I've been working on a gas pump drawing for another member of this forum and becoming frustrated with progress on that, turned to what I thought would be the simple task of drawing up the parts of the Heywood Coupler. Two and a half days later and following many colourfully expressive moments, I completed the preliminary renderings below of the coupler body. For a seemingly simple part, it was actually quite difficult to draw in 3D. Next to draw is the "hook" (two versions: one lettered for Duffield Bank Railway, the other for Eaton Railway). Once complete the file will be sent for rapid prototyping in 1:12 & 1:6.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FHeywoodCoupler%2FHeywoodCoupler.jpg&hash=252b3f28c2670df3ce5a57d178d8f9542218af69)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FHeywoodCoupler%2FHeywoodCouplerBottom.jpg&hash=8dd319d271e617bd15c5ed3cea9511182f9c5635)
Paul
Very, very nice Paul. I feel your pain with the digital modeling. It's getting all the various fillets to work that trips me up. I always seem to get to a point where the geometry falls apart or the computer stops being able to render the form.
In any case, the part is very nice.
Thank you gentlemen...
Quote from: EZnKY on February 13, 2011, 01:20:30 PM
It's getting all the various fillets to work that trips me up. I always seem to get to a point where the geometry falls apart or the computer stops being able to render the form.
That's a frequent problem Eric. Proper sequencing of the application of unions and fillets is very important. Get the sequence wrong and the software won't complete your request, generate a totally unexpected form or, in the worst cases, will shut down completely. Through the years of experience I've learned something about the sequencing but every once in a while, such as with this part, I have to rethink the entire process to get it to work properly. One problem I had with a particular fillet application traced back to a faulty union which resulted from a difference in dimension of .0000001" between the mating surfaces! Since I normally work to a tolerance of .000001, I had to change tolerance preferences in the software in order to track down the problem. Dimensioning was showing the parts as being the same when in actual fact they weren't. It took ages to finally track that issue down...
Paul
It did come out well.
Today I finished drawing the complete Heywood Coupler assembly. There are two versions of the "hook," one lettered for the Eaton Railway and the other for the Duffield Bank Railway. Renderings below show the two versions plus a view from beneath. Additional renderings can be seen at the Roughboy (http://roughboy.net/) site. Next step is to have the coupler components (minus the pivot pin) rapid prototyped in 1:12 and 1:6 scales.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FHeywoodCoupler%2FHeywoodCouplerER.jpg&hash=fbfbe074606a0d63df02cf44c5df5090d1451bdd)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FHeywoodCoupler%2FHeywoodCouplerDBRRear.jpg&hash=0fdae8ba6ca016fcf3f5c26ee245e77af25631f4)
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Froughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FHeywoodCoupler%2FHeywoodCouplerComplete.jpg&hash=eaba870f49536f62d9cad40c18df690f3094b165)
Paul
Wow - nice work Paul!
Thanks Eric... Today I revised the renderings with improved textures and a few other changes. The new versions replace the old in the post below.
Paul
Holy Crap. Those drawings are amazing.
You are revoltingly competent. -- Russ
It's always so nice to see someone do so well with their first time use of the CAD programs ;D (I keep looking for the smiley face of me driving the rail spike through my temple).
Paul - these are some amazing images... looking at your page, I take it this is something that you've done for more than a semester or two. These are beautifully done - and I ogle at the complexity of the fittings (organic shapes) and what they must take to do in 3D.
While knowing nothing about rail stuff, I'm digging the design work in your threads.
Paul (W.R.)
I thought I noticed some texture...nice!
Even better Paul!
Thanks guys...
Yes Paul, I have been doing this for a while ;). The good thing is though, just about every time I work on a drawing, I learn something new about the software and process or figure out a better way to accomplish what I need. Organic shapes are especially difficult. I think it took just about the same amount of computer time to draw the coupler as it did to draw the entire van superstructure. As with anything worth doing, the learning curve never ends...
Paul
Getting back to work on the Heywood couplers... Here is a rendering of the two versions of the standard Heywood freight coupler, one for Eaton Railway, the other for Duffield Bank. I'm still working on the passenger versions which differ in their mounting as they were mounted directly to the bogie. These were originally drawn and rendered in Cobalt. I've just reworked them in Autodesk Inventor and rendered them in KeyShot. Next step is to separate the individual components and sprue them up in preparation for rapid prototyping.
(https://www.finescalerr.com/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.roughboy.net%2Fimgs%2FHeywoodCouplersInvntr.jpg&hash=fff2191646d0f644f23b77ed735085995b1ac5e9)
Paul
Paul,
I marvel not only at your skill in using these programmes but at the abilities of the programmes themselves ................ unless you had told me I would be hard pushed not to believe that this coupling was real and existed in our 3d world.
I do wonder if the lettering is too high, I have no knowledge and only one photo to compare it with ..... it just sort of looks slightly separate rather than an integral part of the casting, although it might need to be this way for rapid prototyping and then could be sanded down/blended a bit afterwards?
Thanks Gordon. Concerning the lettering, it's actually the lighting I've used that makes it look a little "proud" but I wanted all the details to be readily visible. The couplers are all drawn full-size and the lettering is only .200 " high. I've found it better to keep details sharp for the rapid prototyping process in order to get an accurate result. The top surfaces of the letters can then be "eroded" slightly on the printed parts with a fibreglass eraser to represent casting and wear irregularities.
Paul
WOW Stunning!!! drawings Paul. As Gordon said they look real. That said, my only thought about them is regarding the lettering, The originals would most likely have been sand cast, and I think that the lettering would have been a slightly lower profile and with softer edges, I think that the letters are what give it away as not being real.
Michael
Thanks Michael. The letters are actually the height they should be. Putting larger chamfers on them would perhaps improve their appearance in the rendering but would not reproduce properly when prototyped, especially in the smaller scales. The answer is to abrade the lettering following printing with a fibreglass eraser which readily represents the slight irregularities that appear in cast letters. It is far better to start with something that is crisp and soften it than it is to start with something that is soft and can't be sharpened.
Paul
Excellent!
Paul, yes of course that makes imminent sense.
Michael
These get better and better with each new version!
Beautiful...the surface texture really look like cast iron.
M