I now use two 3D CAD programs. The easiest to use is Sketchup which was bought by Google a couple of years ago. Sketchup has a free version available (Google Sketchup) which is really quite amazing and easy to use. They is also a Pro version which currently costs about $500 and has some added features. One feature of Sketchup I found lacking was the ability to "stretch" things easily. For example, if you draw a raised panel door and then want to make it larger or smaller. With Sketchup I could scale it to make it larger or smaller but that would also make the door frame members larger or smaller in both dimensions. There was no way of making the panel larger or smaller and the frame members longer or shorter without also making them wider. I found this disappointing and started looking around for other 3D programs that could do this properly. (I should note that I believe Sketchup Pro now has the ability to do this.)
I had read about another CAD program Alibre Design at some point (perhaps even before finding Sketchup) and had download a free version of it but had found it difficult to learn. Alibre design is quite different from any other CAD program I've used. It seems that most CAD programs I've seen are primarily intended for architects and builders. Alibre is designed more for engineers designing products. Parts of a product are built individually and then are assembled which is the same way furniture is built. Subassemblies (such as a frame and panel door) can have dimensions assigned base on the overall width and height of the door. For example:
Door width = 12"
Door height= 22"
stile width = 2"
top rail width = 2"
bottom rail width = 2.5"
panel width = door width - 2 x stile width + 1"
Panel height = door height - bottom rail width - top rail width + 1"
Once these dimension are defined all you have to do is change the door width and height and the assembled door size changes. This is the same math you do in your head when working from a simple drawing in the shop. For something like a bed design all dimensions can be defined as a function of the matress width and length. When you want to change the bed from queen size to king size just change the mattress width dimension from 60" to 75" and all appropriate dimensions change in the entire drawing. The number and spacing of spindles can be defined as a function of the width and more spindles added as needed. This type of dimensioning is referred to as parametric. Alibre can also generate cut lists for all the parts of an assembly.
Of course learning a program like this takes time but the results are worth it. Basically you can build the entire piece on the computer, figuring out all the joinery issues before you go into the shop and cut a single board. From a customers perspective they can view the finished piece from all angles in the wood of their choice and know exactly what they will be getting. For complicated pieces this is a very valuable tool.
Here's a rendering (done with Alibre Render) of a sleigh bed design I have been working on:
Here is an exploded view rendering of the same bed:
Note: Sketchup is available for Mac or PC. Alibre is currently only available for PC.
Richard Bissell
Putney, VT
View my Shaker furniture at Bissellwoodworking.com or read more of my blog posts here.
You can absolutely stretch items in a single dimension in Sketchup... there's a stretch tool just for that purpose in fact. If you want your panel to be wider, just pick the stretch tool, grab the plane of the edge, and pull it in the direction you want it to go. All connected vertices will stretch their respective lines.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like you may have made the panel part of the same "group" as the frame, which would then cause the frame to get stretched with the panel. Working out which items to group in Sketchup can be tricky, but it's a remarkably powerful tool.
-Ry ( eatyourbeer.com )
Ry,
ReplyDeleteWhile a simple flat panel can be stretched easily in sketchup a raised panel can't (at least not to my knowledge). Grabbing the edge of a raised panel will simple lengthen the part of the panel that goes in the groove of the stile or rail but not the whole panel. Using the scale tool will incease the overall size of the panel but also the size of the raised portion. Making the panel as a center flat with the raised portion seperate means you ahve to stretch the center then stretch the raised part (then the stiles, then the rails). This is all too much work. The idea is to build a library of door (or drawer or whatever) styles and then be able to pull one out of the library, size it to what you need in your drawing and insert it.
I think Sketchup is an excellent tool for quick 3D drawings to get a general idea of what something will look like. For more detailed drawings and ones where you may need to change things later I find Alibre works better.
If you figured out a way to do this easily in sketchup I'd love to hear about it.