I'm looking to make realistic scale motorcycles. I am looking into getting a small mill with cnc capability. It seems Mach 3 is a good cam program, but I'm not sure what is the best cad program to draw the parts in and convert over to Mach 3? I really don't know much, but am willing to learn and ambitious. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Thread: Can someone tell me what I need?
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02-24-2011, 06:13 PM #1
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Can someone tell me what I need?
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02-24-2011, 06:42 PM #2
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How much are you willing to spend on software?
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02-24-2011, 09:13 PM #3
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How much do I have to spend to do what I want? What are the benefits of more expensive programs?
Originally Posted by Perfect Circle
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02-24-2011, 10:25 PM #4
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Well you get pretty much what you pay for, and if you want really good detail you will spend more. Are you going to use Mach3 to write your programs and you just want a CAD program?
AutoCAD 2D and 3D CAD Design and Documentation Software - Autodesk
3D CAD Design Software SolidWorks
This one is Free I use it all the time at home and sometimes at work.
Free CAD software * for your DWG files: DraftSight - Dassault Systèmes
To me its just a personal preference of what you can afford and meets your needs...:cheers:
Good Luck~!
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02-25-2011, 03:15 AM #5
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Thanks. Originally Posted by Perfect Circle
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02-25-2011, 01:46 PM #6
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Would solidworks be good? Originally Posted by uk125250
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02-25-2011, 03:41 PM #7
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Yes it would...there is a learning curve though..as with anything:bat: Originally Posted by uk125250
Good Luck
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02-26-2011, 02:10 PM #8
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One question you should ask yourself is what level of detail you're wanting to create with these scale models. I've created about 60% of one of my motorcycles (Kawasaki ZRX) and I can tell you that creating a model down to the last fastener will make huge assembly files that may cause your software to crash. If this is just an accurate appearance sort of thing then it shouldn't be too bad. If you're wanting a FULL set of component files then.......you'll find out how much time is involved. As for scaling the model down for machining, I can't say just how accurate that will be but I would imagine that there will be some tweaking involved with individual components as the smaller you shrink things down the greater potential for error, something may not look quite right. Depending upon the scale you intend to use there may be some difficulty with the tooling used. Full size designs often use common sizes (1.750 as opposed to 1.717 for example) but when scaled down that common size becomes an oddball size. This can sometimes be compensated for in the cutting program but sometimes not. Any fasteners you use will likely not be true to scale so you'll need to develop a work around for that visual. I've not finished the project, still need to create hydraulic lines, drive chain, and wiring. When I started this project I was told by several members of the owners board that I was nuts. Since you're contemplating a similar project I'd have to say that I think you're also nuts.........and I wish you good luck/success in your endeavor. If I can offer any advice you're welcome to contact me by PM. It's a lot of work but I enjoy doing the impossible.
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