ZW3D vs Fusion 360 Lesson 6 3D Modeling Techniques Defined Streamlined Sketching/Feature Based Modeling
I am not sure if it is due to these
exercises but I have replaced a few Fusion 360 with ZW3D. Listen to
what these two fellows said.
Brian
"We spoke a year and a
half or so ago about ZW3D. I took the Autodesk Fusion
360 but am becoming increasingly unhappy with it… It’s not very
productive for me, just too slow and cumbersome to get things done
quickly. On on the strength of your recommendations I am ready to
give ZW3D Standard a shot, probably as a rental for the first year.
Bottom line is,
Fusion 360 is “free” but not really free… I am finding that the
slow, clumsy pace of design with it is counterproductive… time is
money."
Thanks much,
Brian
Peter
The initial hull design was done in Rhino, which for some reason
is a standard in the boat industry.
The surface already had
a few problems!
It was imported into Fusion 360 and I did
some of the early concept design work, but when it came to surfacing
I hit road blocks every way I tried it.
At this time Phil
was not part of the project, but I suggested to my client that we
needed Phil's help. Phil also hit road blocks in Fusion 360 even
using some of his unique re-topologizing workflows and T-Splines.
The rest is history, as they say.
Thanks to ZW3D
paired with Phil’s surfacing skills we now have tooling for the hull
created.
You should see the images.
Perfectly smooth
reflections!
Peter I saw the
following video challenges on LinkedIn and thought I would give them a
try. These exercises show
more the difference in the level of the 3D CAD experience than the
CAD system itself. You can
Download ZW3D and give it a try.
ZW3D is very similar to Fusion 360 and the
Pro/e clones with differences that make it much more streamlined. It
is very easy for those users to get up and running with ZW3D. The
unique benefits over the other systems is the multi-object
environment, for easy top down design and the the integrated
drawing. You can do complete projects (parts, assemblies and
drawings) in one file. Imagine how much this would simplify PDM?
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 ZW3D support to create one. They are
very good.
The modeling technique is
hugely responsible for the level of productivity. Those of you that
are only trained in the sketch, sketch, constrain, constrain world
are truly limited by not using the freedom of feature based design,
that is available in even the most Pro/e-ish of CAD systems. If your
designers are designing in these very unproductive and time
consuming processes it might be time to review your standard design
processes. Don't have any do you?
These have actually turned
these into exercises in
modeling techniques as compared to showing a more productive CAD
systems. Again, I say there are many different ways to model a part.
I see with my exposure to direct edit modelers like CADKEY, I
rarely sketch like you see the Fusion 360 fellow doing. I have always
created my basic sketches by mostly creating offsets and extending
and trimming or. It seems to be much easier. I never put in a fillet that
can be created later. What do you think? Of course, this take a good
understanding of descriptive geometry.
Here is ZW3D. We set the units to inches
If you have been
following these exercises you have may have seen this exercise done
in IronCAD. I am much more proficient in IronCAD. What do you expect
after 22 years. ZW3D is very much like Solidworks and other Pro/e
Clones. So I jump through a few more hoops to model. But I am
getting better.
These have actually turned into exercises in
modeling techniques as compared to showing a more productive CAD
systems. Again, I say there are many different ways to model a part.
I have seen with my exposure to direct edit modelers like CADKEY, I
rarely sketch like you see the Fusion 360 fellow doing. I have always
created my basic sketches by mostly creating offsets and trimming or
extending. It seems to be much easier. I never put in a fillet that
can be created later. What do you think?
I start with
dropping in a primitive block and sizing it.
I could now drop a
hole block and size but I want to create a sketch to show you how I
do it with creating offsets. ZW3D allows you to use the reference
edges directly without projecting them. You can see that I just
create the four lines.
Then I just trim or extend the lines.
This seems so much easier than creating lines and dimensioning and
constraining them.
We just extrude it. Now I just drop another block locate it and size
it. I am getting good at this. Quite simple, indeed!
Yes,
there is a rhyme and reason for this next step. Notice in the original
drawing there is a .50 dimension. It seems like the Fusion 360
fellow ignored this dimension.
Here are my basic construction for the top block. I had to
create the .50 offset and 1.00 offset to locate the center of the
top 1.50 radius. Trust me I put in the correct offsets. I can hear
you now. "But I can't see the dims!"
Now I
will trim or extend the lines. All I am showing you here is a
different much simpler operation.
We extrude the sketch!
Drop another block locate it and size it.
Wow, this is getting easy.
Now add the fillets. Never sketch a
fillet unless it is required in the design process!
I create the basic 3.81 construction line
from the edge to the center of the 1.50 radius. I show this just to
make clear how I sketch without drawing separate dimensioned and
constrained lines.
Here
are the offset lines that make up the lower cut. There are only 4
offsets here. The two center ones are symmetrical offsets.
I trim
the lines as required and add the bottom line. I have left the basic
construction line to add the rectangle in the next step.
Now to
add the rectangle. I was pleasantly surprised to find an option to
create a rectangle with the option to rotate it the 45 degrees.
I just delete the basic construction line
and I am done. Then extrude it. The Fusion 360 fellow
probably thinks he is clever by half by sketching half of the part.
He could have easily sketched the complete part faster. When you are
teaching techniques you only use the ones that have to be used to
increase productivity in that situation not to create extra steps.
Most are training to use their skills in a professional design
environment where their skills make them more productive and
valuable.
Add the two holes by creating a hole block
locating and sizing.
I
added the last couple of fillets and I am done. As you can see I
model much differently than most of you. I feel this is much faster
and more efficient.
It is very important that you look into
how you or your engineers are creating the parts. Streamline
Sketching and Feature Based Modeling is easy to learn and implement.
It, alone, can increase productivity 10X. Now, ZW3D with its unique
history and robust direct edit functionality can increase your
productivity another 5X or more with changes! Again, time is money
in engineering.
More on Streamline Sketching and Feature Based Modeling.
To experience this increased level of
productivity, please download ZW3D for a 30 day evaluation. Legacy
data is no problem, ZW3D can read the native files of all of the
popular programs including the PMI data of NX, Solidworks, Catia and
Creo. ZW3D is a great replacement for the subscription only Autodesk
and PTC products.
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 ZW3D. It
truly is the Ultimate CAD/CAM System.
