Before I left the house this morning, to visit my grandchildren, I finally created that long promised thread cutting tool tutorial for Moment of Inspiration. And, before retiring this evening, I edited the video and posted it on YouTube.
I have NO idea why it took me so long to get it done because it is a piece of cake to do in Moment of Inspiration! Maybe I was just waiting for a grand occasion, like Christmas Eve to release it. Whatever the reason for the delay, I hope that the second part of the tutorial on designing bolts and threads in Moment of Inspiration will come a LOT faster.
Have a GREAT holiday/ And, for those of you that will be fortunate enough to have received a Cube 3D printer for Christmas, I want to welcome you aboard and hope that you will find these pages helpful to you. This is going to be the start of a wonderfully creative adventure!
Planning is an important part of design. This is especially true if you plan on printing that design on a 3D printer, like the Cube. It's also imperative if that design must interface with a real world object.
In this tutorial we cover making just that. We plan to print at least 100 pieces of the design and that design must fit firmly onto the end of a PVC pipe.
The object that we will be demonstrating will be used in an outdoor Christmas display. It's a cap that holds a Christmas light and that cap fits onto a piece of white PVC pipe that, hopefully, will end up simulating a candle. The candles will be used to line a driveway and, ultimately, they will be joined by links of white plastic chain.
We won't get as far in the design as adding the loops for the chain in this tutorial. That is saved for the next tutorial. But, in around 11 minutes we will be able to finish the basic design of the cap. And, the reason we can do that so quickly and so precisely is that we already know our design's measurement constraints and we can guide our design using these constraint with reference objects.
Specifically, we will use several REFERENCE RECTANGLES and a single REFERENCE LINE.
Reference objects are only guides and aides for your s ketch. They do not actually control the shape of the 3D part. But, they are extremely useful, as this demonstration should attest. But, what makes them even MORE useful is our ability to easily change dimensions after the reference object has been drawn.
Here is Tutorial #16 that, hopefully, effectively demonstrates the power of reference objects when combined with MAKE DIMENSION when real precision is required.
In our next tutorial we will add the loops that are used to connect the candles using plastic chain.
Before attempting to learn how to create a bolt using the Helix Cut tool, I scoured the Internet to see what it takes in other bigger name CAD packages. I also scoured the Internet for information about bolts and thread specifications. So, others unwittingly helped me as I tacked learning Cubify Invent's techniques for creating a bolt using actual specifications.
What I learned is that designing a bolt in Cubify Invent is actually EASIER than in many well-know CAD packages. That's probably because they have a legacy interface. I was surprised how easy it was to not only cut threads; but, to do so with precision.
Of course, the drawing is going to be a lot more precise than any extrusion printer can currently deliver. But, that's OK. 3D technology that is expensive today will, one day, be affordable to home users. So, all that precision will NOT go to waste.
Creating the bolt took place in steps.
STEP #1: Create the Bolt Shaft
The first step in creating a bolt is to precisely create a blank shaft at the OUTSIDE specification for the bolt size you want. In this case, the OUTSIDE of the threads would be .427". Since we wanted a bolt having 1" length for the threads, we created a cylinder that was 1.276", allowing for the head depth.
Step #1: Bolt Shaft Extrusion
STEP #2: Create the Bolt Head
The bolt that I measured as the model for the tutorial had a head that was .609" across and was .276" deep. The MAKE DIMENSION option makes getting the sizing precise very easy.
Step #2: Bolt head Extrusion
STEP #3: Chamfer the tip
Chamfering is the process of cutting an angle along an edge, By, putting an angled edge on a bolt, it makes it easier to start. In this case, we picked a random measurement of .075".
Step #3: Chamfering the Bolt Tip
STEP #4: Use REVOLVE CUT to shape the head.
This was actually the toughest process to design and implement. The process involves designing a cutting tool that trims the top and bottom of the head as it is REVOLVED around the head. The depth of this cutting tool had to be great enough to clear the pointed edges. The great thing about Invent is that you can EDIT the cutter after you try it, so that corrections can be made with automatic updates to the result. Nice!
Step #4: Forming the Head with Revolve Cut
STEP # 5: Create the Thread Cutting Tool Shape and Reference Line
Thread specifications include DEPTH and PITCH. The depth is controlled by the size and shape of the tool used to cut the threads. In this case we used a triangle that was .040" deep. This number came from one of the many specification sheets that can be found on the Internet.
At the same time, we created the reference line around which the Helix will revolve. Creating a Helix, either BOSS or CUT, always involves a shape and a reference line. The distance between the reference line and the cutting object determines the circumference of the Helix sweep.
Step #5: Create Thread Cutting Triangle & Reference line
STEP #6: Cut the Threads using HELIX CUT.
Cutting the threads turns out to be extremely easy. When Helix Cut is selected, a dialog asked for a number of parameters. In this tutorial, all we needed to enter was the length of the Helix (1") and the PITCH of the cut. The bolt modeled had a pitch of .060".
Step #6: Use Helix Cut to create the Threads
STEP #7: Finished Bolt.
Here is a picture of the finished result.
Finished Bolt
VIDEO OF THE PROCESS
I hope this tutorial video shows that using HELIX CUT is relatively easy if we remember we need and object AND a reference line. It was actually quite interesting to see how much easier this process was in Cubify Invent as compared to some other, more famous, CAD programs.
If there is one command, beyond EXTRUDE, that is probably among the most used, it would be RESOLVE BOSS. There is a good reason for the popularity of this command for both novices and experts.
