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IronCAD vs Solidworks Assembly Lesson 26
What is the advantage designing with shapes?
Using shapes eliminates the need to create a sketch and extrude or revolve. If you created each feature individually it is easier to modify directly. Imagine a complex part. Give this concept a try today.
Design of Feed check Valve in Solidworks | Solidworks Exploded View
IronCAD vs Solidworks
While creating 3D models from 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 this well designed productive 3D CAD system.
I like to show step by step lessons So you can see the commands being used.
I always create the part before I watch the 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 Solidworks Presenters, it is not just limited by the 3D CAD system.
Here is the drawing if you would like to follow along.
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I call this type of design Feature Based Design.
We start with the Body. We are doing top down or in context design. Which means we will using existing graphics to create our new part. We mostly use mating faces or edges.
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 Pro/e (Creo) clones.
Also I have pinned the Catalog, you can autohide the catalog for more design space in the scene.
We already have a cut extrude in our history in the Body that shows half of the part. You can have multiple cut extrudes to show the inside of the part. We can hid or suppress them without affecting the part.
We drag and drop a cylinder with the right button and select “Drop as Part” to the center of the relative hole and size it.
We will change the color to make it easier to work with. We can see that it was dropped and the extrusion direction was up. We click it twice that will take us to the intellishape. level, IronCAD has 4 levels of operation, first click is Assembly (if applicable): Yellow, Second is part: blue, Third is intellishape: Yellow and Forth face/surface: Green
We click twice and go to intellishape, we flip the extrusion by selecting “Flip Extrude Direction”. We are still in the Intellishape level we select a handle with the right mouse button and select “Edit Size Box” and we size the feature
Now we drag and drop a cylinder to the center of the top of the new cylinder and size it.
When you drag and drop it automatically recognizes corners, mid-points and centers.
We drag and drop a cut cylinder on to the center of the top cylinder and size it.
We create the chamfer
We are done with the part.
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IronCAD vs Solidworks Assembly Lesson 26
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.
3D Modeling Techniques Defined
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.
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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.
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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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