RepRap: Blog

A couple of quick questions:

o Who are "we" in this context (e.g. any reprap developer)?. In case, how do we acquire the software and license?

o What is Solid Edge actually used for? Only to model nice objects to print for for the reprap design itself?
 

> Who are "we" in this context (e.g. any reprap developer)?. In case, how do we acquire the software and license?

I think we refers to any academic institution.


> What is Solid Edge actually used for? Only to model nice objects to print for for the reprap design itself?

Essentially does same job as AOI.
 

With my second question I really meant "Are we using Solid Edge for anything concrete in the reprap project? i.e. are some aspects of reprap development dependant on SolidEdge" ?

The reason I ask is that I fear that we become dependant on some expensive commercial software. The RepRap project should, IMO, strive to keep not only the results but also the development process as open and accessible as possible. i.e. use free software wherever possible, try to avoid platform-specific solutions.

In some cases, I realize that we don't have a choice though.

I'm probably too paranoid :/
 

I vote YES, if and only if all objects created with SolidEdge are also exported in an AOI compatible format.

If this isn't feasible I vote NO

--Blerik
 

Ed

Am I right in assuming that just about all 3D CAD/CAM packages can import/export STL files and in this respect we could interchange models using this format irrespective of what we use (Rhino, Pro Desktop, Pro Engineer, Solid Edge, AOI etc)

I understand that using this method we do loose the construction path (Undo, Sketches, Features etc) but still have the ability to modify the imported Solid and re export.

If this is the case then any package you want to use will of course be fine. (Not that it is'nt anyway)
 

Last time I checked, Solid Edge costs between $5,000 to $10,000 for us Reprappers not involved in an educational system (like me), so it's out of reach for a lot of us.

If they had a "RepRap" license; that'd be great.

As I understand it, eD designed the Darwin in SolidEdge, which is great, for those people that have SolidEdge.

I've been finding it very difficult to modify designs without a copy of SolidEdge; editing STL files is possible in AOI, but much of the design intent is lost when the file is converted to STL - it's almost as bad as trying to edit the Gcode output from Skeinforge.

I've taken to just re-designing parts I need to adjust in Alibre, since Alibre has a free edition that you can use to edit small assemblies. It's a lot of extra work, but it doesn't cost me thousands of dollars.

I've also attempted to edit the STL's directly using AoI, but I find it very hard to do design work in AoI; I haven't tried the new boolean operations plugin, but AoI in general doesn't seem to be set up for mechanical design

Wade.
 

BTW, the two CAD packagaes I've tried that have free versions don't import STL files - CoCreate (from PTC) and Alibre.

If anyone knows of a reasonably priced CAD package that imports STL's, I'd love to hear about it. Both Blender and AoI will do it, but they're not CAD packages.

BRL CAD will probably do it, but I have not got it running yet.
 

Yup

I set off using blender originally to do 3d objects, it has the boolean operations but makes a mess of the resulting mesh's and I ended up editing the vertices by hand. (sorry I need to get out more).

AS I am retraining as a D&T Teacher though I get free educational copies of Pro Desktop and Pro Engineer as part of the accreditation I am doing.

I have found Pro Desktop to be a whole order of magnitude more productive than Blender. (Although I have a preference for Open Source the tools just don't apear to be there)

Blender is very good, but hard work.....

I acknowledge that Pro Desktop and Pro Engineer are probably as expensive as Solid Edge in a non Educational context.
 

In my opinion, STL files are about the worst possible way to share CAD data. The resulting data is just an approximation of the solid that is useful in only a handful of applications. We should be sharing files in STEP, IGES, Parasolid, SAT and other file formats that actually store a TRUE mathematical representation of the model. Most real CAD tools can read, modify, and export at least one of these four file formats. Even in a full featured CAD suite like UG NX editing STL files is painful.
Whenever you change CAD programs you will usually loose all the parametric features of the model.
Also, lets be honest, there just isn't a free CAD tool that even compares to the modeling and drawing capabilities of Unigraphics NX, Catia, Solidworks, ProE, SolidEdge and the other commercial CAD packages. I say if you have legitimate licenses to the good stuff, use it.
I said there arn't any good free CAD tools, CoCreate PE might be an exception, but most of the exporting options are not avaialbe (STEP and IGES in particular). I would say go with CoCreate personal edition, but there is no way to export files in a useful format. Exporting the files would have to be done by someone who has the full version...(Perhaps a CoCreate server could be set up who's sole purpose is to convert CAD files, that is an interesting idea). I'm a big fan of using real CAD tools wherever possible. Anyway I'm done now, getting off my soap box.
 

I'm personally using Alibre (Xpress and Professional licenses) for both work and home. While it does not import STL, it will export it. I also do tend to prefer STEP files when a neutral format is needed.
 

Let me rephrase the question. Is there anyone out there relying on SolidEdge v19 who's life would be made difficult if releases were updated to v21?

(In response to the entirely different problem of the availability of an engineering-spec CAD package, my sypmathies. I hope that the included STEP and STL files in the latest release help matters. I should also point out that both Adrian, Vik and Forrest seem to do OK with AOI)
 

Just to alievieate paranoia:

> are some aspects of reprap development dependant on SolidEdge?

No.
 

Hello to all... Have you ever used LinceoVR 3.0???
 

Hallow.
i just a newbie visitor on this project. i`ve downloaded svn mendel release, and try to look cartesian robot assembly that has done by SolidEdg. i found and install SE ST2, but i still can`t see assemblies because them done under academic license. I can make thislicense bysefl but i havent any installation CD to look at serial number. (i anybody have please share me on mail alexrainpe196@hotbox.ru)
SolidWorks cant import them too (look like they have agreement with siemens).
imho, if it is possible then better to save assemblies in independent formats.
 

Hallow.
i just a newbie visitor on this project. i`ve downloaded svn mendel release, and try to look cartesian robot assembly that has done by SolidEdg. i found and install SE ST2, but i still can`t see assemblies because them done under academic license. I can make thislicense bysefl but i havent any installation CD to look at serial number. (i anybody have please share me on mail alexrainpe196@hotbox.ru)
SolidWorks cant import them too (look like they have agreement with siemens).
imho, if it is possible then better to save assemblies in independent formats.
 

Hallow.
i just a newbie visitor on this project. i`ve downloaded svn mendel release, and try to look cartesian robot assembly that has done by SolidEdg. i found and install SE ST2, but i still can`t see assemblies because them done under academic license. I can make this license bysefl but i havent any installation CD to look at serial number. (if anybody have please share me on mail alexrainpe196@hotbox.ru)
SolidWorks cant import them too (look like they have agreement with siemens).
imho, if it is possible then better to save assemblies in independent format.