Yes, I have looked at these. The big problem for me is this is all a foreign language to me.
I see where I have drawn the 3d image incorrectly so I am making progress.
I will try to post a picture of my progress Tue afternoon when I get to be back in the shop.

Tony

Ok, I spent my lunch hr searching out these software packages. I am not finding info on who makes the Silo 3d or the price. I am seeing where it looks like it will blend well with Vectrics cut 3D however. Any suggestions on where to look for price and purchasing info.

Tony

Right now, hexagon is free in February. It does a good job of saving stl's. daz3d is the company that has it.

Hi Tony,

> I will try to post a picture of my progress Tue afternoon
> when I get to be back in the shop.

Also if you need help with a particular model, please keep in mind that the best thing to post is the actual 3DM file which contains your whole 3D model file, not just a screenshot.

It's a lot easier to see what's going on by examining your actual geometry because I can do stuff like rotate around and look at it from different angles and zoom in to various portions which I'm not able to do with just a static screenshot. It's also easier to then use your file to show you what you need to do.

- Michael

Hi Tony,

> I am not finding info on who makes the Silo 3d or the price.

It's made by a company called Nevercenter, the product page for it is here: http://www.nevercenter.com/silo/


And like Burr says, there's a different sub-d modeler called Hexagon which is available for free at this moment, I think it's a special until the end of the month, so grab that from here: http://www.daz3d.com

- Michael

Do you know if the silo version is compatable with cut 3D?
I will try to send a picture of what I accomplish Tue afternoon in the form you have advised.

Tony

Hi Tony, Silo can export to an STL file so you should be able to use that method for taking a model in Silo into Cut 3D.

- Michael

Ok, I hope this comes thru. What I am going for is the back 8" of my project for now.
When viewed from behind, I used arc and elipse to get the shape. (The final size from the back will be 5"x1.9". The front view I drew for 7" forward where the size will be 3.5" by 1.5" From the top left edge I slanted 2.5 degrees toward centerline toward the front while the bottom left slanted 11 degrees toward the front centerline.


After I get this figured out, I will move to the next part of the project and learn how to shape it.

Tony

Its a good start.
The model appears to be flat, 2dimensional only.

Yep, Flat! I am not figuring out how to make it 3D.
Also, is it in Cut3D that I enter the distance and slant angles or do I need to do that in Moi?

Tony

Hi Tony

It is my understanding, that first, a 3D model is created, in MoI for example.
The 3D model is imported into Cut3D, using the correct file type, one that Cut3D can read.
Cut3D creates the tool paths, (gcode), using the 3Dmodel, which tells the CNC machine how to move the cutter blade.
The piece of wood has to be mounted in the correct orientation, and turned over, with proper alignment "holes/pins", to cut the 2sides, (or 4 sides.)

I believe there is quite a learning curve, with practice on some cheaper medium, say mdf, medium density fiber board, or some rigid foam...

(I have Aspire, a similar program to Cut3D, but have not spent much time learning how to use it.)

The fixtures to hold the wood and turn it over to do both sides are made and working well for when I run the router manually.
I have blocks of scraps ready to go in the fixtures for when I have it ready for a test run. Getting the back portion of the stock shaped fairly close will start saving me time compared to how I make these currently.
The block now is to get the shape in 3d and fairly close in size and shape, then on to cut3D.
My understanding of the Moi, then to cut 3D for editing and then on the Mach3 for guiding the machine is like yours. But I have no first hand experience with these programs-or much on basic file save and move steps.

Tony

Hi Tony

Here is a reference to a stock: http://www.cnczone.com/forums/rhino_3d/32789-rifle_stock.html
Note all the red cross sections.
You could measure your stock prototype, with respect to some reference lines/planes, like the butt end, "centerline", angles, etc ...
And then create a bunch of cross sections, to be entered into MoI, with the correct dimensions...

Here's a quick look at your file:

Thank you!!!! I am looking forward to getting a early start in the morning trying the steps you show. Very helpful!

Tony

Hi Tony, yeah Burr has done a great job showing how you need to arrange your curves in order to produce the loft you want, thanks very much Burr for the video!

- Michael

I practiced for a while this am. I see some time getting the feel for these tools. Saw several things I was doing wrong and corrected them. Still several steps, like rotating the objects and sizing, I need to practice more tonight. Burr, you made it look so easy and fast. Gives me encouragement.

Tony

Well, I never thought I would ask this but here it goes. I am not getting the time to practice drawing the things I need to get them turning out right. Do you know who I could talk to about sending a sample to have it drawn so I could load it in the next program (Cut 3D)? I realize whoever would be willing to help will need to see what I am doing before they would have a idea of what it would cost. I am getting farther behind than expected learning how to do these things mostly due to my lack of basic computer skills.

Thanks

Tony

Hi Tony,

> Do you know who I could talk to about sending a sample to have
> it drawn so I could load it in the next program (Cut 3D)?

I don't myself know who you would contact for that, you could try to just post a new topic here in the forum asking to hire someone to do some modeling for you.

You might try looking on http://grabcad.com/ to see if someone there has some experience in modeling the kind of stuff that you want to do and then contact them through that site to see if they are interested in doing contract work.

- Michael

Thanks for the suggestions.
Question- On post 25 is a drawing I attempted that had the cut out shape. If I wanted to just draw it to cut the rough 2D shape, would this work? What tools would I use to get the outline drawn accurately for cutting?

Thanks

Tony