FabLab ModelMaker
Contents
1. Front View Orthographic ch D g O 5 O z 3 6 a ofsa BL O 00 6 Click and drag the mouse to draw the front face of the shape then click to finish the face FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Pi GS GD SKS EB 3J E Celene Crea Gee o 9 8 O Flipped Orthographic Hy v Edit Window rotating from the front view to the side view 17 Drawing 3D shapes in the front view cont d Once the front face of the shape has been drawn by clicking to set the first corner dragging the mouse to form the size of the front face then clicking to finish then the entire Edit Window will automatically rotate to display the side view of the model It rotates quite slowly to make it easy to see what is happening lf there are any other shapes in the model when the new shape is being drawn these shapes will become transparent making it easier to see the shape that is in the process of being drawn Once the front face has been drawn and the Edit Win dow has rotated to display the side view the side view of the front face will remain on the mouse cursor The side view of the front face can then be moved back and forth by moving the mouse and placed in the desired position by clicking Having set the side view of the front face in position dragging the mouse will draw the side view of the shape by givin2. Rotational Shape Torus Platonic Shapes Drawing Shapes FabLab ModelMaker uses 3D shapes to design models on the screen Either a single shape can be drawn and manipulated or lots of different shapes can be combined to make a more complex 3D model a rocket for example This model of a Saturn V rocket was drawn using mainly cylinder shapes with images placed onto them The command module and the engines were drawn using the frustum of cone shape Saturn V Rocket Quick Tip Selecting a shape tool to use Some of the shapes have a drop down menu revealing other variants of the shape that can be selected to draw Use the drop down menu to choose shape of polygon Drawing Shapes Shapes can be drawn in three ways 1 Select a shape tool and draw it with the mouse 2 Drag a library shape on to the screen 3 Use the shape wizard and type in dimensions 2 Drawing a cuboid shape Select the cuboid tool click on the screen to set a corner point of the base drag the mouse to draw out the base click to set the base then drag the mouse again upwards or downwards to give the cuboid height its third dimension Click to finish ais Drawing a wedge shape Select the wedge tool click on the screen to set a corner point of its base drag the mouse to draw out the base and click to set it then drag the mouse again upwards or downwards to give the wedge some height then click to finish When the
3. Window Help and by using the shape creation wizard EEH g ag aoao E A Modelmaker has a small library of QuickShapes Bearing 4 5 0 Elevation Sl Perspective which can be dragged onto the screen OC O Select the QuickShapes button to open a window A containing the shapes 7 Frustum of Cone D S GB Drag shapes onto the screen using the mouse The library contains a small selection of simple Cylinder shapes and a folder of buildings Quick Tip ec gt Go Inside When drawing a model one can select all the different camera views to see the model from different angles QuickShapes By clicking the go inside button one can go inside the model and walk around using the arrow keys Go Inside FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 129 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Wingow Help De eS BP to BY amp Ep Do eS Pt aD BY OPES 9 CD CEEE COED QA S to BOS cp SITAR GT ae D Bearing 45 0 Elevation 19 21 Perspective SY Inside Bearing 54 7 Elevation 0 5 Rerspective a T lt Church Tower 3N Duck and Dog Inn Goodes Jack and Jill s Woodworths v N n ral 23 Select a Shape To apply any actions to a shape it must first be selected and this is done by clicking on the shape with the mouse If the select button is active when
4. a shape is clicked it is selected and bounded by a box with handles to stretch scale and move it If the rotate button is selected when the shape is clicked it will selected and bounded by a box with handles to change the axis rotate and move it The following actions attributes can be applied to a selected shape Stretch in select mode Scale in select mode Translate in select mode Rotate in rotate mode Color Texture Copy Clone Lock Delete Edit Viewed up close e e FP e WwW N e O Wireframe or solid e amp Grouped with another shape y Ui World or shape axes When a single face is selected all the other faces are made transparent this is to make it easier to see which face is selected Selected faces can be colored or textured and can be used in conjunction the texture orientation controls 24 FabLab ModelMaker Select button FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools VNogew Help Debs YR 2 i iS See e CIM QA Soe m Left Corner Kaw Perspective O C O Q X D mB ofa VL o S 6 2 CIES 673 n Stretch handles Taon ae hande Scale handles Select a face button FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 Fie Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window He WAED a Gi AA E INGO oh ie Set RETI J qe 9 3 O l q 4 5 G g amp A m
