Newby Question - Projecting 3d geometry to a 2d sketch

Knotty_Jim

Hi,

Just got BricsCAD Mechanical after having used Inventor for a number of years.

I have a question I have been trying to find answers to, but haven't been able to solve. Undoubtedly this will be a product of how i have modeled everything or my newbyness, but i'm at a loss.

I would like to project 3d geometry to a 2d sketch on a face of another 3d solid in order to extrude some holes (as I would have in inventor), but for the life of me i cant find a way to do this as the 'project geometry' command works the opposite way in BricsCAD (2d to 3d).

Is this possible? or do i adjust the way i work to get around it?

To give an example, I have three beams side by side with bolt holes in them, i have a common flange at the head of a pillar which bolts them together, i have modeled the beams in relation to the structure they are supporting (as components), I want to trace the bolting pattern to the pillar flange (modeled as an entity), but cant seem to find a way to do this. I can work out all the measurements and extrude holes into the flange manually, but I would prefer just to be able to trace them onto the flange from the actual geometry. Any tips?

Many thanks in advance!

Michael Mayer

I'm not sure if I really got the problem.

But you should be able to select Object's Surfaces (Beam ends)
and "extend to nearest" direct modeling command.
This should works with target Object being perpendicular, sloped
or rounded, spherical.

So by copying these touching faces, you should get the projected
"2D" (but maybe not planar) Geometry, aligned to your target Solid's
Geometry.
You could use those with DMEXTRUDE to all kind of cut or extend
the target Solid.

Just that AFAIK,
Extrude will only work perpendicular to the source 2D Element,
for more complex, non planar Shapes even arbitrarily perpendicular
to the position where your Cursor currently hovers.
But at least those Faces on your target Solid should be proper aligned
and show where Holes would intrude in profile.
But maybe there is also a way to just flatten these Faces, along a UCS.

avc

For direct modeling, in most cases, you do not need to spend time getting projected curves. Simulate directly with solids. If you need a hole, simulate the cylinder and subtract it. If you need to subtract many holes through several solids at once, there is my AVC_Drill plugin (available in the Bricsys store) for such a case. Such a complex approach as you use makes sense only for building a heavy parametric model for many products of the same type, differing in several parameters. I think your beams are unlikely to be used again with different parameters - then don't complicate your life.
As a last resort, you can extract the edges of the solid or one of its faces (command _xedges)

Knotty_Jim

Thanks chaps, most of my stuff is one offs, i managed to use DMEXTRUDE to solve this as mike suggested, but the actual problem turned out to be the flange which i had converted to component, wouldn't extrude through the component, once i brought this back to an entity, it worked fine. Guess i'm used to the complicated life coming from inventor when the solution was very simple. Many thanks for your answers, and sorry to ask such basic questions - still getting to grips with direct modeling!.

Michael Mayer

Many thanks for your answers, and sorry to ask such basic questions - still getting to grips with direct modeling!.

There are no dumb questions,
even if I missed the problem I got a bit deeper into Bricscad.
Each Software works different.
It is great to have a CAD background but you have to get a feeling for how
your current App works. I am also just a part time Bricscad user just testing
beside real work in Vectorworks and Cinema4D for now.
It is always interesting and fascinating when users coming from other apps,
who miss their workflows, misuse the new App in an unintended and creative
way to do their work.
This will bring forward developers as well as other familiar users.