I'd like to design a box, focusing on each side separately. However, I'd like to design it all in MoI so I know the pieces fit together correctly. Then I need to machine each piece with my CNC machine, and it will need to process one side at a time. What is the best way to break the design apart so I can machine it? Can I cut and paste each side into a new file? Or is there an easier way?

Hi Alligator, I guess it kind of depends on how you're going to cut it... If your going to be making each side as a kind of separate slab that all fit together it might be good to model the object to be made up of those slabs with one separate slab solid object piece per side, maybe all carved out from some common starting block so you know that they are connecting properly but as separate solids that are just sitting next to each other.

You can then select one object at a time and use File > Export to write out just that selected object to a new file.

If getting a non-solid surface is ok for your CAM software you could use Edit > Separate to break apart a single solid into surface pieces and then export each of those separately too...

- Michael

Is your CAM software 2d and 3d capable?

You'd prepare it for machining in an entirely different way between 2d and 3d, depending on what kind of shape you box turns out to be - sometimes a combination of methods is needed, so a picture of your design might help us to advise you.

Generally though, much more than 50% of things can be machined by using the 2d method, but 3d stuff is best employed for curvy shapes such as cars, coat-of-arms and computer mice types of shape etc.

So for 2d, you'd probably want to create a 2d outline shape from the edges of a solid and project it to the X,Y plane, from which, most CAM software would import these curves for machining as a DXF file.


Martin (2).

I have attached a photo of the simple box I want to build. I added all six sides so I knew everything would fit together correctly. Now, I just need to break apart each side so I can import the file into MeshCAM so I can tell my CNC machine to cut each part. This is really 2.5D since I have some rounded edges.

If you're cutting the box from sheet material, then this really is a 2d machining job.

From memory, MeshCAM is designed to work with STL files for 3d jobs and its capability is pretty limited for 2d work, so in my opinion, is not ideal for this particular project.

I use CamBam as my main CAM system, which would be a good choice in this instance, as it has an edge treatment for corner rounding built into its 2d Profile Machining Operation and would make it much easier to do.



Martin (2).

Hi Alligator,

> Now, I just need to break apart each side so I can import the file into MeshCAM so I can tell my CNC machine to cut each part.

Is it currently all one single joined object?

If so then you can break that apart by selecting it and running Edit > Separate, that will take your one big single object and break it into individual surfaces. Then you might want to select the surfaces that belong to just one side and use Edit > Join to glue just those pieces together.

But basically Edit > Separate is a tool you can use for breaking apart a single object into separate individual surface pieces... I'm not entirely sure if that's exactly what you really want to do though, just looking at your object it's not clear to me whether you've got everything joined together into one solid right now or whether each side is a separate object already...

- Michael