3D Modeling Techniques IRONCAD vs Creo Lesson
Five No 3D Modeling Can Be This Convoluted Two Lessons StreamLined
Sketching/Drag and Drop Modeling StreamLined Sketching/Feature Based
Modeling
When I introduce IronCAD's very
flexible design paradigm I have a hard time to get the Pro/e clone
users, like Solidworks and other programs, to understand the drag and
drop design process.
Download IronCAD/Inovate and
follow through the lesson.Give it a try, this is a fully functional 30 day
evaluation with all of the native translators so you have access to
your legacy engineering information.
Many of these modeling techniques can easily
be implemented even within the most Solidworkish of systems. I call
it Streamlined Sketching and Feature Based Modeling. Please review a
few of the above IronCAD vs these other systems, there are some very stark differences. Basic 3D
Modeling Exercise for Beginners in Creo Parametric 6.0 - 15
While creating 3D models from drawings is the very best
way to learn 3D CAD and maybe some design techniques it does not
expose the designer to the design flexibility necessary in design. IronCAD is all top down due to the single model environment.
Creating mating parts is a cruise. But modeling is just one aspect of a
well designed productive 3D CAD system.
Creo
is a marginal 3D CAD system based on the dated Pro/e history
based modeling system released in 1988. I sold Pro/e years ago
and found it not productive enough
for our engineering department. We use what we sell. That gives us
the experience to effectively support our user base.
I would do a
video, but I really am not good at it. So I will show you step by
step. I will try and get IronCAD support to create one. They are
very good. Please watch the Creo user model this part!
I was shocked that the quite bizarre process this fellow took on
such a simple part. This is suppose to be beginner training and it
shows some overly complex methods. This surely cannot be not be
representative of most users.
Realize Creo costs $2500 per years. IronCAD
is $3970.00 for the perpetual seat. One and a half years you own the
program and it is good until MS creates a incompatible OS. Now we do
have a rental program at $1500 per year.
This IronCAD exercise took a few minutes and allows
for faster and much easier modification. Again these exercises turned
into a study of modeling techniques even though most of this model
is Feature Based Modeling not available to most of the Solidworks clones.
Here is IronCAD. My default is inches,
so we will set the units to mm. Let's get started.
StreamLined Sketching/Drag and Drop
Modeling.
We will first create the model using
StreamLined Sketching and Drag and Drop Modeling using IronCAD's
unique drag and drop from catalogs functionality.
But Feature Based Modeling does not
require the use of primitive or intellishapes it is based on
understanding the basic shapes of the part. You will see me use that
process in the next StreamLined Sketching Only lesson.
We drag and drop a block from the
catalog and size it.
Note: Why does IronCAD
call it a scene instead of a workspace? IronCAD was first released
as a graphic design program called Trispectives. It still has much
of the graphic design functionality. It truly is a wonderful mixture
of professional 3D CAD and graphic design, which puts it in a much
more flexible category as compared to the very mechanical
engineering focused Solidworks clones.
IronCAD has levels of design, first
level is yellow for the assembly, second is blue for the part, third
is yellow for the feature and finally the forth which is green for
the face of surfaces.
We will click down to the feature
level and select edit cross-section.
All intellishapes (the
drag and drop features) are based on sketches.
We will edit
the sketch. We will input lines using the right mouse button that
allows me to directly input the sizes. No constrained sketching.
This eliminates much of the work.
I will delete the right
vertical line and create a vertical construction line by using the
two point line command using the right mouse button and defining the
line length. I then add a circle using the center and radius and
again using the right mouse button that allows me to define the
size.
Now we use the
tangent line command again with the right mouse button we defined
the slope. We do both staying in the command. Compare the way the
Creo presenter goes through so many steps for such a simple sketch.
We just delete
the construction entities and trim to the net sketch. You can see
when the sketch is complete when there are no red dots.
We say okay and our base is
complete, no need to extrude.
We drag and drop a cylinder on the
corner of the base to set an orientation location. You learn how to
make sure the features drop correctly on the relative face. In this
case it depends on the view of the base.
We select down to the feature level
and turn on the Triball.
With the right
mouse button we pull on the axis and set the distance.
We now size
the cylinder.
We
now drag and drop a block to an established center point of the
base. IronCAD has points like corners, centers and midpoints
available for locating your intellishapes. Why am I creating this
shape? This is just common modeling knowledge. We are going to have
a hole that will be put in after this shape is made. The Creo
presenter does not seem to understand this process. So he has to fix
the problems later, taking much precious design time.
