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Re: Improvements to Onshape - January 31st, 2025
I would say the Makera Carvera CNCs are the Bambulab x1/Prusa MK4 equivalent of the CNC world. Desktop size, housing, not too expensive, good quality. That's what I would consider for private "getting your feet wet" experiments if the work area size is ok for your projects. Then it really depends what you want to do. Our Makerspace has a Haas machine for metal (which are entry level production machines with 3-5 axis) and two Felder (Hammer/Format4) CNCs for woodworking (one small one large for e.g. furiture). These are too expensive for private persons, take a lot of space and are very loud, so not good for living rooms :) So better search for a Makerspace that has those. Or design your stuff and send them to a fab lab to mill it for you.
fst
Re: hey is it possible to get my pipe round and symmetric instead of the shape of a egg?
Don't use the hole as the basis for the tube. Start by creating a "curve point" plane, on the end of the angled line. sketch a circle on this new plane, then extrude the circle "up to face" on the base plate.
As a 2nd option - (maybe a better way) you can also use the "frame" command.
Also you don't need separate sketches for the small holes - put them all in the 1st sketch (and use dimensions, until sketch is "resolved").
I strongly recommend that you take the "self-paced learning courses" in the learning center. Most of the entry level courses are free, and do a very good job of explaining how to get started "step by step".
Good luck
Re: Working with imported step file
The source of this model is likely some subdivision modeler for a rendering, which is not great for mechanical CAD or creating anything for 3D printing. The surfaces are very densely parameterized in awkward ways, and the topology is awkward. For instance instead of large simple surfaces with small fillets at the panel gaps, the surfaces include some very tight curvature at the edges. It will be impossible to thicken these directly as the minimum curvature of the surfaces massively exceeds the thickness that you're trying to achieve. Your best bet is to manually create some flanges on the edges of the outer surfaces and then through fills/lofts/extrudes/boundary surfaces - create the insides. The inside surfaces don't need to be exact offsets, but just something that can be 3D printed.
You may already be doing this, but "highlight boundary edges" under the view menu can also help you find/see some of the defects in the model. The A-pillar comes down into the body and has a break in the surfaces. Also below the boot, there's a gap.
Showing curvature (shift-C) on the surfaces will show some of the extremes in radius which prevents offsets from working. Here's the B pillar. Also, notice that right above the highlighted surface is a "star point" where 5 surfaces come together. This kind of topology is likely to cause issues.
The fills that you've created to glue the panels together are also all not ideal for thickening.
S1mon
Re: Working with imported step file
Looks painful to do. ha. no special tricks. I'd probably edit the individual pieces as you've done… delete all the faces except the outer face to be thickened but don't thicken it. then insert those pieces as you've done and bridge the gaps with new surfaces. and then when thicken it and when it doesn't work find a trouble area and split/delete/reconstruct the area with new surfaces. repeat till thicken works.. best I can think of atm.
MDesign
Re: Working with imported step file
Making scaled down models of cars even from the original high quality surfaces is a pain. We've been doing that in the past, to mill or print them. Even an experienced professional surafae modeller (using catia/ cem) usually required more than a week pder car to get it done properly. It is not impossible, but just a lot of detail work.
So, S1mon is ceetainly right. Taken them on one by one, rebuild a lot. Think in greater shapes first, only then add the details. You don't need these on the inside, so reconsider the thickening idea.
Re: Working with imported step file
Use what you have as an outline for new simplified surfaces
MDesign
Re: Improvements to Onshape - January 31st, 2025
Some great stuff here, but my favorite is definitely SHEET METAL FORM. Yay! Thank you so much!
fnxf
Re: Align Views to each other
Thanks, I understand your comment. Sometimes though adding a view that does not have another view to project from is beneficial. I may want to reference it to a view in a different orientation that has features I'd like to show side by side. It seems like a simple feature to have, I had it in CREO.
