I am an engineer ( Marine Mechanical ) of 60 plus years and feel pretty confident in some design programs. Loved Sketchup, it took no brainpower to use it. So Ironcad has seemed to be just as simple from the outside, especially because I can manipulate sheet metal and have it produce to specs. That is until I started to try to do, what I consider, basic steps. The program is going to be used to vaildate ideas in steel flat bottomed canal vessels, commonly refered to as "Narrowboats" in the UK. The steel spec information will give tremendous power to uderstand bouyancy and ballast needs. So ...................
1) If I take a slab it defaults into the X axis. I can dimension it , NICE and thicken it NICE and even spec it to a bespoke parts list, TREMENDOUS, but bulkheads and sides are in the Y axis. How do you move it to the Y axis? Do you neeed to or is it just a matter ( like Sketchup of pulling up an edge because everything should come from the X axis? When it comes to defining dimensions in a parts list can I define these changes as was ( for example ) L but now is W etc? I can see nothing in the manual or in videos. It seems so simple that no one thinks it has to be explained?
2) I understand bending in both it's forms but what about setting a slab at an angle from the Y axis? Do you bend from an edge? Again, nothing clear to a newbie like myself.
I had expected from seeing the intro I could design a series of slabs as parts and then just assemble like a kit but it seems maybe I need to understand more.
Thanks in advance
David