Workflow for space frame structures, skeleton modeling, 3D sketch construction line construction jig

emil_4

Any recommended workflows for creating frames like bicycle pipe welded frames, space frames like in aircraft frames, motorcycles or race cars , etc?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_frame

Can one create a 3D skeleton or 3D sketch of frame and then snap pipes, cylinders, or extruded structures like I-beams to the skeleton or 3D sketch?

Any alternate assembly recommendations for these type of structures?


Best, 


-Emil

fastwayjim

OS doesn't have 3D sketching yet, so right now building a spaceframe would require lots and lots and lots of datum planes and sketches. Depending on your geometry, you might be able to utilize patterns (i.e. for aircraft fuselage hoops).

I'd start with 3 sketches that capture the overall size/shape from each direction: Side, Front, Top. From there, build a "skeleton" of sketches to represent the center lines of the tubes/beams. From there, use multibody modeling to capture the correct BOM, and finish with boolean operations to accurately model the joints.

Does this make sense?

emil_4

Thanks Fastway Jim,

By aircraft fuselage hoops, do you mean like a profile of cross sections (like bulkheads...






) along the length of a fuselage?  Never heard of hoops for describing fuselage frames; but its a cool description.  

With One Shape, is it possible to draw "single line sketches" between two data plane points.  By this assume a single point on each plane of two planes and lets assume for the sake simplicity, that these planes are parallel to each other.  The problem that I have it found difficult in the past is trying to create a single line sketch without having to define a plane for it first.  These single lines then could be the centerlines of the pipes/tubes/beams.

I could follow up with a drawing to describe what I mean if you don't understand.

-Emil