I’m a beginning CAD user and have I’ve obtained the CMS Intellicad 2001 demo from the website. I am impressed with the tool and am nearly ready to spend my personal money on it. However, I need to be sure it can do a few things I need. Can anyone help answer these questions?
1. Arcs are drawn by IC with 3 verticies. How can I add more points along the line so that I can make adjustments to the shape of the arc after it is drawn? Another problem with arcs having few verticies is that using a fit on a polyline with an arc causes the arc to get flattened.
2. How can I do "lofting"? I am designing an airplane fuselage and I need to create perfect formers along a straight run where the formers at each end are of different shapes.
3. Can I define a plane that cuts my fuselage at an angle and obtain a cross section? This is needed for designing removable hatches.
4. After creating all the formers and placing them on the Z-axis, how do I create a skin with a smooth surface?
5. I’ve created complex formers and used the Fit tool to smooth them. This creates a LOT of verticies. I also made a block of each one. If I later need to edit a block, can a working polyline be created that has fewer verticies? This would make it easier to make changes, and then re-Fit the curves.
6. Is there a good way to take the outline of a shape (a fuselage former in my case) and shrink it to make room for the surface material thickness? I have to allow for exactly .0625 inch sheeting and the best approximation I have found is to specify a scaling factor for the larger part. This is imprecise.
7. What is the best way to create a side view in the Y-Z plane given all the formers have been drawn in the X-Y plane and placed at different Z elevations?
8. Is there a way to make the background be an image (like a scanned bitmap)? This would make transferring hand drawings/pictures to CAD much easier.
#2
Hi Lance,
There doesn't seem to be much traffic on this forum yet. I sure hope it picks up. I am also brand new to IntelliCAD, but I've been doing 3D modeling with Cadkey for the last eight years, so I might be able to make some helpful remarks regarding your questions.
1. If you're talking about "dragging" these additional points to reshape your arc, what you're really talking about creating is a "spline". A spline is a smooth curve that passes through a number of node points, that can be later manipulated to reshape the curve. This is a commonly used tool in solid/surface modeling cad programs. I don't know if Icad has this kind of capability.
2. Lofting is a tool of Surface modeling or solid modeling. You create a sequence of profiles and the lofting process joins them to create a projected surface. the connecting lines that are created in this manner are, by definition, splines. Again, don't know if Icad has this capability.
3. This called sectioning and is a tool of solid modeling. ditto on Icad capability..
4.This is called surface modeling. In cadkey, and presumably most other other surface/solid modelers, you can create a surface, extrude it to a thickness, and you have a "skin." (also refered to as sheet-metal modeling)
5. Again, we're back to splines. Yes, what you might do is set a construction plane to match the plane of the existing spline, and draw a new one right over the top of the old.(in a different color) In this process you could enter fewer node points than in the original, (and arrive at BASICALLY, the same curve). You're just using the first as a visual pattern to create the new spline. Then erase the old. You must do this before lofting, as these nodes are used by the lofting process. You could undo a lot of work by going out of order here.
6. When extruding the surface to create the skin, extrude in inward instead of outward. You definately have to be in a solid modeler for this by the way.. Then "subtract" the skin from all your solid formers.
7. creating views differs with every program. Again, I'm a beginner at Icad as well.
8. importing images into a cad program is one thing, having them arrive as editable geometry is another. Always either impossible or at least very very difficult from all that I've heard. I've nevereven tried it.
Now using a bitmap of the sky as a background for a "rendering" is another thing. That's commmon. Most big time cad packages have distinct rendering tools as part of the "suite" of linked programs. Additionally completely separate rendering programs exist, (like Pov-Ray) that enable you to import geometry from a cad program, and then create settings, backgrounds, and lighting, and "shoot a picture" of your model in this way. It's often called, "photo-realistic" rendering.
I'm learning Icad, mostly because I want to be able to edit acad drawings that people send to me with regard to my work. These have been invariably 2D drawings. 99% of what I draw in my native cad program, (cadkey) is 3D. What I've always heard around my various cad circles is that autocad is a perfectly fine 2D program, but that it's a very poor 3D program. I'm sure Autodesk would argue with that, but there's no arguing with the fact that while autocad is very popular with architects and city planners, (all doing 2D), engineers designing things from cars to airplanes are all using programs like Pro-Engineer, or Solid Edge, or Solid Works, or Cadkey. Programs costing anywhere from $3000 to $50,000.
