Robert Andersson

If you drag in a texture called "Blue grid" from the catalog Textures and drop that on to a surface shape, you may have better grapichal feedback. This makes it easier to se what you really are doing with the surface. -You may have to change the projectiontype to "Natural". -Also, the scale factor of the texture may need to be adjusted. Go to, Rightmouse part, Smartpaint, Settings to do that. -Also, it can be needed to change this: Part Prop, Rendering, Check "Render both sides of surface". You may also use the Eyedropper to apply to other surfaces or to drop your texture in to a catalog. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna Textured surface shell.ics

A single part can be shelled at part level more than once. Can be good to know about. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

There are mainly 3 metods to do this in (general) priority order: 1. In the scene, select the part that you want to do a 2D-detaildrawing of. -Files/ Save as Part asembly. Make sure that link is checked. -OK -File/ Save, also to save the main scene. Now you can do your detalildrawing of that part.ics It will still be linked and editable in the main.ics This works with subassemblies also. It will also speed up filesaving. 2. Use configurations. In the main.ics surpress all parts exept this part that you want to create a detaildrawing of. Now do a configuration of this "state". Call that configuration something describing like "Part1" Create a new configuration called "Main assy". Unsurpress all parts again. You can now switch between you configurations in the scene by clicking on the dropdown list of configurations. Then, when you are creating a new .ICD you will see those configurations from the 2D view layout dialogbox. Simply select the "Part1" configuration when you create the views on the 2D drawing. 3. Create a 2D drawing of all parts, then remove certain parts from views. It is accesible if a view is right moused in 2D. It is called Hidden parts list. Carlo, what you are looking for is already in the IronPRO fullversion as a drag and drop tool called Surpressmanager. Dropping that tool on to a selected part or assy, will hide all other things in the scene instantly. You get them back if you drop the tool in the background. Also, when working a lot with metod 1 above, you may want to create a special ikon button for doing this smother: Menu Tools/ Customize Change "2D Constriants" to "File" Now you will se a lot of ikons to select from. Select the upper right one, saying Save part external Drag that ikon just to the right of the standard Save ikon in the upper left of the IronCAD programarea. You will se graphical feedback to where IronCAD will place the icon. Now you simply can click on what you want to save out to a file, and click on this new icon. The good thing here for IronCAD is that in other systems you are forced to to this with every part, wish is not needed in IronCAD. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

-As always, import what you export before sending to customer. Just to verify. -IGES as nurbs can be good also. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

I think it can be good to clear out the difference between pixels and dots per inch. This is used i IronCAD when images and animations are produced. What is a imagefile? It is a small database consisting of: First a specifikation of itself saying witch file format (JPG,BMP,TIF) and version and more. The image file then consist of the image data formed as a number of columns and a number of rows. An image with the resolution of 640 x 400 pixels have 640 bytes (computer words) in X directions and 400 in Y direction. Each byte have a value. That value is a specific color stored in hexadecimal form. Then the imagefile also have something called DPI value. It is a simple numerical string stating hove big the image should be when printed. Thats about all a image consist of. The DPI value does NOT affect the image file size. Only pixels affect filesize. Images editors can change the DPI value up or down without lossing any quallity at anytime. DPI value are not interesting when exporting animations in IronCAD. Only pixelvalues are of interest. So hove does pixels/ dots work togheter? 1. I want to have the best possible image quality to view on my PC screen: Export the image with the same X and Y pixels as your PC screen can show. Normaly 1280x 1024 pixels. I now assume that you look at the image in fullscreen. DPI are without effect here. More pixels will not add to on sceen quality. 2.Best quality for printing? This is more complicated. When it comes to printing you have to be familiar with the printers tech specifications. First check what resolution the printer can create on paper. This is mesured in dots per inch. That is ink dots for a inkprinter. Say you have a printer that can produce 600 dots per inch. (That is in X) First you have to chose hove big your image should be on the printed paper. Say it should be 3 inches wide. Then use this formula: 3 inch x 600 dots per inch gives 1800 dots totally needed. Then you should export an image from IronCAD with this data: Pixels: 1800x1350 Dots/ inch=600 That image will be 3 inches wide on paper. If you export the image with the same pixels but with the Dots value set to 300 dots per inch, the image will be twice as wide on paper. What if I export a image with 1000 DPI? -It will not add to printed quality in this casecause the printer cant handle more than 600 dots per inch. The image will be smaller do. So the DPI value just says to the printer over wich area the pixles should be stretched. If you need to adjust the printed image size in your desktop publishing software, change the DPI value, not the number of pixels. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

