[tobyaxis]

DonW,

You can try Alibre. Free version is called Alibre Express. It a parametric modeler with a rich tool set. The tutorials are great and I found it easy to learn. Be prepared to spend about 40 hours learning it. But the things you learn will pertain to just about any solid modeler. Export to STEP and import into BobCAD from STEP.

With what you are doing, I'd say you need Alibre Express. It's free and you will have a blast just creating things in it. You probably won't need any of the Alibre Standard or Professional features, as you are not going to have to use a bunch of part assemblies.

Steve

To add to what Steve said.

Alibre will allow you to Suppress Holes and Features that are not required for specific machining operations.

In other words, you can Suppress Fillets, Extruded Bosses, Pockets etc.

It makes things simpler to machine and reduces tool paths.

[BurrMan]

To add to what Steve said.

Alibre will allow you to Suppress Holes and Features that are not required for specific machining operations.

Toby,
I tried Alibre and maybe didnt give it enough input on my part. The express is still sitting there waiting for me to revisit it. Since your an Alibre user, could you show how to have the control over the areas of surface Don is reffering to using Dons curves? This would be great knowledge for me as well.

Thanks,
Burr

[HMB3000]

Burrman that a great Idea...Toby could show us his advanced programing skills...as all his post point out that he is an expert in solid modelling

Alibre will allow you to Suppress Holes and Features that are not required for specific machining operations.
.

This is a very good feature maybe bobcad could add it...as we all have had issue with ignore holes

[tjones]

While Alibre is strong in the parametric and solids area it is weaker in the surfacing area. Freeformed surfaces can not be done as there are no current tools.

However you can create lofts using guide lines in Alibre. It will just need to be a solid instead of an independant surface.

[tobyaxis]

Burrman that a great Idea...Toby could show us his advanced programing skills...as all his post point out that he is an expert in solid modelling


This is a very good feature maybe bobcad could add it...as we all have had issue with ignore holes

Jealous are we Mike. I just pointed out the fundamentals of Parametric Solid Modeling. There is no need for your trolling but if you insist. Lets see if you can do anything besides Trolling for a whole month. Can you do that??

[HMB3000]

from what I have read Rhino seems to be a very good solid surfacing tool...But I think that is thier strong point...But I do like the option Toby pointed out... as there have been more than one time that I did not what to cut the raduis/chamfer in a 3D model just because of time...I could go back and do it in another operation. But to just turn it off would be great...
Tim adleast you had a warm week in Detroit

[HMB3000]

Jealous are we Mike. I just pointed out the fundamentals of Parametric Solid Modeling. p

Toby I could never be Jealous of you...I just get a real laugh of of you...As a good friend of our has said many times... you're just a "copy paste king"

[tobyaxis]

While Alibre is strong in the parametric and solids area it is weaker in the surfacing area. Freeformed surfaces can not be done as there are no current tools.

However you can create lofts using guide lines in Alibre. It will just need to be a solid instead of an independant surface.

BTW: Tim you might like to know that Free Design is developing a Plug-In Module for Alibre Design while Rhino already has one that you know about already.

http://www.freedesign3d.com/index.cfm

[BurrMan]

However you can create lofts using guide lines in Alibre. It will just need to be a solid instead of an independant surface.

You could then extract the surface in BobCad!

The abilty to set guides would be what we're after. Thats what I believe is missing here in BobCads surface creation tools (Though I could be wrong. I dont quite have a total grasp of using the various skinning functions in BobCad) The lofting with Alibre may pose the same constraint as the cross section method does in BobCad. It is possible to acheive his result with BobCad but impractical to design the cross sections to specs, "when trying to reverse engineer the product".

In Alibre, Possibly lofting the top curve as a whole with the Middle Curve, using the re-curve as a control curve may work. Although loft doesnt usually work with that "Crossing curves" type operation.

[tobyaxis]

Toby I could never be Jealous of you...I just get a real laugh of of you...As a good friend of our has said many times... you're just a "copy paste king"

Copy and Paste????????? How does someone Copy and Paste a Solid 3D Parametric Model???

BTW: Any friend of your is no friend of mine because I have standards.

[tobyaxis]

You could then extract the surface in BobCad!

The abilty to set guides would be what we're after. Thats what I believe is missing here in BobCads surface creation tools (Though I could be wrong. I dont quite have a total grasp of using the various skinning functions in BobCad) The lofting with Alibre may pose the same constraint as the cross section method does in BobCad. It is possible to acheive his result with BobCad but impractical to design the cross sections to specs, "when trying to reverse engineer the product".

In Alibre, Possibly lofting the top curve as a whole with the Middle Curve, using the re-curve as a control curve may work. Although loft doesnt usually work with that "Crossing curves" type operation.

BurrMan,

Here is a brief explanation for Lofts in Alibre

[HMB3000]

BTW: Any friend of your is no friend of mine .

Well we found something that we agree on...

[BurrMan]

"Alibre's Loft"

Yeah that wont acheive what Don is after.

[BurrMan]

Even the other freedesign software wont do what he's requesting. If it was just a matter of adjusting the curves, he could do that in BobCad with the little part that dips at the last minute.

He's requiring higher end surfacing tools because of the "reverse engineering" approach. The requirement to hit a pre-existing skin shape at pre-existing points.

The ability to control the "sweep" of the skin is needed here.

[tobyaxis]

Even the other freedesign software wont do what he's requesting. If it was just a matter of adjusting the curves, he could do that in BobCad with the little part that dips at the last minute.

He's requiring higher end surfacing tools because of the "reverse engineering" approach. The requirement to hit a pre-existing skin shape at pre-existing points.

The ability to control the "sweep" of the skin is needed here.

I don't use bobcad's latest rev but if you have the geometry in DWG or DXF I will give it a shot in Alibre.

I'm pretty sure it can do it even if it has to be free formed in V21 and trimmed in Alibre.

[HMB3000]

Burrman you and Don may want to try Rhino...curved surfaces are their strong siut...You can do them from splines and points

[BurrMan]

I don't use bobcad's latest rev but if you have the geometry in DWG or DXF I will give it a shot in Alibre.

I'm pretty sure it can do it even if it has to be free formed in V21 and trimmed in Alibre.

Hi Toby,
Don is working out of V22 and thats the app I've been using to help him. You can refer to the last file we were discussing here:

http://www.cnczone.com/forums/showpo...&postcount=126

And if you read the next 2 or 3 you will see what he is objecting to in the "Flow of the skin" through his lowest curve.

[BurrMan]

Burrman you and Don may want to try Rhino...curved surfaces are their strong siut...You can do them from splines and points

Yes Hmb,
Rhino would be the next level up for Surfaces. A rhino specialized area or strong suit.

[BurrMan]

Also Don,
Was it you mentioning that the Backup wasnt working in V23??? I couldnt find the thread to respond to but thought I remembered it was you.

Burr

[DonW]

I don't use bobcad's latest rev but if you have the geometry in DWG or DXF I will give it a shot in Alibre.

I'm pretty sure it can do it even if it has to be free formed in V21 and trimmed in Alibre.

Oh, to have those parametric tools built into BobCad....that might make my heart go all-a-flutter.


Toby, those design tools sound awesome. And only $1600 for the package. That's not too shabby for that kind of power. Not that I have $1600 to spend, but it's a good deal.

What Burr said about being able to control the sweep is exactly what I was concerned about. I've been trying to adjust the curves to make them go more smoothly. Of course now the scroll part is something that really concerns me, because it's spiraling and concave at the same time.

Man, the stuff I miss when I leave my computer off for one evening!