I hope the traffic picks up on this forum. I figured out one of my questions, how to change geometry color, but not the other, how to change crosshair and windowing color. Not every program allows you to change such things.. perhaps it's hard-coded in Icad.
anyway, hope I've been of some help with your questions.
Steve Downey
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lance:
<B>I’m a beginning CAD user and have I’ve obtained the CMS Intellicad 2001 demo from the website. I am impressed with the tool and am nearly ready to spend my personal money on it. However, I need to be sure it can do a few things I need. Can anyone help answer these questions?
1. Arcs are drawn by IC with 3 verticies. How can I add more points along the line so that I can make adjustments to the shape of the arc after it is drawn? Another problem with arcs having few verticies is that using a fit on a polyline with an arc causes the arc to get flattened.
2. How can I do "lofting"? I am designing an airplane fuselage and I need to create perfect formers along a straight run where the formers at each end are of different shapes.
3. Can I define a plane that cuts my fuselage at an angle and obtain a cross section? This is needed for designing removable hatches.
4. After creating all the formers and placing them on the Z-axis, how do I create a skin with a smooth surface?
5. I’ve created complex formers and used the Fit tool to smooth them. This creates a LOT of verticies. I also made a block of each one. If I later need to edit a block, can a working polyline be created that has fewer verticies? This would make it easier to make changes, and then re-Fit the curves.
6. Is there a good way to take the outline of a shape (a fuselage former in my case) and shrink it to make room for the surface material thickness? I have to allow for exactly .0625 inch sheeting and the best approximation I have found is to specify a scaling factor for the larger part. This is imprecise.
7. What is the best way to create a side view in the Y-Z plane given all the formers have been drawn in the X-Y plane and placed at different Z elevations?
8. Is there a way to make the background be an image (like a scanned bitmap)? This would make transferring hand drawings/pictures to CAD much easier.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
There doesn't seem to be much traffic on this forum yet. I sure hope it picks up. I am also brand new to IntelliCAD, but I've been doing 3D modeling with Cadkey for the last eight years, so I might be able to make some helpful remarks regarding your questions.
1. If you're talking about "dragging" these additional points to reshape your arc, what you're really talking about creating is a "spline". A spline is a smooth curve that passes through a number of node points, that can be later manipulated to reshape the curve. This is a commonly used tool in solid/surface modeling cad programs. I don't know if Icad has this kind of capability.
2. Lofting is a tool of Surface modeling or solid modeling. You create a sequence of profiles and the lofting process joins them to create a projected surface. the connecting lines that are created in this manner are, by definition, splines. Again, don't know if Icad has this capability.
3. This called sectioning and is a tool of solid modeling. ditto on Icad capability..
4.This is called surface modeling. In cadkey, and presumably most other other surface/solid modelers, you can create a surface, extrude it to a thickness, and you have a "skin." (also refered to as sheet-metal modeling)
5. Again, we're back to splines. Yes, what you might do is set a construction plane to match the plane of the existing spline, and draw a new one right over the top of the old.(in a different color) In this process you could enter fewer node points than in the original, (and arrive at BASICALLY, the same curve). You're just using the first as a visual pattern to create the new spline. Then erase the old. You must do this before lofting, as these nodes are used by the lofting process. You could undo a lot of work by going out of order here.
6. When extruding the surface to create the skin, extrude in inward instead of outward. You definately have to be in a solid modeler for this by the way.. Then "subtract" the skin from all your solid formers.
7. creating views differs with every program. Again, I'm a beginner at Icad as well.
8. importing images into a cad program is one thing, having them arrive as editable geometry is another. Always either impossible or at least very very difficult from all that I've heard. I've nevereven tried it.
Now using a bitmap of the sky as a background for a "rendering" is another thing. That's commmon. Most big time cad packages have distinct rendering tools as part of the "suite" of linked programs. Additionally completely separate rendering programs exist, (like Pov-Ray) that enable you to import geometry from a cad program, and then create settings, backgrounds, and lighting, and "shoot a picture" of your model in this way. It's often called, "photo-realistic" rendering.