Per-Arne, that was a missunderstanding that got printed. It will propobly be corrected soon. It is new functionalitry but it is not a preview of 7.0. That version is not out for a long time yet. SAS is a tecknology that can be used now. It is new functions that is aviable trough the new API. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

>> Parametric versus “Instant”modeling, or a combination? Urban states this pretty well. I want to add some words to explain what is meant with the description "Parametric" modeling and why there is a need for alternatives to that modeling method. Parametric modeling: Parametric modeling is the way to change the dimensions, positions and the number of instances of a feature, part or a assembly in 3D space. In which way the models will update after changes, is predefined. Dimensions/ Number of instances can be controlled by editing the dimension/ value direct, or trough a embedded or external spreadsheet. PTC introduced this with their product Pro/Engineer back in the 80’s. Then we have seen windows versions of that technology in Solidworks, Solid Edge and in later years Inventor from Autodesk. Parametric modeling is very powerful but there are some fundamental problems associated with it. I will get back to later. Besides parametric there are other modeling methods for 3D: Boolean modeling. Among boolean modelers there are AutoCAD 3D and CADKEY (they added parametric’s a couple of years ago). They have no history tree and are pretty cumbersome to use for solidmodelling. If you have a block with a hole in it, you can’t change the location of the hole at a later time. You have to fill the hole and create a new hole at the new place. Dynamic modelling A very good attempt to get rid of the problem associated with history based parametric modelers, is showed in HP / Cocreate with Solid Designer (They have later changed the name to Onespace Designer Modeling) Designer uses no history at all. You may call this modeling metod for “Dynamic” modelling. This makes it possible to change any geometry at anytime from anybody. That is not possible with parametric modellers. A drawback is that you cannot use supress and reorder history, because there is no history. It is also difficult to control the models with parameters because parametrics wants history. It is propably the best modeler in the world for working with imported 3D geometry do. Why? Imported geometry comes without history, no sketches, only a solid body, and this is of course neccesary to have in a history based modeller. Designer doesn’t need sketches, parameters and history, so that’s great for “dumb” bodys. Here the “intelligence” recidences in the tools, rather in the models. Some technology used in Designer is also found in IronCAD. That is called DFM or Direct Face Modelling. You can do a lot with this in IC but not at all as much at you can do in Designer. The advantage for IronCAD is that this is only IronCAD’s secondary modelling metod, used mainly on imported geometry. What does it take to make parametric models work: To make a parametric control system to work, the user has to apply constraints and rules that define in what way the model is changed when the user later changes parametric values. Then the models have to be test drived to check if it really is doing what expected. Hove does this work? This is all done by creating models that are constrained and associated together, sketches are fully constrained, parts and datum planes are defined in position relative each other. Number of instances can be controlled by formulas like “If dim10 > 1140mm and dim10 People that demonstrate parametric modelers often talk about the great “Intelligence” of their models. What they call "Intelligence" is nothing but behavior rules do. Rules that someone have to apply/ define and understand. The user then has to take great attention to those rules. If you have a sheet and want to place a hole in that sheet, you are forced to place a dimension in X and Y for that hole, relative something else, like two edges of the sheet. So if you place that dimension from a edge of the sheet you can later move the edge and the hole will move along. This is good, as long the hole SHOULD move along if you move the edge. When you create the hole, you have to think of in what way future changes wi

David, I think you should use the "Extrude Shape" from the Intellishape creation toolbar. Thats the most popular way to create solids in IC. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

