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IndustryArena Forum > CAD Software > Solidworks > Lofting is killing me
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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    107

    Lofting is killing me

    Ok, I've tried for a day to figure out how to get this to work.

    http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/9...methelpit3.jpg


    You can see 2 wireframes, I'm trying to figure out how to get surfaces between both sketches and create something like a boat hull.

    I just don't understand what to do at this point or how to go about it.

    Any ideas,

    Matt
    -Matt
    CNC Blog:http://cutterscove.blogspot.com/

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340
    http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...&search=Search Check out these vids... Also do another search on youtube for lofting solidworks

    I hope this helps...
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    107
    Cloud,

    I saw the boat one earlier today, and tried to watch it. I'm too new and it's too blurry for me to tell what is going on.

    I even tried to find if there was an original or cleaner version of it.

    -Matt
    -Matt
    CNC Blog:http://cutterscove.blogspot.com/

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340

    Sorry... It's not mine. I found it on youtube while looking to help someone else other than you with solidworks lofting... then seen your post. I do not have solidworks but I think I can help anyway... See my model that is simular to yours...

    I have exploded the lines... Just so you can see how many and where they are...

    Red lines are red surface and blue is blue, the green is both. In my program I can also use a surface edge as a line.

    The lines at the back as you can see determine the bubblie ness, or gerth. The left is an outy and the right is swept in... The lines that run the length I call RAILS, the ones in the back I call CROSS SECTIONS. I do not know solidworks lingo, but the video called the boundry lines for rails, and I did not get the other what I call sross sections...

    In what you have you will need the back arches, I am sure..

    If you still can't get it I'll try again....
    Marc
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails Capture.GIF  
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340
    http://boatdesign.net/forums/ look around here too... It's a boat forum...
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    1660
    Lofting will be aggravating for the first .. oh.. 10 years or so.. the trick is to be stupid like me.. and keep trying ... and trying.. and well.. slowly over lots and lots of time.. you learn a few things and eventually.. you can do a loft like this in a few minutes..

    Possible problems w/ your loft..
    1) The bottom symetrical profile... is all in one sketch.. a loft is sorta like a sweep.. it has to go from profile one, to profile two to profile three.. what you have there is two profiles in one.. trying to go to the middle.. [I'm guessing]

    2) You'll need a guide curve as well to control the shape at the center of the hull.

    3) I use open sketch's for this kind of stuff.. then I use surfaces as this allows alot more control of how to get surface shape etc.. After you've mastered this, you can move onto surface fill, boundry surface complex swept surfaces etc..
    4) Lastly, try to only do one half of a symetrical body, then mirror the second half.. you'll do half the modeling.. and it will be EXACTLY the same as the opposite side.. If they are sym to a point [and different after that].. model to that point.. then mirror and continue modeling in the differences.. it will save you mountains of time..

    Below is the file I did of a boat hull.. just take the .zip off the back end of it as it's a sldprt file..
    Attached Files Attached Files
    JerryFlyGuy
    The more I know... the more I realize I don't
    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

  7. #7

    Freeform

    Well i guess you are starting from the wrong end (IMHO) you are looking at a solid solution that has Freeform surfaces added to it. For them it is relativly new, but for those of us that have been in CAD CAM for a number of years, we would not think of trying some of these type of free flowing surface types in a solid modler. If you really want the power of freeform but with added solid functionality, you had better look at Rhino.They have a whole head that is modeled up from 3 spheres, with pulling and pushing of node points to create features. Of course if you look around on their site www.rhino3d.com, you will also see examples of boats
    (flame2)

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    1660
    There is no reason you can't do a boat hull in SW. It's unfortunate that everyone looks at the name and see's or thinks, that SW only does Solids. However, in reality.. SW does Surfaces as well as any CAD system I've tried, and.. it does them parametrically to boot.. There isn't too many CAD programs out there which can do both.. Below is a model which was started as a surface model and then eventually converted into a solid model prior to getting ready for molds. The entire body of the plane is controled by 85++ Algebraic equations [all entered in SW] which reference two curvature splines.. by sliding the two splines I can control the sharpness of the the corners of the fuselage. Also, it has a top view control spline and a side view control spline.. by moving these I can adjust the overall shape of the model to what I want.. This was done.. 3-4yrs ago when SW wasn't half as good as it is now.. Boundry surface's.. didn't exist.. Fill surfaces w/ C2 control.. naddaa.. SW has been concentraiting on surfacing for the last couple years and its shows.. There isn't a CAD package out there.. that I'd pick over SW.. well.. maybe Catia might be fun to play with.. but I'd still keep SW around.. besides.. SW is Catia's little brother.. they are made by the same parent company..

