Great SketchUp companion
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Hi everyone - I was having trouble with SU when trying to model some more complex shapes. I gave up 4 years of Rhino experience when switching to the mac platform, and still have some regrets. I went hunting in The Tubes and found ViaCAD, newly released by Punch! software. It is basically the same core that drives their high-end package Concepts Unlimited, using the ACIS kernel. It has actually blown my mind - so much functionality in a $100 software package. Imports SU files directly. Exports to lots of MCAD formats, like .SAT, IGES, and .STL. Robust 2d drafting, surface modeling, and solids. The blend functionality alone is worth the $$. No demo is available, but you can get a feel for the interface with the Concepts 3d demo.
http://www.punchcad.com/products/viacad2d3d.htm
I'm not affiliated with them in any way, just very impressed.
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Thanks for the tip. Wish it was available for Linux.
When you work up a project that is a hybrid of SketchUp and this software, could you supply us with some images?
Thanks.
--Lewis
Lewis Wadsworth
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Hi Mark
Really enjoyed visited your web page. Beautiful work.
Thanks for posting
Alan -
Alan - thank you. And thanks for taking the time to check out my website!
Lewis - I posted some images on my Flickr account that show what I'm doing with the SU>ViaCAD>modo workflow.
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Mark,
I love the Circle Totem, I'd love to see the shadows that would cast.Duet looks fantastic, how hard was it to get a good smoothed surface on the metal? I can imagine even the slightest imperfection would show such soft curves.
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Paul - Thanks! Yeah, the shadows on that Circle Totem piece would be pretty cool, but I have yet to make one outside the computer. Maybe I'll do a shadow study some time in modo, just for fun.
I do spend a ridiculous amount of time on finishing the metal. I use a TiG welder to assemble them, which allows for nice clean, small welds. Final finish on the faces is done with random-orbit sanders to leave a slight tooth for the powder coating to adhere to.
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TIG welding...Now that takes me back.
Before I ended up in architecture I was an engineer, I did a mechanical engineering apprenticeship and for 2 years worked at a fabrication business making all sorts of things amongst which was armour plating for light tanks.
This armour was an aluminium alloy and I had to weld several 2" cubes onto 7'x2'x2" plates (expensive)
On several occasions the 2" blocks would just melt whilst using the TIG welder making the entire piece scrap!All my family are engineers but one of my cousins is a TRUE welder, he lies underneath 30,000 ton nuclear submarines and welds 18" plate together!
One of my uncles does this:http://www.anglering.com/gallery.html
Just think what you could make out of some of their stuff. -
Holy cr*p, Paul! Your Uncle's company makes some impressive stuff. Especially the structure in the attached image - beautiful.
So you've pushed some rod, eh? I wish more engineers and architects had that kind of practical experience. On my last project, I actually had to explain to the structural engineer why we couldn't use stainless nuts on A36 bolts - seems he'd not heard of galvanic corrosion. I couldn't tell you the science behind it, but I know from experience just how bad a situation it is.18" plate. Crazy. I'm glad I only have to deal with 16 gauge. The 72" Duet sculpture only weighs 65 lbs. Much easier on the back.
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