Blending fillets and drafts... MAJOR headache.. expert needed!!

[JPlanera]

I’m trying to draw a model of a part, using the original 2d sketch and a picture... I am having a hard time figuring out how to blend all these corners and included drafts. I am self taught with this software and probably over my head with this. I’ve done most of the online tutorials and visited all the forums, but nothing seems to relate to my part... Im pretty sure i am going about this the wrong way.. should i be using surfaces instead??

This is a quick "throw together" of sketches i am just pulling off the dwg. so not much has been put in to Inventors sketch constraints. Once I figure out how to blend everything together, i will go back and re do it all properly. The attached picture is from an old worn out part, and in the end, the new part just needs to "look" right. Any help is appreciated. I’ve also attached the dwg and my ipt file.

part.zip

orig2d.dwg

[JD Mather]

I’ve done most of the online tutorials and visited all the forums, but nothing seems to relate to my part...

 

Looks like garbage to me (don't be offended by my standard response). Your first sketch isn't constrained. I suggest you go through all the tutorials in my signature. And go through this one as well http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/skillsusa%20university.pdf

[shift1313]

Looks like garbage to me (don't be offended by my standard response). Your first sketch isn't constrained. I suggest you go through all the tutorials in my signature. And go through this one as well http://home.pct.edu/~jmather/skillsusa%20university.pdf

 

JD, he stated that he pulled in dwgs and that he didnt properly constraint or dimension anything. He just threw it together for us to look at.

 

J, i wont be able to open your files until later at home. Is your end goal to reproduce an outdated part?

[JPlanera]

JD, i am not offended. I am only throwing this together for argument sake... I am a perfectionist, so believe me, leaving sketches hanging like that makes me lose sleep at night! HA!

 

@shift: Thank you for reiterating my statement. Yes, i am reproducing an out dated part, so to speak... The part is worn out and no longer produces quality product, so we need a new one.. the problem is, the machine shop can not interpret the drawing. So to avoid them "guessing" i want to do the guessing for them... Once i figure out how to accomplish all the complex blending, I am going to start from scratch and do it right. (which is why, again, everything is garbage at this point) Right now, i want to make the part just at least "look" like the picture.

 

In the end, the machine shop will use my model for machining...

[JD Mather]

I'll try to give it a go when (if) I get a chance. I suspect the solution might be far easier than you think.

 

While I understand this is a "quick-and-dirty" I can't imagine starting something of this complexity with an unconstrained rectangle - that should have been automatically constrained anyhow.

[shift1313]

Just a thought for you. The piece in your picture is cast. If you will be machining it, you will not need to copy everything, and for manufacturability sake it may be easier if you dont. Is this a form of some sort? If so i understand the need to replicate it, but if not you may be able to get away without that level of detail.

[JPlanera]

@ JD: I like the sound of that!!

 

@shift: Unfortunaltely it is not a casting. I can see how you would think so by looking at the picture. It is a forming tool for a forge, so it has been exposed to a lot of heat and abuse giving it that "cast" look... The level of deail can be debated. The final product has some wiggle room, but id like to try to stay as close to the "print" as i can

[JD Mather]

@ JD: I like the sound of that!!

 

@shift: Unfortunaltely it is not a casting. I can see how you would think so by looking at the picture. It is a forming tool for a forge, so it has been exposed to a lot of heat and abuse giving it that "cast" look... The level of deail can be debated. The final product has some wiggle room, but id like to try to stay as close to the "print" as i can

 

Always good to know a bit more information about the part. I thought it was a casting from the pic (didn't take a good look at the 2d dwg yet).

[JPlanera]

I'll try to give it a go when (if) I get a chance. I suspect the solution might be far easier than you think.

 

While I understand this is a "quick-and-dirty" I can't imagine starting something of this complexity with an unconstrained rectangle - that should have been automatically constrained anyhow.

 

I understand. Some of this part was constrained, although as i was removing a lot of features from the part to decrease the size and to not "give away" some design components, the sketches became messy(er)... If it will help make this easier, i will spend some time cleaning it up and repost an ipt file... until then, have any "easier than i think" ideas come to the surface?

[JD Mather]

...until then, have any "easier than i think" ideas come to the surface?

 

I've been working on it - but a bit busy with my regular job getting in the way. It could be a while. Maybe Shift will post an example.

[JPlanera]

Well i have re-visited this tool and have come up with a solution... I am still curious of how you guys would tackle it though. If you have anything for it, i would love to take a look. Thanks for all the input..

[shift1313]

sorry i too have been sidetracked with other things and forgot about this. Ive got a growing list of things to look at this weekend and ill add this to it:)

[JD Mather]

It looks like an interesting problem but I regret I haven't had time to finish a solution.

[shift1313]

I played around with it for a little while yesterday and some this morning. Something isnt adding up with the dwg and how some of the edges meet(in comparison with the image you posted). I would think with inventor it would be much much easier to draw the final part and use that to make the die. When i get the time ill play around with it a bit more and let you know if i get anything usable.

[JPlanera]

I played around with it for a little while yesterday and some this morning. Something isnt adding up with the dwg and how some of the edges meet(in comparison with the image you posted). I would think with inventor it would be much much easier to draw the final part and use that to make the die. When i get the time ill play around with it a bit more and let you know if i get anything usable.

 

Yes, that was one of the big issues I had. In the end I just needed it to "look" right... Coming from a precision machinist background, you have no idea how much that pains me to say... I took some liberties with the 2d drawing and used mostly inventor to draw the final part. The file i am attaching is mostly a copy/paste sketch geometry from the final product I was able to generate as it is too big to attach...

 

well even trying to consolidate this file, i cant seem to get it below 500KB... something doesnt seem right. Is there a purge optioin, is inventor saving unused legacy data???

[shift1313]

Im glad you were running into the same thing as I was. I tried a few different methods but just couldnt get the dwg edges to work out like the real part.

[JD Mather]

...well even trying to consolidate this file, i cant seem to get it below 500KB...

 

Find the red End of Part marker in the browser. Drag this red EOP up to the top of the feature tree hiding all features.

Save in a rolled up state.

Zip the file and attach here.

[JPlanera]

Find the red End of Part marker in the browser. Drag this red EOP up to the top of the feature tree hiding all features.

Save in a rolled up state.

Zip the file and attach here.

 

That is what i am doing... So ive resulted to deleting as much as possible from the file...

[JPlanera]

solution 1.zip

Find the red End of Part marker in the browser. Drag this red EOP up to the top of the feature tree hiding all features.

Save in a rolled up state.

Zip the file and attach here.

 

Sorry JD, I know how much you like constrained geometry:P, but the only way i was able to compact this small enough was to get rid of all my sketch detail... but here it is nonetheless

 

Also, regretfully, since i could not get a small enough file, this only shows 1/4 of the part, and some sequencing ended up misplaced, but the end result is still clear

Edited September 27, 2010 by JPlanera