5. is a problem with auto detection there is also an option to detect them manually see below When it is starts detecting registration marks the machine searches for the first mark detecting it with a small light detector on its cutting head It will then move to find the other two registration marks and will display a success or failure message If the message says the registration was successful then you select the prompt to cut page 1 Continue the process until all the pages in the model have been printed and cut 47 FabLab ModelMaker Print amp Cut cont d Manual Registration aligning the page in the fabrication machine To trim the nets accurately the page must be properly aligned on the fabrication machine This is achieved when the machine automatically detects the registration marks and uses them to align the page If this process fails it is possible to detect the registration marks manually Detect Registration Marks and Cut Detect Registration Marks and Cut Use the arrows to position the cutting blade over the area indicated by the green square in the diagram A dor Yy When positioned detect registration marks CC330L 20 V1 40 Status Ready Detecting the registration marks manually Carrier sheet marks As a rule the fabricator will detect the registration marks automatically but if it fails there is an option to detect them manually To detect the registration mark
6. the file is saved on the SD card it can be transferred to the machine for cutting There is a help page accessible from the SD card save page which gives instructions on how to load the card into the machine Quick Tip loading the SD card on to the cutter Ensure that the Silhouette has no media loaded and displays Load w carrier and Insert the SD card into the machine Place the first of the printed pages on to the carrier sheet and load the Silhouette The Silhouette displays Select File Press ENTER Using the red arrow keys on the Silhouette control panel find the file corresponding to the page you have loaded The filename is at the top of the printed page When found press ENTER The Silhouette displays Cut Press ENTER to start cutting the page Repeat the steps for all the pages 49 50 FabLab ModelMaker Last page of the current version of the FabLab ModelMaker manual
7. the top shape is drawn the height at which it sits acts as the floor for that particular shape throughout the whole 3D space The height of the shape is easily changed once it is drawn using grab handles ERED ea STATE Ks SEB ND SK E CED GEEEa Gon ke ae es GER ce CHAE clo ia x 9 9 8 8 Ole O y 9 g 0 d O 0 E fics VL D O oo a oss VL o O o 6 3D shapes on the grid floor 3D shapes on top of each other The grid presents itself to shapes being created as a solid floor but that doesn t mean that the floor is always in the same place In the illustration above it was shown how the top of an existing shape can become a floor In the illustrations below a blue grab handle at the centre of the grid is being used to change its height and thus the height of the floor for the next shape being drawn FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help De L RI CED e A CE RE EA ees ERAS GEN ee ee ONCE ROR OQ aAA E D S aAA XG g g a x w amp g amp a x a 25 3D shapes on the grid floor The grid floor adjusted to a new height becoming the floor for the next shape to be drawn 13 FabLab ModelMaker Drawing in 3D FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Quick Tip LD eS SP a ORRO Of PAO SES 19 QQS0w BIG Delea Draw a cub
8. 2 cD C aa c Quick Tip Selecting a face is useful during operations such as changing the orientation of an image on the face But to color or texture a face it doesn t need selecting just drag the color onto the face Even image files can be dropped directly onto a face FabLab ModelMaker Edit Window controls The Edit Window can be rotated panned zoomed Fabia Modeloker Enterprise b4 134 And reset to its home position It can be viewed from Bouse F NA P B TERED Ga Gear Go ng 14 1 Eles Perspectis a selection of different camera angles and displayed in either orthographic or perspective OCBOO e The Edit Window can also be used to zoom in close on a selected shape D S aA Reset Edit Window to Zoom close in to the select shape home position o Q s l The Edit Window BIS Owe Pan Zoom in out Zoom in Zoom out Quick Tip Drawing shapes equidistant around the centre of the a window makes it easier to see what s going on and Go inside l l Select camera views easier to see the model when rotating the window Ri a pi aN Quick Tip oe Use this button to zoom in on small shapes in the drawing Edit Window rotate controls yo a fe K gt fy Quick Tip You can inside the model and walk around using the arrow keys and look up and down using the A and Z keys Perspective or orthographic view Especially useful when making large models like a street scene S
