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Newbie Question About Designing Before Building

Discussion in 'General Talk' started by Alex E, Jan 1, 2021.

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  1. Alex E

    Alex E New
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    Hi there!

    This is the first time I'm posting here, and really the first time that I'm doing anything with open builds. Like anyone doing anything, I like to plan ahead before spending the money. I have an idea in my head, and some quickly drawn sketches of what I want to build, and I'd like to model it in a CAD program.

    I tried AutoCAD and Autodesk Inventor, and I downloaded the SolidWorks files for linear rails, gantry carts, and cube connectors. It's probably my inexperience with the programs, but I'm having a really hard time assembling my vision with these parts in either of them.

    How do you usually design? What programs do you use? How do you get things to fit together? What's your process?

    Thanks!
     
  2. David the swarfer

    David the swarfer OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

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    Christian James likes this.
  3. Giarc

    Giarc OpenBuilds Team
    Staff Member Moderator Builder Resident Builder

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    Another option for Autodesk Fusion 360 is the .step parts here. STEP Parts Library I started with Sketchup back in 2015, but for some reason my brain works better with Fusion. Lining up parts seems easier.
     

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