    Nothing compares IMHO..
    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails RENDER9_edited-smaller-50 percent.jpg  
    JerryFlyGuy
    The more I know... the more I realize I don't
    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

  9. #9

    s/w

    i think you mean they are OWNED by the same company, there is a LITTLE difference.
    Differnt Kernel, different interface, different sales channel, different target market.


    Err what is the same ????

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    1660
    There is no question they are different.. but are owned or made by the same parent company.. Ford owned Jaguar for several years.. it doesn't mean that they put ford parts on a XK12, or that the starter in a 2002 Tarus was the same as a XKR.

    Not too long ago, Molson Brewery's owned a lumber store chain....

    Just 'cause they are owned by the same company does not mean they are the same.. but Both are rated at the top of their class as far as sales and third party evaluation..

    Not that this conversation has much to do w/ surfacing abilities of SW or Catia..
    JerryFlyGuy
    The more I know... the more I realize I don't
    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    107
    Guys,

    Thanks for the info. I'll admit that I am having a hard time getting used to what is taking place in SW. Before I drew 2d in AutoCAD and I'm familiar with Maya, and maybe the way those two work is what is holding me back.

    I'm going through some more SW tuts, I'll check out your boat zip in a little while. Nice plane too btw.
    -Matt
    CNC Blog:http://cutterscove.blogspot.com/

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    107
    Jerry,

    "Future Version" of part.

    I have 2006.
    -Matt
    CNC Blog:http://cutterscove.blogspot.com/

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    107
    GOT IT FINALLY!!

    Here's what I think I was doing wrong:

    I made a bottom profile and an upper profile along with 3 guide curves. The problem was I had two of the guide curves in the same sketch.

    Once I moved each guide curve to its own sketch and lofted it finally worked.

    I played around some more and used a single point as the top of the loft and created the curves and finally got the "majority" of the options under lofting down.

    Man, 4 days on that, I was ready to give up.

    Did some more tutorials though and I think I'm finally getting the hang of it.
    -Matt
    CNC Blog:http://cutterscove.blogspot.com/

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340

    Cool

    Cool... I knew you could do it...

    Congrats..
    Marc
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Sep 2004
    Posts
    107
    Quote Originally Posted by pointcloud View Post
    Cool... I knew you could do it...

    Congrats..
    Marc

    Thanks

    What program is it that you're using? Looks a little like Maya.
    -Matt
    CNC Blog:http://cutterscove.blogspot.com/

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    340

    Exclamation

    I use Rhino... cam pro and art with the jungle for rendering, and I also sometimes use: mastercam v9, bcc v21, sheetcam, and ncplot for conformation of my codes...

    Once you get some of the lingo under your belt you advance much faster... I normally refer to the Definations sections and figure wout what functions do what... It's a good idea, for sure...

    Marc
    Hey check out my website...www.cravenoriginal.com
    Thanks Marc

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Posts
    436
    Jerry,

    That is the sexiest airplane I have ever seen. Who makes it?

    Rob

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2006
    Posts
    196
    Maybe I missed it in an eariler post but have you tried only doing half of the hull and then mirroring it along the "keel" axis?
    Doug Pryor
    David Wolfe Design, Inc.
    Akron, OH
    www.davidwolfedesign.com
    [email protected]

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jul 2007
    Posts
    8
    how can i convert drawing file from autocad to master cam ?
    pls help me

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Sep 2005
    Posts
    1660
    CuttersCov, sorry I've been away on a working trip for the last bit and missed your note about 'Future file format'. I can do some screen shots if you want to show you what I did..

    Also, if you go to SW website you can find that lofting video on there as well as many others. Some of them won't apply w/ 2006 as the funtionality changed when they came out w/ 2007.

    Rob, the plane is produced by nobody as of yet.. it's actually the whole reason I got into CNC. I've built a milling machine which will be used to produce all the buck's and molds for it.. It has turned out to be a very 'round about' way to get the job done.. [only added 2-3000hrs to the project ] but the quality of the job when it's done will be vastly superior over hand built molds. I did some testing w/ a dial indicator on my mill a couple weeks ago.. it's repeatable to well under 0.001" [more like 0.00025" when looking at a 0.001" resolution DI] and accurate to about ~0.002". For a milling machine which is 20ft long.. I'm happy w/ it

    Jerry
    JerryFlyGuy
    The more I know... the more I realize I don't
    (Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)

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