9. 40 Front view Right side view Back view Left side view p A standard orthographic drawing normally comprises three views front top and side Quick Tip Whether your 3D model is big or small its 1st or 3rd angle projection can be scaled to neatly fit the page Output Window Projections Orthographic Projection FabLab ModelMake Orthographic projection is a method used to draw an object from six different viewpoints The orthographic projection is an accurate means to represent any 3D object in 2D The projection is normally drawn using three r views the front view left or right side view and plan views These views provide enough information about the object to be able to recreate the 3D version FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 62 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help SES CED GD SX Ge saena pa m eo o X eE EER Third angle projection 3rd Angle Projection There are two ways to draw an orthographic projection one is called the 3rd angle projection ilustrated above and the other a 1st angle projection shown below Both these projections are used to accurately represent the model being drawn and differ from each other only in how the front and side views are positioned in the drawing The 3rd angle projection is the most favoured of the two projections and is commonly seen on technical and architectural dra
10. CO A v Y q a om g amp ec w 3 g D ze o a A drawing with 3 shapes ona flat plane The same drawing looking from the side Creating this illusion of a 3D space is just a part of the story though When placing 3D shapes on to the 2D screen it is impossible to accurately gage exactly where to put the shape Look at the illustrations above in the left hand drawing the user has intended to draw 3 shapes on a flat and level plane the right hand drawing shows the same model from the side view see how all the shapes are at different heights To help overcome this problem and to make 3D drawing easy and more intuitive ModelMaker uses techniques to seamlessly guide the user when drawing 3D models The first of these aids is the solid grid in the default drawing window that acts as a floor for 3D shapes 11 FabLab ModelMaker Drawing in 3D The default Edit Window shows a view of the drawing area looking down from the left corner In this view the grid presents a solid floor and all the shapes drawn in this view are automatically drawn on the floor They can be moved abut afterwards but they are initially drawn on the floor FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Oe tel eS e tO OBS OPES J CED CE bE UMD EEL Bearing 45 0 Elevation D S aA Q amp amp amp m BES Whe
11. FabLab ModelMaker for Windows XP Vista Win 7 Power and Intel Mac computers Manual copyright aspex research amp technology All rights reserved Neither the whole nor part of the information contained in this manual may be adapted or reproduced without written approval from aspexSoftware The products in this manual are subject to continuous development and improvement and all information of a technical nature and particulars of the products and their use including the information and particulars in this manual are given by aspexSoftware in good faith However this information is provided on the understanding that aspexSoftware cannot accept any responsibility for any loss or damage arising from the use of any information or particulars in this manual ISBN 1 894170 07 5 Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation aspexSoftware www aspexsoftware com Aspex Software is a trading name of Aspex Research amp Technology Ltd Registered in England No 07166287 Aspex Software Tamar Science Park Derriford Plymouth PL6 8BX 1 FabLab ModelMaker Overview Digital Fabrication for Schools FabLab ModelMaker educational software enables students to design and manufacture models from 3D shapes like cubes cones prisms pyramids etc to make boxes and simple models buildings and space rockets for example It gives students a hands on design and make experience a great way to enrich Math Science and Technology in STE
