Computer Aided Design¶
Computer aided design - CAD is a way to digitally create 2D drawings and 3D models of real-world products before they’re ever manufactured. This week I am required to practice and design a model with at least couple 3D & 2D softwares.
3D Design Softwares¶
3D modeling is the creation of a three-dimensional object inside of simulated software. The object can be created from simple shapes all the way up to complex models. There are many softwares there that will serve that purpose e.g. Fusion360 and Blender.
Fusion 360¶
Fusion360 is an easy-to-learn platform for designers, where they can create many models with different features. I personally chose Fusion360 because of its similarity to SolidWorks, as I have designed few models on SolidWorks before. Before you get started, click here to download Fusion360 on your workstation.
To start designing my first model ever in Fusion360, I followed a Whistle Tutorial for Beginners to get familiar with the workspace. To begin with, I set-up the preferences of the software. For instance, I chose to view the object with perspective with ortho faces. Then, I started sketching.
Note that it is preferable to start sketching the object from origin.
The process of designing the whistle:
What I found very useful in Fusion360 is the constraints. The tangent, horizontal/vertical constraints were really handy in this model, especially when sketching a 3D point Arc. The section analysis (inspection > section analysis) option was useful and interesting! It provides the designer with an inside view of the object.
The last step is where all the fun begins! The designer gets to choose the appearance of their model. There are plenty of materials, as illustrated below. For instance, for the whistle I designed, I have chosen a Plastic material.
The final 3D model:
Blender¶
Blender is built right into fully functioning 3D software. It is a very interesting software since it provides the user the right platform to make all the animation, simulation, rending, motion tracking, and more. Why I chose it? I chose it because it gives me the option to video creating and edition.
Since this software is new to me, plenty of websites were useful to get me started.
2D Design Softwares¶
The 2D design is the process of selecting the visual elements and understanding foundational principles of art and design. A designer is composing 2D designs with only two dimensions - length and width. I chose to cuttle
Cuttle¶
Cuttle is an online software that is considered a simple tool for drawing. Many designs can be created using this easy software, starting from easy and scaling-up to complex. It can be accessed by everyone since it is free. The process of drawing a flower:
Cuttle provides many and different shapes to start with. As shown above, I started my sketch by drawing a polygon, a circle, and an Archimedean spiral. What made me go big with this design was the option to repeat the design rotationally. There are different options that I have also explored e.g. mirror repeat, linear repeat, and outline stroke. And that was the best part. Even though this online platform is completely simple and free, the features it has and the diversity of options that can be applied on your design are insane! With the right design idea in mind, you can create absolutely anything with Cuttle! I absolutely loved it.
After finishing my sketch, I added some life to the design by coloring it. A whole palette of colors is available. I went basic this time by choosing different shades of grey. I am thrilled with my end design!
The final 2D drawing:
Vectr¶
Vectr is a free, online and simple software. It is mainly used to vector graphics editing purposes. The process of designing a logo:
Vectr was easy to use. The amount of different designs it contains is huge! Even with that advantage, I was honestly more comfortable using Cuttle over Vectr. The ADs on Vectr were very distracting, and annoying. It was also very slow! Since i was not very comfortable using this platform, I just explored around some shapes and auto-generated designs, and ended up with a logo.
The final 2D design:
