3D CAD Software recommendations?

[Chuck U F4rley]

Just wondering if any of the modelbuilders on this board have a suggestion on a (preferrably Open Source) 3D Cad Software to use on a new project I am about to start. To make it short: I need a way to design the actual structure of a ROV/AUV.

Here is some background information to show you what I am thinking about:

I have build somesmall and simple ROVs in the past, but quite frankly the whole tether/umbilical(sp?) thing is soooo 20th century... :-)
For those ROVs I mainly used pens, papers and lots of trial-and-error tinkering in the construction process, and quite frankly they could not do much besides submerging (and most of the time) re-surfacing.

Since I am a passionate SCUBA Diver myself, the next logical step (err, for me. Logic can be subjective I guess...) would be an AUV that can follow me around, collect data on my dives and take video footage. I am thinking of using a simple image recognition that just tries to keep a blinking light on my Tank in its field of view. Alternatively it should be able to free roam in a give area and return to a starting point, so I can fetch the data and maybe decide on a new dive spot. I am fairly certain the software part will be quite a challenge but I think I can handle that. I will have to see which hardware plattform to choose that provides enough processing power while running on limited power. I have some experience with FPGAs and the odd prallax propeller platform, and I will need some experiments there. Right now my main issue, however, is build a versatile plattform and not the electronics package...
I have no doubts that this will be quite an expensive project, but then again I estimate years until completion, which will make the financial part manageable.

So, back to my original Question: Any suggestions on 3D CAD software?

[Kloef]

I use this one:

http://www.inivis.com/index.html

its a 2 week trail and looks pretty promising

And i got a tip from darkfish,he uses this:

http://www.misfitcode.com/misfitmodel3d/

I just started using them,still learning so i cant tell you much about it yet..

If you want real professional CAD software try Autocad,Autodesk Inventor or SolidWorks it does the job like no other especially Inventor's or SolidWorks rapid prototyping..you just build whatever you want virtually,all in 3D,you can choose material specifics so when you create something it will know its specifics(and display it graphically,wood looks like wood metal looks like metal),you can then assemble/disassemble all the parts together and make them move,rotate or act/react on each other and calculate stress/temperature levels etc,its also capable of detecting collisions between various parts..so you can create your ROV in a virtual space,add water,gravity and test its speed,drag,diving ability,durability etc and make a video animation or assembly animations actually showing the assembly sequence..before you actually build it.Cars,Aircraft and subs too are designed and build like this these days.

This process is cheaper and faster then traditional methods where anything designed had to be cross referenced and checked,then put together,testing it and discovering somethings wrong,starting the whole process again etc. etc. no more headaches for us designers!

It looks like this:



Its not a screenshot of a picture,its a designed part in a 3D environment,i can rotate it,zoom/pan it,change it,create another part on it,assemble bolts and other parts so i can look at the completed project and animate its movements,record them in a movie and present them to the costumer,send the drawings to the machine shop etc..

When you are finished you can create drawings and material lists and calculate the costs,the weight etc..it has a database of iso materials like bolts,nuts,rings,washers etc..

You could also try Autocad LT,you can download a 30 day trail version on their site:

http://usa.autodesk.com/


This program is very accurate and will create nice work/construction drawings,i've been using it for years and its very user friendly,however unlike full Autocad it does not work in a 3D environment..

This can not be done with the open source software,i have never found anything close to this and for free and because you want to build something real and not in a game Inventor or SolidWorks would fit your project perfectly,the open source programs are nice but are just graphic representations in a 3d environment,nothing more...

[Chad]

This is an interesting topic because I do a lot of 3d work on models and such for mods and indie game projects, but never thought about doing it precise and so technical like how you were explaining things Kloef.

[Chuck U F4rley]

Kloef, thanks alot for your input! I have done some playing around with most of the software that is available in free or trail versions on the net, and you seem to be right, I will have to invest some money there. I suppose it is a good investment, though, since it will allow me to save both time and money on the actual ROV/AUV.

Thanks for your effort, much appreciated!

[Kloef]

Your welcome,let me know if you need more info

[XabbaRus]

You have left out the price

The latest version of SolidWorks costs £10,000 then you need a good PC with a proper CAD GFX Card, not a gaming card.

Inventor is cheaper at £5000

[Kloef]

There are more roads to Rome then the traditional 4 lane one...you buy an OEM version of an old version,or second hand.He will not be designing the new space shuttle,or maybe after the ROV he will...

On this site you can find some old OEM versions that do the work just fine:

http://talk-more.biz/s-Autodesk.php

Read the FAQ to be comfortable with the way ordering works,i'm not really sure about the legality of it,but if its ok this is a pearl,use at your own risk!

Or try ebay,i found some nice advertisements,like Inventor Suite 2009 for $800...

About the pc performance:

As long as you keep you parts database under 1000 parts it will be fine,providing you have a recent pc with enough graphic memory...i got a mate running it on a laptop with a 8600M GS 512mb,runs just fine..

[SilentAngel]

In my schooltime I used Inventor.
I guess I can recommend it.