Cadalyst - September 2007 - (Page 42)

mcadmodeling can obtain a model. I’d call that a vast improvement! Let ’er RP! After you’ve got your 3D models together, you’re going to have to make a prototype or two. It’s never been eas- ier to get from 3D art to 3D part. Rapid prototyping (RP) is one of the most important technologies of the end of the twentieth century. Various technologies are available that suit a wide range of applications. At their basis, they all break down a 3D model into Figure 3. Rapid Prototyping machines are getting more cost-effective every day. Here is a new entry you can build for yourself. New TurboCAD® Pro 14 includes all the powerful and innovative technology you need to create stunning designs – for less. • Hundreds of 2D /3D Drafting and Modeling Tools • New Google™ SketchUp Support • Import/Export support of 30+ CAD and graphics formats including, DWG, DXF, STEP, IGES, DGN, 3DS and export to PDF • D-Cubed Geometric and Dimensional Constraints • ACIS® 3D Solid Modeling • LightWorks® Photorealistic Rendering Order by phone 1-800-833-8082 or visit www.turbocad.com For a 15-day free trial, go to www.turbocadtrial.com/CA For Windows® XP and Vista TurboCAD Technology Partners VI SIT US O N LI N © 2007 IMSI. All rights reserved. TurboCAD and the IMSI Design logos are registered trademarks of IMSI/Design, LLC. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners. All rights reserved. layers and build each layer one at a time. By the time the machine is finished, you have an actual 3D part that you can hold in your hand. It’s as close to a modern engineering miracle as you can get! The reason I mention it (other than the cool factor) is that almost every 3D modeling system on the market now offers RP output. Even though you might not be able to afford your own in-house RP machine (most of the really good ones cost more than $100,000), you can still reap the benefits of the technology by using a service bureau. It was big news in the RP community a few years ago when the first 3D printers broke the $30,000 barrier. With a large, active company you are probably spending most of that amount each year going to an RP vendor. Imagine recouping that cost by making as many RP prototypes as you want. And now, we have some RP units that are less than one-half that price! In fact, Fab@Home lets you freely download plans for what the site calls a digital fabricator, or fabber (figure 3). This thing is essentially an RP machine on the cheap. You can build it yourself for approximately $2,400. The resolution isn’t quite as high as the professional units, but it’s a start. Cornell University, the fabber’s designer, envisions the device as something like a forerunner of Star Trek’s replicator. The folks at Cornell say that it can make just about anything using different materials. I don’t know about that. It sounds good, but it’ll need more 42 September 2007 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com E http://www.turbocad.com http://www.turbocad.com http://www.turbocadtrial.com/CA http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - September 2007

Contents Editor's Window Techtrends: Resurrecting an Unforgettable Second Living Large UGS Solid Edge v20 Adobe Acrobat 3D v8 Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended CAD Manager: Managing 2D and 3D in the Same Office MCAD Modeling: Where is MCAD Going? AEC in Focus: Automated Estimating and Scheduling Using BIM CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes CADfidential

Cadalyst - September 2007

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