Idea for project... with CAD drawings... feedback please...

I'm a bit confused by the drawing. Is this intended as artwork / aethetics (in which case it makes a fair amount of sense) or as a practical system that easily accomodates hardware changes?

There's potential from a practical perspective which I think you're falling short of. One of the biggest irritations with watercooling is for people who change graphics cards frequently. To a lesser extent the same issue occurs when changing a watercooled motherboard while intending to keep the same gpu and cpu block. Specifically, some cleverness with valves &/or quick disconnect fittings would allow you to unplug any given component from the loop while leaving the rest of the system unchanged. This can be made approximately elegant by countersinking most of the disconnect into the base, so you can undo the two connectors and take the graphics card out.

In a similar vein, there's no good reason to mount the reservoir next to the motherboard, or to use a large one at all. A smaller one in the base means fewer tubes to worry about when changing components.

You haven't drawn any cables, I imagine there are holes cut near the motherboard with cables routed through? Perhaps consider mounting a range of sockets to the board, such as a 24 pin atx & a few pci-e ones, connected out of sight to the psu. Then have a small number of cables that connect these sockets to the system. Same idea as a modular psu, but with the sockets mounted in convenient places instead of on the back of the psu.

I think there are assembly issues too, if that's all acrylic then I think the base will weigh enough that it'll tend to shear off from the upright, and I wish you luck forming the beautiful sweeping curve near the top. That's hard to judge from the sketch. Ambitious for A level design... what sort of tools are available? A laser cutter would make a world of difference if that's all plastic.
 
In my defence, I am using the "design" version of max...

There are 2 versions, one focused on animation, effects etc etc.. and the other is called 3ds max design, which is more like a CAD program.

Do you know what the differences are???

Its not a design package, it never has been and never will be. Its for games design and animation and the new "design" version is slanted towards architechtural visualisation.

It has no real design features, it wont product production drawings, the dimensions are not accurate to CAD standards, it cant produce complex surfaces and draft angles for molding shapes - many many things missing because its intended for visualisation which it does very well. An engineering design tool it is not.
 
Never mind engstrom0304, you're only in the initial phase of your design - sketching out the possibilities for your project in their broadest sense.

Back in the day, it's what I'd have done on some scrap paper, then thrown away - instead of keeping it as 'supporting work' for the assessment of the project as a whole, as I suspect you are expected to do as it's a school thing.

Instead of using paper, it's all computers now, so use whatever you like for your 'roughing out'. After all, you're not designing a mission critical component of the international space station, subject to review by committee and subcontractors and stress analysis blah blah blah blah :rolleyes:

As you mentioned in your first reply to my joking post, the title blocks and elevations and detailed plans will come later.

Better to talk about the actual project than the means to visualise it; some are perhaps forgetting this is an A-level project, not some industry led product design.
 
Do you know what the differences are???

Its not a design package, it never has been and never will be. Its for games design and animation and the new "design" version is slanted towards architechtural visualisation.

It has no real design features, it wont product production drawings, the dimensions are not accurate to CAD standards, it cant produce complex surfaces and draft angles for molding shapes - many many things missing because its intended for visualisation which it does very well. An engineering design tool it is not.

Seriously, this is for an A-Level student. Who cares if the terminology is a bit off. Industry standard isn't required.
 
If you are going to do something, do it right or dont bother.

He is clearly interested in design, as someone who worked as in engineering design & visualisation for over 10 years my advice is to get it right from the start. Use the right terminology, work the right way and do it properly. The sooner he learns these things the better off he will be in the long term for any career, but particuarly one in design or engineering.
 
Sorry to say that it looks as though you've fallen into the trap that many design/technology students do. What your tutors will be looking for is for you to identify a problem, then come up with the best solution to that problem. What you appear to have done is decided what you want to make (in this case a nice, unconventional looking PC case) then tried to come up with a problem that it solves. For component testing you just don't want a small footprint, nice curves, watercooling and the motherboard at a jaunty angle you want simple and open construction that allows you to get to everything quickly and easily.

I've fallen into the same trap in the past, when I was at school I just wanted to build an RC car chassis from scratch, tried to justify it as some sort of vehicle for driving down pipelines and the whole thing turned out to be a crap project that got me crap marks.
 
If you are going to do something, do it right or dont bother.

He is clearly interested in design, as someone who worked as in engineering design & visualisation for over 10 years my advice is to get it right from the start. Use the right terminology, work the right way and do it properly. The sooner he learns these things the better off he will be in the long term for any career, but particuarly one in design or engineering.

God I hope I don't end up working with teams of people like you ..
 
If you are going to do something, do it right or dont bother.

He is clearly interested in design, as someone who worked as in engineering design & visualisation for over 10 years my advice is to get it right from the start. Use the right terminology, work the right way and do it properly. The sooner he learns these things the better off he will be in the long term for any career, but particuarly one in design or engineering.

All that may be quite so, but if you'll allow an observation: the way you present your case hardly makes for a welcoming introduction to the calibre of individual and communication a newcomer to the design and engineering process (particularly one not even set on this as a career as yet) is likely to encounter.
The way you come across is less than inclusive.

Faced with such a pedantic and argumentative attitude one could be forgiven for thinking all engineers are a humourless and inflexible individuals with souls of cold numbers and equations and limited social gratuity.
Not all engineering types are like that, but I've met plenty over the years who are.
 
Wow guys!! Ok I'll be sure in future to refer to max as a 3d visualisation software?? Would that be accepable? Haha!

Anyway... @trigger-happy, there is a radiator cut out grill... at the back...

Some people seem to be thinking that I am putting the radiator next to the motherboard, but not so, it is at the back at the bottom.

To be honest... I'll probably leave this to A2 and go for a much simpler project... like lights or something! We have very good equipment.... laser cutter and cnc milling machines etc etc... So would be doable for A2...

Sorry if I offended anyone by the way!
 
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