cssltd Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 I have a pump system drawn in 2D (using autocad 2006) from front/back and sides. However now I have to try and produce a 3D drawing of this and have no experience of doing 3D work. I have been trying to produce this drawing with information from books but I am still have difficulty on actually using this information in my own drawings. Do I have to start the drawing again or is there some way that I can use my 2D drawing and convert it to 3D? Any help would be great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 Your 2D drawing can be used to construct your 3D model. What is your pump system comprised of parts-wise? Is piping involved or is it just the pump itself? What type of pump? Some of the 3D commands you would be using are extrude, union, subtract, as well as slice, separate, and move faces. Do you anticipate the use of any surfaces? If so, commands such as revsurf or edgesurf would come in handy. You'll also have to become acquainted with some of the settings that affect 3D display. There is a lot to learn. Don't dispare however. There are plenty of knowledgeable and helpful people here at CT to assist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssltd Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 It is acutally two ebara pumps that have piping, non-return valves, valves and couplings on the pipework. I would probably be using surfaces once I have the 3D model up to scratch as this would look better to the customer. I have got as far as working off two vertical viewports in 3D but it is still confusing me as to how to plot my drawing for it to work in 3D! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 At the moment plotting your drawing should be the least of your concerns. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssltd Posted March 27, 2009 Author Share Posted March 27, 2009 thats why i want to get the 3d drawing upto scratch before thinking about using the surfaces Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ritch7 Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 cssltd then use the 2-D as your base, start from there, post what you are working on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czc Posted March 27, 2009 Share Posted March 27, 2009 How much do you understand about cad 3d. Do you have the basics of the ucs down? I recently had to convert a centrifuge into 3d from a 2d drawing. Which was a bit difficult since the views did not match up exactly. What I did was put each view where it comes from. ie Put the top view on top and the front view in front. and then project the common elements ( this is where I found the problems) and revolve or extrude depending on what was needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssltd Posted April 1, 2009 Author Share Posted April 1, 2009 Hey Thanks for the advice, sorry for late reply. I do have some of the ucs basics well at least I thought I did but it is still confusing me. As for using the 2D as a base I have tried that but I still seem to be messing it up! I will keep doing it and see if I get it eventually, there is just so much detail in the drawing and so many things to remember with cad! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 "As for using the 2D as a base I have tried that but I still seem to be messing it up!" What seems to be the problem? Is it that the object you have drawn in 2D does not extrude? Start simple. Draw a circle and extrude it. Next draw a box and extrude that as well. Now draw an object with a combination of lines and maybe a couple of arcs and extrude that. Report back here on your success or lack thereof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 The circle and rectangle are self explanatory. The third object was made using the first two objects and then extruded. Obviously we could construct much more complex objects but it is always best to start simple when first exploring the many wonders of working in 3D. These, by the way, are considered to be solids. Surfaces can also be constructed using a variety of other commands. Once you have used the Extrude command you will want to naturally move on to Union, Subtract and Intersect. After experimenting with those commands concentrate on learning the Solids Editting commands such as Move Faces. Now...go forth and 3D! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssltd Posted April 2, 2009 Author Share Posted April 2, 2009 Thanks for the help I will go try that. I have done some basic shape so Ill now look at doing more complex shapes. Will let you know how I get on! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 Good to hear. Your results may vary depending on whether or not you join lines together (as a polyline). Watch out for gaps at line intersections too. To avoid them always use Osnaps. Post an image the next time around so we can see the results. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Tillman Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 From someone who has gone through the 3D learning curve in only the past few months, there is a lot more to it than the posts to your question reveal. First, you will not be able to simply point and click at your 2D sketches and turn them into 3D. In some examples this will be easier than others, but mostly you gotta be drawing in 3D to get 3D. Second, you will need to learn the basics of the UCS. This is critical when you're drawings in 3D. It took me sometime to get this down but once you master the UCS and the ablitily to move and orient it wherever you want, 3D becomes much easier. Also, get an understanding of the 3DFORBIT command. In many instances when I draw something in 3D and I place a line where I want it only to discover that it's not on the plane I intended it to be. The only way to see this is to orbit around the object and check the accuracy of your intersections. And you will have to do lots of reading and practice. The trouble with trying to learn 3D drawing is that most people who do it will explain it like you just think about your project and viola, the 3D model suddenly appears on your screen. Other important commands to get acquainted with will be SLICE, SOLIDEDIT. And back to the UCS again. Many times you will not be able to TRIM, EXTEND, SLICE, MIRROR, etc... until you have the UCS in the right orientation. Oh yes, when you're drawing in 3D the intersection of lines get's a little more complicated. I spent hours the other night trying to figure out why I couldn't fillet some lines. It was only when I set the precision to 1/256" that I was able to see that the lines were off being coplanar but 3/256". This kept the fillet command from working properly and it drove me nuts because in 1/16" accuracy (which should be tight enough for anyone) this offset was not seeable. Which is why you will also need to learn about the FUZZ setting in PEDIT. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssltd Posted April 3, 2009 Author Share Posted April 3, 2009 thanks for all the help I have now drawn the pump and most of the components! they are not perfect but its a start! thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReMark Posted April 3, 2009 Share Posted April 3, 2009 We anxiously await your posted image. I'm staying glued to my screen until you do. Hurry up. I have to go to the bathroom soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cssltd Posted April 7, 2009 Author Share Posted April 7, 2009 Thanks for the help, Ive drawn the components now i am just having trouble putting them together. ie, i have the valves, couplings etc but now i want to put them together but the component i try to join just goes behind the other drawing. do you have any advice as to how to go about this? i have attached what i have drawn so far Lisa 3D.dwg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD Mather Posted April 7, 2009 Share Posted April 7, 2009 Thanks for the help, Ive drawn the components now i am just having trouble putting them together. viewres = 2000 facetres = 10 re union (I would not have used 3D faces in the handle) move or align to assemble using osnaps Type each of the above then Enter and then F1 If your work is normally mechanical of this type I would investigate AutoCAD Inventor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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