[oneturboneeded]

can you import 8020 profiles and use them??

[ger21]

If they don't have a format that works, you can import the 2D profiles and make your own parts.

http://8020.net/Downloads.asp

[oneturboneeded]

thank you very much ger21 for all your help.
-Shawn

[Hack]

I know this is an old thread, but I need some assistance with the same topic as the OP. I am using Alibre Personal Edition V12.1 and I am trying to import a downloaded 8020 drawing file and use it to make into a 3d drawing. The particular profile is 2020.

I am trying to do this by the following steps:

1. Open Alibre to the home screen
2. Got to File / Import
3. Select the file to import. In this case 2020 dxf file.
4. In the box that appears, I confirm the file units in inches, maintain projection is checked, and import only visible layers is checked. Click OK
5. This opens the dxf file into an Alibre Drawing File.

Now how do I get that into a sketch for an Alibre Part file?

Thanks

Dan

[Hack]

Never mind, I figured it out. I had to "activate the sketch" in the drawing file to be able to copy and paste it into a part file. Works well.

Dan

[KMoffett]

Yes.

Download the zipped 8020 cross section DXF files from their web site. Open the desired cross section in the Alibre Drawing Window. Activate a Sketch in the Drawing Window. Surround the cross section with the Select function and Copy. Open a new Part Window. Activate a Sketch. Paste in the cross section. Deactivate the Sketch. Extrude the cross section. Voila!...an 8020 extrusion.

Ken

Geomagic Design
Visual Mill for Geomagic Design
Aspire


Sorry, didn't check the date or see the other posts. But so what!

[scadvice]

Yes.

Download the zipped 8020 cross section DXF files from their web site. Open the desired cross section in the Alibre Drawing Window. Activate a Sketch in the Drawing Window. Surround the cross section with the Select function and Copy. Open a new Part Window. Activate a Sketch. Paste in the cross section. Deactivate the Sketch. Extrude the cross section. Voila!...an 8020 extrusion.

Ken

Geomagic Design
Visual Mill for Geomagic Design
Aspire


Sorry, didn't check the date or see the other posts. But so what!

Just what I was looking to do extrude a 8020 DXF...it work perfectly simple and should have been obvious to me . Thank's Ken! I imported it and could do nothing with it accept measure. I then e-mailed Cubify support and was told there was no way to do it (i.e. it was a read only).

My e-mail:

I down loaded a DXF 2D file and loaded on to my new Cubify Design SW. If comes up as a drawing file. I wish to add to this file and create a 3D (extrude) from it. Please list the process to do so, as I'm not able to figure it out?

Their response:

It isn't possible to create 3D models from 2D drawings in Cubify Design.

You would have to use the dimensions on the drawing to manually create the sketches and extrusions that would form the new 3D part.


I guess they don't know their product that well or did not understand the question!!???

I've worked with and old EZCADCAM program I bought ....wow... 30 years ago now writing g code. Just retired last year and still have that old program but decided I wanted something inexpensive to play around with 3D drawings since this old program only did 2D drawings.

I never had time to get into the newer CAD packages or 3D. 90 percent of the work was 2 1/2 axis so, I wrote that code and my partner did the 3D stuff on SW or Alibre with VisualMill.

Cubify Design looked to be the old Alibre Express as far as I could tell, so I bought a lic. for $200. All I've ever done with our Pro version of Geomagic, at the shop, is open up files to look at and pull a measurement off of.

Now I'm in a fix trying to figure the 2D sketching out in the Cubify as I seems to go against everything I did drawing with EZCAD! Urrg! Plus, so far, the support is not there.

[KMoffett]

I know what you're dealing with. My experience with CAD, prior to getting into Alibre/Geomagic, was AutoDesk's AutoSketch and QuickCAD, 2D primitives of AutoCAD. It seemed that I fought with Alibre sketching for a long time. Went through the tutorials but the light only went on after I went back to the tutorials during simple projects with just "how do I do this one thing" in mind. Also got some answers from the Alibre/Geomagic Forum. I now access to Vectric's Aspire. Hard to switch between the two. Any examples of where you're hung up?

Ken

[scadvice]

Yep... I got a few, but let me sort them out for a bit here with Xmas and all going on. I been playing around with extruding holes and hole patterns lately and I'm finding it very difficult to position the holes where I want them on the solid. Most likely it seems, because I'm have problems getting the plains correct. The 8020 has arc's on the corners which just makes it harder. Does what I'm saying make sense?

Sorry for the long delay in response Ken. I was out of town.

[MichaelHenry]

The 8020 has arc's on the corners which just makes it harder.

I ran into that problem too, in that it was difficult to build a frame because none of the 80-20 sides is actually composed of a plane. In the end I created custom planes on each side of the 80-20 and constraining 80-20 channel parts to build a frame assembly got a lot easier. If it would, I can upload a sample 80-20 channel with the planes added.

Mike

[scadvice]

Mike, can you give me steps to do this I seem to be blocked on doing it?

[MichaelHenry]

Mike, can you give me steps to do this I seem to be blocked on doing it?

An example assembly might be best - can you read GeoMagic 16 files and do you have full GeoMagic or GeoMagic Elements?

Mike

[bronc3buster842]

Heres a little mill Ive built using 80/20 extrusions..

[KMoffett]

Not to take this thread too far afield, but I just discovered that UNISTRUT now has 3D STP and STL download files. They say they will no longer will be updating their DWG and DXF files. You have to register to access them, but they work well in Geomagic Design:
CAD3d

Ken

[scadvice]

I can import IGES, STEP, SAT, DXF, DWG files Mike. Bronco3's files I can open as a part file but not yet as an assembly most likely because they are in the zip form still. I'll try unzipping in the folder I created. Ken, Mike, or bronco3...What I'm not understanding is how Bronco3 positioned the extruded hole on example his "x column" part drw.? I can make the holes but cannot position them correctly on the surface I pick.???

Later add on: OK, I downloaded the assemblies... they open now. I can explode them and so forth. Some of this stuff is slamdunk easy but then rest and some little stuff is hanging me up.

[MichaelHenry]

Are you good to go now or do you still need help?

Mike

[scadvice]

Mike, I'll suffer through a few more days here before Xmas on it on my own. Leaving for a ski vacation on the 26th to about the 6th (Jan) so I'm sure I'll come back having forgotten everything. Still not understanding positioning on surfaces well or changing their locations. It seems I get it done and then cannot do it again! Feeling real dumb at times!

[MichaelHenry]

scadvice,

I use GMD version 16 (that's the full version). Attached is an 17-in long 80-20 strut part that has planes added to the 4 faces on the long axis. I use those to constrain my 80-20 pieces to make up a frame. You should be able to do a "Save As" the uploaded file to a new name and edit the extrusion to make a shorter or longer length of 80-20.

I've not used Cubify before, but know that it is a lot more limited in feature set than Geomagic Design or Geomagic Design Elements. Check this page to see what features the various versions of Cubify have.

Mike

[scadvice]

Thanks Mike, I'll play around with it.

[jevs]

You can just download the 3D file from 8020 and pull that right in and assembly with it. You can modify them as well. I cannot remember which format I downloaded. IGUS or STEP I think. You can even download solidworks file and import I believe. Of course I have the highest level GMD, so maybe your version cannot do this stuff?