2. Week 2 - Computer Aided design¶
Day 1 - Introduction to Cuttle.xyz
Designing on Cuttle¶
First, click on “New Blank Project” and a new tab will open where the designing can start.
The default units are usually in inches. This can be changed to millimeters under the “Units & Settings” tab on the left side bar.
A shape can be inserted by dragging the desired shape from the left side bar. The name of said shape will be defined in the right side bar.
The sizing of the shape can also be altered by either entering a specific value or dragging the corner of the shape using the grid as reference.
By clicking on “Brows All Shapes” on the left side bar, you can access several more different elements such as emojis, symbols, text, and much more.
The alignment of two elements can be controlled by selecting said elements and clicking on one of the three alignment options available that appear.
Text can also be added from the left side bar and edited. If the text is in a different language, the appropriate font should be searched up in the right side bar.
Objects can also be grouped to form a unified body by selecting them and going to the “Modify” tab. Then click on “Boolean Union (Weld)”.
Emojis inserted can be converted into vector bodies to be able to edit and change the design of them by right-clicking on the emoji and selecting “Convert to Paths”.
Once an emoji is converted into paths, specific paths can be deleted and new ones can be added within the Compound Path of the emoji.
The shapes can also be colored by selecting the specific shape and going to the right side panel and clicking on “Fill” and selecting the desired color.
Lastly, there are many other features such as the “Rotational Repeat” that can be used which in this case would repeat the selected shape in a circular pattern a specified number of times.
Overall, Cuttle is a nice way to learn 2D designing as it is a simple, free, and an online program. It allows you to also export the design into multiple different file types.
My Cuttle 2D Design¶
This is the final “key chain” designed on Cuttle.
Click here to view it as an SVG file
Day 2 - Introduction to Fusion
My Fusion 3D Design¶
This is the final “physical logo” designed on Fusion.
Click here to download it as an STL file
Day 3 - Using SolidWorks
My SolidWorks 2D Design¶
This is a 2D design of a “House” using SolidWorks.
Click here to download it as an DXF file
My SolidWorks 3D Design¶
This is the initial project design of a “Smart Mailbox” using SolidWorks.
Click here to download it as a STL file
Personal Notes
- Cuttle is a simple, easy-to-use, and free software that can be used for 2D designing. It is online and only requires an account to start working on it, allowing it to be preferred due to convenience for new designers.
- Fusion is a good 3D CAD designing software that can be downloaded for free for a year if you are a student. It permits novice designers to gain the basic skills and requirements to start their own 3D design.
- SolidWorks is much more complicated to learn in comparison to the aforementioned softwares. However, with enough knowledge and practice, the complexity of SolidWorks gives the user many more control over specific features that are not available in other softwares. Additionally, I personally am more acquainted with the user interface of SolidWorks as I frequently use the program for my own 3D designs.