12. M education while providing a simplified taste of what is presently happening in the world of engineering and commerce FabLab ModelMaker gives pupils the chance to be thinkers planners problem solvers designers inventors mathematicians and engineers Design it Design a 3D shape on the computer with FabLab ModelMaker and display it s geometric net an unfolded segmented version of the 3D shape Print it Print the geometric net generated by FabLab ModelMaker on cardstock using an inexpensive photo quality Canon inkjet Pixma Printer Make it The printed geometric net is processed by a Silhouette fabricator which scores perforates and cuts the net to form fold lines and trim it The trimmed net is then used to build the model Design it Print it and Make it FabLab ModelMaker A Tour of FabLab ModelMaker FabLab ModelMaker Main Screen The main screen of FabLab ModelMaker is divided into two parts the Edit Window and Output Window separated by a bar which can be dragged to adjust their relative sizes FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 100 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help bear WY EB Boo lt _ Ofo FE i amp Qa 22 QQ 0O Window eft Corner Viely Perspective PS ee Buttons Output Edit Window Window x a FabLab ModelMaker main screen showing the basic tools layout Edit Window 3D shapes are drawn and edited in the Edit Window Thi
13. OPE D ALLET i When a 3D shape is drawn in the Edit Window its A Deusa P SKS EB associated net is drawn automatically and placed in the Output Window Nets are placed in an orderly layout and the user can rotate and move them about to make the best use of the space on the page Auto arranging nets Sometimes there are lots of nets and the layout if the nets get into a mess can become confusing in this case the auto arrange nets button is useful for organising the a To nets neatly Drag zoom Auto arrange nets Fit to window Click the auto arrange nets button 3 Output Window Nets Net permutations The cuboid tetrahedron and octahedron have a choice of net permutations these are chosen by right clicking on FabLab ModelMaker the net to display a menu of options Here are some different permutations for the cuboid net i FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 73 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help BEA ES Gi SEED E 215 Og ibLab ModelMaker Untitled Fi di Edit Style aS Camera Nets Tools Wir Dee wp po 0 Q le The tetrahedron and octahedron have a couple of different permutations too Desde M Auto Arrange Nets Change Permutation Separate Net _ _ _S es Right c
14. Projections Nets Tools Window Help File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Do es SP OBS OEE Ei Gs GS SEX EB 3J cp aon e ole 8 QQacw eee J Gas CEE ED CR GION D Ss Bearing 37 6 Elevation 33 1 dPerspective Ss Bearing 37 6 Elevation 33 1 Perspective gt Perspect tiy OCcOoOed DO S aAA ofsa VA D O oo a ES ae e AEZ A new shape is about to be A new shape is about to be drawn drawn on the grid floor on top of an existing shape FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 Fie Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Deo eps ipo aoao E De el PP PY amp OPES Of SAO elt tina A S Hols ie GOO IR a 9 QQ Se Bigg D 5 Bearing 37 6 sati l Bearing 37 6 Ele on 38 1 Perspective FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 Elevation 34 1 Perspective HY DO S aAA OCO gg D S aA p Sa gt d amp Q Q g D oi S 3 w 2D AD Gs ED a 2D SI Ges GE a The base of the new shape is being Drag the mouse up and click to complete the drawn click drag click shape of top of an existing one 15 Drawing in 3D In the same way that ModelMaker will detect when the mouse is on top of an existing shape and display drawing guides to help draw the new shape on top of it similar guides are displayed when the mouse is hovering by the side of an ex
15. RDEN ht OR Ss BIDS i Window D Left Corner Bow Perspectiva 9 Control O Al Buttons O Y P 4 a Output Edit Window 0 Window tos g y amp E m FabLab ModelMaker main screen showing the advanced tools layout Edit Window All shape drawing and editing is done in the Edit Window The window provides a 3D space to lay the shapes out move them around rotate stretch and scale them There are three visible axes and a grid to help position all the shapes in the right place They can be grouped cloned colored and rendered with pictures The default view for the Edit Window is the Left Corner View and camera buttons allow the view to be changed to the top front and right side views other camera views are available in the camera menu and can also be displayed permanently by setting them in preferences Go inside z 9S d a k ia Sea All the Edit Window camera view buttons The green button on the right takes the user inside the 3D model transforming it into a virtual where the user can walk around and see all the different parts of the design close up Shapes in FabLab ModelMaker FabLab ModelMaker The Shapes Toolbar to the left of the Edit Window contains a button for each type of shape in FabLab ModelMaker OOaoMPROSLaA0CROOEO Cuboid Wedge Cylinder Frustum of Cone Cone Sphere Regular Prism Frustum of Pyramid Pyramid Transition Piece Irregular Prism
