Alibre – A First Attempt

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Ahh, but which version?

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

I'm told that 'text along a path' should be available in all software levels in version 27. There's perhaps a small chance that could change before release.

Jason did all those nameplates the laborious way, placing each letter individually.  He uses Alibre Design Professional, but text tools same in all levels.

Edited By David Jupp on 16/05/2023 21:32:20

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Lee –

Making slow progress, thank you!

The trial licence has just ended – try opening a file and you see all the tools have been switched off. I'd started drawing my engine's cylinder-block, which I've part-made so far, from a rectangular block of cast-iron.

It took me a few attempts to work out how to do it, and I doubt it was the best way anyway, but it was a chance to experiment with the Mirror and Array tools.

The drawing is not finished, but then the trial ran out! The Alibre files are are all still there though. It's the CAD programme itself that's turned off.

Alibre told me that but I wasn't clear what to do next if I want to buy it.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

I think Mintronics are your next port of call. Phone or email, not sure which. It will be interesting to see your progress if you ever feel like posting a screenshot sometime.

Did you eventually find it easier, more productive, than Turbocad?

[IanTParticipant @iant]

Posted by Nigel Graham 2 on 13/05/2023 14:06:16:

Ian –

TurboCAD's 2D/3D mode switch toggles between them, and is called Toggle 2D/3D.

It does not turn them off as such. A TC drawing is one or the other according to how you start it, so you must never use that control on an active drawing, in either mode. If you do it plays havoc with the co-ordinates and work-plane system for the drawing, and from the TC Users' Forum I gather more people come to grief on that than anything else!

Thank you Nigel, I'm travelling at the moment, so not too much 'free' time to dig into things…

I found the "Selector 2D Properties" and set it for "2D for Model and Paper space" (which would seem to be exactly what I need) but it still drops into 3D mode if I use the wrong mouse button, which is both annoying and hard to understand why? I guess it will need more time to investigate.

With regards 2D to 3D – SE has a "Create 3D" feature (you need to load a 'Draft' document to activate it) which allows a (3D) 'Part' file to be generated from a DXF which has been loaded into a 'Draft' document. Details here if anyone is interested:

"Create 3D" (2D to 3D in Solid Edge)

Regards,

IanT

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Thank you Lee.

Mintronic's web-site should clarify how to contact them.

A bit early still to judge it fairly but so far Alibre Atom does seem a lot easier to learn TurboCAD's 3D mode.

TurboCAD has a lot of extremely powerful tools – among other things it is intended for architects as well as engineers so has to accommodate very high-grade rendering – but also has a lot of traps for the unwary. It does not work in a Parts and Assembly way openly, though I expect you can drive it like that. Nor is it easy to produce printed elevation drawings from the 3D models. It 2D mode though, is fairly straightforward and allows quite complicated geometrical constructions.

"Productive" , for me, would mean my being able to use CAD to a useful level. I do have quite a few orthographic TurboCAD drawings and have printed a few for workshop use. So it would be a matter of pursuing Alibre to where I can do similar with that system.

[Nigel Graham 2Participant @nigelgraham2]

Ian –

I think TurboCAD expects you to work primarily in 3D.

I didn't know a wrong mouse click will toggle between modes though. That does seem odd. The most common way to go wrong is simply by accidentally selecting the wrong one of the tiny symbols.

One effect of unwanted switching is that each 2D figure "floats", raising a request to be placed on the Workplane that in 2D should normally be the one called "World". You can do that via a tool-bar menu or by a combination-key – [Ctrl+Alt+W] if I recall correctly.

It might depend also on which edition and variation of TurboCAD you use, though I'd have thought this aspect common to all of them.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

You can contact Mintronics or just click the "purchase" option on their website. That will allow you to access all the files you have already created.

If you do buy it then do as I said early on post a photo of fag packet sketch of the cylinders with a few basic dimensions and you may get a few pointers on hole to do it

Yes as David says I placed each letter individually clicking the angle up and down arrows to tilt them to what looked right using a couple of green guide lines to help and shuffled their positions about. Same Text tool as Atom it's just a case of getting to know what Alibre can do and how best to use it.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Jason.

Placing each letter in the right place is the way I used to do it in Designspark, until I discovered Inkscape. Inkscape will produce text on curves etc, 2D only, and then export the file as an SVG, scaleable vector graphics. I then had to import the SVG into FreeCAD, and then export it as a STEP file. FreeCAD was acting as a translator only. Designspark would then import the STEP file, reluctantly, and allow me to produce fancy name plates. With Solid Edge I can do the whole thing in house.