For novices, it allows us to create very nice, useful designs with just a simple sketch and one command. But, the power of RESOLVE goes WAY beyond being able to create cups, wine glasses and vases.
It is especially useful for those designing for 3D printers. In one pass we can create extremely complex multi-part designs with outside and inside features that can only be produced with a 3D printer. And, in this tutorial, we explore one such design.
We also explore the CIRCULAR PATTERN command. This allows us to copy a part or parts in a circular pattern around a center point. The number of items and the degrees of spacing can be user selected. It is one of my most used operations in Moment of Inspiration and it will be equally used in my Cubify Invent designs! You'll love it!
As you may or may not be able to see, from the video splash screen, we used it to simulate an aircraft radial engine in just a few minutes time. (I see one splash screen in design mode and another on the blog page????) :)
The more I use Cubify Invent, the more comfortable I become with most of the commands. RESOLVE, both BOSS and CUT, along with CIRCULAR PATTERN are among the commands with which I have gained some confidence.
There are still some commands that I'm sorting out. They work similarly to what I'm used to doing in Moment of Inspiration. But, there are enough differences that more practice and exploration is needed. SWEEP is one of those commands. Simple SWEEPS are easy enough. But, SWEEP is far more capable than where I am now. Hopefully, we can have some useful information in the next day or two. In the meantime, there is plenty we can do with what we have discovered so far.
The actual cost of adopting a new piece of software is rarely limited to the purchase price. We usually have to invest a good deal of time and effort before we master the application. So, I choose those products into which I will have to invest that time very, very carefully.
Moment of Inspiration was one of the products that has ended up being a fantastic investment. Every minute spent in mastering it has returned an equal amount of time saved in creating 3D objects. It has been a great investment.
So, I am very reluctant to turn my attention to a different 3D design package. There has to be a compelling reason for me to put in the time to learn a new system when I am already very comfortable with the one I currently use.
I have found that compelling reason in Cubify Invent.
And, that is the fact that the native file format for Cubify Invent (.FUN) permits alterations to the design even after the file has been closed and re-opened. Obviously, this is not the first program that provides that capability. But, the fact that it was created specifically for the Cube/Cubify community at an appealingly low cost give it a special place among Cube owners.
In fact, I believe that this capability in Cubify Invent will provide the bridge between experienced 3D designers and consumers with little design experience. It may well be the door through which the larger consumer community can see a reason for buying their first 3D printer.
It's one thing to simply download finite designs and quite another to be able to download designs along with instructions on how to easily customize and personalize those designs for printing at home. The STL file format, frankly, cannot deliver that to consumers. It's a "take what you get" file format. The .FUN file format, on the other hand, is perfect for giving relatively inexperienced users the capability to modify professionally created designs!
Here is a video that demonstrates the point.
I, personally, see it as giving more value and a wider audience for the designs I upload.
If the Cube is to penetrate the consumer marketplace, it will be in part, because they believe that a 3D printer gives them the ability to print items unique to their needs using an easy software package. If they can be shown that they do not have to immediately learn ALL the capabilities of Cubify Invent to be able to print customized objects they might be convinced to try 3D printing. Combining "template" designs, along with a tutorial on how to customize the template before printing, using one or two simple steps, goes a long way in helping them to see what they can do with 3D printing.
I'd love to know how you feel about the idea that we be allowed to
distribute our designs in .FUN file format as well as .STL file format
on the Cubify Store.
I've decided to use the time while my Cube is being loaned out to a museum to take a hard look at the new Cubify Invent CAD software. And, I'll be sharing what I'm learning with you.
I'm a firm believer that ignorance is a benefit when it comes to creating tutorials to be used by other new users. Experts often bypass what was helpful to them as they learned the product for the first time. I like to create tutorials while my struggles are fresh in my mind, knowing that other will be going through those same struggles.
Keep it simple.
Tutorials are not only helpful at learning various operations of a product; but, also provide some strategies for attacking the learning process. In this regard, my strategy is simple. Don't take on too much at once. Use one drawing tool and see what can be done with it by applying the modifying tools.
In this tutorial we use only the CIRCLE drawing tool. We then apply various modifying tools like Mirror, Offset and Extrude. It's surprising what can be accomplished using this simple learning strategy.
So, here it is... our first tutorial for Cubify Invent...
As you can see, if we try not to be too ambitious as we learn a new product, we can get a very good feel for the potential. And, for a sub-$50 product, Cubify Invent is VERY powerful! Cost vs. Other Considerations
I can already tell that I will probably not be as productive, in terms of time, with Cubify Invent as I am with Moment of Inspiration (MOI). But, MOI is 6 times more expensive. And, having a lower cost alternative that can get the job done just as well, if not as quickly, is a huge deal. And, I can already tell that there are some things in Cubify Invent that are missing in MOI. So, I cannot see myself limited to one product or the other now that I have both.
The feature were I change the original drawing and it's reflected in the updated extrusion is a very cool feature and, alone, makes it worthwhile to learn Cubify Invent. That is something I have longed for in MOI and, as far as I can tell, it's just not there.
I was skeptical about Cubify Invent until I actually sat down and played with it. Yes, there are some things that continue to be completely baffling and others mildly annoying (Like the inexplicable need for multiple clicking in Mirror.). But, those are small hurdles that probably go away with experience.
I hope this first tutorial helps get you up and learning quickly.
