[Bf-funboard] Blender CAD?

Doug Ollivier doug at mudpuddle.co.nz
Tue Jun 19 03:59:30 CEST 2007


To add to this already lengthy conversation.

I've been using blender as a CAD package for a number of years..... not 
as a professional but as a student.  The early stages of a product 
development cycle where funding is being sort, is the perfect 
opportunity to implement Blender in the workflow.  You can create models 
as detailed and accurate as you want (just zoom in further)  I built a 
$3000 prototype refrigerator from a blender model accurate down to the 
mm. every single piece fitted together exactly how it was intended.

As a hard tooling production software blender has little benefits. 
beyond perhaps rapid prototyping on an SLA machine.  However it comes 
back into its own at the later stages of a project where you are 
creating graphic materials for presentations to clients, or instruction 
manuals, as it can import STL files from more production oriented CAD 
packages like Solidworks.

I would wholeheartedly support tools such as world Scale definition, and 
dimensioning (with Snap, and Text support as they are, i don't see this 
as a huge difficulty).  these tools would potentially help a number of 
artists create documentation, as well as a number of export scripts spit 
out files of handy proportions.

But as the same time I would be hard pressed to say that it would be 
easy to match the production requirements of full featured CAD packages 
(Product design, i don't know lots about architecture). curve 
continuity, surface error highlighting, draft angle identification, 
stress analysis, injection mould flow analysis..... 

Good luck to anyone wishing to implement CAD tools to blender, i support 
any efforts. but at the same time i think Blender fits well within the 
current pipeline

Doug Ollivier

Campbell Barton wrote:
> Roger wrote:
>   
>>   And I don't understand, when people say, Blender
>>     
>>> is dedicated to artists or mainly to animation artists. As an artist  
>>> I want to claim that art also needs accuracy. In architecture an design it this is
>>> obvious, but I think also of sculpturing (like in minimal art),  
>>> installation,
>>>       
>> Automatic snap of the knife tool to the nearest vertex would for me, eliminate 
>> creating other sets of 2 or 3 vertices in very close proximity to a pre existing 
>> vertex. from which I wish to start cutting. I haven't tried the snap as yet but 
>> will in a couple of weeks or so.
>>     
> Hold Ctrl while using the knife tool snaps to verts.
> _______________________________________________
> Bf-funboard mailing list
> Bf-funboard at blender.org
> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-funboard
>   



More information about the Bf-funboard mailing list