We’ve mentioned it in other threads, but we’re looking at an overhaul of the 3D modeling in CC Pro to make it a lot easier to create and manipulate designs.
For the record, we’re not looking to make a full 3D CAD program. We’re looking to take the core CC Pro 3D functionality and make it much easier to make what you want, and edit your project in the future if you didn’t like how it came out.
What we need right now are examples of what you’d like to make right now if you had the 3D tools to make it possible.
Please post whatever images you can so we can be sure the tools and workflow in CC Pro apply to as many of your projects as possible.
Just to encourage you to jump in, we’ll pick one post at random in two weeks and send that user a Shapeoko Endmill Starter Pack as a thank you.
I think the biggest improvement would be associativity between the components, and full editability of the components.
Of course, this means if I edit the 1st of 12 components, it has to iterate the other 11 to update the model.
Associativity to the curves that created the components would be cool. When you edit or move a vector the model would update to follow it. Perhaps a “Update Model” button to avoid auto updates if you’re doing a bunch of edits.
I really like the improvements to Carbide Create. However I have struggled with having to use the “Angle” which produces a pyramid shape when all I wanted was a simple ramp (one side of the pyramid).
For example, I want to make a wrist-rest for a keyboard. A very simple design but I wanted the top sloped at roughly 15 degrees. To do this I had to oversize the project, let CC draw the pyramid shape and then make the wrist-rest from one side.
I’ve often use my CNC cut pieces to create some internal structures in my furniture.
One that used modeling (and is an example of what I might want to create going forward)
was this internal collar that sits behind the vertical staves of this piece:
The piece has 25 staves slanted inward at a 10-degree angle. To position each of them precisely, I modeled this collar that sits inside the structure of the table and presents 25, 10degree slanted surfaces (where the arrow is). I then added shallow contours to create a centerline into each facet to help align pilot holes to attach each of the staves.
The collar looks like this:
as an addition to the 3D I’ve really been enjoying flip jigs lately, and having a “uniform wall thickness” command to enhance 3D would be sweet. so model one side, flip it over and set the thickness. have access to both sides via layers or something.
As far as what I’d like to design (while keeping in mind this isn’t a full cad package) would be to leverage a 2D shape and add a draft feature. Something I can apply to all connect edges from a face selection, or an individual edge. Something where I can specify the angle. or potentially have the resulting angle supplied if I select two lines that have a height difference already.
For me this would greatly increase my speed/flexibility in making up custom shaped trays
The “Angle” one has bit me as well, I never want a pyramid but would like to ramp to edge. Also would be nice to be able to radius a shape. For instance, creating a guitar fretboard and adding a 12 inch radius.
I think my suggestion may not be what you are asking for feedback on, but when it comes to 3D design in CC Pro, I’d love to see more support for importing 3D files and using them directly. Ie - say I brought in this violin plate, not as a greyscale image, but as a 3D model that could be cut out and carved. Or the other image is a wooden hand plane, and bring it in on its side, with all the various depths of cuts and be able to understand that. Same with the handle.
The import of stl files may allow for some of this already, but at least on a Mac, when I import a stl file, it does nothing that I can tell.
Love that you are giving the 3D options more love!
Rob,apart from the bowl and dish type products I would very much like to have an easy way to make these clock crowns.Will helped me a lot to get one done but have various other designs to do.Here is the example of what I was mentioning.
This could be a pretty one off type problem, so not sure the effort is worth the potential end result, but I’d like a way to add I guess weight or more control over points in round or some sort of gradient raise? Like this example here:
If I wanted the petal to start inside the petal and slope up, I currently can’t think of a way to do that. It’d also be kind of cool to be able to define individual heights to the different petals so that some reach up taller than others.
Again, not sure how usable it would be across the community, so not sure it’d be worth the dev effort.
Here’s the file. I can add more context if needed. sunflower test.c2d (1.8 MB)
I second this! I make furniture, and being able to import a moulding profile in the Z axis (like this: Cornices Orac decor DWG, free CAD Blocks download) and have it follow a spline on the X/Y axis would let us do things that aren’t easily possible with any other woodworking tool.
I bought a Shapeoko to help me make intricately carved panels for furniture. My previous experiences are oriented around 3D printing, so I’m very familiar with Thingiverse and other commercial model sites, and I frequently use STL files.
When constructing a panel, STL files are like 3D stamps to me. I want to drop them into a model as design elements, assembling a collage of them towards the final design. I want to be able to adjust their elevation and rotation, and stretch, shrink or grid deform them to match a dimension or constraint. And I’d like to be able to crop or slice off portions of an STL file to extract the element I want from a more complex design before using it as one of these stamps.
I do many of these operations by converting the STL to a heightmap and manipulating it in Photoshop. It’d be great to be able to do this natively in CC Pro.
If you draw up such in profile in Carbide Create, you can then assign suitable tools to create the profile using a succession of no-offset contour toolpaths — see:
If you’d like to pick one profile and would list the tools which Carbide 3D makes which are suited to cutting it, I’d gladly work up a step-by-step for that.
