Using Google SketchUp and printapart.com

[marc_reusser]

Thanks Fred..glad you don't mind.

I went back in and re-drew the tanks with 36 segments to the circle rather than the 42 I had, in hope so reducing file size. will be curious to see how/if it affects the final print.  Drew another style tank, and 3 tank caps, and started setting them up on a sprue. Still want too ad another couple of small parts...like a light shade, a drain pipe end...maybe a corrugared Barrel, and I deifinitely want to try a pressed metal slepper like the O&K or Gregg ones.

Marc

[marc_reusser]

Cool Fred...now from that you can start pulling/pushing/extruding to create all the various thicknesses and depths of door materials, frames and trim.


Marc

[marc_reusser]

While in the privy this morning I actually had a bit of an epiphany... . Since PAP charges based on a combination of size and resin quantity....and since the parts of something like the tanks that I really need are only the top and bottom....and the tanks I am doing are 9" dia (about .250." inches in 1:35) it would be more cost effective to only print tops and bottoms, and use styrene tube for the rest of the body. This will also allow me to build the different tank heights that are mfg in this dia., as I choose.

MR (sent from BlackBerry..... )

[marc_reusser]

Here's what the revised parts look like. The innermost dia. rod is the sprue connector. (which is also the dia. for the tank top valve area.) the second ring/step is the locator plug/insert that fits into the ID, of the tube. The overall OD. dia, of the part has been left .003 wider than the styrene tube OD., to try to account for any surface clean-up on the printed part, as well as allow it to be sanded flush to the styrene body. (at the moment I am just guessing that these tollerances will work...will have to see when I try assembling it).


MR

[JohnP]

Marc, please don't tell us the Blackberry is a privy companion!? Am I missing out on something good?

And the CADspan looks interesting, another website to explore.

Thanks for all the work on this.

John

[RoughboyModelworks]

Marc, please don't tell us the Blackberry is a privy companion!? Am I missing out on something good?
John

Only if it's on vibrate...

Paul -->heading back to the corner-->

[finescalerr]

Oy, Gevult! Are you out of the corner again? -- Russ

[marc_reusser]

Thanks for all the work on this.

John

It's really Fred's thread, I'm just tagging along and doing the parts I will need.

BTW....if it helps, or somewone is curious..... while I am drawing these parts, if anyone has any questions about how a certain part was made/formed or manipulated in SU, please feel free to ask, and if possible I can post short a screenshot SBS, or written explanation.


Marc

[lab-dad]

I wish there was a "book" for a newbie.
A whole series of Marc's sbs would work though 
I find videos and such hard to follow along.
I tried to use it but was overwhelmed, and no one to ask.
A step by step progression; draw a line 1.000" long, then make it into a....., then add a XXX ect.
I found the whole program to much too soon.
What you guys are doing is way too advanced for someone who never used anything like this.
I would really like to explore this, even for just printing out hole locations.
-Marty

[jacq01]

  I agree fullhearty with Marty.......
  The simple basics are handled too fast.

  Jacq
 

[Malachi Constant]

Marc --  On that latest drawing, would there be any advantage of rotating each of the caps 90 degrees so the insets are more exposed to the tooling area / path?  Curiosity:  Is there a particular reason for the L-shaped sprue?

Just a thought/question on aligning those caps .... in essence I'm with Marty and Jacq .... great stuff ... a bit overwhelming.

PS -- Y'all need to change the locks again ... another newbie got in! 

-- Dallas the dang newbie

[marc_reusser]

No offense or criticism at all inteneded to any of you guys; but I have come to notice that some of the basic/primary issues that many people have getting the hang of a program like CAD or SU, is that they tend to overthink the process and approach.....can't say exactly in what manner, it is just something I have noticed (visualization, progression, fear of making a mistake, and unrealistic or unknown expectations are some)....they seem to loose all concept of how to approach it, and the logical progression.....interestingly I have even seen this happen when trained pencil & paper draftsmen try to convert/change over.....which is really bizarre to me.

I try to tell people that the most important thing is not to think of this as a program/computer or anything that is wild and tricky (yes there is stuff later that can be)....but really approach this almost exactly like one approaches hand drafting with pencil on paper.  Pick a defined start/reference point....then lay out your entire drawing from there....working from that point lay out your "overalls", then come in and do your secondaries, tirshiaries. etc. then crop/delete the unecessary crossed or extended lines.  This way if there is a problem you always have the base reference piont to go back to and start checking your dimensions if something gets screwy.

SU . works sim.......but because you are working in 3D, and for the type of parts we are tending to do, I find it really critical to have a "center" line either on a surface, or in the center of a round object, that can always be used as the default reference and locator line. [If you look at the last image I posted, you can see where I left these in the drawing, and as part of the component.] The other thing in SU to think about when approaching a project/model it is to think of it a bit in the same manner you would if you were phisically building it, machining it or sculpting it from clay. This will help you think "down-the-line" and to consider what to do next, IE. if I do something what potential issues will it cause three steps from now, and how many steps, or how am I going to approach making this shape/detail.......same thought process as machining or building from real materials.

Marty:

For just doing a template or print-out for doing hole locations on a template, Su is not really the right program....all you really need is a basic 2D CAD or drafting prorgram (note I say CAD or drafting and NOT drawing...drawingis fine and well, but not nearly as accurate or purpose designed as a CAD/drafting program) SU is really intended as a 3D and solid model construction and visualization program...especially so in the free version. (there is a "layout" plugin in the pro version that allows you to create accurately scaled 2D plans/layouts from the model.....but why work in a 3D environment when all one needs is a 2D template/print.

Dallas:

First...welcome to the forum.....
Because the printing process is all done with lasers on an x/y/z axis, and no real tools actually need to get into a space/location, at this point I don't see that there is any benefit to rotating the holes...I easily could...I didn't give it any though at the time, it just happend to be the orientation they were drawn befor being moved over to the sprue.


MR

[marc_reusser]

OK....I think this is going to be the set-up/file that I send to PAP for a test.

It consists of (1) full acet. tank, (3) pairs of parts for Oxy tanks, (4) tank caps, (1) lamp shade, and (3) pressed metal sleepers. (I created thicker/solid areas on the underside of the sleepers, where one would spike down 600mm or 2' gauge track,...were one so inclined.)

The lamp shade and the sleepers give me the most concern, and it will be interesting to see how they turn-out, as these pieces have walls of only .0075" thick (about 0,190mm).

The entire grouping of poarts is about .8" x 1.4"x 1.2"

The conversion to an .STL file with the CadSpan seems to have gone of without any problems......but I won't know untill it gets to PAP, as I hove nothing to view/check it with. .


Marc

[marc_reusser]

Well, I added another small part, converted the file, and uploaded it to PAP, the provided the pricing and I placed the order. So far it seemed to go off without a hitch, and the whole process with PAP was real easy.

They calc'd. out the part as being 1.345 x 1.007 x 1.203 inches, with a volume of 0.152.......which priced out to $32, plus shipping.  They also note that the part will ship from them between May 19th and June 2 (longer timeframe  is due to me choosing the 'Economy' printing cost).

So now it's just sit and wait. I hope all is well with the file.....seemed to be...but who knows when trying the unknown. ..



MR

[lab-dad]

Will you be using the tank as a master for a casting?
-Mj