Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

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_cyclops_
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:49 pm

Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by _cyclops_ »

Hi,

From my post history, you can find that i've been a member here for a while, but don't use FreeCAD every day. It's more of a "oh, i have something now let's try to model it". Every time it becomes easier and easier. Every time, the software gets better too, which is great.

I've now had the awesome blessing from the other half to get a 3D printer, and it's been great using my previous knowledge of FreeCAD to draw things and actually get them in my hands a few hours later.

I however wonder if i'm doing all the FreeCAD modelling correctly, or if there's "best practices" that I should do better. Parametrized modelling is awesome and i like it a lot, but how do I know it's done correctly? There's so many options and opinions that it's hard to tell. I'm already happy that i've decided to just stick to Part Designer (vs Part) workspace :-)

In the attached example i've made a fairly simple enclosure for an ultrasound sensor and a RJ11 connector (using a RJ11/14 623K), so i can mount the sensor anywhere and run the cable from it. I'm particularly struggling with things that require multiple parts. In this case it's a bottom box and a lid. These a) need to match up properly and b) have many of the same geometries inside them. How do you avoid making multiple sketches with the same details in it? An example is the holes for the screws. Their centre of the cicle is in the bottom box in two sketches and it's 3 times in the lid. That's 5 times where i basically had to setup this geometry. Although it references a spreadsheet, it still feels a bit odd having to draw the basic outline geometry multiple times.

So, i'm wondering if there's a better way to do this, or if i just have to get used to it :)
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M4x
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Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by M4x »

Welcome back ;) First of all, please have a look at the thread linked in the big red banner at the top. We'd like to get your FreeCAd version information and I think you forgot to attach your FreeCAD file.

For a starting point, here are a few links:
Feature_editing#Advice_for_creating_stable_models
PartDesign_ShapeBinder
PartDesign_SubShapeBinder
_cyclops_
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:49 pm

Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by _cyclops_ »

Thanks @M4x,

I'm on FreeCAD 0.20.2 (which is latest, i think).

I'm not sure what i did wrong with my upload, it was a bit odd. But they should be attached to this post :)

Thanks for the links to ShapeBinder. I'm still looking at it, but i do think it will work for me!
Attachments
HS-SR04Box.zip
(182.89 KiB) Downloaded 16 times
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Shalmeneser
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Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by Shalmeneser »

UltraSoundHS-SR04 :
* Sketch(000) is too complex : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KISS_principle
* Use axis and origin
Attachments
Capture d’écran 2023-05-29 191903.jpg
Capture d’écran 2023-05-29 191903.jpg (53.37 KiB) Viewed 1179 times
Capture d’écran 2023-05-29 192519.jpg
Capture d’écran 2023-05-29 192519.jpg (29.63 KiB) Viewed 1179 times
UltraSoundHS-SR04_SHALM.FCStd
(23.32 KiB) Downloaded 12 times
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Shalmeneser
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Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by Shalmeneser »

You should not sketch upon face : TNP
Attachments
DistanceMeasure_SHALM.FCStd
(131.91 KiB) Downloaded 12 times
Capture d’écran 2023-05-29 200519.jpg
Capture d’écran 2023-05-29 200519.jpg (67.81 KiB) Viewed 1155 times
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Shalmeneser
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Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by Shalmeneser »

I would do everything in the same file using PartDesign_SubShapeBinder between bodies to copy dimensions.
_cyclops_
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Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:49 pm

Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by _cyclops_ »

Thanks! Lots to read up on!

Why is everything in one file beter? I kind of like the idea that parts are in their own file - but i do think that it makes stuff harder.

I guess i need to transform the two parts when they are in the same file - i guess i'm not used to that. Is there any downside to transforming them so they don't overlap?
chrisb
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Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by chrisb »

_cyclops_ wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 5:05 pm I'm on FreeCAD 0.20.2
For your next topic: if you are asked to attach your full FreeCAD info, please just do it as described in the IMPORTANT forum rules linked above.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
_cyclops_
Posts: 35
Joined: Mon Aug 08, 2016 6:49 pm

Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by _cyclops_ »

chrisb wrote: Tue May 30, 2023 4:31 am
_cyclops_ wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 5:05 pm I'm on FreeCAD 0.20.2
For your next topic: if you are asked to attach your full FreeCAD info, please just do it as described in the IMPORTANT forum rules linked above.

Thanks Chris, i'll keep that in mind. Would you however mind explaining why the /other/ information is important in this case? It would worry me if the other information made such a big difference to the question and answers.
_cyclops_
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Re: Simple enclosure for ultrasound - Am i doing this right?

Post by _cyclops_ »

Shalmeneser wrote: Mon May 29, 2023 6:08 pm You should not sketch upon face : TNP

Hey @shaley65,

Can i just say a massive thank you for taking the time to create a new FreeCAD drawing for me. There's so much i learned!

I really need to understand all the constraints better that are available in sketcher, the once you used make a big difference. I also like the use of the reference lines from other drawings.

The one part that was unclear to me is how you did the first pocket. It took me so long to figure out how it was attached to the xy-plane yet was making the pocket at the top first pad. In the end it's clear, but i'm not sure if it's all to clear for somebody opening the model and understanding it.
So, based on what you've shown, i made a new model too. I did use to datum planes for the pockets. From the docs i understand that this is acceptable and these planes are still attached to the origin, which (if i understand correctly) means they shouldn't suffer from the TNP problem.

How, in the interest of learning - what's the opinion about this new model? I personally feel it's a lot better than the first mode, but i'm here to learn.
I also wonder if there's a "best practices" for drawing in freecad, because it feels like that would help a lot of beginners.
Attachments
DistanceMeasureLearned.FCStd
(89.33 KiB) Downloaded 15 times
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