3d cad

Originally Posted by mr henderson

I've not tried a Haynes chassis in Google Sketchup, but I've done enough stuff with it now to know that it would certainly be possible.


The advantage of Sketchup is that it is free, BTW

So was my copy of solidworks 2009....

Solidworks is the bees knees you change materials etc so draw summat up and faff about making it look like anything from wood to carbon fibre....just wish I could remember what buttons to press and why o why do they use puta nerdy speak for engineering terms it's confusing my stupid old brain

[mr henderson]

You can do the same thing with Sketchup, and can even paste your own photos onto stuff.

Or you can take a picture of a building, then use an add on program to calculate where the picture was taken from, and actually draw the building from that, no need to enter the dimensions.

There's a lot more Sketchup models out that you can download than there are for Solidworks, I daresay Solidwiorks is ultimately better but usually it is very expensive too, so the user base is much smaller.

[alga]

The difference is that Solidworks edits models (like a CAD), whereas Sketchups works with meshes.

[mr henderson]

Originally Posted by alga

The difference is that Solidworks edits models (like a CAD), whereas Sketchups works with meshes.

Not really telling us a lot there, though, are you? That sounds more like a difference in how it works rather than what the difference means to the user.

[mopple]

The main difference is that Sketchup is a tool meant for modeling structures for Google Earth program.

As SolidWorks and other mechanical CAD programs are professional tools for engineering. With these tools you can create structural frames, sheet metal parts, parts with very complex geometry, make drawings that are associative with the model from what the drawing is generated from. Then assemble those parts, run simulations for mechanical strengths, aerodynamics, thermal problems. Use CAD data for CNC manufacturing etc.

Some examples what I have done in SolidWorks:
Drawing of Roadsters base frame.
Drawing for my coworkers AC Cobra replica scuttle and firewall area
And those panels (flat patterns CNC punched and pressed then CNC bended) trial fitted Pic 1 Pic 2
Looking quite good, don't they? Can you do those things in Sketchup?

Madis

Can tomato sketchup create dxf files that can be read by cnc machines so your parts can be laser cut and or cnc machined? Because solidworks can...

[alga]

Originally Posted by mr henderson

Not really telling us a lot there, though, are you? That sounds more like a difference in how it works rather than what the difference means to the user.

In a 3D CAD, a sphere is a sphere, an exact mathematical representation. In a 3D modeler, a sphere is an approximation made out of many little triangles, like here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygon_mesh
All dimensions involving curved lines or surfaces will be approximate when working with a mesh, and exact when working with a solid model.

That said, Sketchup is great for many CAD-like applications. My brother designed a gazebo in Sketchup prior to building it out of wood and polycarbonate. Worked a treat.

[fabrun]

short visit to say that first post was update: link to files added