3d modelling software

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Pat, do you name each component, body, sketch, dimension and operation as you make them? Mine have names like front track width, cam follower bore or suspension tower boxing plate. I find that really helps to remind me of my thinking when I go back to models.

[PatJParticipant @patj87806]

No, I never name anything.

That is probably a good idea, but I don't think I would actually use that feature.

My models get so complex that it would be very time consuming to name everything, and I make a lot of 3D models, and my tme is limited.

I don't worry about constraints either; I basically totally ignore them, and I can't recall that ever creating a problem.

When I turn a 3D model into a pattern, I often add machining allowances, and sometimes some external draft, etc., and I generally name those features as "PATTERN", so that I can toggle them on or off.

I create 2D drawings with the pattern features suppressed, and 3D print patterns with the pattern features turned on.

I also use odd colors for the added features, and these features are not merged into the main body of the model, but kept as separate entities. If I forget and leave a pattern feature visible, it is immediately apparent.

I use colors to try and bring in some contrast.

I often make machined holes and surfaces a light red.

Exhaust passages are sometimes red (hot), and intake passages sometimes blue (cold).

I keep things as simple and fundamental as possible.

I do really like creating the screencaptures of every step, and for a complex model, the screencaps are well worth the time to create.

Edited By PatJ on 19/08/2022 00:41:28

[Model EnginerdParticipant @modelenginerd]

Synchronous modes are typically a last resort tool for dumb solids but can be handy when you are working with a lot of people and want some sort of history in the design tree.

You can change a hole diameter in a sketch, or you can add a synchro at the end of the design tree and name it to your current rev.

As for migration from any CAD package, it is a good idea to call it a loss and export everything into STEP/IGES. I just eat crow and resketch models if necessary.

I only buy modeling tools I can own for this reason, even if they might be subpar. Alibre, Rhino and Zbrush are still good tools I only have to buy once. Hopefully I don't wake up one morning to find out they snuck a kill switch like Fusion 360 did!

[Ronald MorrisonParticipant @ronaldmorrison29248]

Posted by Model Enginerd on 02/12/2022 18:58:04:

Synchronous modes are typically a last resort tool for dumb solids but can be handy when you are working with a lot of people and want some sort of history in the design tree.

You can change a hole diameter in a sketch, or you can add a synchro at the end of the design tree and name it to your current rev.

As for migration from any CAD package, it is a good idea to call it a loss and export everything into STEP/IGES. I just eat crow and resketch models if necessary.

I only buy modeling tools I can own for this reason, even if they might be subpar. Alibre, Rhino and Zbrush are still good tools I only have to buy once. Hopefully I don't wake up one morning to find out they snuck a kill switch like Fusion 360 did!

Fusion 360 gave me a start in 3D modeling but it only took one year to learn what Autodesk had in mind, free sample, then reduce the features available to push one toward a purchase. I decided that for my needs (wants?) that FreeCAD would suffice and while it might take longer to learn, the features I learned wouldn't just disappear at the whim of a corporate bean counter. I no longer need to jump through Fusion's renewal process either which I found quite annoying.

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