MOI cad. It looks good, is it?

Using Flow to apply text to a 3d surface to make an Austin 7 nameplate.

There's a bit of waiting for my old laptop on this video as MoI crunches the numbers.

Martin.

Edited By blowlamp on 23/05/2023 21:22:57

Two excellent videos Martin. I have learnt from them, thanks.

I made a very basic wheel rim, not to any sort of scale or accuracy, just practice. I then created a single cylinder crankshaft, to scale and size, and imported an engine cylinder I had created a few days ago. I deleted the cylinder, but saved the crank. Again, all practice. The cylinder head is just about ready for the next step. Triplicate it, and then convert one into a pattern, another into a core mould, and the third left as is to show the finished head.

Lee

Edited By lee webster on 23/05/2023 22:39:01

That sounds like progress to me Lee. I think you are doing well, considering that you're coming from a parametric environment into a slightly more 'nuts & bolts' way of doing CAD.

I hope it works out for you.

Martin.

Hi martin, just an update on MOI. An excellent programme with features I might need later if I decide to make more 3D printed model cars. At the moment though, I need a decent cad programme, and for that, MOI doesn't fit the bill.

I was really impressed with the way MOI could manipulate surfaces, so later maybe. I started to search the net for a way to draw a line at a tangent to a circle, and at an angle too. I came across a bloke called "blowlamp", posting the same query!

Lee

Fair enough, Lee.

Sounds like Fusion 360, Solid Edge, or Alibre might be your best options after all.
I did use ViaCad for a while, but got fed up of trying to remember what all the different tools did and frustrated when they didn't work.

I'm still interested in what you finally choose.

Martin.

I think the only two options are Designspark Mechanical or Solidedge. I don't want to use F360 because it is online only. Alibre is still an option. I have even been playing with FreeCAD, which I used a lot before finding Designspark.

It's like a toy that never stops being interesting in my case

I'm not sure about lettering on curved surfaces with Alibre, the last I heard it was in a future update

will have a go at it...

Edited By Ady1 on 28/05/2023 17:48:10

Took me 20 minutes with the Tracing tool to get the basics, then extrude onto the plate

I stole the lettering from your video

You'd need to faff with the Loft tool to get the curvy bit of the plate, so say 40 minutes for a first ever try

You would loft a solid curve under the bottom section of the lettering, then loft a curve cut over the top section of the lettering(in theory)

You can almost always get there eventually with Alibre Atom, about an hour?

Alibre Pro would probbly take 10 minutes

Edited By Ady1 on 28/05/2023 18:24:51

Yes, I think Alibre text capabilities are getting an update. What happens to those who have Alibre, but didn't opt for updates at extra cost? Will they be offered an update I wonder.

I joined a local model making group when I realised that I needed help with my own A7 model. Several people are building tanks, and some of those tanks are big, with a large number of parts.

Edit. I had posted this before seeing your post on text with Alibre. Putting the text on a curve is the hard bit. Designspark has virtually no text tool, but it is still possible. I did my text creation in Inkscape, saved it as an SVG, imported that into FreeCAD, and then exported that as a STEP file. Designspark doesn't like importing STEP files, but it can be tricked into doing it. Text with FreeCAD is nearly as bad, whereas text with Solidedge is very good. Nowadays, I use Designspark for cad, and Solidedge for text. But I am getting into Solidedge a bit more.

Edited By lee webster on 28/05/2023 18:30:03

Ady.

The tank is coming along nicely - the tracks already look quite impressive.

I'm sure the Austin 7 badge, made in Alibre Pro, would be quicker and easier to do than in Atom, but it's a fair bit more dosh, so we're back to finding something we can use and understand, that has the right tools for the job in hand, and can be had for a price we can afford/willing to pay.

Lee.

Coming back to the tangent question we were both looking for a solution to. It turned out to be covered by the Construction Lines that are built in to almost all of MoI's drawing tools and are initiated by click & drag.

I think MoI has a pretty good 'snap' setup and can usually find tangents etc to most curve combinations, but this particular scenario isn't covered in a single click solution. I've done another video to show that it's a fairly trivial problem to solve with MoI's Construction Lines.

Martin.

Edited By blowlamp on 28/05/2023 19:49:23

A neat solution.

You can usually get a reasonably priced update to the latest Alibre even if you have not paid the yearly fees.

Text on curved faces can already be done in Alibre, using the wrap/project tool.

The coming enhancement for v27 is text along curved path. The two things are different, but may sometimes be usefully combined.

This image was created in Designspark. The text was created in Inkscape, exported to FreeCAD, exported from FreeCAD into DS, extruded with draft, then the backplate added. A lot of work involving three programmes. Luckily, all three are free!

This image was created wholly in DS. The body is a trimmed revolve, the text was created by measuring something (anything) with the annotation plane. The measurement is then changed to the text required and projected onto the surface. The text is extruded and another revolve is created to trim the text down to the same shape as the body. I think it may have been two annotation planes. Once a solid is created, anything that had been used to create the solid can be deleted. There is no history as such, just a list of the bodies created. MOI is similar, so I was used to the way it worked.

Lee

Edited By lee webster on 28/05/2023 20:42:34