In the morning we had our first regional reviews. It offered us the chance to hear from others in Europe whilst getting some advice from Luciano in Portugal
A few ideas that I would like to hear more of during the course are;
After lunch, we had the honour of Neil naming and shaming students who had put up big files on the archive (tut-tut..), but also had the chance to see most of the FabLabs across the world and how they were running it
H/W - MODEL A FINAL POSSIBLE PROJECT
Neil looked at several types of Computer-Aided Design types including 2D(+2.5D), 3D, Game Engines and Simulations packages. Neils lecture could have been longer to truely appreciate the magnitude the amount of packages that are available, but nonetheless I will try and sample several packages
I am going to use the rest of the entries to describe the different packages I have used rather than a chronological format. I must admit that this area of design is not my strongest as I struggle to visualise a new design and then create a perfect model. A blank piece of paper or software is the hardest thing to overcome. I will take Neil's advice here with spiral thinking and concentrate on one element at a time. I took some inspiration from my tutor Michael and his website from last years Fab Academy on how to tackle this.
I used this app to try and get a basic visualisation of my final project. I started by trying to use one of Neil's recommendations Krita (more on this later) but this had a way of getting quick results that look quite effective. Next time I would probably use a stylus for more precision, but for conecept sketches, I think it works.
I have briefly played with illustrator before but I have always gravitated towards Inkscape as I feel it has a nicer user interface. That said, I know that illustrator is used to do industry standard media projects so I will have a go making a logo in illustrator and then one in inkscape. I don't want to do technical drawings until I am sure of my project (too early on) but illustrator inkscape would be useful for 2D technical drawings.
Verdict: I think this software is very powerful but it doesn't allow the user to get great results in the time inkscape does. If I had more time I believe I could create a more effective logo but there are courses online to get great results.I used techniques such as;
I have previously used Inkscape at Fab Lab Ellesmere Port whilst using the Laser Cutter and ShopBot so I decided to try and make another logo to compare against the illustrator one.
I used the iPad app 'Paper by 53' to draw the bath shape, exported the image to Inkscape where I traced the bitmap to create a vector. I then added the duck from an image off a free to use website. The two images were then put together with union tool. Finally the text was added and the colours changed
Verdict: I really enjoy using inkscape, and it allows me to create more organic looking images much more easily, and it is free
With regards to my 3D Drawings, I have aimed to create part of my design in Solidworks, and then use my remaining time to assess another software such as Rhino or Sketchup.
I have had previous experience with Solidworks which has helped me to visualise my final project but I have tried to push myself to achieve more from my design. I must thank my colleague Kasper and my tutor Michael for assistance with later aspects of my Solidworks design, without this assitance I would have a cruder model of my final project.
From my 'Paper by 53' sketches, I attempted to give more clarity to the final design. I began by creating an enclosure for my design, which was probably not the best part to start off with as it was contantly changing, and then worked on modelling the isolation valve, finally I modelled a mixer tap in Stainless Chrome Steel and the necessary pipe work. I will explain after each image how I got my result and what tips and tricks I would pass on to somebody else.
My first design in Solidworks was the knob for the isolation valve. My idea for this project was to use a servo motor to control the 90 degree turn of the valve, I decided to model the knob so I could potentially find a way of fitting the servo motor on top of it later in the course.
Once I had the part measured and modelled, I had the luxury of printing it, to validate my design. This confirmed that the part was a good fit but needed slight adjustment to allow for the M4 screwhead. I had to model the part to the same dimensions as the original design because it incorporates an interference stop after a 90 degree bend
To create my isolation valve, I began by sketching the rough layout of the valve from a right side perspective (in hindsight this was not a good move because my valve works in a vertical positioning). My intention was to create one side of the design, and then mirror the opposing side.
Once I had chosen the correct revolve plane, I then extrated the inner water flow pipe using the cut extrude tool by creating a circle in the centre of the original model.
Mirroring the device was fairly simple as I selected the plane I wanted to reflect on and the selected the whole design to create a mirror image. I did make some changes post these images being taken but the design is reflective of the processes I went through.
