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Best value CAD program for chassis design?
mr henderson - 11/8/08 at 08:12 PM

I have experimented with Turbocad and Sketchup, but neither seem very suited to drawing spaceframes, or maybe it's me.

I don't need anything very fancy, just to be able to join two points with a square tube in much the same way as if one was doing it for real with actual loengths of steel

Any suggestions?

Mega-buck programs will not suit

John

chrisg - 12/8/08 at 10:26 AM

I use Aoutocad and Solidworks for design but Sketchup for illustration for the books, It's versatile and easy to learn and best of all it's free.

This is Sketchup



Cheers

Chris

loggyboy - 12/8/08 at 10:28 AM

Sketch up would seem best answer to me. How far have you got with it and what do you want to achieve?

mr henderson - 12/8/08 at 11:16 AM

quote:
Originally posted by loggyboy
Sketch up would seem best answer to me. How far have you got with it and what do you want to achieve?


How far have I got with it, not very, I'm afraid. I have read on the SU help forum that being able to draw a chassis is a skill that will take several months to acquire!



There are two things I would like to be able to do-

The first is to be able to obtain a 3D view of a chassis that I have designed, and for which I already know the lengths, angles etc, then be able to view the result from different virtual positions, and ensure that there are not going to be any unexpected, undesirable results (like not being able to get in, for instance) and to be able to obtain measurements of distances and spaces.

The second thing, which might be a bit much to hope for, would be able to vary the position, length, number and angles of the various tubes, in order to do as much prototyping as possible in the computer.

A printout of all the lengths and angles would be nice too!

edited to add the bit about how far I've got with SU

John

[Edited on 12/8/08 by mr henderson]

loggyboy - 12/8/08 at 11:51 AM

I found sketch up very easy to pick up, it has a very simple UI and even with a few years exp with autocad, I found it was very easy to produce basic 3d objects.

This lil thing only took me 5 mins to build up. Each bar is a seperate component so it can me moved without effecting the other objects connected to it.

mr henderson - 12/8/08 at 11:57 AM

Presumably, then, the best way to use Sketchup is to draw the components seperately and then move them into position?

John

JP32 - 12/8/08 at 01:20 PM

@ chrisg

I am still looking for somebody who has designed a chassis in Solid Works completely (with wishbones etc. etc.). Not that I can't do that but I ‘am just lazy and like to modify instead of starting something new...

Want to build a kitcar based hotrod.

loggyboy - 12/8/08 at 01:34 PM

quote:
Originally posted by mr henderson
Presumably, then, the best way to use Sketchup is to draw the components seperately and then move them into position?

John


I find so yes. when i first started using it I was frustrated that despite not selecting some objects they would still be moved if they connected to items I did want to move. This obvisously has some advatanges but the best way round it is to complete each object then make it a component. Also means you can easily copy and mirror them, which is handy when you doing something like a car that is symetrical

cryoman1965 - 12/8/08 at 01:59 PM

I have been using sketch up for a few weeks. Cant seem to be able to join round tube to a flat surface when at an angle. Also when the tube is in place how do you find out the radius of the tube, and the angle at which the round tube would need to be cut at at the join.

Hope that makes sense?

Nige

loggyboy - 12/8/08 at 05:50 PM

quote:
Originally posted by cryoman1965
I have been using sketch up for a few weeks. Cant seem to be able to join round tube to a flat surface when at an angle. Also when the tube is in place how do you find out the radius of the tube, and the angle at which the round tube would need to be cut at at the join.

Hope that makes sense?

Nige


To join them, select the objects (surface and tube, then right click and choose 'intersect secected'

Radius measurment can be done with tape measure when it automatic snaps from mid point to the edge.

Dont quite understand what u mean by the last query.

purdy - 12/8/08 at 08:43 PM

Have you heard of tekla Xsteel, its very simple to use, you can select the matierial you want to use ie, box, tube etc place them into possition and where the componants cross over you just select connection type and it will give you all the differant types of connection available, also will give you a itemised print out of each componant.... autocad...thing of the past

give it a try if you can find one

mr henderson - 13/8/08 at 07:13 AM

quote:
Originally posted by purdy
Have you heard of tekla Xsteel, its very simple to use, you can select the matierial you want to use ie, box, tube etc place them into possition and where the componants cross over you just select connection type and it will give you all the differant types of connection available, also will give you a itemised print out of each componant.... autocad...thing of the past

give it a try if you can find one


Had a quick google on that. Very much in the 'if you have to ask the price, you can't afford it' bracket. Nobody even mentions the price.

There are various people offering bootleg copies, as there always are with very expensive software

John

scootz - 13/8/08 at 08:36 PM

I tried sketch-up and got really frustrated. Mind you... I didn't bother reading the instruction and just learned on the hoof!

A little more competent now, but still prone to the odd gaffe that's hard to recover!