Pro Desktop Rib

samt · 22 September 2006, 22:39

Just installed pro-desktop on my computer for school work for A2 product design.

I decided to try design a RIB to get familier with the software.

This was my attempt: Minus outboard (Too Complicated). I'm quite pleased with it but I couldn't get the tubes at the bow completly round and also couldn't get it to have a raised bow.

Unfortunatly the product I actually have to design is no where near as interesting as a rib!

samt · 22 September 2006, 22:48

How about a new tube design?

Poly · 22 September 2006, 23:55

Samt - is pro/desktop still availble to download - i thought it had been stopped 2 years ago.

Anyway I think you are looking for a "sweep" tool to get the front of the tubes in the shape you want. I haven't used pro/d for a while but essentially you would draw a path then draw a circle and - if you then imagine dragging the circle around the path (clearly the circle needs to be orthogonal to the path). I think you should be able to define the path in 3D so it can both sweep round for a nice curve at the front and curve up at the bow.

Good luck. As solid modellers go i found this quite intuitive to use when I first played with it. There used to be a pretty good discussion forum/support site (unofficial) - not sure how active it is now.

[edit] By the way, you seem to have an unusual geometry on the bow of the hull too. Its difficult to work out in the 2d rendering exactly what looks odd - but you I think you have possibly just done a "simple" cut rather than using perhaps a "loft tool" which might achieve the desired effect.

I'm not trying to knock your efforts at all. I assume you enjoy this sort of stuff.

samt · 23 September 2006, 09:07

Thanks for your input.

Pro desktop is supplied by the school on cd-rom.

This was just a practice. But, yes I was using the simple cut tool, next time I will use the loft tool. I didn't work to any dimensions which is why it looks odd.

My next attempt should be more realistic.

pop · 23 September 2006, 10:21

samt do you know of any other design programes? looks like fun

how long did it take you?
is it hard to use?

Poly · 23 September 2006, 10:53

pop - there are loads of design programmes out there. Pro/desktop is a solid modeler which is now the norm for designing in 3D and rendering etc. There are loads of 2D cad packages about - some of which might "pretend" to do 3D designs but are then difficult to use.

This is by no means an exhaustive list but the main solid modelers are:

SolidWorks (from £5k for the basic package)
Pro/Engineer (probably about the same)

Pro/E and SW are the two industry leaders used by product designers across the world. Whilst each have their fans in reality if you can use one you can quickly learn the other.

Pro/desktop which SAMT used is from the same software house as Pro/E and is basically a cutdown version of the full beast - but was perfectly capable for learning on and most basic uses. I have just googled Pro/Desktop and as SAMT implied it is still available for use in schools but no longer commercially. They have "replaced" it for commercial use with Pro/E Wildfire - no idea of costs or capabilities.

If you are looking to pay for a similar sort of application then you could look at Alibre Design. I think I saw something recently about a free cut down version coming out for that too. We tried the "full" product before we bought SW and didn't find it as intuitive, or powerful and found it didn't manage parametric relationships between features as easily as Pro/E or SW.

There are also things like Inventor/TurboCad - which I have never used but claim to do the same stuff. I don't now of anyone using these commercially. Used to be freebies on PC mags alot - so I think trying to appeal to the hobby user rather than the professional designer. I think these are possibly - mainly drafting CAD drawing packages which have some 3d rendering added in.

I know of some people using another package called SolidEdge which seems to do the same sort of stuff. I think it relies more on external "add ins" to achieve the whole package. The guys that I know who use this grew up with traditional engineering drawings and I get the feeling that it still leans slightly towards that.

Finally if all you are wanting to do is make pretty models then you might want to look at "surface modelers" as well. But now beyond my area of expertise.

pop · 23 September 2006, 21:33

wEll pOLwArT tHaNks FoR yOur help ANy fREE 1s

I don't now of anyone using these commercially.

it should be Know

hahaha

Do people really pay 5 grand to draw a picture ?

samt · 23 September 2006, 22:06

This software is essential for design companies producing prototypes. For example at school I can send the information almost directly (Extra software is used to covert it into numeric coordinates) to the 3D Router and it'll produce my design (Unfortunatly this machine is a cheap one bout 8k! so it is quite limited). Obviously a RIB can't be produced like this but alot are designed like this.

Its much cheaper, quicker and easier to produce a prototype RIB on screen than building the several prototypes. Changes can be made easily. Then when they are happy with this design they would build the final full size prototype. Its also easier to get a feel for the design in these programs, than a hand drawn design.

http://www.boatsandoutboards.co.uk/view/AQR042/

Poly · 23 September 2006, 23:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by pop

wEll pOLwArT tHaNks FoR yOur help ANy fREE 1s

I don't now of anyone using these commercially.

it should be Know

hahaha

Do people really pay 5 grand to draw a picture ?

try http://www.alibre.com/xpress/

not used the free version. the full price version (about £1k) is not as good as the £5k competitors. you get what you pay for.

my company did pay over £5k for this software (for one user!) but you need to appreciate that as samt points out this is serious design software not just a "drawing package". we can create numerous virtual prototypes to compare design concepts, check assemblies, and even create and test mould tooling form one package. to us the "rendering functions" are actually just a nice to have add on.

we design a component and then can send the drawings to virtually anyone in the world, and have it machined, have a 3d stereolithographic prototype made or a mould tool created for the part. Since mould tools cost thousands (or in some cases tens of thousands) each - it is important to get it right first time - hence the high value of the software.

whilst samt says it can't make a rib - this sort of software almost certainly will be used to make many of the components that form the rib - e.g. the hull mould (unless it is a splash!). I'm not sure what the preferred software is for hull design as presumably it will allow hydrodynamic calculations. The limitation what can be built is the machine shop or manufacturer rather than the software.

so if you think 5k is outrageous - you almost certainly don't need the software!

pop · 24 September 2006, 00:04

i completely understand that if you are a company that this is no money but i just wanted to have ago at what samt drew.

i had someone design mine, its not my forte (designing)

Poly · 24 September 2006, 00:22

Quote:

Originally Posted by pop

i completely understand that if you are a company that this is no money but i just wanted to have ago at what samt drew.

i had someone design mine, its not my forte (designing)

actually for most small companies it is still a major commitment.

for mucking about try the free link in my previous post. I can't give any promises that is even as good as the software samt has free from school but it should give you something to play with. I suspect the reason the makers of pro/desktop stopped giving it away free to everyone is that it is actually extremely powerful and they were losing paying customers.