BobCAD or Rhino?

[ger21]

Does BoBCAD actually call it wireframe? Because every other CAD or modelling software I've seen just calls it 2D. Thanks for the explanation, btw.

[lakeside]

Autocad , Alibrie and Rhino (I did download a copy of V3 it has improved much from when I looked at V2) are great software.If you could justify the cost for a drawing package and a cam package.
But dose the person starting out need to spend all that money. when they don't even know 2d.
Take for example the post from the other day. It was (maybe) from a 14 year old. By the time this kid even understand 2d and use it he'll be more like 17 years old. Why buy any 3d package. But the person who knows autocad why buy something like sheetcam when you can do more.This is what I like about software like Bobcad and onecnc you get both without spending an arm and a leg.

[lakeside]

Originally Posted by ger21 Does BoBCAD actually call it wireframe? Because every other CAD or modelling software I've seen just calls it 2D. Thanks for the explanation, btw.

they do use the term.But that was my def. Most people use the term 2d it something we all know.Where wireframe can be misleading
In Bobcad 3d (I don't know if this is true for other software) you can't pull a demension off a surface you have to extract edge first and demension from wireframe

[lakeside]

Originally Posted by lakeside Without wireframe you can't make a solid surface.Unless you use cross sectional geometry which acts as a wireframe.

Originally Posted by ger21 Depends on the software. In AutoCAD, for example, there are different ways to get a solid. The easiest is to pick opposite corners, .

You first need a wireframe before you have opposite corners, Uniess you use points, then you are using "cross sectional geometry which acts as a wireframe"
More people can spend $500 for a 3d drawing package. But can they also spend $500 or less for cam to go along with drawing package? If they can do 3d drawing then your cam is going to be more than $500.

[tobyaxis]

Examples of 3D Wire Frame and 3D Solid Model Created in BCC V20.7

This started off as a basic 2D box, a 3D box and so on in the creation process.

As a note Catia V4 only used Wire Frame Drawings until V5.

[ger21]

As I said before, the only the difference between those is the type of view. They are both a solid model. Ones a shaded view, and ones a wireframe view. Both are the same solid model, correct?

[ger21]

Originally Posted by lakeside You first need a wireframe before you have opposite corners, Uniess you use points, then you are using "cross sectional geometry which acts as a wireframe"

You just enter the two corner locations (X,Y,Z). You don't need to draw points or lines, unlesss you need them for reference.

[tobyaxis]

Originally Posted by ger21 As I said before, the only the difference between those is the type of view. They are both a solid model. Ones a shaded view, and ones a wireframe view. Both are the same solid model, correct?

Though these are the same part the wire frame is extracted from the solid model. I started with a basic 2d rectangle and built from there adding, removing solids with Boolean functions. Not to mention that this isn't shading, it's a Rendering function in BCC because at this point in time they don't support OpenGL Graphics Interface. First you have to Select the wireframe geometry or solid then use the Rendering function. Here is a screen shot with just the CAD screen.

[lakeside]

Originally Posted by ger21 You just enter the two corner locations (X,Y,Z). You don't need to draw points or lines, unlesss you need them for reference.

Autocad is great software I never spent enought time with it to really get good with it.By imputing the corners for a surface you are still using ."cross sectional geometry which acts as a wireframe" even if point are not on the screen.
action-object object-action All cad/cam use this principal, but that's an autocad function with the corners of a box
But imputting just the corners is a nice option. It's not something that can be done in Bobcad. Software like Autocad,Alibrie and Rhino are much better software for 3d drawing than Bobcad or Onecnc.Those software have many nice little option for doing thing fast,tracking changes and a little easer, but you are paying for it.

[tobyaxis]

Gerry,

Also Alibre, AutoCAD, TurboCAD, SolidWorks, and many others use a Cplane Constraint Method to be able to draw. Though the function is nice for Engineers and designers your typical Machinist (unless, your a tool and die, or mold) may not really have a need for using Cplane Constraints. It really depends on the user and their abilities using CAD Systems. In any CAD Based software wire frames are the building blocks for 2D, 3D, and Solid Modeling.

"Build it, and they will come"

[ger21]

Originally Posted by tobyaxis Though these are the same part the wire frame is extracted from the solid model. I started with a basic 2d rectangle and built from there adding, removing solids with Boolean functions. Not to mention that this isn't shading, it's a Rendering function in BCC because at this point in time they don't support OpenGL Graphics Interface. First you have to Select the wireframe geometry or solid then use the Rendering function. Here is a screen shot with just the CAD screen.

But why do you have to "extract" a wireframe? I've seen plenty create toopaths from the solid model itself? Or are you extracting edges to follow them for the profiles?

Originally Posted by tobyaxis Also Alibre, AutoCAD, TurboCAD, SolidWorks, and many others use a Cplane Constraint Method to be able to draw.

In AutoCAD, you're not necessarily constrained to a plane when drawing. Certain 2D entites are, but not all. Also, in AutoCAD, 2D drawings (wireframes to you BobCAD guys )) are not always needed for solid modeling and booleans. There are a lot of primitive shapes that can just be placed anywhere on the screen.

And the difference between an Open GL and DirectX shaded model vs a rendered one, is minimal. A rendering is a picture, the shading is like a real time movie.

It just seems to me (from what I here), is that BoBCAD works very differently than most other CAD and CAM programs. When Sorin posts his video tutorials, I'll check it out. But it's unlikely I'll be crossing over to the dark side.

[tobyaxis]

When I do drawings and solids I end up with two separate drawings. The first one is the construction, and the second the finished Model. Models like these have a tendancy to be Large in Mega Bites when you have everything all in one Drawing, hence I split them up. Extractions from Solids help you to find various points for rotating, adding and subtracting solids for Boolean Functions, or in BobCads case a way to draw Custom Tool Path Geometry for special Cutters(one of the set backs in BCC at the moment).

This is a little difficult for me to explain in words and the only way I could help you to understand is to Show you. Also I haven't worked with AutoCAD since High School and that was 15 years ago and Alibre was a pain when trying to create wire frame for models.

I guess you could say that, "I Dislike CAD Cplane Constraints"