MOI cad. It looks good, is it?

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Does Moi not have the option to make the part transparent or give a sectioned view so you can see inside? Or even supress the initial rotation.

 

Though knowing you want to make a core box I think I would approach it buy modelling the core and then using a boolene to remove that from the solid head. That way you can also use the same core model to make your core box. It does need a different approach depending if you simply want to model the finished part or model what is needed for casting

On the last video the core which comes up from the bottom would not need to be as complex as things like the valve stem holes, plug hole and probably the recess would be machined not cast. So only needs a main core for the water void and then the two curved passages which would not need to increase in Dia behind the valve head leaving you metal to bore out and also machine the angled seat.

 

Edited By JasonB on 23/05/2023 07:19:46

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Martin, I read the reply by Michael and that's the way I got it to work.

Jason, as far as I know, there isn't a tranparancy or section option, only wireframe.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

There's no transparency (yet) in MoI, but take a look at the script in this thread to see if it might help.

To add the script in MoI: Copy it straight from that linked page, go to Options > Shortcut Keys and click Add, press the key you want to use and then paste the scrip into the box.

There's also Display Hidden Lines under View in the tools menu.

Martin.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Jason.

Good point about the cores being a bit complex in the last video, but bits could be added or deleted pretty easily. Using the Merge tool can be a real help for making patterns from the model.

Martin.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

I had another go at the head. This pic shows the head ready for capping off. The yellow parts are the tops of the spark plug and valve guides which are 3mm down from the top surface of the head. The head has a water jacket.

This pic is the top filled and and joined to the head with a rectangle ready to boolean cut through the head.

The water jacket has been filled in. I selected it and pressed delete.

This pic shows that the rest of the water jacket is left in place. It too could be deleted to leave the head with a water jacket.

I then tried an experiment to see if it was the boolean cut creating the filled water jacket. I created a head that had no plug or inlet/exhaust tracts, cut a hole in the side, and filled in the top.

It looks as though there is no bottom to the head, there is, it's just the angle. But the point is, it proves that the water jacket isn't filled in by sealing the top. I pressed ctrl z until the hole was gone, filled in the top and cut through.

The water jacket has been filled in again. The water jacket solid could be cut from the head to leave a void. I am not sure if this will cause problems later on, so I will carry on with creating a head and making core moulds and patterns from it.

Should I start a new post? It might not be of interest to many.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

I wa sinterested when you posted on MEM and still am.

This is how I went about it in Alibre. I drew the overall head, then the cores for the inlet & exhaust and finally the water space core including passages that will link to the cylinder water jacket, changing how opaque the part is allows me to see inside.

I then boolene subtract the water space and passage cores to leave me with the as cast part. I can also subtract these from blocks to mould the cores in.

Finally I add the machined features like valve seats, valve guides, plug hole etc And use the section option to see what is going on.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Jason.

If only Atom 3D had those features, I would have bought it by now. I think the version you are using is £1,000 or so. I can't justify that sort of outlay unless I know I can produce good castings.

MOI is proving to be a challange, good or bad, I don't yet know. I have 84 days to find out. This afternoon I produced a simple nameplate. It looks better on screen. I have produced an STL of the file, and it looks very good in the slicer. I might print it out. There is 5 deg draft on the lettering and plate. The letters protude 1mm from the surface, and are about 8mm high. I think the 7 is 15mm high.

I watched a video on youtube by a man scratch building a Spitfire. He used MOI to produce the engine cowling, spinner and a double bladed prop, from some old drawings. That showed what MOI is really good at.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Posted by lee webster on 23/05/2023 18:10:13:

Jason.

If only Atom 3D had those features, I would have bought it by now. I think the version you are using is £1,000 or so. I can't justify that sort of outlay unless I know I can produce good castings.

MOI is proving to be a challange, good or bad, I don't yet know. I have 84 days to find out. This afternoon I produced a simple nameplate. It looks better on screen. I have produced an STL of the file, and it looks very good in the slicer. I might print it out. There is 5 deg draft on the lettering and plate. The letters protude 1mm from the surface, and are about 8mm high. I think the 7 is 15mm high.

I watched a video on youtube by a man scratch building a Spitfire. He used MOI to produce the engine cowling, spinner and a double bladed prop, from some old drawings. That showed what MOI is really good at.

Did you use the Flow tool to position the text?

Martin.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

You could save yourself £700 and do the same head using basic features that can be found it Atom, no Boolenes in this one I just copied the sketches I used for the cores and pasted them into the head model and simply extruded or cut them.. It's just a case of getting to know a program to get the best out of it.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Hi Martin, Yes, I used the flow tool. The help file explained it enough for me to have a go, but the curve I flowed the text on was too big and I had to backtrack and shorten it. Then I found the stretch option. That helped, but the curve still had to be close to finished size. I couldn't see a way to center the text, yet. I also chose flat text so I could extrude it with draft.

Jason, I suppose I am so used to doing my designs in Designspark, that I found Atom 3D awkward. At least MOI has familiar functions, sort of.

Lee

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Lee.

The length and position of the base curve in relation to the items to be flowed is significant, as is its length in relation to the target curve. I've tried to give a few hints in the attached video.

Martin.

