IronCAD vs Solidworks Assembly Lesson 26 Lesson 3


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.

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.

We will create a Valve Configuration. This is how you manage parts in a single model environment.

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 open with the Valve Seat to use as a reference to create the valve.

We drag and drop an extrude shape on to a top facing using the right mouse button that allows us to create a new shape, creating a new part, the left button automatically makes it part of the existing shape.

We activate the Triball, press the space bar which allows us to only move the Triball. We move it to mid point of the rectangle, move it to the center of the hole, then set the handles to symmetry and size it.

We click the new shape twice to take us to the intellishape. We activate the Triball which is still at the midpoint of the top face and rotate copy link to create the cross piece.

We create the chamfers.

Now we drag and drop a cylinder to the midpoint of the crossed part and size it.

We don’t need the Valve Seat so we suppress in this configuration. We add the chamfer and drag and drop a cylinder to the center of the top cylinder and size it.

The part is done.


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.


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.


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.