I'm learning Icad, mostly because I want to be able to edit acad drawings that people send to me with regard to my work. These have been invariably 2D drawings. 99% of what I draw in my native cad program, (cadkey) is 3D. What I've always heard around my various cad circles is that autocad is a perfectly fine 2D program, but that it's a very poor 3D program. I'm sure Autodesk would argue with that, but there's no arguing with the fact that while autocad is very popular with architects and city planners, (all doing 2D), engineers designing things from cars to airplanes are all using programs like Pro-Engineer, or Solid Edge, or Solid Works, or Cadkey. Programs costing anywhere from $3000 to $50,000.
I hope the traffic picks up on this forum. I figured out one of my questions, how to change geometry color, but not the other, how to change crosshair and windowing color. Not every program allows you to change such things.. perhaps it's hard-coded in Icad.
anyway, hope I've been of some help with your questions.
Steve Downey
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by lance:
<B>I’m a beginning CAD user and have I’ve obtained the CMS Intellicad 2001 demo from the website. I am impressed with the tool and am nearly ready to spend my personal money on it. However, I need to be sure it can do a few things I need. Can anyone help answer these questions?
1. Arcs are drawn by IC with 3 verticies. How can I add more points along the line so that I can make adjustments to the shape of the arc after it is drawn? Another problem with arcs having few verticies is that using a fit on a polyline with an arc causes the arc to get flattened.
2. How can I do "lofting"? I am designing an airplane fuselage and I need to create perfect formers along a straight run where the formers at each end are of different shapes.
3. Can I define a plane that cuts my fuselage at an angle and obtain a cross section? This is needed for designing removable hatches.
4. After creating all the formers and placing them on the Z-axis, how do I create a skin with a smooth surface?
5. I’ve created complex formers and used the Fit tool to smooth them. This creates a LOT of verticies. I also made a block of each one. If I later need to edit a block, can a working polyline be created that has fewer verticies? This would make it easier to make changes, and then re-Fit the curves.
6. Is there a good way to take the outline of a shape (a fuselage former in my case) and shrink it to make room for the surface material thickness? I have to allow for exactly .0625 inch sheeting and the best approximation I have found is to specify a scaling factor for the larger part. This is imprecise.
7. What is the best way to create a side view in the Y-Z plane given all the formers have been drawn in the X-Y plane and placed at different Z elevations?
8. Is there a way to make the background be an image (like a scanned bitmap)? This would make transferring hand drawings/pictures to CAD much easier.</B><HR></BLOCKQUOTE>
#3
Steve,
To change the crosshairs color - select Tools-->Options from the pull down menu and select the crosshairs tab. You can then change the three axis colors.
Not sure if a variable exists for the windowing color - will check it out.
As far as solids go, ICAD can only display solids that have been created by ACAD at this stage. I think that solids will happen in ICAD however, I haven't heard of any timetable as yet.
It appears the ITC is working to provide a more stable ICAD prior to launching into further add-ons such as solids.
------------------
Regards
John Finlay
Don't want to post a question - email me direct on john@acecad.com.au
[This message has been edited by John Finlay (edited 11-22-2001).]
To change the crosshairs color - select Tools-->Options from the pull down menu and select the crosshairs tab. You can then change the three axis colors.
Not sure if a variable exists for the windowing color - will check it out.
As far as solids go, ICAD can only display solids that have been created by ACAD at this stage. I think that solids will happen in ICAD however, I haven't heard of any timetable as yet.
It appears the ITC is working to provide a more stable ICAD prior to launching into further add-ons such as solids.
------------------
Regards
John Finlay
Don't want to post a question - email me direct on john@acecad.com.au
[This message has been edited by John Finlay (edited 11-22-2001).]
#4
I have never used Intellicad for 3d stuff - I don't think that part of Intellicad is good enough yet. As for your non-3d questions: I think you must choose whether to create a spline-fit polyline or one built up of arcs. You can split up a polyline arc by breaking it at a selected point and rejoining the segments. Simply adding an extra vertex does not seem to work. I could write a lisp to simplify the task if you are interested.
Q8: The PE version of CMS Intellicad has support for raster images. Doing what you say is very straight forward.
Q8: The PE version of CMS Intellicad has support for raster images. Doing what you say is very straight forward.
