Let's get started!

You will see with Streamlined Sketching and Feature Based modeling is much more productive and flexible. It gives you a more real world feel to your design process and is a much more pleasurable and productive experience.

We will start with -1 Cover

We set the units to mm

This is going to be a fun exercise.

First thing were are going to do is drag and drop a block from the shapes catalog and size it to 350 X 350 X 120. It will all make sense in a bit.

Note: Why does IronCAD call it a scene instead of a workspace? IronCAD was first released as a graphic design program called Trispectives. It still has much of the graphic design functionality. It truly is a wonderful mixture of professional 3D CAD and graphic design, which puts it in a much more flexible category as compared to the very mechanical engineering focused Solidworks clones.

IronCAD's sketching planes are an integrated part of the feature. So we do not have starting planes. It does have a basic coordinate system with planes but they get more in the way then help.

This part is made up of two sketches will create the first standalone sketch at the middle of the block.

I will just create the sketch, it is very similar to all 3D CAD package.

The left button is explicit and the right button give you the option to set the size of most entities. I am creating a line and it is asking me the size and angle.

I am showing this function. We will mirror the line.



We project the edge since we will be set to remove. We clean up the sketch, notice we do not create any constraints.



Now I copy and paste the sketch to create the second sketch and name them both top and bottom.



I will edit the top sketch.



We clean it up.



We will now drag and drop a sphere from the catalog and set it to 340 at the middle of the bottom of the block.

Now we will drag and drop another sphere set it to 320 and locate it at center of the first sphere.

Of course we can see it. Now my method of my madness should be coming apparent.

We will suppress the 320 sphere and select the top sketch extrude options and set it to remove to create the top of the part.

We will now unsuppress the 320 sphere and select the bottom sketch extrude option and set it remove. We make sure the top extrusion is before the bottom.

We no drag and drop and hole block and size it to include the spheres and block. I call this feature based modeling. We will also suppress the top and bottom sketches for future use. You can set it to not consume the sketches.

We now have our cover ready for the next step of drafting the faces.

First will use the Draft Face function on the bottom faces.

Now for the top faces. We use the Draft Face function again but this time use the parting line option.

We will now add the blends.



We just shell it.



We are done with the part.



A different view. You many have noticed the catalog is gone. You mostly use it in the Autohide mode for more design area.

Now to create a similar part -2 Cover

First thing we do is copy and paste the part. I renamed the first part -1 Cover and the new part -2 and suppress, we can do this because IronCAD is a single model environment.

We delete the the blends and all the three features that make up the top shape.

Now we have the base shape. We will copy the top sketch and rename it to top -2 cover.



We will edit the top -2 cover by deleting the outer edges since we are going to extrude add



we extrude the sketch to break through the shape and set to remove

Using the same sketch we are going to extrude add to 20mm

The next step is completely unbelievable to a Solidworks clone user. We are going to select the feature in the scene browser (history) or display with the right mouse button and select Surface Reshaping.

Each feature can be edited individually.

We select the end section, taper with the start taper at extreme point and set the angle at 20.

This is only a function that is unique to IronCAD.

You can learn more about this powerful functionality here.

Learning IronCAD! Lesson 4
IronCAD Intellishape Deconstructed
What are we Dragging and Dropping?

 
We draft the faces as shown on the -1 Cover

We create the blends.

Shell the part and we are done.

This was a fun part with some unique solutions.

Now we are ready for the AIDs (drawings)

When you create a 3D model from a drawing you have to do a detailed AID to assure you have duplicated the drawing. You should also have someone check it if it is in a production environment.

All You Wanted to Know About Drawing to 3D Conversions

We have two files for the two parts and AIDs.

Here is -1 COVER detailed



When we create sheet 2 and set it to configuration -2 COVER

This is another stark examples of how Streamlined Sketching and Feature Based Modeling utilizing IronCAD's drag and drop of smart editable intellishapes from a catalog and the use of the Triball can increase productivity easily 5X. I usually estimate 5X increased productivity in conceptual design and 10X in changes, and I believe I am being conservative. IronCAD can edit most of the Solidworks clone parts and assemblies faster than it can be done in the native CAD system.

Is 3D CAD Productivity an Oxymoron?

Five Functions that Increase 3D CAD Productivity!!

Please review the earlier exercises.

IronCAD vs Solidworks