We
size the block by pulling one handle to the center of the cylinder,
setting the length, then set symmetrical and size the width then the
height which includes the radius. Sketching filets is one of the
things you rarely do with feature based modeling
We add the blends and now drag and drop
the top counter bore hole. You will see that we can create a custom
hole but we will use drag and drop for this lesson.
Now for
the life of me I do not know why the Creo presenter created the
center hole first. Why in the world do these Creo clone users always
use revolve to create a hole. Why not use the hole generator he uses
later. I will use that in my StreamLined Sketching lesson.
We
will continue to drag and drop the center hole to the center of the
bottom face of the counter bore and size it. So much more productive
and simpler design method.
We
drag and drop a hole cylinder to the center of the radii in the side
face and size it pulling it into the hole.
We
add the blends and drag and drop a hole cylinder to the center and
size it.
Using
the Triball we will copy link the holes to the other centers.
Now
Now for the last blends.
We are done with the complete part almost before the Creo
presenter is done with constraining his first sketch.
It
drives me crazy to watch as these Creo clone users waste so much
time using date modeling techniques introduced 32 years ago.
StreamLined Sketching/Feature Based
Modeling
I am going to do this part using StreamLined Sketching/Feature
Based Modeling. I will
use the hole features that are available with most of the Creo
clones.
We will do this in the same file showing you the
advantages of a single model environment.
First thing we do
is suppress the first part.
Using the Extrude Wizard we create
a sketch with at depth of 12 mm. The Extrude Wizard is one of the
more useful features, usually use when creating mating parts. I show
the step in the process where we input the depth of 12 mm
Now
we have the sketch I will create a rectangle of 145 X 100 using the
right mouse button that will let me define the rectangle and the
basic shape. We are using feature based modeling.
I
will delete the right line and create one using the two lines and
the right mouse button to create the 42 mm line as a construction
line for the location of my R15 circle.
I
will use the tangent line feature to create the two tangent lines
using the right mouse button that will allow me to define the slope.
We can put both of them in without getting out of the command.
We trim the entities and we are done with our sketch.
We
will now create the boss. The Creo presenter creates the center hole
here and creates problem later with the model. You would think an
experienced Creo user would foresee these problems.
Again
using the Extrude Wizard we will create a sketch plane on the top
face of the base, we will set the height at this time.
We
will sketch the circle on the edge of the part.
We
can now move this circle with X and Y input instead of creating
dimensions.
You
can see this is a modeling technique that removes many of the steps.
We just say okay and our boss is created.
Again using
the Extrude Wizard at the top of the boss and rotated it using the
Triball, one of the interesting facts is that the Creo clones all
have the 3 planes at the XOYOZO and is easy to create many sketches.
But with a single model environment the X0Y0Z0 is of little
importance so we have to create our sketch planes.
We will
sketch the basic rectangle. But using a single construction center
line and offsets. So much easier than using dimensions to define the
rectangle. Also notice we do not create the radius.
We
delete the construction like an select okay and our shape is
created. So much easier.
We
add the two 15mm blends and go to the custom hole feature. In the
catalog we go to the TooL catalog and select the Custom Hole Tool
and drag it to the center of the boss. Now I know that Creo has this
option. Why doesn't the Creo presenter think of it instead of
creating a complicated revolve feature that creates problems in the
model later.
We set the units to metric and size the counter
bore hole.
We
select okay and now use the same command for the the face of the
side boss. We will set it to 16 dia X 45 deep.
Select okay and we are ready for our other holes. But first we have
to create the R15mm blends. Then select the custom hole command.
We create the holes at the center of the blends.
We
select okay and are done with all the holes no need to pattern. Just
another feature that make modeling much much faster.
Now
the blends and we are done. No drag and drop. Just pure sketching
with some hole functions that are included in most 3D CAD systems.
This is to show you how StreamLined Sketching is much, much
more productive.
He is
the drawing so you can give StreamLined Sketching/Feature Based
Modeling a try.
You can see the two process that IronCAD offers are both hugely
more productive than the tedious constrained based sketching. You
can see more on modeling techniques here.
Give me a call if you have any
questions. I can set up a skype or go to meeting to show this part
or answer any of your questions on the operation of IronCAD. It
truly is the very best conceptual 3D CAD system.
If you are interested in adding professional
hybrid modeling capabilities or looking for a new solution to
increase your productivity, take some time to download a fully
functional 30 day evaluation and play with these packages. Feel free
to give me a call if you have any questions or would like an on-line
presentation.
