostly used Tinkercad to make basic drawings, like name tags, which I then used a 3D printer to print. I typically do this while instructing children in 3D printing and basic design.

Now i have this opportunity to learn more about a variety of design software and use it to create my final project thanks to this course. In addition to my instructor introducing me to Blender and a number of other design applications that I am eager to investigate, I have developed a particular interest in Fusion 360 and blender.

When it comes to digital images, two main types are commonly use are raster and Vector graphics

2D Modelling

Raster

Raster graphics, made up of tiny pixels and they are ideal for detailed and colorful images like photographs but resizing too much makes them blurry. They represent image as a rectangular grids of pixels. If you want to engrave a picture then basically you use raster. examples of raster softwares include Gimp,Microsoft paint,Adobe photoshop,krita etc..

Vector

Vector use a mathematical paths , making them perfect for designs that need to be scaled or cut without losing quality, like logos and illustrations. Another example for vectors is that it is used to generate cutting path (eg cnc work, laser cut…). Examples for vectors softwraes are inkscape , Adobe ilustrator,CorelDraw etc.

Inkscape

I spent some time this week investigating how Inkscape, a potent tool for 2D vector design, might help with my final project. I thought it may be extremely beneficial for generating things like a logo or other graphic aspects, which I hope to expand later when my ideas become clearer. For me, learning Inkscape is therefore a crucial step. I made the decision to apply what I had learned by creating a water drop shape after following a number of internet tutorials. Later on, I may polish and modify this design to create a logo for my upcoming water purifying business.

water drop

I began by installing the software and performing some simple setup. I decided to work in pixels instead of millimeters and altered the document’s design and units. To make the workspace more comfortable for designing, I also changed a few interface and appearance settings. I saved the setup and was prepared to get to work after finishing these preliminary settings.

I started by drawing a square, then rotating it so that two corners were vertical and two horizontal, forming a diamond shape. I did this while holding Ctrl to control the rotation under the node tools.

From here, under Path, I selected Object to Path to make the shape editable using nodes. I highlighted the three nodes at the bottom, selected Make Selected Nodes Smooth, and dragged them downward to form a smooth curved edge, creating a rounded shape like a sphere. I then adjusted the middle nodes to further shape the droplet. When using smooth nodes and wanting both handles to stay uniform, I held Shift + Ctrl while dragging gently. I ensured the bottom line remained clean and symmetrical by using Make Selected Nodes Symmetric. To create the white highlight inside the drop, I duplicated the same shape multiple times. To get the inner white curved space, I used Path → Difference to subtract one shape from another, leaving the white space. . I repeated the same process for the other curved white spaces by duplicating another shape, resizing it, and using Difference again. After finishing the highlights, I selected everything. Finally, I used Path → Union to combine all parts into one single object.

Yin Yan using 2D

To create the Yin Yang symbol, I used the same duplication and alignment techniques learned earlier and watch this vedio from youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzk-suGcqrc. I started by drawing circles of different sizes and duplicating them. I aligned them along the vertical axis to make sure I was working from the exact center of the page. When aligning shapes, I selected both objects using the Shift key, then set “Relative to: Last selected” so they aligned correctly. , Next, I duplicated more circles to form the two small inner holes. I carefully aligned them again using the Shift key together with the first small circle as the reference to keep everything centered and balanced. After positioning all the shapes, I used the Shape Builder tool. First, I chose the “Add” (+) option and clicked on the areas that should remain part of the Yin Yang shape. Then, I switched the Shape Builder to the “Subtract” (–) option and removed the unwanted parts by selecting the areas that needed to be cut out. Once the design looked correct, I selected all the remaining parts and used Path → Union to combine everything into a single object. Finally, I saved the file as an Inkscape SVG, which preserves the vector quality and allows future editing. The final result is a clean, balanced Yin Yang logo created fully using vector tools and alignment techniques in Inkscape.

GIMP

3D

3D modeling is the cration of a 3 dimensioanl digital object using a computer software,a 3D model has width(X),height(Y) and Depth(Z). It is used the following: - engineering and manufycturing - architecture,animation and games and - lastly 3D printing.

