AdmiralKew's Science Fiction Mechanisms and WIPs

[AdmiralKew]

I picked up FreeCAD just last night while contemplating ways to visualize the various technological creations present in the world I'm building. I usually do that in 3DS Max and photoshop, but I figured I'd expand my skillset a bit. One thing led to another, and I stumbled upon this gem called FreeCAD right here.

Here's what I'm using:

Code: Select all

OS: Windows 7
Word size of OS: 64-bit
Word size of FreeCAD: 64-bit
Version: 0.16.6706 (Git)
Build type: Release
Branch: releases/FreeCAD-0-16
Hash: f86a4e411ff7848dea98d7242f43b7774bee8fa0
Python version: 2.7.8
Qt version: 4.8.7
Coin version: 4.0.0a
OCC version: 6.8.0.oce-0.17

Fast forward a few hours and some tutorials later, and I feel like I'm getting comfortable with the way things are done. It's certainly different from my workflow in 3DS Max!

This is what I'm working on converting into a FreeCAD model:




Right now, I'm working on the turret:


I think it's coming along quite nicely:

EDIT: Added some more pictures of progress.



I've yet to model the hoist for the antimatter canisters and the feed lines for the power and fluid 'ammunition' for when the guns are operating in normal mode. I'm also puzzling on how best to shape the turret. Currently, I've got it hollowed out with the Thickness tool from a pad generated by tracing the outline as a Sketch. I do intend for the wall thickness to represent how much armor is there, so I must be able to set the thickness manually. In 3DS Max, this would have been done by simply moving the polygons to match. Here, I'm rather stumped. Also, how would I best be able to place the dividers for rooms and compartments? The turret box would serve as a prototype for the method I'm going to be using for when I move on to the ship's compartments. I'm also looking to be able to quickly integrate the feed lines into the rest of the model, once I get that done.

EDIT: I'm thinking of something like a gantry crane to serve as the hoist.


EDIT2: I've very nearly finished with the hoist! Now I just need to attach some sort of rail or chain to the roller and the clamp.


That brings me to some more questions:

• What workbench do I use if I want to rearrange the various objects and components that I'm going to be modeling?
• Can I color individual faces separately without making a new part?
• How well does FreeCAD integrate with 3DS Max, both in importing from and exporting towards the other?
• What tutorial can I look at for when I want to convert the 3D model into a 2d layout like the WIP one I'm working on?

Attached is the project file for the turret. I'm quite sure I'm doing things suboptimally, so I'd like to hear your suggestions on what I could be doing instead!
Cheers!

[emills2]

Nice work. I really like your concept development style.

I got into engineering to a great extent because of sci-fi comic books. Herge's blueprints for a lunar rocket (Objectif Lune 1950) told my 5 year old self: 'this is what you want to do with your life'.

your questions:
1 - add on module Assembly2 or draft move
2 - no (i don't think so). but you can explode the model and color the faces individually. it probably won't be parametric anymore, so try it out, and then apply as a final step. This is just an answer for right now, based on the fact that a shell or body has a single face color attribute. We can make a grouping of faces, and with a wee bit of coding, we can do whatever we want)
3 - FreeCAD can load and export obj, stl, and some other meshes
4 - a few options: Techdraw workbench, Drawing workbench. Maybe even Draft and screen capture? your ship model has such a scale that it is an archtectural project, so...Arch workbnech to handle floor plans and vertical sections?


These are quick answers that i hope others will help flesh out in more details. I just like your project so i wanted to tell you FreeCAD has the goods for you!

PS: i have a tool to make freefrom bodies. it's young and needs a lot of work, but it can do a few things already...like shape hulls

[triplus]

Lattice 2 workbench has a command you can use to downgrade geometry to for example faces (by preserving parametric relations).

[DeepSOIC]

Can I color individual faces separately without making a new part?

In tree, right-click the object, pick "Set colors...". You'll get into a task dialog, which lets you assign colors to individual faces.

[emills2]

In tree, right-click the object, pick "Set colors...". You'll get into a task dialog, which lets you assign colors to individual faces.

nice. i didnt know about that. it seems the basic view properties are not aware of these face changes, and an overall change in view props will then override the individual changes. Not a big deal, but it's a potential little trap. shouldn't be too hard to avoid stepping into it. is there any plan to integrate this new dialog with view properties and python?

[AdmiralKew]

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to get started on modeling the hull and other components before I have to go. I might not be able to, though. Is there a way to make FreeCAD portable? As in, like a way to set FreeCAD so that I can load it onto a flash drive and have all my addons and custom settings available when I open it on another computer?

[easyw-fc]

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to get started on modeling the hull and other components before I have to go. I might not be able to, though. Is there a way to make FreeCAD portable? As in, like a way to set FreeCAD so that I can load it onto a flash drive and have all my addons and custom settings available when I open it on another computer?

I don't know if there is a recent portable version...

you can always copy all your FreeCAD installation folder to your pen-disk, and create a batch file to launch it.
Add a parameter to the launcher using -u user config and -s system config to point locally
(options available typing freecad --help)
Your FreeCAD configuration files/tools are in C:\Users\YOURUSERNAME\AppData\FreeCAD
some tips here
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic.php?t=210
or, if you are allowed to modify the other computer settings, just copy your full preference folder to the other PC

[Kunda1]

Thanks! Hopefully I'll be able to get started on modeling the hull and other components before I have to go. I might not be able to, though. Is there a way to make FreeCAD portable? As in, like a way to set FreeCAD so that I can load it onto a flash drive and have all my addons and custom settings available when I open it on another computer?

@AdmiralKew Sorry to necro-bump but I was wondering if there was any progress on this?