The final product will probably not turn out to work so well... But should be cool as hell to see this made. I will post pics if we can get it machined.

My brother-in-law designed a compound bow (similar to his Mathews, but more with the looking cool) in a 3D rendering / CAD program in college. He's working an internship at a company whose shop supervisor offered to make it. Out of a solid aluminum billet and using for-real carbon fiber for the limbs. :eek:

Apparently mr. supervisor is also an avid bowhunter. ;)

So... his program is incompatible with the software used by their CNC machines. He needs it converted, and the only way he's got to do so, is to use a program he's never touched in their shop. And the shop guys are somewhat protective of their equipment. Understandably.

So once I get home and can pull up the email, I'll link the file he has, and post his email listing what format he needs it in, and the issues their having getting it there. Apprently it's in IGEF (???) format currently.

Anyone out there who *might* be able to help once more details are posted, please drop by this post later on.

Probably IGES format. I might be able to help, I use Autocad 2010, Solidworks 09, and Mastercam X2. Between them I should be able to convert as needed...

I can do IGES to anything...

sounds like you've got it covered....but I could prolly help too.

--B

I can probably pull off any Pro-e, Inventor or solidworks you need looks like you have it covered, but just throwing my hat in

Somehow I had a feeling there'd be a minimum of three replies when I checked in tonight.

And I called two of 'em before you guys even posted. :D

Here's his email:

I created a Autodesk Maya 2008 3D Compound Bow. I just recently got the opportunity to 'mill' it out of a solid piece of aluminum for free. It would be awesome to see my riser for the bow in full form. I found out that my friend is running Autodesk Inventor 2009, also with ESprit, and AutoCad.

I exported a .iges from Maya and it opened fine in Autodesk Inventor, except that it was only a wireframe. He can aparently do nothing with just a wire frame. I have tried everything. I can export to a few different formats, but it seems all of them are wireframe once in Inventor.
I need to bow riser to be a complete solid object in order for the machine to read it.

My friend said that a .stl or a STEP would be the best, but I cannot export to that. I currently have a (.mb)(.iges)(.obj)(.iv) ad can go to some more if nessecary.

I thought about buying the program just to be able to re-create the bow in Inventor just to be able to physically create it.

I would greatly appreciate any help...I would be glad to export to anything you need as long as I have the capability.

-Kevin

He attached a Zip file with the variously formatted drawings included. I've hosted it here:
http://home.off-road.com/~mithrandir/bow_files.zip

I can't check any of my own email accounts at work, so sending it to me will add a day to the file-conversion process. If you can get it to the format he needs, please email it directly to him at kgwh1 [at] aol.com (no-clicky email address to keep the spam away).

Thanks for the help. :beer: :beer: :beer:

BTT For the morning rush... It's fallen off the first page.

I can process any 3d file on my computer. I run Solidworks 2004 and Inventor 11. What does he need it saved as?

From what his email seems to indicate (quoted above)... It sounds like .stl or STEP would be best? It needs to open in Autodesk Inventor as a complete solid object, and not just a wire frame.

<--- Not CAD savvy, mmmkay?

you got a PM

Wow he needs to start over. His translator either fawked up or he sucks at life. He's not even square to his work axis or near the origin. I'm gunna try a few things but if he was going to try to use that for his first run I can see why he was going to have problems

It may be the conversion, but there is no dimmensional data or anything included in the iges file.

It is simply a bunch of lines that dont match up to the cordinate system or even make much sense in any plane.

I think he needs to start over in a 3d modeling system designed for this application. (inventor, pro-e or solidworks)

From what his email seems to indicate (quoted above)... It sounds like .stl or STEP would be best? It needs to open in Autodesk Inventor as a complete solid object, and not just a wire frame.

<--- Not CAD savvy, mmmkay?



Did anyone figure this out for you?


Autodesk's Maya, is a 3D Modeling package, much like 3D Studio Max. It is very different from a Solid Modeling CAD program, like SW, Inventor, Pro-E..ect.


