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Learn Solidworks in Five Minutes! 
So?
Learn IronCAD in "ONE" Minute "30 Seconds"!
 
I hope you all realize I am doing this tongue in cheek. No one could learn a 3D MCAD package in 30 seconds, one minute or even five minutes, but it has been a fun exercise. Take a look below, I have added two new ways of creating this part in IronCAD. Take a look at the incredible flexible modeling options available to us. It is fun!

When I saw this video, I thought I would show this simple part done in IronCAD. It shows the time consuming extra steps of constrained sketching so prevalent in the use of Solidworks and all of the Pro/e (Creo) paradigm clones.

No, not all 3D MCAD is based on constrained sketching!

IronCAD stepped out of that box long before constrained sketching was the de facto standard, with the introduction of Trispectives in 1995. Sadly the industry was influenced by the hype and marketing efforts of PTC's Pro/e (Creo) and its clone, Dassault's Solidworks.

The Two CAD Programs that Set the Path to 3D MCAD Chaos!

What a stark difference in modeling. In this exercise there is no sketching just dragging and dropping Intellishapes from standard catalogs. So easy, so fast and so pleasurable.

Here is the original Video


Learn Solidworks in Five Minutes!



Here is our own Video done by our international sales manager based in England, Richard Serna aka “IronCAD's Geico Gecko!” When you watch the video you will see why!
  


Is 3D CAD Productivity an Oxymoron?

IronCAD vs Solidworks and the Pro/e Paradigm


Learn IronCAD in "30" Seconds!

Let's take a look at my new exercise one.


We drag and drop a block into the scene and size it.



Here is where we even get more productive. We just select blend, set to .125 and window the block. All the blends are done in one simple step.



Now we drag and drop a hole cylinder to the middle of the face and size it. IronCAD automatically recognizes ends, mid-points and center points for drag and drop locations.



Now, I am going to show you something truly fantastic. Only in IronCAD do you have this incredible functionality.

We create a new catalog and drag the hole cylinder feature into it.



Then we just drag and drop the hole cylinder feature from the newly created catalog to the mid-point of the other two faces. No need to size it! How cool is that??



Now the one step blend and we are done!! What incredible flexibility and fun! How about you? Are you having fun with your MCAD system?



So, I am showing this to a customer and associate and he had a different solution I didn't think of, but shows a unique feature in IronCAD that rarely gets shown. But it takes us back to "One" Minute. LOL

Now for new exercise two!

We will start with the block already defined. We then select the block basic feature and right click and a dialog box comes up and we select intellishape properties and select bevel and set the start, end and side edges with .125 blend.



You can see we modify the block with a bit of intelligence. Okay, you are now free to imagine the possibilities.



Look at the other settings. We are editing features! Uh.. While you while away the hours constrained sketching, extruding or revolving, I am having fun designing with shapes. Yes, yes we have to sketch once in a while.



Nope, I am not going to drag a hole cylinder from the standard shape catalog and size it, remember the defined hole cylinder I drag and dropped into the new catalog? I just drag and drop it on the mid points of the faces.



Then the one step blend!!! WOW.. did you guys learn a lot.

I have been selling, supporting and training IronCAD for 25 years. I try and tell the IronCAD folks that our design paradigm is beyond the belief of those that have been stuck in the Pro/e clone world of strict convoluted history and constrained sketching, some for 32 years. Sadly, nothing has changed in those 32 years. They have added a convoluted PLM and MBE system trying to make it more productive. But you cannot change the basic nature of these rigid programs.

Hopefully, I have opened many of your eyes. You can download IronCAD, but please let me know through my form below so I can work with you. We are only authorized in the USA and Canada, but with the internet the world is getting smaller and I am now being contacted by many from all over the world. We are working with IronCAD to reward me for my efforts, so contact me no matter where you are. I am only a Skype away.



Back to the original post! Be sure to review these exercises even if you have seen this article before, it shows the basic process a bit more clearly plus some other productive functions.

Learn IronCAD in "ONE" Minute!

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, that are trained and experienced in time consuming constrained sketching to understand the simple drag and drop modeling paradigm. But this exercise makes the differences very clear.

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.

We don't have three steps in our modeling process like the Solidworks presenter states about modeling in Solidworks. We can sketch, we can dimension, but we usually skip those steps by combining them in dragging and dropping shapes from a standard or custom catalog.

Here is IronCAD. My default is inches, so lets get started.

