Interesting, thanks for the reply.
There’s an analysis tool, JBlade, that will export a propeller geometry, but its output is in a custom CSV format: a cross section of the airfoil at each station in (x,y,z) coordinates (“src/Objects/Body.cpp” in the code on the JBlade site). Does Ao have a way of interpolating between each cross-section?
Perhaps!
It would be up to you to stitch those coordinates into a solid, but you can do some kind of loft command between the sections (e.g. the one implemented here in Antimony).
I only use Solidworks as I print mostly technical designs. Tried other open source software but they are just not it. Handling parts, building a model, just doesn’t work as nice as in solidworks or Inventor.
Don’t really understand why proprietary software is immoral. That would mean buying a 3D printer is immoral as well. Both did cost time and effort to make.
FWIW, I created an Ubuntu 16 VM using VMWare player on Windows 10, and it has an OpenGL driver that’s compatible with Ao, so I can finally work with it.
I started with 2d in Autocad and then used Solidworks for about 5 years. My most recent job was exclusively Pro-E and that is definitely not noob-friendly. Solidworks is not difficult to learn and most things are fairly intuitive. It’s free alternative used to be Alibre, but I think 3D Systems acquired them and it is no longer free. It was almost 1:1 copy of Solidworks interface. You may be able to find a download for one of the free versions still.
My go-to is still Solidworks for its ease of use and simplicity of creating assemblies and relations.
I have just downloaded the trial of MOI (Moment of Inspiration), and although it doesn’t do what I need for freeform jewelry sculpting, it is really good for bringing in an Illustrator graphic and making a frame, then exporting as STL and putting it into ZBrush. I’m making little frames with cavities for firing glass enamels, and MOI does this really well. The price is $295. The flower sample below was made with MOI and ZBrush. I could probably create the entire pendant in MOI, but I’m using ZBrush’s hard surface modeling for the base, and the ZSpheres for creating the supports/sprues.
Also, I have now procured both ZBrush and ZBrushCore, the new, less-expensive version that has a more limited tool palette, but a significant difference in price. ZBrush is $795, and ZBrushCore is $295. If you’re a hardcore creature maker, ZBrush is probably what you need because you can customize it to your heart’s content. But if you’re just getting started, ZBrushCore has enough of the features to get started and make some cool things. Also, there are some good newbie-friendly videos that explain some of the basics pretty clearly.
The main difference between ZB and ZBC I see as a jewelry artist is that I need to be able to resize my models accurately (like ring sizes, bezel sizes for stones). There are workarounds, like using the Transpose tool to measure, then resizing. The regular version of ZBrush has an XYZ Size function that is good for resizing pendants…if I make a pendant that’s 22mm, I know when I bring it into ZBrush’s PreForm slicing software, it’s the right size. With the new one, there are workarounds for most of the things a jewelry artist or new character modeler would want to do.
One thing I noticed with MOI3D is the STL file it generate give you error in Preform, if you output a OBJ instead the errors go away. Just a tip for anyone using MOI3D.
@katkramer, you definitely could design the entire thing in MOI3D, even the branches. There’s also a OBJ import script for MOI3D, it lets you import a quad mesh and turn it into a NURBS surface but base on subdivision surface smoothing.
To do some freeform modeling in MOI, select an object/surface and hit Show Points. Now you have access to the control points.
Many thanks, @sonkim. I did have a problem exporting the .STL file, so I defaulted back to the .OBJ file and it worked well.
I will have to explore your suggestion…and I did not know that about MOI! I’ve been a SketchUp user since 2006, so I default back to that when I need that type of modeling. However, I’ve been impressed with the simplicity of MOI, and think in some cases it handles things like boolean operations better and cleaner than SketchUp. I’m in the trial right now, but will probably pick it up.
Again, thank you!
If your getting error from an stl then it might be because of intersecting mesh groups rather than a continuous mesh. Because STL treats all polys on the model as one object it is (I’m guessing) giving Preform issues with defining closed surfaces.
I usually use obj here, makes editing in other programs easier and you have the advantage of having uv groups that you can apply shaders to in rendering programs that support it. Simply name the groups in MOI and they should be preserved unless the application your opening it wants to weld them all together.
Cool tip on MOI, I’ll have to look into that. Does MOI work with Grasshopper too?
Learning Fusion360 is not hard, The biggest frustration is finding a good series of tutorials that take you from know-nothing to various levels of skill.
I own SolidWorks, Rhino, and ZBrush, because I got tired of all the limitations of free CAD packages. All of the these CAD packages, free or paid, have a learning curve. Your going to have to accept that as the entry cost for being able to design your own parts.
It looks like Grasshopper is for Rhino only. I haven’t upgraded to MOI 3 yet… but if you look through the forum there are many scripts and ways to customize MOI. There may be a way to do what Grasshopper does in Rhino without the need for it in MOI.
This may help: http://moi3d.com/forum/lmessages.php?webtag=MOI&msg=3145.4
As an alternative non subscription parametric modeler you might want to try Ashlars Xenon 9. They have a working demo and the interface is less daunting than most. For sculpting with nurb capabilities FormZ Pro is nice though it is a direct modeler you can convert poly shapes to nurbs. FZ has some nice slice tool to preview models and make models water tight.
For myself I have been doing all my modeling in MOI though a history tree would be nice in some cases most of the time it isn’t needed. I use a custom UI one of the users made that has some the extra most commonly used tools like align on the boarder and access to scripts others made in a pop up.
I drafted in primarily AutoCAD for over a decade. As I got into 3D printing I started learning Fusion at home about 4 years ago. Now that’s what I use for most personal projects and a lot of my work projects.
AutoCAD is still great for quick 2D drafting, but I love Fusion for parametric 3D modeling. I also use it for programming out CNC routers. The weakest part is making up drawing sets. Auto CAD is generally faster and prettier in that aspect, but I’ve made it work.
I’ve used IronCAD from the very beginning of my CAD journey. Very advanced and intuitive. Expensive, though.
I always had issues with Solidworks. The university i work for offered Fusion360 as an alternative and it was licensed for student and instructor so I tried it. It’s a lot more intuitive than Solidworks. It does 95% of the technical creation that Solidworks can do. I would recommend it. Don’t shy away. AND look for youtube help videos by Lars Christensen. he has a whole series of ‘How to…’ vids and they range from ‘never touched a drawing program’ to advanced. It’s how I got started.
I learned 3D crafting from AutoCAD. It first came out with a crude 3D back in 2012(?) where you could extrude or subtract shapes. The problem with AutoCAD was that you couldn’t go back and make changes to the drawing once you were in motion. But when AutoDESK came out with Fusion360… WOW! It made 3D crafting so much easier.