The reason it is importing as a wire frame model in a Solid Modeling Program, is because Maya models in Polygons, or sometimes NURBS.


In my opinion, the model will have to be recreated in a solid CAD program before it can be manufactured.


One way to think of it, is that Maya, 3DS Max, Blender are mainly used for video games/animations. Solid Modeling Programs, like SW, Inventor, Pro-E, CATIA, are used for manufacturing.


If I had the time, I would recreate the model in SW for you. Perhaps someone else on here can do it.


-Tim

Well... That makes sense. Thanks. :)

Maya isn't designed to model a part for manufaturing, but for a totally different application entirely... which explains why he's having a hard time getting it to work. Gotcha.

If anyone has the time and inclination to play with it and re-do it in solidworks or Inventor, that would be great. But I don't assume that you're all dying to waste half a workday playing with it. If we can't get it cut, then we can't do it.

why cant he extrude the wire frame in Inventor and make it a solid? seems faster to do that than to try and have people convert from one form of CAD to another, not knowing how it will come out.

Autodesk is notorious for dropping critical information out of a file when it gets converted to another file extension.

That being said i run ACAD Civil 3D 09 and i can convert to .stl.

sometimes some prep work is needed before a conversion, but i think DocHoliday may have already tried that? Me and 300sniper had some similar issues trying to get a file converted for his CNC machine....

why cant he extrude the wire frame in Inventor and make it a solid? seems faster to do that than to try and have people convert from one form of CAD to another, not knowing how it will come out.
.

Think of it like this

When you paint a picture of a valley, you really don't have much reference for the size of stuff(or any at all)

The bow is a painted picture

When I draw something to be manufactured I have to specify dimensions to every line.

You can't extrude solids from something that has no dimension

Think of it like this

When you paint a picture of a valley, you really don't have much reference for the size of stuff(or any at all)

The bow is a painted picture

When I draw something to be manufactured I have to specify dimensions to every line.

You can't extrude solids from something that has no dimension

well of course i understand that. and now i know that by "wireframe" he means a 2D wireframe and not a 3D wireframe.

to me if you have a solid that is now in a wireframe state, that it would still be a 3D wireframe.

well of course i understand that. and now i know that by "wireframe" he means a 2D wireframe and not a 3D wireframe.

to me if you have a solid that is now in a wireframe state, that it would still be a 3D wireframe.


If that were the case, then yes.

Maya doesn't create solid models of anything... It's polygon based modeling.
It's basically a shell that you are creating, by manipulating polygons.


-Tim

It is as useful as a ms.paint file as far as manufacturing goes. He needs a CAD system (D=Drafting) to use. Or at least throw a dimensioned object in there. Would still need to be completely recreated. I would suggest solidworks, or Pro-e, there are student versions sometimes available.

I would be willing to throw it into a model, but I will need more information like dimmensions. I could just pull something out of my ass that looks like it, but it will not be right. If he can print a PDF or something out of maya that has all the dimmensions, it does not look like it would be that difficult to turn into a solid model or a merged assembly.

ETA. of course i would require some pictures of the end product for my time.

I would be willing to throw it into a model, but I will need more information like dimmensions. I could just pull something out of my ass that looks like it, but it will not be right. If he can print a PDF or something out of maya that has all the dimmensions, it does not look like it would be that difficult to turn into a solid model or a merged assembly.

ETA. of course i would require some pictures of the end product for my time.


He can't create a PDF or DWG or DXF or any other formal CAD file, because Maya isn't a CAD program.

There are no set dimensions to any of it. No solid data.


Have you ever used a program like Maya or 3DS Max? To model, you literally click and drag small polygons around to create the part. It's VERY different than using a CAD program.



-Tim

nope, never used it. A hand drawing with some general dimminsions would even work. I can extrapolate from there.

nope, never used it. A hand drawing with some general dimminsions would even work. I can extrapolate from there.

So while I do bitch work at the office you get to design bows. Thanks