3D modelling using Computer Aided Design tools is now the de facto standard method for defining and documenting designs for manufacture in all industries; consumer products, aerospace, life sciences, mechanical engineering, naval architecture and perhaps more recently, the built environment.
Whatever your industry sector, it is important when commissioning 3D modelling work to have a clear target for the resulting output. Different outcomes and processes will require different levels of detail and will have distinct constraints. Typical goals of a 3D modelling exercise include;
- Visualisation
- Engineering Analysis
- Physical Prototyping
- Rapid Prototyping
- Manufacture and Tooling
We use Rhino 3D as our primary tool but we also have previous experience of using Solidworks as part of a larger team including using PDMworks.
Loud1Design does not however believe in the capabilities of a given software package limiting the vision for a design. We push the limits of what is possible using scripting, coding and third party tools to realise optimal results for a project. An intimate understanding of the underlying maths of NURBS surfaces allows us to push our surface modelling abilities further. We make intensive use of the “Grasshopper ” plug-in in Rhino, enabling algorithmic approaches to modelling and design. This goes much further than the parametric approaches seen in eg. Solidworks and allows custom and rapid capture of the real parameters of the design in hand. WIth Grasshopper we can interrogate existing CAD models for their properties, even run simple physical simulations and create custom outputs for other simulation and analysis software.