What program is best for designing a case?

Ninja Please!

Ninja Please!

Ninja Please!

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Joined
18 Mar 2009
Posts
876
Location
Indiana, United States.
Hey mates,
I personally know 3 people who work at different machine shops. Since I'm not getting any suggestions on a good case I decided I wanted to try to make my own. I want to know what some good apps are for designing a case that I could take to my friends machine shop and have made. Of course, I plan on extensively playing around on it to get a good design before I have it made.
 
Thanks. Downloading it now, and will play with it later.
I'm wanting a double wide, mid to full sized case. Possible 2 triple fan rads on the top. I guess I should start sketching now...
 
I'll put some hand drawn sketches up later. Figured since I'm at work might as well get an idea so when I do get to the sketchup program I don't draw blanks.

Also will try to include a sketch of my design logo (depends if my lazy artist friend will actually come through for me today).

As far as when it will be built, I can tell you I will easily get it ready for a machine shop to build, but depending on how much it will actually cost them to make it will be a large factor of when it will be built. It's not a rush project so it will at the soonest be ready by mid fall (conveniently when my student loan check arrives). I will start a new thread that will soon be lost in the dust until it's updated. Before I start an entire thread dedicated to this project, I want to at least get the official design done up on sketchup.

Perhaps someone out there could tell me how much they got charged for a machine shop to complete a design for them?

--Actually I'll start the thread when I put my hand sketches up because I want advice or obvious flaws to be pointed out before I get too far into it...
 
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Okay sketchup isn't too bad, but terrible for user friendliness and the free version has restrictions. Is there any CAD program someone could point me to that would be better? I don't mind paying but I would prefer something that was a little more user friendly. I'm fumbling and stumbling my way around sketchup and at this pace it could be a while before I finish the design.

I just feel a proper CAD program that was purchased will have more of a help menu or turorial to go along with it. I'm hoping I don't need to take a class on this in order to draft.

Thanks in advance..

Update....

Actually sketchup is pretty decent for now, I should have some drafts soon.
 
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I got the free sketchup earlier, watched videos, tutorials and what not but still cant get my head round it.

Personally id rather do sketches on design paper and perfect it or find an easier program :P

Good luck with your design though d00d
 
Okay i don't have nearly enough to dedicate a whole thread to this but here are some real rough sketches. The logo is the best one my friend could come up with while we were at work but he supposedly is still working on it. The last is the frame of my case done on sketchup. Measurements are rough and this is really for a visual. I'm still tinkering with sketchup.

 
Id recommend solid edge. Pretty straightforward in use, and comes with extensive tutorials for anything that isn't intuitive. It's a stripped down version of NX. Not so hot at mechanisms, but very good for drawing 3D parts and assembling them.

Probably cant feed it into CNC, what format do they need it in?
If you go with steel, I wish you luck moving it around :)
 
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