Tag Archives: Architecture

Posts related to Architecture created with Autodesk Inventor

BIM Models Via Reverse Engineering With Autodesk Inventor – Part 7

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I’ll begin this post by going all the way back to the first extrusion in this model to fix an error I made way back then. It will go a long way to demonstrate the power of parametric modeling.

 

The problem was that during the first extrusion, I inadvertently included the profile of the front reinforcing ribs in the selection set, giving the entire lower front an angle that it should not have. To fix this mistake, all I did was double click on the offending extrusion, get the profile selector from the dialog, hold down the shift button on my keyboard, and select the profile I want to remove from the selection set…

Selecting a profile

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BIM Models Via Reverse Engineering With Autodesk Inventor – Part 1

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As anyone who has delved into the world of Digital Prototyping (also known as BIM) knows, most manufacturers are total slackers when it comes to providing models and information for their products.

Here is how things almost always go. You go to the manufacturers website looking for an accurate 3D model of the AG3 (Awesome Gizmo 3000), and you find out that the manufacturer has what looks like a scanned brochure as a website. Not a good sign.

So you look around and find that the site is nothing more than a “look how swell our products are” site with no real design information beyond a rough size and possibly a neat java color chooser. So you go to Google. Through a Google search you find a retailer who has at least gone through the trouble of  scanning  the installation instructions and putting them online …which is close to, but better than nothing in most cases.

In this, the information age ……not even an old-school set of AutoCAD 2D plans & elevations on most sites….jeeesh!

So there’s no Model……now what?

The Designer/Engineer has several choices:

  • Continue to waste time on what will likely turn out to be a wild goose chase
  • Look for a competitor that does have models of their products
  • Model the thing yourself with whatever info you can get

The second choice is by far the most palatable. If someone else makes a comparable item, and provides a model, go with them…… but unfortunately, the last choice will be the only option in many instances.  
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Introducing the Open Design Project’s New Eco Home Design Section!

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The ODP now uses the Multi-Site feature of WordPress to integrate multiple, separate blogs into one larger whole, and the first off-shoot, the Eco Home blog is now up & running. 

The new  format will allow people with disparate  design goals and styles to meet under a single roof, and hopefully share solutions to design problems. The main thrust will be wood related trades as they relate to ecologically sound home construction, outfitting, and maintenance … no different than it has been, just easier (I hope)  to accomplish.

I will also be splitting off  Woodworking into its own section sometime in the near future, and hope to have the integrated forum up & running shortly….which is one of my projects for today.

So if the site is a bit off-kilter in the coming days, it’s just me in the background screwing things up ;)  —but in the long-run, all will be well.

Look for my post on quickie reverse  engineering later today (if at all possible), its a fairly quick way to get models made when the manufacturer of a given item has no models (and usually not even 2D CAD drawings) available …and all you have to work with is a lame image with dimensions on it.  Until then, have a great day!

[Update: I dumped the multi site crap from wordpress as it totally sucked. there is a new site for home design, but it ia on an entirely different domain. Use this: The Craftsman Cottage]





The Mission Table Model Final: The Creation of the Assembly

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There is some pretty slick stuff coming down the pike in this Inventor Tutorial series including web configured components and a eco starter home with a designed-in upgrade path.

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But for now, back to the Mission Table. The skeletal stuff is now complete, and all that’s left is to make components of the whole mess (47 solids). The image to the right shows the outcome … but for now, we have what you see below…

 

 

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Inventor Multi-Solid Body Skeletal Modeling Exploration Continues

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Picture of the Autodesk Inventor Browser BarIn this, part two of this exploration into the Mission End Table Inventor multi-solid body I created about a year ago, we look at the main sketches.

 Generally I like to  start by sketching and creating parameters for as much of the design as possible before I do any modeling. This allows me to get a big picture view of the design, and also keeps the sketches grouped at the top of the feature tree so that any future maintenance  or modifications to the skeleton can be done with a quick EOP (End of Part) roll-up to a point just after the last sketch as is shown in the image to the right. If you were to model & extrude as you go, sketches would get buried, and you or whoever else comes after you would have to do a lot of digging to figure out the design intent.  The time saved by being neat will keep money in you or your company’s pocket, and save a lot of headaches down the road.

 Share Sketches When Possible

It is also good practice to share sketches on a given plane….unless it will cause overlapping of geometry which should be avoided. Overlapping geometry can force the program to try solving unnecessary  solutions, which wastes system resources, and overlapping geometry that is unrelated is just plain messy. The less features you have in the tree the better, just don’t get anal about it :) Continue reading →