Ok, so i've just moved up from ProD after using it since school gave a free copy to help with GCSEs to Solidworks as a friend said that it was the most similar professional package available. Unfortunately my current modeling skills aren't that great atm due to the limited power of ProD and my usual method of just roughly blocking in parts doesn't cut it in Solidworks as it can produce renders like this: (yes i know it needs cleaning up but it was my first play with photoworks) Compared to: Even though I know most people use Sketchup here (which in my opinion models wrong) I know there are a couple of people who do use Solidworks and others, so I put out a plea to those people. Can you either direct me in the direction of sites that have premade PC parts on them in either IGES or Solidworks formats, or make some of your parts available to me so that I may use them in my own models and learn from them and incorporate some of their construction tricks in future designs.
You might want to hit up someone in the sketchup sticky about eporting to dxf/etc. The idea was tossed around for the other formats, but sharing cad-ready prototype files on the net is tricky, (-some of the stuff like pump tops.)
i've already tried exporting sketchups as DXF and DXG but they only appear as 1 layer drawings not 3d models. And i thought most CAD models read IGES so that was why i suggested that as a format.
I also had problems converting sketchup to iges or dxf or dxg. To me it seems it's not worth all the trouble. There are also several site on the net that offer 3d-cads of pc components. Some of them can be found from Solidwork's taskbar search. Unfortunately none I have found have been free. The easiest solution then is trying to make the parts yourself. Take a caliper in one hand and a hdd in the other and start modeling. Usually plans will do with just a rough box showing the major dimensions.
Yeah i can cope with roughing it out for plans but if i wanna produce something pretty to show a friend a collection of boxes just doesnt cut it.
Hey, I have a couple of solidworks models of cd and hdd drives and a couple of other bits. pm me your email and i'll send em to u
I personally prefer Pro-E and have found the same type of problems in terms of finding models; I modeled my own D5, 120mm fans, and 120mm fan grills.
I use Solidworks for my modelling, and I just made rough approximations of the parts (using a ruler!). Since I've heard theres a pretty big database of sketchup models, I assume you could open the parts up in Sketchup and transfer the dimensions into your models in SolidWorks...shouldn't take too long. Hmm, if I have some time, I may sit down and punch out a few parts Oh yeah, SolidWorks makes really sexy renders... http://forums.bit-tech.net/showthread.php?t=148554 Keep at it and good luck!
I have pretty much zero knowlege of how sketchup works, i pretty much got frustrated when i tried to model my "test piece" of a coffee table with a hole in the middle and found that: a) my coffee table was hollow b) the hole i just drew was only pojected on 1 face and counldn't be easily projected onto the next face So trying to find all the dimension in sketchup would drive me insane, so i think it'll either be calipers in hand or guessing with a ruler. And yeah solidworks does make nice renders, it was you who inspired me to milk the Uni for a copy, well not directly but through a friend who uses alias to design cars, and shoes.
What UNI you at? iv been using solidworks for 2 years now, but iv never found the time to model computer related parts as i model much more boaring things. deep down i perfer the 2007 edition but i keep up to date and forced myself to get use to 2008, which i have now grown to like...
Cov Uni where the IT department is staffed by ex pupils, and i'm only on 2007, i dont see the need to update just yet as it does everything i need.
Ive found one 3D content central yes you have to sign up but its free. The only problem is that its computer section is a little lacking.
pah, complete stability. It is stable, hasnt crashed, just occasionally it doesn't look so pretty. And what are these new features?