Types of 3D modeling

• Solid Modeling(CAD Modeling)

  Used majorly in engineering and mechanical desing, it has
• models that represent real, solid objects
• Have exact dimesnions
• Can measure volume,mass and fit.
• They are built using B-Rep(Surface define the solid)
• CSG- Boolean operations build shapes… Examples are Fusion 360,Solid Works,Inventor etc

• Surface Modeling

  Used for complex curved shapes ,
• Focuses on outer skin, not solid interior,
• used for aesthetic or aerodynamic shapes
• examples includes fusion(surface tools),Rhino..etc

• Mesh Modeling

  Used for visula and artisitc models Made of veertices,edges and polygon faces Usually triangles or quads

eg Blender,Maya etc

Common 3D Modelling oerations

Operation	Meaning	Used In
Extrude	Stretch a 2D sketch into 3D	CAD
Revolve	Spin a sketch around an axis	CAD
Loft	Blend between two shapes	CAD/Surface
Sweep	Move a profile along a path	CAD
Boolean	Combine or cut solids	CSG
Subdivision	Smooth mesh surfaces	Mesh modeling

How computers Store 3D models

How Computers Store 3D Models

Modeling Type	Internal Representation
Solid CAD Models	B-Rep + CSG
Game/Animation Models	Mesh
Scientific Models	F-Rep

3D Modeling vs 3D Printing

In Design Software	After Exporting to STL
Solid model (B-Rep)	Converted to Mesh
Smooth surfaces	Many tiny triangles

Fusion 360

I can now begin modeling a sketch of how I see my final project in Fusion 360 after my instructor’s walkthrough of Blender and Fusion 360. As I continue to gain new skills and go through the course, I intend to improve and revise this design.

Installation

I began designing the components for the pump outer case, pipelines, EC casing, physical filtration, control flow, and turbidity sensor after installing Fusion and setting up an account.

Pump outer case

I made a new part and chose Box from the Create menu to start designing. After that, I used the Shell function to hollow out the box, leaving an open area where the pump could be accessed for maintenance and control.The thickness of the hollow detemrnine the thickness of the box

I utilized Fusion 360’s Combine function and selected Cut to insert the pipe. As a result, the pipe was able to correctly fit within the pump by creating a passage through the exterior cover. The pump and water source are connected via the pipe, and the Combine operation makes sure that the two bodies properly intersect. The pipe serves as the tool body and the pump outer case is chosen as the target body in this procedure, producing a clean cut where the pipe goes through the case.

The Align tool was also very helpful when I found that the pipe was positioned too far from the pump case in 3D space. By using Align, I was able to position the pipe correctly relative to the pump. This tool can achieve the same result as the Combine operation when the operation is set to Cut, ensuring that the pipe intersects the pump case accurately for a clean cut.

Electrocoagulation

I then made a cylinder with two electrodes for ions and cathodes to function as the electrocoagulation (EC) unit. I used a structure tangent to the cylinder’s plane to cut its surface, ensuring that my sketch would only be limited to that surface. After drawing a sketch with the Line tool, I used the Extrude function with the operation set to Cut to remove material from the cylinder while leaving a section open. I finished the arrangement later by adding holes for the electrodes.

I then removed the upper part of the cylinder using the Shell feature. This hollowed out the cylinder, creating an open space while keeping the walls intact, which is essential for assembling the electrodes and allowing access to the interior of the electrocoagulation unit.

Using the Align and Flip functions, I was able to position and assemble the casing for the filter. The interior pipe is designed to hold a mesh wire or cotton wool, which will serve as the filtering material. With the Align tool, I selected the from and to points to position the components accurately, and using Flip, I was able to correctly orient the pipe so it fit inside the filter case.

Now after finishing al the fitting i went to render and tried to color them, and also installed librarie s which were not initailly there then exported the rendered image from the render gallery;

This was my initial sketch, and I plan to refine and improve it as I continue experimenting with different designs and Fusion 360 tools throughout the course.

Vedio Compressing

Handbrake

This week, my instructor introduced me to the video compression tool HandBrake, which I used to compress my videos efficiently.

To get started, drag your video into HandBrake. Everything will be listed under the Summary tab, including formats and file sizes:

In the Dimensions tab, you can set the resolution limits and optimize the video size:

Under the Video tab, set the framerate to 30 fps and select Constant Framerate. Adjust the Quality (RF) — higher values reduce file size but decrease quality:

Finally, add the video to the queue and start encoding. HandBrake will process your video and output the compressed file.