hey guys,
i was thinking of designing my cage in AutoCad i was wondering if anyone has done so. or even designed up any parts for their car.

i am looking to for some screen shots for a general idea.

 

i have used autocad before, i used it in high school alot, i got my own version of it also, i like it, there are better design software out there obviously but for starting out or just simple pics autocad is very nice

 

i think pro-e would be a lot better for your application...cadd is nice in all...but if you get proficent w/ pro-e it can do a lot more!

 

i dont use autocad, so i dont know. i've used solidworks. and since you asked for pics...




Modified by Lamchop0000 at 12:10 AM 3/2/2007

 

I use solidworks 2006, and if your looking for parts you dont want to draw for the stuff you can buy mcmaster most of the time has solidwork files of alot of the parts they sell from cap screws to heim ends save lot of time trying to draw them and it helps give you a parts list when you go and build

 

any reasoning behind the small bracket on the front suspension...just doesnt look all that safe...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Howitt &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I use solidworks 2006, and if your looking for parts you dont want to draw for the stuff you can buy mcmaster most of the time has solidwork files of alot of the parts they sell from cap screws to heim ends save lot of time trying to draw them and it helps give you a parts list when you go and build</TD></TR></TABLE>

Also, the "smart fasteners" setup that comes with Solidworks helps out ALOT

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by drumking15 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">any reasoning behind the small bracket on the front suspension...just doesnt look all that safe...</TD></TR></TABLE>

just to locate suspension points for prototype, not final.

 

I don't want to brag or anything, but I just received a free copy of solidworks home edition from my employer. So happy because that ****'s not cheap.

I was using the student edition, and man did it suck having to reload the damn thing every 3 months.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lamchop0000 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

just to locate suspension points for prototype, not final.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Wow that drawing is sick! Makes me wish I went to school for Mechanical instead of electrical engineering

How much time did it take to create that drawing? and did you design the entire car?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Lamchop0000 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">just to locate suspension points for prototype, not final.</TD></TR></TABLE>
ok gotcha figured thats what it was....but always double checkin

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Boostwerks.com &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">I don't want to brag or anything, but I just received a free
I was using the student edition, and man did it suck having to reload the damn thing every 3 months. </TD></TR></TABLE>

tell me about it...educational versions suck...imho if anything they put a bitter taste in your mouth about all the crap dl you have to do....

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbosi03 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Wow that drawing is sick! Makes me wish I went to school for Mechanical instead of electrical engineering

How much time did it take to create that drawing? and did you design the entire car?</TD></TR></TABLE>

my guess is between 50-80hrs of straight cadd w/ lots of dependent factors...aka were the parts already in the format he's using...was he designin it as he goes...a lot of things need to be measured and drawn by hand so that takes time...besides its juts a lot of work...

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbosi03 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Wow that drawing is sick! Makes me wish I went to school for Mechanical instead of electrical engineering

How much time did it take to create that drawing? and did you design the entire car?</TD></TR></TABLE>

yeah, a lot of man hours went into designing and measuring stuff.
i officially started the designing in October 2006

 

looks nice. I also like solidworks and inventor. I have used pro/e but didn't like the workflow that much, it wasn't intuitive.

 

I've always used Inventor because my employer uses it. I also taught a advance drafting class at the local community college and that is what they used. But I hear from hard-core designer that they like SolidWorks better.

 

so is cosmos the same thing as solid works or are they just 2 seperate things? and how much did you guys pay for your version of solid works?

 

cosmos is seprate from solidworks its used for flow testing/strength testing. I dunno how much it cost i know its like 5k or something, but you can get the student version wiht cosmos for a little over a hundred.

 

damn...5k lol...any one got a price on solid works? roughly

 

Any 3D modeling software is pretty damn expensive, but its well worth it for a business. There is so many things you can do with it. FEA (finite element analysis) is extremely useful in designing any structural component for a car.

 

there is a cosmos that comes in solidworks as well. it works reasonably well. I wouldn't use it as an end all, but for graphically displaying stress locations on a part quickly it is awesome.

