Constraints in Sheet Metal?
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Constraints in Sheet Metal?
Hi all,
I'm new here. Let me shortly introduce myself. My name is Frank and I am from the Netherlands. I'm working on restoring an old International truck from 1929. Which is awesome. Yes such a small truck you see in very old movies.
As you can understand some parts are gone and need to be rebuild. So I started drawing on paper. But as an engineer, I'd like to have all the details right so I started looking for CAD software to make some 3D drawings. I am in now way a mechanical engineer. My specialism is electrical and automation engineering.
So I started with FreeCAD. I already can use it "okayish". I am using the plugin Sheet Metal in FreeCAD 0.19 to draw a Battery Tray.
Now my question:
In the Sketcher environment you have constrains. And with that the drawing "listens" to these contrains. Is that also possible for the Sheet Metal add-on? So the angles and lenghts and thicknesses are a result of these constrains?
I'm new here. Let me shortly introduce myself. My name is Frank and I am from the Netherlands. I'm working on restoring an old International truck from 1929. Which is awesome. Yes such a small truck you see in very old movies.
As you can understand some parts are gone and need to be rebuild. So I started drawing on paper. But as an engineer, I'd like to have all the details right so I started looking for CAD software to make some 3D drawings. I am in now way a mechanical engineer. My specialism is electrical and automation engineering.
So I started with FreeCAD. I already can use it "okayish". I am using the plugin Sheet Metal in FreeCAD 0.19 to draw a Battery Tray.
Now my question:
In the Sketcher environment you have constrains. And with that the drawing "listens" to these contrains. Is that also possible for the Sheet Metal add-on? So the angles and lenghts and thicknesses are a result of these constrains?
Last edited by Kunda1 on Sat Aug 27, 2022 5:32 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: fixed typo in thread title
Reason: fixed typo in thread title
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
Hi and welcome to the forum!
You can give names to dimensional constraints and use them in Expressions. If you don't have a dimension at hand, you can create a (blue) driven constraint and give it also a name.
You can give names to dimensional constraints and use them in Expressions. If you don't have a dimension at hand, you can create a (blue) driven constraint and give it also a name.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
- papyblaise
- Veteran
- Posts: 7869
- Joined: Thu Jun 13, 2019 4:28 pm
- Location: France
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
SheetMetal uses the same elements as the other workshops
Often the first element is a sketch, then the successive steps behave like Pad in many aspects
Often the first element is a sketch, then the successive steps behave like Pad in many aspects
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
I would like to see some pictures.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
@chrisb here you are.
Attached is also my battery tray Freecad file. And a photo how the rusted out part looks like. As everything is very old and crooked, the measurements are not easy.
First of all these parts are in American units. So all in inches and fractions.
My problem here is the angled parts. The angles and lenghts do not add up. That in combination with the corners of the sheet metal, the fractions in the Imperial System give me headaches
The bottom bracket, I know the height and the width. But how do I get it to act that it listens to the height and width. In Sketcher you set a total height and a height for the straight part and the rest is a result. If I could do that for the bottom part and for the vertical part then the corner and lenght of the angled part would be the results of these constrains.
Attached is also my battery tray Freecad file. And a photo how the rusted out part looks like. As everything is very old and crooked, the measurements are not easy.
First of all these parts are in American units. So all in inches and fractions.
My problem here is the angled parts. The angles and lenghts do not add up. That in combination with the corners of the sheet metal, the fractions in the Imperial System give me headaches
The bottom bracket, I know the height and the width. But how do I get it to act that it listens to the height and width. In Sketcher you set a total height and a height for the straight part and the rest is a result. If I could do that for the bottom part and for the vertical part then the corner and lenght of the angled part would be the results of these constrains.
- Attachments
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- Battery Tray v2.2.FCStd
- (108.67 KiB) Downloaded 15 times
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- IMG_20220716_140930 (2).jpg (978.71 KiB) Viewed 740 times
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- 20190316_102340.jpg (507.5 KiB) Viewed 748 times
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- 1 International six speed 0521 (1).jpg (772.26 KiB) Viewed 748 times
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- International six speed 1197.jpg (856.49 KiB) Viewed 748 times
- Shalmeneser
- Veteran
- Posts: 9474
- Joined: Wed Dec 23, 2020 12:04 am
- Location: Fr
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
You should use SheetMetal_AddBase : easier & quicker.
- Attachments
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- Capture d’écran 2022-07-16 144243.jpg (63.73 KiB) Viewed 733 times
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- Battery Tray _SHALM.FCStd
- (42.35 KiB) Downloaded 15 times
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
Yes! That is what I need. Thanks a LOT!
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
I also made a battery bracket. Shalm was faster
- Attachments
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- BatteryBracket.FCStd
- (35.23 KiB) Downloaded 14 times
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
Nice project!
I wouldn't use for such a task the SheetMetal Bends at all. In the attached example I created for the Bottom Plate a sketch with the straight lines, added fillets in the sketch and then used SheetMetal>BaseBend.
I wouldn't use for such a task the SheetMetal Bends at all. In the attached example I created for the Bottom Plate a sketch with the straight lines, added fillets in the sketch and then used SheetMetal>BaseBend.
- Attachments
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- BatteryTray_cb.FCStd
- (19.74 KiB) Downloaded 18 times
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.
Re: Constrains in Sheet Metal?
Here too!
However, it should be rather convincing that BaseBend is the way to go.
A Sketcher Lecture with in-depth information is available in English, auf Deutsch, en français, en español.