Creating a 3D Model

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AlanS
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Creating a 3D Model

Post by AlanS »

I am trying to create a simple 3D wing for a small model plane in Aspire. I have an airfoil for the root and an airfoil for the tip, both are in a dwg format. The tip airfoil is the same as the root but scaled to 70%. Is there a way in Aspire to import these two airfoils, set them to a distance apart, and connect them to create a solid? I am new to Aspire and to creating things in 3D. I have several years experience with AutoCAD but really only in the 2D world.

Thanks,
Alan

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Mike-S
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by Mike-S »

Use a two rail sweep.
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wingsect.jpg

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dealguy11
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by dealguy11 »

Yes and sort of. Yes, you can take two profiles and create a solid that sweeps between the two, using the two-rail-sweep function of Aspire. See the attached picture. The two straight lines are the rails and the curve is a rough airfoil. I've set them up so the distance between the lines at the left end is 70% of the distance at the right end. If you wanted a different shape at the right end, you could define that as well, but in this case we just want the shape to grow over the length of the wing.

Going through the 2-rail sweep, you get the result in the second picture.

The "sort of" part of my answer is that you'll notice this isn't a full airfoil, which generally curves back on the bottom. Aspire doesn't do undercuts. You're only going to get 1/2 the wing using this technique. You use the same technique to make the bottom of the wings, then cut them separately and glue them together.
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Airfoil.JPG
Airfoil 2.JPG
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Leo
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by Leo »

Yes a two rail sweep - BUT -

You can insert several cross sections in the 2 rail sweep.

The cross section near the fuselage will be different than the cross section at the tip.
You can insert points along the rails and assign different and unique cross sectional sections to each inserted point/

Also - the rails do not need to be straight lines - they can be curved like a wing has some curves to it.

The two rail sweep tutorials are pretty good and demonstrating how to do that.

Using layers you should be able to do the top, and the bottom.

After machining, there will be sanding and finish shaping needed by hand for sure
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AlanS
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by AlanS »

Could the top and bottom half be merged together to form the complete wing?

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Leo
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by Leo »

I don't think so.

Aspire 3D is a relief modeling software - not a full 3D software.
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by dealguy11 »

They can be cut separately and put together. I'm assuming you have a model somewhere of the full wing as the source of your dwg files? If not, and all you need is a 3d representation for display purposes, it's easy enough to put one together in Sketchup or something similar.
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AlanS
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by AlanS »

Thanks for the help. I am still learning what Aspire can do. I was able to figure out how to create it in AutoCAD. Now to watch some of the videos on 2 sided machining, at least I think I saw one on it.
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3D Wing E205.jpg

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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by Leo »

I am thinking you can do it all in one file with layers

You can do some work on one or several layers for the top view and the bottom on bottom layers.

Turn on the top and turn off the bottom and visa versa.

Create all your toolpath using good labeling.

Nice thing about layers in one file is that you can copy to a layer. You can easily get the wing shape and alignment from top to bottom by turning layers on and off and copying from layer to layer.
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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by CarveOne »

Alan,

Search the Aspire Gallery forum for "Molds" and you will find about 7 pages of comments that you can look through to see how some of us have created molds for making various things like wings using fiberglass and epoxy lay-ups. It's done in two halves then the "skins" are glued together after some ribs, spars, and other internal structure are added. Here is a link to one of mine as an example of what the mold halves look like. There are simulation images from Aspire and the as-cut molds.

http://forum.vectric.com/viewtopic.php? ... ds#p115532

The more comfortable you get with running your machine and using Aspire the easier the next project becomes. Start with simple stuff and progress from there.

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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by joeporter »

Alan, you don't have to glue them together, you can make the top and bottom from the same piece of material with a double sided carving technique. There are tutorials on how to do this, watch them carefully and understand what is going on as far as front side and back side and registration. Maybe practice with some cheap foam first and see how it goes....joe

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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by pete1961 »

I can second the ease of this being done.
I usually route dowel holes in my stock and extend the hole into my spoil board as my first operation.
Then setup to machine leaving tabs to keep the part attached to the stock material. Run your job on one side flip over on the dowel pins and run the opposite side. You can purchase wood or as I prefer plastic dowel pins that are perfect in that if you mess up you won't damage a cutting tool.
If done right the precision of doing this is spot on! Once finished you just need to clean up the tab areas on your finished part manually.

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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by AlanS »

CarveOne,
How were the MDF molds prepared so that the fiberglass and resin do not stick to them?

Alan

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Re: Creating a 3D Model

Post by CarveOne »

I used an 8% step-over and a 1/8" tapered ball nose cutter, raster cut, 150 ipm feed rate, to do the airfoil carving and to give a smooth surface. He did some final sanding before sealing the MDF with four or five coats of Deft clear lacquer sanding sealer. The first coat is applied extra wet and left to dry overnight. Light sanding afterward just to remove surface fuzz only. The remaining coats were done the same way with just wet coats. When the surface is smooth and non-porous, apply three coats of parting wax, buffing off each coat with a clean T-shirt before applying the next coat. The clear lacquer is available at most stores that sell paints. The parting wax he uses (called PartAll) comes from FibreGlast http://www.fibreglast.com/product/Parti ... d_Releases. For molds like the ones I showed, the flat surfaces where the alignment pin holes are located needs to be sealed and waxed also. MDF will absorb much more of the clear sealer than any of the foamed plastic products sold for mold making.

There is a greenish water soluble spray release agent called PVA that is sprayed onto the sealed and waxed surface that is the layer that allows the cured fiberglass part to be removed from the waxed mold.

http://www.aircraftspruce.com/catalog/c ... oldpva.php

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