The tool "Project 3D edges" is also important. With that tool you can click on any edge to project that edge on the crossection grid. If you click on a surface you will project the lines around the surface on the grid. If you use the right mouse button when you click on the edge, you will establish a permanent relationship. You can turn those line in to construction geometry if you want, by rightclicking on them and select "Use outline for construction only". Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

If you edit the fillet, you can click on specific fillets the edit only that one. All other will turn dark green. Only lightgreen fillets will get their values changed. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

It is already reflected. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

There is only a .jpg attatched... (no .ics) Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

Rightmouse any of the icons in the catalog Textures Copy Paste in to any catalog Right mouse the icon, Edit Catalog item Change the searchpath to your gradient.jpg Close Drag and drop that new icon in to the scene background Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

I have added this as an enhancement a while ago. It's the same problem if you insert to scenes. It's somekind of scaling issue... Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

Tom, Why do you want to have "FULL paramteric Assemblies" ? Just curius... Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

If you make some surfaces colored and the part transparent, you end up like this: And if you select Part/ Prop/Render/ Render both sides of surfaces, you can get a better visual effect, like this: I used a hydralic block as a sample. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

I think they are looking in to race at a racetrack somewhere in the LA area, later this year. I dont know yet if it is all set. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

The dragracing season is now over in Europe. The last race was in Santa Pod, England. The Leanders Bros IronCAD sponsored Top Methanol Funny Car was in the final. The total place is nr 2 or 3, it seams. The team braked a new track record at Santa Pod and Leanders Bros. are now the fastest team outside USA with 5.666 sec. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

You can also use the new surfaces introduced in 6.0 I did a sample with a couple of mesh surfaces. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna surface stuff_ra.ics surface stuff_ra.ics

Mike, The trick is to use: http://www.ironcad.com (or any link) not www.ironcad.com on part prop/ wwwanchor IronCAD want to know what protocoll to use. FTP links will also work. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

Thanks Tom! Had to work on you butterfly a little Robert Andersson Solidmakarna butterfly2.ics

Schizek, -It would be an improvement to be able to model in both folded and unfolded state. I would like the speak about this do; The sheet metalpart will be used in folded state, so the folded state is what counts. For manufacturing reasons, it's also important to think of the flat state. IronCAD is extremly strong in the assembly envirement, and this thing to model sheetmetal in folded state, builds on that capability. Imagen that you work in a complex assembly, and you are trying to figure out hove this sheet metal corner should be shaped, with respect to other parts in the assembly. In traditional assemblymodellers, you would select "Edit in place" or something similar, and then you will edit the sheet metal part in flat state, and you have not much information hove the neiburhod is looking, until you return to, and update, the assembly. Remember that other solidmodellers have two (or more) envirements, part and assembly mode. Each envirement have it's own set's of tools and way's to allow modelleling. IronCAD have only one, scene's, wich is a better, more logical way of work. -If you are working in flat mode, you dont know about the neighboring parts. Then it is harder to figure out dimensions, thickness and angles to apply. Model sheet metal in flat state, could be better if you are creating standalone sheetmetal parts do. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

Take a look in to this attatched scene and select one of the gears as a part. Then rotate the gear with the triball and watch that the other gear folow in realtime. This can be usefull to know about, in some cases. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna gears.ics

-Rightmouse the scenebackground, select Show, uncheck Smartdimension. (You can get a speciale ikon for this trough customize if you need to easely switch modes.) -Also check under Tools/ Option/ Rendering that you have the lowest Open GL checked. If you get graphic problem with this, you may need a updateed videocard driver. -Also turning of edges and textures may help. -Or a better video card like Quadro4 Robert Andersson Solidmakarna

This shows hove you can create a corner on a sheetmetal part, as you where to apply it on flat state. When you drag in the Custom profile tool from the sheetmetal catalog, drop it so it touches the two bends. This does that you dont need to use the "Modify affected bends" tool to make the bends understand that they should be cut. Robert Andersson Solidmakarna sheetCut4.gif