Increasing Hull thickness

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DR Tow
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:00 pm

Increasing Hull thickness

Post by DR Tow »

I just started using Freecad and I know very little about Draft. I used a hull program and exported as .STL I brought the .STL in have converted it to a solid but How can I adjust the hull thickness. Is this a simple process or was it something i did when converting from STL to mesh to solid. My cad ability will not allow me to create such a hull

Freecad file. just trying to make the hull 3mm thick.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aPmvr9 ... sp=sharing
Last edited by DR Tow on Sun Oct 24, 2021 4:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.
chrisb
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Re: Increasing Hull thickness

Post by chrisb »

You can't do this directly with the imported object, because that comes without any parametric history. You could change the thickness in the exporting program, or - that's what I often recommend - model it completely in FreeCAD, instead of bodging for hours and hours with the imported mesh, which finally remains a degraded tesselated object.
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TheMarkster
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Re: Increasing Hull thickness

Post by TheMarkster »

If you attach your file possibly something can be done with it.
DR Tow
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Increasing Hull thickness

Post by DR Tow »

I added link to Freecad file. My CAD ability is limited I can do basic stuff like Create diesel locomotives but hull curves and such are out of my ability. Just try to give this a 3mm thickness.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aPmvr9 ... sp=sharing
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Vincent B
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Re: Increasing Hull thickness

Post by Vincent B »

You are trying to handle a mesh. I'm afraid Freecad can't do. Maybe by rebuilding the surfaces.. :roll:
heda
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Re: Increasing Hull thickness

Post by heda »

if you search for "ship hull" or similar on the forum you will see several posts of how to create hulls (and you will likely find glouglou's name there...).

stl is just not the right starting point for making a hull in fc.
exporting the hull-lines and go for gordon-surfaces is a better choice.

with that said, there are other programs than can take you a bit further, like blender, but also blender chokes on these things and creates degenerate meshes (it is largely ok though). the attached file is done with blender, takes a minute or two if you know the commands - or as always when touching blender, it could lead to gray hairs and a non-accomplished task. it is done with "solidify", a web-search should give some hints of how to do.

btw, you whole hull measures 30ish mm in length and the stern is not even 3mm high, so 3mm thickness sounds like a lot...
Attachments
Research_vessel003.stl
(970.59 KiB) Downloaded 12 times
DR Tow
Posts: 4
Joined: Tue Jun 23, 2020 7:00 pm

Re: Increasing Hull thickness

Post by DR Tow »

lol, 30mm I sent the wrong hull. Thanks for the advice. Hull should should have been 30cm. See I hate this because usually what starts out as a hobby turns into something bigger. Thanks again I am going to dig a little deeper.

I have used freecad to make logomotives and rolling stock. It was fairly easy but this curvy crap is like trying to describe the shape of my wipes hips to a chimp at the zoo. I am thinking its easy and the chimp is thinking "LOOK at the crazy guy with the wavy hands!!!, They are going to put him down soon".
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