One of the hardest elements for me was creating a thread on my isolation valves. I have always wanted to learn this technique, and after stydying a couple of YouTube videos and from patient assistance from Kasper and Michael, I managed to create a decent thread. I started off by defining the tool that would cut out the thread. This was a triangle that was placed at the bottom of the shaft with a slight offset from the surface. After that I created a spiral thread using the spiral thread tool. Finally I joined the two together using a cut sweep with the triangle being the cut out and the spiral being the pattern to follow.
If I had more time, I would like to spend more time assessing the pitch and height of the screw, so that I can easily create 3D screws, that match my design perfectly.
My final elements for the design were the plumbing works and the mixer tap. Both parts had similar properties when designing as they are pipe works. I started by trying to create a 3D sketch to model my tap but I soon found that it was unneccesary as a 2D sketch was sufficient. I created the initial shape of the tap and then a swept extrude to create the shape.
The internal copper piping was a new feature for me (and a feature I didn't know Solidworks did) as my colleague Kasper showed me how to create a part inside an assembly drawing, this was beneficial as I didn't need to keep referencing the assembly when creating a unique part. This involved created new planes on the mixer tap entry hole and one of the isolation valves and creating a line path between the two centres. After this was swept extruded I then mirrored the part onto the otherside.
I will admit that I have not had much chance to play with this software that Neil and one of his students have developed. I did spend a few hours trying to install the software on Ubuntu at FabLab Ellesmere Port but the Qt5 element was my stumbling block and I couldn't get it installed. I finally managed to get it installed on the Mac where I have played with shapes and joining relations. I have to say this software is in its infancy so I struggled to get anything useful out of it for now
This was an attempt to draw my user interface. I really don't like this CAD package, it maybe able to create good looking objects but it lacks the capabilities of Solidworks. I will leave this until it gets more advanced
| Software Package | Strengths | Weaknesses | What I would want to explore further |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper by 53 | Create good looking sketches in very little time. Use of different brush types to give different texture looks. The ability to rewind the sketch is awesome as it allows you to undo minor mistakes. Also has the ability to zoom into areas to give further definition to the sketch. The app also has a good community of artists showing what they have created | If you want to go into much more detailed drawings it is advisable to use a stylus pen (Paper by 53 sell one for Fifty pounds, which seems excessive but it has responsive touch that allows you to differ the amount of ink used. | I'm not artistic in the sense of this App but I would like to try and play with a stylus to see the difference in drawing techniques |
| Illustrator | Powerful software with many features, part of a very good suite of packages including Photoshop | Despite it being a strong software suite, it does take time to get immersed into the interface. Many of the features are hidden behind options, and with the whole screen being customisable it can take time to understand. | I am planning (when I get time) to undertake a course in Illustrator as I believe it can have more benefit than inkscape, but not on a beginner level |
| Inkscape | Fast and easy software to get immediately comfortable with. When used in conjunction with a laser cutter it allows you to get very quick results with little effort. The names of the functions is also fairly self-explanatory to grasp. The other great feature of inkscape is the community of users who have developed add-ons such as the tabbed both maker and the living hinge wood effect. | Illustrator seems to have more authority on a pro user level. Features are being added to the software but lacks (I believe) in areas such as defining smart dimensions between objects (such as in Solidworks), often you have to use the XY plotter to position the objects with clarity | Play around with the software more, particuarly with the laser cutter. This includes playing with colour settings and how that affects the outcome, using living hinge to create wood effects and creating complex shapes that utilise 2.5D techniques |
| Solidworks | I have used this software previously and I love it, absolutely love it. You can take a project to a final look including all the washers and screws. It has parametric design options meaning that design variables can be declared for certain relationships (such as slot grooves. | It is not cheap and will struggle to run on a below par machine | I have seen some powerful techniques in Solidworks recently that I would like to know more about. These include (in no particular order):
|
| Antimony | This software is still quite young so strengths are few, but the software is designed from the ground up with a mathematical modelling that allows you to create relations between shapes | The software creates relationships between objects but I can't seem to create a relation such as (X=Y +10). This makes it hard to create relations between objects on different levels. The other issue is, I am not sure how to set a unit measurement. The units do not matter until ready to print but it does help. The software also doesn't allow you to have different colours for objects so it is hard to see where the objects start and finish. Finally it would be good if the software didn't require you to install X Developer for Mac and Homebrew just to work. | I look forward to seeing more from this suite |
| Sketchup | Free CAD Software package | It's free | I find it very basic, almost like Paint in 3D. I don't have much time for it |