I haven't gotten a chance to use comsofloworks that can be part of solids works, which is CFD. I would be interested to see how well it works. my guess is pretty well.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by turbosi03 &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Wow that drawing is sick! Makes me wish I went to school for Mechanical instead of electrical engineering

How much time did it take to create that drawing? and did you design the entire car?</TD></TR></TABLE>

Yhea, well, when you look at a timming map, or injection map with the PWM injector pulse and you can lay out the transistorized part of the board in your head, I can be proud of electrical ingenering, although, suspention work, is still some of the most complicated stuff in geometry and design. I try to design a pre-runner truck for some time now, and it's not something simple!

 

CAD
the one thing you need to realize is that cad software is nothing more than an elaborate blackboard or concrete floor which were used by many over the years to design and build some of the fastest race craft in the world. It could of been a car boat plane you name it. The software only allows you a more comfotable working envirement and yes it is a more powerful tool and I know I would never go back to the very nice drafting table I still have and can't for old time sake sell.

The problem is that there is an enormous amount of knowlege that is needed to make sure what goes on the screen not only looks good but actually is 99% correct. Since everything is a compromise it never 100%.
The average person without an extensive backround or experience can make things that appear correct and cool with the help of the software. The knowlege needed to correctly design a front end or back end or even the middle is not included in the software nor is it easily aquired. You have to remember that the software is a tool that will help to develope /analize but it will only do what you tell it. Computers don't make mistakes people make the mistakes and if the computer made a mistake it was probably a person that made a mistake in the software that caused it. Anyone with windows can relate to that!

Just look at F1 teams struggle to get the correct compromises between all the parameters and that is what its all about really a compromise as there is nothing written in stone that makes anything perfect. Knowing what the list "compromises" entails is the part that is not in the software but is more important then knowing how to use the software.

There are many books published some are a little dated but other than the fact that tire constuction has changed (which is the biggest part of dated statement) the theory of the many things which need to be taken into consideration still hold true.

There are things like Ackerman Scrub radius camber curve during bump
camber curve during roll caster change rising rate falling rate roll center and what happens to it under bump and also roll the list goes on and there are many variables that effect these and a change of one will effect others. This is not a negative post I am just trying to explain that before you start a line on the screen do allot of reading and learn the theory behind it.

Yes I know the blackboard can't do stress work but I am talking about cad nothing more.

 

i mainly use solidworks... but i use autocad as well.
i would say start with something easy... simple shapes and such and work up to small tubular structures, etc, etc

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by snoochtodanooch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">there is a cosmos that comes in solidworks as well. it works reasonably well. I wouldn't use it as an end all, but for graphically displaying stress locations on a part quickly it is awesome.

I haven't gotten a chance to use comsofloworks that can be part of solids works, which is CFD. I would be interested to see how well it works. my guess is pretty well.
</TD></TR></TABLE>

Lol. I have used almost all the software design tools out there and I will say that I like Pro/E the best. I have been using SolidWorks for the past couple years and it doesn't even compare to Pro/E with the support and research that has gone into them. Cosmos reflects this too. I use MCS. Nastran for all our FEA and am stuck using SolidWorks '07 for the time being.

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by NScivic &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">hey guys,
i was thinking of designing my cage in AutoCad i was wondering if anyone has done so. or even designed up any parts for their car.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Happens all the time, but I will say that garbage in will yield garbage out so make soem mock ups out of copper conduit or something to start mocking your cage up.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Blown90hatcH &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Lol. I have used almost all the software design tools out there and I will say that I like Pro/E the best. I have been using SolidWorks for the past couple years and it doesn't even compare to Pro/E with the support and research that has gone into them. Cosmos reflects this too. I use MCS. Nastran for all our FEA and am stuck using SolidWorks '07 for the time being.

Happens all the time, but I will say that garbage in will yield garbage out so make soem mock ups out of copper conduit or something to start mocking your cage up.</TD></TR></TABLE>

We have ansys at school, some old version. I haven't really gotten a chance to use it at all, but cosmos is pretty quick and simple. I really need a graphical interface in order to use programs like that, I make alot of mistakes when it is code based.

 

here is my roll cage that i just designed for the hell of it. i think it turned out pretty good for a first try since high school.( 4 years ago) and for a first time with this program. i figure that this would be the place to post it.

let me kno what you think /