Need advice how to redraw from old drawing for laser cut productivity

dennis_de_klerk

Dear all,


I'm a pit rusty on my CAD skills and picked up only a while ago. I've got the basics covered again and ready to start working on design drawings of a small RC model plane.

I've found a very old drawing (80ies), see pdf attached. My idea is to make a 3D model in OnShape of this plane based on this drawing. So far so good and it'll have the ultimate goal to generate drawings that'll allow most parts cut from big nested sheets using laser cutter.

My Question: what is the best way to generate Sketches, Parts and Assemblies:

1. Should I make a Sketch for every piece, extrude it into a Part and then assemble those in an Assembly? As such I'm sure to have all individual part that I could put in a nested sheet of wood, but I think it'll take more time to position all parts.
2. So would the alternative of sketching multiple pieces in one Sketch work, generating 1 (?) Part of those multiple pieces and thereafter make the Assembly? I've noticed it's easier with all the snap functions for example. And for sure this proces will be a lot quicker, however I'm not sure if I'd be able to make nested sheets of all pieces?

Many thanks in advance for your thoughts.
 
Kind regards,


Dennis

shashank_aarya

hi @dennis_de_klerk I think the method-2 will be more convenient because Onshape has capability to create multiple parts in one part studio which is known as multi-body approach. In this example you already have the different part positions available in sheet. So, you can make single sketch containing the profiles of all the parts and then extrude individually. So your part studio will have all the parts located at the same position as required in assembly.
Next you can call entire part studio in the assembly, pick all the parts and apply group constrain. Looking at your example drawing sheet I understand that initially it will take considerable time to create your first sketch for all parts but in future it will help you very much when you need to change the position of any part in assembly. It is only required to change the position of part profile in the first sketch which will update in part studio as well as in assembly. 
It is possible to create drawing for each separate piece which is created in multi-body part studio.
See this video link for multi part modeling
https://www.onshape.com/videos/multipart-design

philip_thomas

You might like to also checkout the 'Beams' custom feature!
https://www.onshape.com/featurescript
With a bit of modification you could put all of the standard balsa sizes into it.
The workflow then becomes simply a sketch of the fuselage side and then apply the 'beams' feature - specifying the balsa size for each member. All of the mitering and trimming is automatically taken care of!

philip_thomas

dennis_de_klerk

Thanks everyone!

MBartlett21

philip_thomas said:

@philip_thomas do you have a link to the Onshape model?

emagdalenaC2i

@philip_thomas I will love to take a closer look to that document (if you can share it)

philip_thomas

@emagdalenaC2C - Eduardo - i had grandiose plans to mate this up and get it working.
Unfortunately all i hear around here is 'do some work' - don't they know this IS work?
Maybe you will be more successful




https://cad.onshape.com/documents/0696a1fdc81d963b1e805c90/w/b7b9c06655a1327e4c036d19/e/2030fa2a068a32e3151ea7e9

emagdalenaC2i

What a disappointment!! They are all imported parts!!! 

philip_thomas

Yeah some Italian guy 'Leonardo' something or other did the original work, i just imported his work

emagdalenaC2i

Did Leonardo work with some kind of rustic 3D modeling software???  

owen_sparks

Will the next version of Onshape fully support .LDV files? 

philip_thomas

Something really old and antiquated - probably sketchup

emagdalenaC2i

ok, Leonado Shutherland, thats should be the full name... 

Speaking of painters and inventors of the Renaissance ... Do you know where the name "Close 2 Circle" comes from?

There was a painter named Giotto in the fourteenth century in Italy.
It seems that the Pope sent a messenger to ask for some proof of his skills to know if he was worthy to work for Rome.

It is said that Giotto, instead of pick one of his most importants paints, took a white canvas in the presence of the messenger, plunged his brush into red paint and, with a single continuous line, drew a geometrically perfect circle by hand and said:
"The value of this work will be recognized."

Like Giotto, we at Close 2 Circle look for perfection, simplicity, speed, the use of new approaches and new tools to optimize resources and simplify processes

philip_thomas

Eduardo - I actually had heard that story, and I am glad that C2C strives for the same level of perfection

tom_scarince

There's an only slightly less well known story of a slightly less talented painter and a Pope. Pius IX remarked of a particularly poor portrait of himself: "Fear not, it is I." 

dennis_de_klerk

Great stories guys! I knew about the Giotto story, but not in full detail. Now I know it was the pope who asked for it and the name Giotto.

Recently I started on a new model. Bit different approach using 3D projected lines. Basically I make, for example, 2D drawings of the fuselage from 2 perspectives and then use the 3D projected line command to make up the contour. I then built up a surface model and after it being solid I start drawing the insides like Bulkheads etc. 

Not that I invented this by all means, but for the thread perhaps still relevant to note! I like this, because it keeps me in part mode a bit longer. I like Assemblies and in-context modelling, but in part mode often works simpler when working from an imported 2D drawing.