Splitting up a 3-D CAD design for use with Designer

[pjfiedler]

I would like to split up a 3-D CAD design and then carve the pieces using the Carve Wright tool and then reassemble the pieces to make the entire 3-D object. Is there a software tool or method for assisting with the splitting and importing of the CAD pieces into Designer? Such as a model of a car or an airplane. For example, I would like to make a wood airplane (6 foot wing span) by separately carving the bottom and top halves of the wings. Likewise, to separately carve the left and right halves of the body. Almost as if you were putting together a plastic model. How do I do this with Designer?

[OKCCarver]

WOW....What a good idea. I really can't help as I'm just learning the ropes myself, but if you get it figured out PLEASE post us some pics of the finished project! ;)

[hotpop]

jp,

Today there is no conversion of 3d files in to Designer software. I heard recently that LHR might be offering a program in the near future.

I think I know what your asking. If you are considering cutting wing and fuselage profiles your plane would be so heavy it probably wouldn't get off the ground. Maybe if carved in foam then sheeted over. The CW will do an excellent job for your ribs and spars using a 2d CAD program.

[Jeff_Birt]

I would like to split up a 3-D CAD design and then carve the pieces using the Carve Wright

This is entirely doable, if you use the correct software.

First: The CW's patterns are basically heightmaps, so you need a program that can take a solid model and output heightmaps. A forum member has recently introduce 'CarvePic' which will convert several 3d formats to heightmaps, many 3d modeling packages will also output heightmaps.

Second: you need to slice your original object into 3/4" slices. The maximum the machine will carve is 0.8". I like to use MOI (http://moi3d.com/), but other modeling programs will work about the same. To slice an object I draw lines that are properly spaced in the Z-axis, from the front view, taking care that the lines are a bit longer than the object. When looking at a 3d view it looks like a series of stacked line just in front of the object. Next, do a boolean subtraction with your object as the base object and the lines as the objects to subtract. Now you have individual slices that you can move around.

[mtylerfl]

He's probably not making it for actual flight - rather, I imagine it would be model for display only.

[sirsumm]

I use mine to make foam parts for actual flyable RC planes....All 2D Vectoring. I draw in AutoCAD, import into Illustrator, then use AI2MPC to convert to vectors that the CW can understand. It's quite a process.

[mtylerfl]

I use mine to make foam parts for actual flyable RC planes....All 2D Vectoring. I draw in AutoCAD, import into Illustrator, then use AI2MPC to convert to vectors that the CW can understand. It's quite a process.

Hello sirsumm,

Can you post some photos of your work (using the CarveWright) in the Gallery section? I would love to see what you have done!

[www.go3d.us]

You can but require a lot of work and special 3d software to do that.
I did exactly that with my celtic knot heart spoon patterns like what you see on my web site www.go3d.us
HT

[sirsumm]

mtylerfl,

I have been contemplating writing a short tutorial on how I have been using the CC to do this. Perhaps it is time to do so.n My planes are a little crude looking at the moment, due to my lack of skill, but with the process that I follow, I am quite sure that other people could make some amazing projects. So that I don't "hijack" this thread, I will start a new one sometime this week. Just to whet your whistle....attached is a screen shot of designer and a render from autocad.

Jason

[mtylerfl]

Hi Jason,

That is really cool - and I'll bet the planes are a lot of fun, too. Great work!

[pjfiedler]

He's probably not making it for actual flight - rather, I imagine it would be model for display only.

Michael, You're correct about just wanting to make non-flying models.

I found some web sites with full CAD models of WWII planes and modern jets. I thought it would neat to use these CAD models to create wooden or plastic models with wing spans ranging in 1' to 6' feet. One target use is to mount them on the front or peak of the garage, windmill, etc. simular to mounting a weather vine. My dad used to fly small planes and I think it would be fun to attach lights to the wing tips so when he pressed the garage door opener the plane would light up as if coming in for a landing.

Thanks for the feedback everyone and look forward to more input. Sounds like I need to somehow extract surface measurements from these CAD models for segments of the plane to create a CW depth map. I'll keep researching.

[liquidguitars]

Today there is no conversion of 3d files in to Designer software

All of my work starts in 3D cad and some gets cut via Boolean and rebuilt for larger wood objects.
but you will need 3D soild models to do this and not 2D,


this neck was modeled in 3D, split in two to carve.

http://liquidguitars.com/assets/images/ViolinNeckR002.jpg
take your 3D objects and slice the into .75 slabs using the Boolean operations.

http://wiki.blender.org/index.php/Manual/Booleans

LG

[DrBob]

Love the avatar LG!
How many hours on it now?

[pjfiedler]

Perfect! I'm not a regular CAD user ... yet. Thanks for the link for clarification on the boolean operation. I think the only way to make the slicing process easier and automatic is to have a function in the CW software to do this for you. Thanks for the photo example. If all I wanted to do is to slice up CAD models, which CAD program do you recommend?

[liquidguitars]

Love the avatar LG!
How many hours on it now ?

I have two the first unit and second unit @ 496.hrs

first unit: 437 hrs 52 min
second : 53 hrs 53 min


LG