looking for 3d software to pre-design with before going to the bandsaw ??

[Benjimin Young]

I am looking for a 3d drawing software package that will allow me to plan out 3d cuts before I go to my bandsaw. An example of what I want to do is:
Draw a 3d cube
draw cut lines on one face of the cube
turn the cube 90 degree and draw cut lines on that face
virtuall cut the cube on both faces, virtually disaseemble it (as if I had cut both sides completely through with a bandsaw) and see the result
I do this from time to time on the bandsaw and think it would be a great idea to first pracice on the computer

limitations
I do not use cad or drawing software (yet)
I am looking for a reasonable fast learning curve (easy to learn)
free or inexpensive to buy as it is just a hobby

any suggestions?

thanks Ben

[Mike Hollis]

I am still learning how to use it, but Google's Sketchup may do what you need. There is a good selection of tutorial videos at www.sketchupforwoodworkers.com

Hope this helps,

Mike

[glenn bradley]

There are "plane" tools for SU that allow this sort of thing. I find intersecting solids and then deleting the "waste" to be fairly effective as I have the free version. I am not a Sketch Up teacher but, their site and forums have lots of good info,

[Dave Richards]

Ben, I would third the suggestion of trying SketchUp for this. I drew these reindeer in SketchUp starting with a block and cutting away the waste.

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2801/4177107171_b2e6f64030_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8294157@N08/4177107171/)

The tree and the text were also done in SketchUp.

http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4002/4177728846_71425f01c9_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8294157@N08/4177728846/)

For these reindeer I started with the 2D lines someone else drew and traced them in SketchUp.

This can be done with the free version quite easily although the pro version has tools to make it even easier. Another thing you might do is start with a shape and reverse engineer it back to a block so you can determine the layout of the cuts needed to make the thing.

By the way, Mike, SketchUp hasn't belonged to Google since June. It is now Trimble's SketchUp. ;)

[Benjimin Young]

Thanks again..
The reindeer thing is exactly the kind of thing I want to do and Sketch up is intuitive but it looks like I have some learning to do to figure out how to "cut away" the waste. I tired creating a 4" cube and then drawing a 2" diameter circle on tow 248767intersecting sides of the cube. I can cut away the circles but I cannot leave the circles and cut away the corners; this software is addictive.....

[Dave Richards]

Take a look at this:

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8358/8304039524_a4c6e52228_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8294157@N08/8304039524/)

From left to right, top to bottom.


Your cube with circles* drawn on neighboring faces. I colored one face pink but that's only for the example.
Copy the pink face out away from the cube using the Move/Copy tool. Make sure you go straight out when you move the copy. Delete the circle on the surface of the cube.
Use Push/Pull to push away the waste on the cube. This is your first bandsaw cut.
Push the other face through the cylinder. The actual distance doesn't matter as long as it gets pushed past the cylinder. If you look closely, you'll see that there is no edge (line) where the cylinder passes though the wall of the hole.
Select all of the geometry, right click and choose Intersect Faces>With Selected. The edges will be created at the intersections of the hole and cylinder.
Get the eraser tool and erase the unneeded edges leaving the results of the second cut.


This is the process I used on the reindeer and also on this bench...

http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2397/2199715737_c6e2b0fba9_z.jpg?zz=1 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8294157@N08/2199715737/)

...and to create these ogee feet
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7636014456_792797d948_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/8294157@N08/7636014456/)

*When you draw circles in SketchUp make sure you drag out the radii along an axis. The radius should show as red, green or blue based upon the axis you are dragging along. If you are sloppy and drag the radius off in any old direction, you'll create frustration and more work for yourself.