Chess board

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freedman
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Chess board

Post by freedman »

Don't say I didn't get you anything for the holidays. :)

I was looking around on the web and could not find a free 3D CAD file for a chess board. 30 minutes later... ;)

Chess board using PartDesign, V0.20.259, with Red inlay.

Here is the FreeCAD file and a Step file, the normal Step file with color was a bit large so I exported in compound mode.

Here are some pieces from the Wayback machine (2013) by 'r-frank', might have to do some myself.
https://forum.freecadweb.org/viewtopic. ... ces#p69478

Have fun.
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Chess_board1.step
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Chess_board1.FCStd
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Chess_board.png
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PJT
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Re: Chess board

Post by PJT »

Looks the part. I assume this is to play chess against another human opponent on a computer (without a physical chess set). If so, how would you make your moves (it seems a bit awkward to do it in FreeCAD without some kind of macro or automation). Or is this 'just' art or is it so you export this in some 3D file for use in some other program? What was your intention for it? Just curious to learn other uses of CAD beyond designing things to be built.
freedman
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Re: Chess board

Post by freedman »

PJT, I had a few things in mind.
1) When I search the Web and grabcad wants me to sign in, well! here is a file that folks can use and they don't need to sign up.

2) As you said, this needs a macro or some kind of app. I'm working on a macro tool that does what our Transform tool does but instead allows placements by targeting a sketch placed vertex. I will add a vertex to the middle of every square on the board, then by selecting a vertex and a piece, the piece will move. This chess game will be more about the macro but moving parts is moving parts, we like to do that...

3) I wanted to build a nice model for folks to review, it's not that complex but there are always subtle ways to model.

4) Over the holidays I will make my own pieces unless someone posts some here, please do if you like. There are only 6 pieces to model and revolve can do a lot to speed this along. The knight is probably the hardest to do and make it look good.
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jonasb
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Re: Chess board

Post by jonasb »

freedman wrote: Mon Nov 22, 2021 6:24 pm I'm working on a macro tool that does what our Transform tool does but instead allows placements by targeting a sketch placed vertex. I will add a vertex to the middle of every square on the board, then by selecting a vertex and a piece, the piece will move.
What do you think about using LCS instead of vertices and let asm4 take care of the placement? The macro you describe sounds pretty much like the core of asm4...
freedman
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Re: Chess board

Post by freedman »

What do you think about using LCS instead of vertices and let asm4 take care of the placement?
A few reasons why I'm trying to use Sketch vertex for locating. For this 2D Chess board I can make one dimensioned sketch and array the 64 point locations with vertex ( square centers), make them non-construction geometry so they can be seen/selected in the 3D, easy to do. Mucking up the tree with 64 LCS would not be my first choice. Another reason; using a vertex approach gives me a sketch with dimensions, no more Transform tool and wondering where I am, I place objects at a dimensioned vertex location, I find that approach good.
So the rule is; if you want to place any object you need to make a sketch (which you probably have anyway), then you can place the selected object (by it's origin) on a vertex anywhere on the planer face.
I'm also experimenting with using external geo to lock the objects which makes them placement parametric from a master sketch.

I started with placing/moving sketches, now I'm placing/moving targeted Bodies/objects onto any selected sketch vertex, it also works in multi-layer Part containers i.e I can move one object out of many, in a container . The next thing I need to tackle is rotating the objects to sketch normal or something other.

For now it's an experiment but I am starting to like it. I can build very complex models right in PartDesign without assembly. Originally all I really wanted to do was move some sketch origins, things got out of hand. :)
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