Inkscape is well worth a look, and there are plenty of videos on line on how to use it. If I still had my copy of CorelDraw I would use that instead.

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Nigel Graham 2 on 16/05/2023 23:14:05:

A bit early still to judge it fairly but so far Alibre Atom does seem a lot easier to learn TurboCAD's 3D mode.

"Productive" , for me, would mean my being able to use CAD to a useful level. I do have quite a few orthographic TurboCAD drawings and have printed a few for workshop use. So it would be a matter of pursuing Alibre to where I can do similar with that system.

You've struggled with this for so long, it would be a shame if you gave up now that you're finally getting somewhere.

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

Lee –

Another option, DeskEngrave (an old piece of free software) can provide a way to do text on curves and transfer to CAD via DXF.

As mentioned, from Alibre v27, Jason will be able to do his curved text much more easily.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

It's a jump into the unknown when you purchase but if you want to be a regular semi-serious or serious CAD user then you won't regret buying Alibre

Wish I'd done it years ago, sorted another issue last night and didn't even go into the workshop, just drew the tooling and munched some cheese and onion crips while I fiddled and… eureka, yet another little problem solved

Plus I can do Alibre for 12 hours in stages if required, but only 4 hours effort does me in in the workshop

You're basically buying a virtual reality workshop and the software today is good enough to be worth the money

No trepidation when I fire CAD up anymore, I know what I want and I know how to make this workshop tool get me there

Plus you can ask in here or on the Alibre forum if there's an issue, you-are-not-alone with this package

Edited By Ady1 on 17/05/2023 10:00:56

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I do have Vectric's Cut2D which came with the CNC and will do text on a curve but I don't use it.

The advantage of placing individual letters is that you can tweak the spacing and angle which I had to do a lot on those name plates to allow the 0.5mm ended cutter to get all around them, using the computers standard spacing is not always ideal

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

The biggest advantage is project speed, you can build something before you build it

I've made 90% of the bits for the Dake square engine in just one day using the excellent plans by Mr de Waal

Now most of the donkey work has been done I will get the last bits done at my pleasure and leisure then go for fitting and figuring out how it ticks

Edited By Ady1 on 17/05/2023 10:34:58

[Nick WheelerParticipant @nickwheeler]

Posted by Ady1 on 17/05/2023 09:53:40:

You're basically buying a virtual reality workshop and the software today is good enough to be worth the money

No trepidation when I fire CAD up anymore, I know what I want and I know how to make this workshop tool get me there

That's what makes it so useful for me. Without CAD, I'd be wasting hours and lots of material making proof of concept mockups to discover what I don't know. With CAD that's a few minutes and no waste, which means the first design iteration will probably work. Whether it gets further development will depend on how complex the design is, and the use it will get – there's little point in refining a single use tool.

There are other time-savers, like being able to have sheet metal CNC cut or 3D printed parts that can be produced/ordered while making the parts that can't be done like that. That's especially important when you want several identical or similar parts. Self aligning slots and tabs are essentially free which means better assemblies are much easier. Makes having spares a lot more feasible too.

I recently made a small, mostly rectangular part for one of the local steeple-keepers. He sent me the F360 model, I added a construction sketch to work how big the round sizes were, and the offsets to mill the flat ones holding the bar stock in a collet block. It all went so smoothly I made two so he could modify them as needed. It was for a church clock that would have originally been handfitted

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Jason.

The only tool missing from your screen shot is kerning. Inkscape allows you to kern letters and words, and also "tilt" each letter. I must admit that I didn't get into it that far. Text on an eliptical path was fine for me, but I did add some kerning if I needed more space between letters for when extruding and adding draft in Designspark.

[Gary WoodingParticipant @garywooding25363]

For what it's worth, F360, even the free version, will do text on paths as well as in boxes. The paths can be straight, circular, or splines. There's no kerning, but letter spacing can be adjusted. Typeface and size can be adjusted.

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

The upgraded text tool for Alibre v27 (taken from a post by Alibre CEO on Alibre's user forum)

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Not a specific tool for text, but you can use the Flow tool in MoI to distribute text, or anything else, along a curve or fit it to a surface.

Martin.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

A very interesting text tool Martin. I like it!

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