You can use blender like Sketch Up in a real world design context for 3D printing or as I have used it, in the context of 1:1 scaled design prints applied directly to plywood for cutting out the design component parts.
This tutorial gives provides some basic useful starting principles in working up to a design mock up:
Difficulty Level/Pre requisites: (somewhat experienced in Blender...should know how to navigate Edit and Object mode, should know how to select between edges, vertices, and faces in Edit Mode, should know where Transform Orientation box is)
Covered in this tutorial:
-Precision numeric design working principles in Blender
-Previous research to have in mind before diving in...
-Use of unit system in design translation.
- Translating pre requisite data for overall dimension specification to a given starting geometry (in this case a plane)
- Build the pedal board geometry. I don't cover repeating steps (procedural) but at least demonstrate, for instance, the process of adding a switch hole to the mesh design. This is useful if you
want to cut into your mesh some geometry which is more smooth and continuous-like geometry (e.g., drill holes for component parts like switches, pentiometers, and so forth)
Things not covered:
-Subdividing the board into convenient easy to access component parts which then can be orthographically projection rendered (see previous Tutorial in this posting series on my blog site).
-More sophisticated anatomically correct model accounting for media type used (i.e., incorporating wall thickness of say the plywood stock that you intend to use for the prototype in the mesh model).
Handy Blender Hotkey functions (used for this tutorial):
Transform viewport view (with mouse): Hold the middle mouse button down and drag mouse, or use numeric buttons (4,8,6,2).
Align view to selected object (with mouse cursor over the 3D View viewport window) press '.'
Top down view (in 3D view) press 7
All transform operations and extrusion have similar option inputs as follows:
(optional: single toggle + 'x' or 'y' or 'z' to global axis restriction or double toggling 'x' or 'y' or 'z' restriction to a selected transform orientation...also hitting shift+'x' restricts transform/extrusion to yz plane or shift + 'y' restricts transform/extrusion to xz plane or shift + 'z' restricts transform/extrusion to xy plane) + optional : other transform type (you can mix and match for instance Scaled Extrusions by pressing 'E' + 'S' + other optionals) + optional : numpad entry for numerically controlling transform/extrusion as opposed to providing mouse input..
Box Select (either in Edit or Object Mode) : B + mouse input boundaries (left mouse button to confirm boundaries)
Circle Select (either in Edit or Object Mode) : C + optional (middle mouse button rolling to increase
or decrease radius of selection boundary...optional left mouse button to select ...optional middle mouse button pressed to deselect
Translation/Move (either Edit or Object Mode): G + optionals mentioned above.
Scale (either Edit or Object mode) 'S' + optionals mentioned above.
Align Object to Transform Orientation: Object selected in 'Object' Mode, select Object > Transform > Align Object to Transform Orientation:
Converting a Bezier Object to a Mesh Object: With object selected Alt + C
Extruding (Edit mode) : 'E' + optionals mentioned above.
Joining any added mesh object to another: Select the first object (Object Mode), then hold the shift key and right mouse button select the second object. Then hit Ctrl + 'J'.
Cursor Snapping: In this tutorial, I do use cursor snapping to a given face especially in rapidly finding geometric centers. For instance, selecting a face (Edit Mode) on the object, and then selecting Mesh > Snap (or Shift + S) > Cursor to Selected allows for selecting the face centroid rapidly on such mesh object. This in turn can be used when adding any new object type and snapping it into a given coordinate position rapidly (e.g., with the newly added object selected in Object mode use path Object > Snap (or Shift + S) > Selection to Cursor.
Tip for numeric entry and precision matching a desired input measurement with transform/extrusion operations:
I frequently use the backspace to go left (back out of ) the existing digit placement on the mantissa.
Work sequentially on the mantissa as you input numerically a transform/extrusion starting from on the left side of the mantissa working right. The method for numeric correspondence between a numeric transform can be honed in like a newton's method procedure whereby if you have a precise measurement, you are looking for a lower and upper boundary values where the min and max range is above and below a desired measure, select the min value at that position on the mantissa...(e.g. you find that .4 is the min and .5 is the max for providing a range of values below and above the desired precise transform measurement), so select .4 and then proceed selecting '5' yielding .45 for the next digit on the mantissa. If this is too high, select '4' yielding .44 and so forth until finding the lower boundary, or conversely selecting '6' yielding .46 and so forth until finding the upper boundary and repeat the procedure until honing in precisely (or range tolerance) on the desired measure.
Tips on Imperial versus Metrics which should I use? Problem with Blender...Blender uses decimal (base10) measurements for Feet for any length measure greater than a foot while anything less than a foot uses a decimal measure for inches. Inches are implicit but not converted from feet ...for instance, 1 feet 6 inches is expressed in Blender as 1.5 feet. Problem: you'll have to convert between decimal feet measure for any sub feet lengths to inches. Working in Imperial units may require some added conversion work relative to the metric system if you do decide to stick with Imperial units. SketchUp I believe does make it easier when designing in Imperial units using feet inches readings as opposed to decimal feet or decimal inches readings alone. So, in Blender, I personally use Google or some convenient Imperial to Metric conversion utility and sticking with Metric in Blender unless as stated you have all your measures converted to decimal feet units in Imperial units and not Feet inches units.