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Using Flow to apply text to a 3d surface to make an Austin 7 nameplate.

There's a bit of waiting for my old laptop on this video as MoI crunches the numbers.

Martin.

 

Edited By blowlamp on 23/05/2023 21:22:57

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Two excellent videos Martin. I have learnt from them, thanks.

I made a very basic wheel rim, not to any sort of scale or accuracy, just practice. I then created a single cylinder crankshaft, to scale and size, and imported an engine cylinder I had created a few days ago. I deleted the cylinder, but saved the crank. Again, all practice. The cylinder head is just about ready for the next step. Triplicate it, and then convert one into a pattern, another into a core mould, and the third left as is to show the finished head.

Lee

Edited By lee webster on 23/05/2023 22:39:01

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

That sounds like progress to me Lee. I think you are doing well, considering that you're coming from a parametric environment into a slightly more 'nuts & bolts' way of doing CAD.

I hope it works out for you.

Martin.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Hi martin, just an update on MOI. An excellent programme with features I might need later if I decide to make more 3D printed model cars. At the moment though, I need a decent cad programme, and for that, MOI doesn't fit the bill.

I was really impressed with the way MOI could manipulate surfaces, so later maybe. I started to search the net for a way to draw a line at a tangent to a circle, and at an angle too. I came across a bloke called "blowlamp", posting the same query!

Lee

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Fair enough, Lee.

Sounds like Fusion 360, Solid Edge, or Alibre might be your best options after all.
I did use ViaCad for a while, but got fed up of trying to remember what all the different tools did and frustrated when they didn't work.

I'm still interested in what you finally choose.

Martin.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

I think the only two options are Designspark Mechanical or Solidedge. I don't want to use F360 because it is online only. Alibre is still an option. I have even been playing with FreeCAD, which I used a lot before finding Designspark.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

It's like a toy that never stops being interesting in my case

I'm not sure about lettering on curved surfaces with Alibre, the last I heard it was in a future update

will have a go at it…

Edited By Ady1 on 28/05/2023 17:48:10

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Took me 20 minutes with the Tracing tool to get the basics, then extrude onto the plate

I stole the lettering from your video

You'd need to faff with the Loft tool to get the curvy bit of the plate, so say 40 minutes for a first ever try

You would loft a solid curve under the bottom section of the lettering, then loft a curve cut over the top section of the lettering(in theory)

You can almost always get there eventually with Alibre Atom, about an hour?

Alibre Pro would probbly take 10 minutes

 

 

Edited By Ady1 on 28/05/2023 18:24:51

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Yes, I think Alibre text capabilities are getting an update. What happens to those who have Alibre, but didn't opt for updates at extra cost? Will they be offered an update I wonder.

I joined a local model making group when I realised that I needed help with my own A7 model. Several people are building tanks, and some of those tanks are big, with a large number of parts.

Edit. I had posted this before seeing your post on text with Alibre. Putting the text on a curve is the hard bit. Designspark has virtually no text tool, but it is still possible. I did my text creation in Inkscape, saved it as an SVG, imported that into FreeCAD, and then exported that as a STEP file. Designspark doesn't like importing STEP files, but it can be tricked into doing it. Text with FreeCAD is nearly as bad, whereas text with Solidedge is very good. Nowadays, I use Designspark for cad, and Solidedge for text. But I am getting into Solidedge a bit more.

Edited By lee webster on 28/05/2023 18:30:03

[blowlampParticipant @blowlamp]

Ady.

The tank is coming along nicely – the tracks already look quite impressive.

I'm sure the Austin 7 badge, made in Alibre Pro, would be quicker and easier to do than in Atom, but it's a fair bit more dosh, so we're back to finding something we can use and understand, that has the right tools for the job in hand, and can be had for a price we can afford/willing to pay.

Lee.

Coming back to the tangent question we were both looking for a solution to. It turned out to be covered by the Construction Lines that are built in to almost all of MoI's drawing tools and are initiated by click & drag.

I think MoI has a pretty good 'snap' setup and can usually find tangents etc to most curve combinations, but this particular scenario isn't covered in a single click solution. I've done another video to show that it's a fairly trivial problem to solve with MoI's Construction Lines.

 

Martin.

Edited By blowlamp on 28/05/2023 19:49:23

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

A neat solution.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

You can usually get a reasonably priced update to the latest Alibre even if you have not paid the yearly fees.

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

Text on curved faces can already be done in Alibre, using the wrap/project tool.

The coming enhancement for v27 is text along curved path. The two things are different, but may sometimes be usefully combined.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

This image was created in Designspark. The text was created in Inkscape, exported to FreeCAD, exported from FreeCAD into DS, extruded with draft, then the backplate added. A lot of work involving three programmes. Luckily, all three are free!

This image was created wholly in DS. The body is a trimmed revolve, the text was created by measuring something (anything) with the annotation plane. The measurement is then changed to the text required and projected onto the surface. The text is extruded and another revolve is created to trim the text down to the same shape as the body. I think it may have been two annotation planes. Once a solid is created, anything that had been used to create the solid can be deleted. There is no history as such, just a list of the bodies created. MOI is similar, so I was used to the way it worked.

Lee

 

Edited By lee webster on 28/05/2023 20:42:34

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