We do not have to select a part mode we are in a single model environment where parts and assemblies coexist.

We just drag and drop a block into the design scene from the standard shape catalog.

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 like integrated realistic rendering and annimation. It truly is a wonderful mixture of professional 3D MCAD and graphic design, which puts it in a much more flexible category as compared to the Solidworks clones.




We click down to the feature level and size the block by just selecting one of the handles.



Now we will drag and drop a hole cylinder to the midpoint on one of the faces and size it in one step



With that done we drag and drop the other two holes to the other faces and do the same



Now for the outer fillets

We can put the catalog in auto-hide (Where it usually resides) to give us more design space in the scene.



Now the inner fillets. The relevant edges are recognized in one selection.



And we are done.. Yes, really done



Here is a one button realistic rendering



This shows you the stark difference between constrained sketching and drag and drop feature based modeling than more complicated examples. No, we did not use any sketching but we do have a sketch embedded in the process!

All of the shapes in the standard catalog are what we call Intellishapes and are based on sketches, you can modify the shape by pulling on handles in the feature mode or editing in the sketch mode.

I drag and drop one block into the scene and size it and then copy it with the Triball.

We can edit the sketch by selecting the edit cross section command.



These sketches are available to edit. I modify the sketch, notice that I did not constrain the sketch. This is what I call Streamline Sketching.



We save the sketch and you can see the shape has been modified. I drag and drop a hole cylinder on the other block and selected edit cross section and you can see the sketch of the circle used for the basis of the hole.



But we don't stop there. IronCAD is the only 3D MCAD system with integrated history and direct edit functionality.

Lets rotate the top face of the modified shape.

Also, you may not have noticed but both these parts coexist on one file in a single modeling space.

In IronCAD you have levels of operation. The first click is assembly (yellow), second is part (blue), third is feature (yellow) and forth is face or surface (green).

We selected the face to move and the Triball is immediately made available, we move it to the edge we want to rotate around, select the axis and set the rotation to 30 degrees

I have used other systems with feature and part manipulators and the Triball is much more comprehensive, powerful and much more user friendly. Often copied but never duplicated.



How does IronCAD handle a face move like this. No, it does not add a step in history. It actually consumes the history that is affected by the move, creating a brep shape in the history. You then continue working with the part with a mixture of drag and drop, sketching or direct edit which is reflected in the scene browser (history tree). You could actually modify a part or assembly from Solidworks or any other Pro/e (Creo) clones faster than it can be done by fighting through the feature history in the native package.

Solidworks and other Pro/e (Creo) clones that have direct editing available add a step for each face move in the history that makes direct editing in the design process incredibly problematic.

There you go. What you can learn in IronCAD in 5 Minutes. LOL



Let's have a bit more fun.

Instead of making three separate holes lets create the other two holes by using the triball to copy and link them and see what we can do.

When you have feature linking in your design process it increases your productivity and flexibility.



Now we again add the fillets



Since the holes are linked let's change the size to .5 diameter and see what happens. We select one of the hole cylinder handles and set it to .5. The other linked features are referenced in purple to show you what is going to be affected.



Just a small change in the design process produces incredibly flexible results, very cool and lots of fun! IronCAD offers 5X increased productivity at the conceptual design stage and 10X with modifications.



If you would like to try IronCAD, please download for a 30 day evaluation.

If you would like more information or download IronCAD

To get more familiar with IronCAD please got through the following course.

Self-Paced Training Guide - Introduction Course

After you feel comfortable with IronCAD, import a part or an assembly from your current system and start modifying the parts and assembly. Assemblies will come into one single model space with all the parts available, usually named and organized into assemblies and sub-assemblies. IronCAD will import parts and assemblies from all of the popular packages.

Give me a call if you have any questions. I can set up a skype or go to meeting 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.



Please review these other exercises that show the unique productive advantages of IronCAD, Streamline Sketching and Feature Based Modeling over the constrained sketching of the experienced Solidworks user.

IRONCAD vs Solidworks

You can see more on modeling techniques here compared with other packages.


3D Modeling Techniques Defined


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provide engineering services throughout the USA and Canada!

 Why TECH-NET Sells IronCAD and ZW3D


If you are interested in adding professional hybrid modeling capabilities or looking for a new solution to increase your productivity, take some time to download a fully functional 30 day evaluation and play with these packages. Feel free to give me a call if you have any questions or would like an on-line presentation.

 

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