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Tutorial for a Locating Block

This tutorial will be dealing with simple 2D boxes and how to move points. Then how to extrude them into 3D and assemble them for quick results. This tutorial anticipates you have learned the basics with the tutorials provided with the software in the help files and user manuals.
 Many commands will start spelled out and them become abbreviated.
(Example: Arrow1 becomes A1)

 

In this tutorial you will learn to:

  • Load image into CAD
  • Load image into CAD
  • Set units
  • Set snap grid
  • Draw shapes in 2D
  • Make planes
  • Extrude 2D to 3D
  • Assemble 3D basic shapes to make a complex shape

Open DesignCAD. You should have a new drawing window in 3D mode.

Toggle view to 2D
  • Step 1

For a visual aid we will load the image into the drawing window.

Right click image at Figure 1 and choose 'Copy'.

Switch to DesignCAD and choose 'Paste'.

Place the bounding box of the image in the upper part of your drawing window and click the mouse once, then hit ENTER

Choose Dimension->Units and left click  your cursor at the left lower corner of the toolstop shape where the 4" dimension starts (you can't gravity snap to an image line) and again at the right lower corner of the shape. Enter 4 in the units dialog box and hit OK

Choose Options->Grid Setting. Choose the snap grid box and enter 0.25 in the Grid Snap Size.

Choose the Display Grid box and set value to 1. set extents to 20 and click OK

Save drawing

What completed drawing will be
  • Step 2 

Anytime the grid disappears from parts of the drawing window just hit REFRESH or hotkey Ctrl+R

Set line color to red
 and click on "V"  for line.

Draw the 3 shapes as shown using the snap grid.

Select each shape and "make plane" each one. (in older versions do this in 3D mode)

Draw these three shapes
  • Step 3

Switch to 3D mode and turn off the snap grid "G" and the display grid.

Using GS "." snap to the lower right corner of each shape and hit "X" to extrude. Use the dimensions from the image to calculate depth of extrusion for each shape in "Z" direction using Point Relative (')

  • Top:1/2
  • Middle: 3/4
  • Bottom: 1 1/4
 

 3 Shapes extruded
  • Step 4

Select the middle shape with GS at A1 and Move to A2 and GS in place

Moving shapes together
  • Step 5

Move bottom shape in place with same technique

 

Move 3rd shape into place
  • Step 6

Select whole locating block with a bounding box and choose Solid->Solid Define

Wireframe shows extraneous lines
  • Step 7

Choose Edit->Hidden Edge and click on each line to hide

Use F3 to repeat the command for each line till it looks as shown

With "edges hidden"
  • Step 8

Solid shading shows the Hidden Edges are still there

 

Shaded view

DONE