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How to model shelled object for e.g. woodworking
nicolai_mainiero
Member Posts: 4 ✭
Hi,
I have the following simple drawing, which first extrudes a rectangle and then hollows it out to represent a box.
See also here in this document: https://cad.onshape.com/documents/214aa4eaf39eff0148bdd0a8/w/6379bcb6ab93cd75d52110e0/e/09e1f90190fabaca67885e49
How do I turn this object into 5 panels so that I can recreate it in wood, for example? I have tried cutting and Boolean operators, but that seems unnecessarily complicated to me.
Or am I thinking about it wrong, and this step is done later with other tools?
Any tips on how to do it correctly are welcome.
Thanks.
Comments
There are a few different ways to do it. You could manually draw the shapes in your sketch then Extrude-(New) each one separately. Or you could use the Split feature to split what you currently have into individual pieces. Using split can be unstable if you are looking for a commercial grade model that is extremely robust, but should be fine for a simple box.
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Depending on the angles you want, this may be of use: https://forum.onshape.com/discussion/27954/new-feature-miter-warlock
@christopher_dziuba has a woodworking script called Make Skins that I've been using as the first step to my cabinet builds before I engage my Miter Warlock step. One day I'd like to combine the two into one feature that allows you to specify which edges of the cabinet body are supposed to be butt joints and which ones are supposed to be miters, but Cabinet Warlock is not going to be out in the near future.
Another quick way to do it would be to create the "solid" outer shape and then use thicken on the faces to create the sides, you would need two features to do the opposite sides to avoid automatically making them one part.
Then you can use boolean(s) or move face to create but joints
The drawback to the thicken method is a lack of support for non-90-degree corner geometry. Shell then split will allow for weird corner cabinet cases or other non-trivial geometry, and that's the working principle behind Chris's Make Skins script. I tend to draft my parts with the generalized case in mind for when I get clients like the one that spawned Miter Warlock sliding into my sales team's DMs.
True… The picture I had in my mind was just a "regular" box with 90deg corners everywhere (which is what is shown in the original doc).
With arbitrary angles it definitely become more complex!
Just a thought, frame tool can be used as well for something this straight forward
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/3f401d4383b6fcd0fdfa7d7b/w/b387d84d19cd1455419e6e77/e/94e8ee3c55e68ae04c109fa8
I have wandered my way around Frame Attribute land for some custom scripts in the past and gotten well acquainted with the ways in which those attributes are abused in the default tools. You just clicked my brain into wondering about extending the frame abuse to another dimension. Sheet Profiles? Sheet Attributes? Sheet Libraries? Never having to explain to my team that their 50" part can't be cut out of the 48" stock ever again??
I've used frames for other than normal expected tubes in a few areas. Can be very useful.
Good luck keeping your team on standard sheet widths. Too easy to modify later with a simple move face or other tools. I think you're likely to have to continue watching some of them.
I think if the tool lights up red and warns you that your parts won't fit on the selected sheet that should be a pretty big sign to stop what you're doing and reconsider. I guess there's nothing stopping you from making a 1000 foot long frame in the studio though so maybe I'm overthinking it.
The bigger thing would be enforcing consistency in sheet dimensions. It's been an uphill battle explaining to people that 3/4" plywood is actually 18mm because all of the mills that make this stuff are in metric countries. I still see new drafters drawing 3/4" ply as .75" and leaving horrible gaps everywhere.
Hi, thanks for all the ideas. Miter Warlock is impressive, but it's a bit over the top—I actually want to keep it simple and have butt joints.
Make Skins seems like the better option to me, but I've noticed that when I select the back in one feature and then both side pieces in a second feature, the bottom disappears.
Am I doing something wrong when applying the features?
https://cad.onshape.com/documents/214aa4eaf39eff0148bdd0a8/w/6379bcb6ab93cd75d52110e0/e/09e1f90190fabaca67885e49
@nicolai_mainiero So sorry to get back to you so late. Problem is you're using the latest version which I totally messed up. I'm trying to make the skins stable to downstream changes. V37 (Clean) is the current version I use for work everyday. Big problem is I can't seem to make the internal Part ID stable to selection changes. If you do use this feature make sure you get you're selection right the 1st time. Until I fix this feature anything that references those "Skins" is on thin ice.
Look out for version V40
@nicolai_mainiero Scratch that! I've made it work :) Latest Version V43 (Clean) will work perfectly hopefully. Its robust and code is easier to understand for anyone wanting to mod.