This tutorial gives provides some basic useful starting principles in working up to a design mock up:
Difficulty Level/Pre requisites: (somewhat experienced in Blender...should know how to navigate Edit and Object mode, should know how to select between edges, vertices, and faces in Edit Mode, should know where Transform Orientation box is)
Covered in this tutorial:
-Precision numeric design working principles in Blender
-Previous research to have in mind before diving in...
-Use of unit system in design translation.
- Translating pre requisite data for overall dimension specification to a given starting geometry (in this case a plane)
- Build the pedal board geometry. I don't cover repeating steps (procedural) but at least demonstrate, for instance, the process of adding a switch hole to the mesh design. This is useful if you
want to cut into your mesh some geometry which is more smooth and continuous-like geometry (e.g., drill holes for component parts like switches, pentiometers, and so forth)
Things not covered:
-Subdividing the board into convenient easy to access component parts which then can be orthographically projection rendered (see previous Tutorial in this posting series on my blog site).
-More sophisticated anatomically correct model accounting for media type used (i.e., incorporating wall thickness of say the plywood stock that you intend to use for the prototype in the mesh model).
Handy Blender Hotkey functions (used for this tutorial):
Transform viewport view (with mouse): Hold the middle mouse button down and drag mouse, or use numeric buttons (4,8,6,2).
Align view to selected object (with mouse cursor over the 3D View viewport window) press '.'
Top down view (in 3D view) press 7
All transform operations and extrusion have similar option inputs as follows:
(optional: single toggle + 'x' or 'y' or 'z' to global axis restriction or double toggling 'x' or 'y' or 'z' restriction to a selected transform orientation...also hitting shift+'x' restricts transform/extrusion to yz plane or shift + 'y' restricts transform/extrusion to xz plane or shift + 'z' restricts transform/extrusion to xy plane) + optional : other transform type (you can mix and match for instance Scaled Extrusions by pressing 'E' + 'S' + other optionals) + optional : numpad entry for numerically controlling transform/extrusion as opposed to providing mouse input..
Box Select (either in Edit or Object Mode) : B + mouse input boundaries (left mouse button to confirm boundaries)
Circle Select (either in Edit or Object Mode) : C + optional (middle mouse button rolling to increase
or decrease radius of selection boundary...optional left mouse button to select ...optional middle mouse button pressed to deselect
Translation/Move (either Edit or Object Mode): G + optionals mentioned above.
Scale (either Edit or Object mode) 'S' + optionals mentioned above.
Align Object to Transform Orientation: Object selected in 'Object' Mode, select Object > Transform > Align Object to Transform Orientation:
Converting a Bezier Object to a Mesh Object: With object selected Alt + C
Extruding (Edit mode) : 'E' + optionals mentioned above.
Joining any added mesh object to another: Select the first object (Object Mode), then hold the shift key and right mouse button select the second object. Then hit Ctrl + 'J'.
Cursor Snapping: In this tutorial, I do use cursor snapping to a given face especially in rapidly finding geometric centers. For instance, selecting a face (Edit Mode) on the object, and then selecting Mesh > Snap (or Shift + S) > Cursor to Selected allows for selecting the face centroid rapidly on such mesh object. This in turn can be used when adding any new object type and snapping it into a given coordinate position rapidly (e.g., with the newly added object selected in Object mode use path Object > Snap (or Shift + S) > Selection to Cursor.
Tip for numeric entry and precision matching a desired input measurement with transform/extrusion operations:
I frequently use the backspace to go left (back out of ) the existing digit placement on the mantissa.
Work sequentially on the mantissa as you input numerically a transform/extrusion starting from on the left side of the mantissa working right. The method for numeric correspondence between a numeric transform can be honed in like a newton's method procedure whereby if you have a precise measurement, you are looking for a lower and upper boundary values where the min and max range is above and below a desired measure, select the min value at that position on the mantissa...(e.g. you find that .4 is the min and .5 is the max for providing a range of values below and above the desired precise transform measurement), so select .4 and then proceed selecting '5' yielding .45 for the next digit on the mantissa. If this is too high, select '4' yielding .44 and so forth until finding the lower boundary, or conversely selecting '6' yielding .46 and so forth until finding the upper boundary and repeat the procedure until honing in precisely (or range tolerance) on the desired measure.
Tips on Imperial versus Metrics which should I use? Problem with Blender...Blender uses decimal (base10) measurements for Feet for any length measure greater than a foot while anything less than a foot uses a decimal measure for inches. Inches are implicit but not converted from feet ...for instance, 1 feet 6 inches is expressed in Blender as 1.5 feet. Problem: you'll have to convert between decimal feet measure for any sub feet lengths to inches. Working in Imperial units may require some added conversion work relative to the metric system if you do decide to stick with Imperial units. SketchUp I believe does make it easier when designing in Imperial units using feet inches readings as opposed to decimal feet or decimal inches readings alone. So, in Blender, I personally use Google or some convenient Imperial to Metric conversion utility and sticking with Metric in Blender unless as stated you have all your measures converted to decimal feet units in Imperial units and not Feet inches units.
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