CAD packages

[psycho_fling]

Hi

AS im currently designing my new feather weight which will incorparate lots of tricky building. I thought it a good point to try my hand at some CAD something simple that i can design armour and mounts in. Alsoo that is either on the net or free download would be great

any ideas?

thanks alex

[craig_anto]

Rhino 3D

its a free trial, i use it and love it

[kodster]

Yep, I would highly recommend Rhino3D as well.

[psycho_fling]

do you have a suitable link?

[leorcc]

Google is your friend.

http://www.rhino3d.com/http://www.rhino3d.com/

[psycho_fling]

i now have rhinoceros 3.0 evaluation just trying to work it out

could someone give me a few pointers on how they use it for robots? i have looked for tutorials but they seem to be a bit to specific about certain things

any help welcome

[psycho_fling]

also just saved a bit of work nd i seem to have a limit of 25 saves??????

[kodster]

Renders are the things that show you your robot. To have your robot show up in your renders, you have to make surfaces. These surfaces are usually the exterior of your robot unless you want to try and render the inside as well.

You can make surfaces quite easily. Surface Point will create a surface out of any 4 points you specify. Surface Edge creates a surface out of 4 connecting curves. There are tons of other neat functions. Its really quite fun, try it.

And yeah, trial versions have 25 limited saves. When you get the full version, unlimited saves.

[david_b]

Rhino is a NURBS modeller though, so its a little different to most pacakges. I use 3DS MAX 8 from Autodesk.

For a good wide use I would use http://www.blender.orgwww.blender.org as a package, Blender is free, open source and is easy to box model with.

If you want epic simple, http://www.anim8or.comwww.anim8or.com is your place.

Otherwise
http://www.wings3d.com/http://www.wings3d.com/
http://sketchup.google.com/http://sketchup.google.com/ + http://www.kerkythea.net/joomla/http://www.kerkythea.net/joomla/ (use the two in conjunction)

Im no proffessional and Im 16 so Im no good to instruct you with anything. But feel free to use my robot model as a guide if you feel it helps, I used a box modelling technique.

http://www.ewe-squad.com/plei/Misc/Collage%201.jpghttp://www.ewe-squad.com/plei/Misc/Collage%201.jpg

If you want to go into it further I can show you some wireframes from this model, or give you the model to import to have a gander at.

Each of the packages has different benefits and downfalls, if you want simple, then Anim8or is best + it has an internal rendering system, though its not very advanaced.

Wings 3d is an opensource 3d program that is subdvision based (creating vertexes and then smoothing them all over)

Rhino, what you have is a different type. It uses Non Uniform Rational B splines to model with. Often this is good for organic modelling, but not as good for box modelling, which is better for a robot imo. The difference is youll notice is that most models use a series of verteces to define a point on a surface, NURBS is different in that it uses splines to define the average forsurfaces and lines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NURBstatic.svghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:NURBstatic.svg

Notice how the green points have an average that determins the final curve for the spline line.

http://www.oman3d.com/tutorials/3ds/mosque/001_top_vertices2.gifhttp://www.oman3d.com/tutorials/3ds/..._vertices2.gif

Above are standard vertices for shapes. The little squares are EXACTLY what are in the model, and so they are easy to extrude, bevel and move about unlike NURBS.

Personally I reccommend using a VERTEX based modeller for robotics becuase they are better and easier to box model.

But either way I suggest to test some of the ones I gave you to see what is right for you.

For more information:

Lists a load of modelling programs to use, free and buyable.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_computer_graphics_softwarehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3D_comp...phics_software
Will give you a bit of information about the two types of modelling and will give you core links.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-D_modelinghttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3-D_modeling

Hope I could help some!
(Sorry if I sound patronising, I dont quite know how to word things properly, I see you have a large post count so I apolagize if I seemed to talk down at all)

David

(Message edited by david b on May 29, 200

[kodster]

(if that was partly directed at me...)

Its okay. I realize some people turn their noses up at some programs, so I dont bother to win people over, I just give suggestions.