IRONCAD vs Fusion 360 Lesson 14 Assembly 3D Modeling Techniques Defined No Sketching/Feature Based Modeling Only
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 Streamlined Sketching
and 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 articles started out as
product comparisons, but quickly turned into a study in 3D modeling
techniques.
When I introduce IronCAD's very
flexible design paradigm I have a hard time to get the Pro/e clone
users, like Solidworks and other programs to understand the drag and
drop design paradigm.
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your legacy engineering information.
IronCAD Self-Pace Training Course I saw the
following video challenge on linkedin and thought I would give it a
try on IronCAD. I actually did it before I watched the video, so I
did it a bit differently. This will give you an idea how different
and flexible IronCAD is compared to the conventional Pro/e clone and
to the not so conventional Fusion 360.
Assembly is the very
best feature of IronCAD. With its true single model environment it
offers the highest level of productivity. Watch how we use drag
and drop with a minimum of sketching to complete this job in no
time. There is no better program that can manipulate parts and an
assemblies in a 3D space.
While creating 3D models from a drawing is the very best
way to learn 3D CAD and maybe some design techniques is does not
expose the designer to the design flexibility necessary in product
design. IronCAD is all top down due to the single model environment.
Creating mating parts is a cruise. But modeling is just one aspect of a
well designed productive 3D CAD system. IronCAD vs Fusion 360
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 IronCAD support to create one. They are
very good.
I always create the part before I watch
the Fusion 360 Video, so as to not taint my process. Of course,
there are a multitude of ways to create a model. There is no right
way, just more productive ways. From what I have seen from these
very complicated processes done by the Fusion 360 fellow, it is not
just limited by the 3D CAD system.
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?
I have to say this is
incredibly simple. But the Fusion 360 presenter has been
indoctrinated into these designs techniques. It started with Pro/e (Creo)
and has been the way the sketch, constrain and assemble. The
Solidworks clones are cost the industry millions, if not billions,
in lost productivity.
Here is IronCAD. We will set the units
to millimeters.
With IronCAD's single model environment
we do not have to prepare for it being an assembly. We just start
creating our part.
We will start by dragging and dropping a
block from the catalog and sizing it.
We then drag and drop a 30mm hole
cylinder and locate it on the mid-point on the bottom edge of the
block. You can drop the feature on a variety of locations on the
part such as corners, edges, mid-points and centers.
We will use the triball to locate the
the cut and then create a linked copy with the same triball process.
Now the two holes. We drag and drop a
5mm hole cylinder to center of the block.
Again we turn
on the triball and move the hole and then create a linked copy in
the same triball command.
We are done with block. You can see the
simple and fast way to design. Not one sketch. The productivity
increases cannot be denied.
Things even get easier to create another
duplicate block. Now we don't mirror. We will just rotate link copy
with the tribal. Now we have two blocks that will show up in the
parts list. You can now see the two blocks in the scene browser.
IronCAD was originally released as Trispectives, a solid
modeling graphics design package n 1995 and started calling it a
scene.
We can close the catalog for this step. Most IronCAD
users set the catalog to auto-hide, bringing it up only when
necessary.
IronCAD has a robust fastener creation
feature. It resides in under tools in the catalog. I just drag, in
this case, a screw to the center of the hole.
As we insert the screw, IronCAD
recognizes we are using a linked hole and asks if we want another
screw in that hole. It is these small features that make IronCAD a
much more product design product.
We are done with our small assembly.
Notice that the screws are also in our scene browser and are linked
to show a quantity of two in our parts list.
Not one sketch.
It is impossible to make it easier and simpler than IronCAD.
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, will increase
productivity 10X. Now, IronCAD with its unique integrated
history/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
IronCAD for a 30 day evaluation. Legacy data is no problem, IronCAD
can read the native files of all of the popular programs. IronCAD 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 gotomeeting to show this part
or answer any of your questions on the operation of IronCAD. It
truly is the very best conceptual 3D CAD system.