16. W H D A cylinder can be modified by changing its radius and height parameters Cylinder Parameters R H A platonic solid shape can be modified by changing the length of one of its sides or a sohere by changing its radius FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 Eil lit Style rang IME Proiectio D eile wie so By amp Of i_ D Left Corner View Perspective Y Cuboid Width w 4 750 in Height h 4750 lin 2 Depth d ot cD cE CA END Ceo Quick Tip You can change the size and shape of a shape by changing its parameters using the keyboard Unde Texture ped Cut Copy ee eee T e Deselect All Look at Parameters k 1 n ee Position Properties Name Object ss RE LE tt k Translate Object Rotate Object Scale Object Stretch Object Right click on a shape to display its menu s FabLab ModelMaker irreg prism tb4 114 Do el eS at 8 KPO BY OPES TEESE Cho Geer Bearing 31 2 1 22 Perspective 0 mum A e Parameters e d Platonic Solid Dodecahedron Dodecahedron 7 Edge Length 0 908 in 2 cD A Ea cn 29 Shape Position ModelMaker is used to draw 3D shapes and to position them in a 3D space The actual position of a shape in 3D space can be defined by a set of coordinates Position is defined by X Y and Z coordinates X Y and Z refer to the
17. a Right click on a shape to display its menu then click properties Shape Properties Here are a few examples of the shape properties panes found in ModelMaker Platonic Solid Dodecahedron Platonic Solid Dodecahedron Volume W This is the volume of the Platonic Solid Each of the five types of Platonic Solid has a different formula relating its volume to it s length of side These are summarised below Tetrahedron Na ark Dodecahedron IS 2 a lcogahedran 15 5V5 hee Translate a shape Any shape can be translated or moved with the mouse but their position can also be translated accurately by using the keyboard to type values into the translate pane Right click a shape and select translate to display the pane Shapes can be translated in the X Y and Z axes by applying the values set in the translation pane Values can be positive or negative ones so when moving a shape in the Y axis for example it can be translated upwards or downwards if the value used is negative When a translation is applied to a shape the values set in each of the X Y and Z fields is applied at the same time More ways to translate or move a shape are below FabLab ModelMaker Cuboid Ares of left face A A cuboid has six faces with areas A As The width of the left face is the depth d of the cuboid The height of the left face is h We multiply these two values to c
18. a fabrication machine like the Silhouette In this case use the print amp cut method described later on below 43 Standard Printing cont d FabLab ModelMaker The standard printed page has crop marks at each corner and these are used to help align pages which need to be joined together If a model is so large that it is soread across several printed pages the crop marks are used to align the pages and reconstruct the full size shape nets gt Crop marks 4 Printed page showing the crop marks used for aligning pages together Crop Marks Crop marks are used to aid the alignment of pages and these are printed automatically However if you have a fabrication machine attached to your computer for cutting shape nets the standard print window will display the option to print either crop marks or a set of registration marks which the fabrication machine needs to use Print with Standard cropmarks Silhouette registration marks 44 Quick Tip To print standard pages use the A button Don t use this method if the intention is to pass the printed page to a fabrication machine like the Silhouette In this case use the print amp cut method described later on below When a fabrication machine is connected to the computer and switched on then the standard printer window will display an option of either crop marks for aligning printed pages or re
19. alculate the ares of the face A hd Cuboid Summary of formulae Total Surface Area Ar A 2 wht thd wd Volume V V whd l Translate Translate 0 000 1 500 0 000 A hi A 7 A vr 31 Translate a shape cont d Any shape can be translated or moved using the mouse just drag a shape with the mouse to a different part of the screen However because the screen is a flat 2D screen and the shape is inside a 3D world it is not possible to accurately move a shape accurately without some aid In addition to typing values into the translate pane to move the shape in the three X Y and Z axes ModelMaker appends translate handles to the bounding boxes on each shape or group of shapes which can be used to move the shape There Is a translate handle in the middle of each edge of a bounding box and it is used to translate the shape in the direction of that edge For example when a shape is translated using the handle on a vertical edge of the bounding box the shape will move exactly vertical If a shape has not been rotated in any way since it was made then the translate handles can be used to move the shape in each of the X Y and Z planes 32 FabLab ModelMaker Pa e E A KA k pe A Translate or move handles Quick Tip To draw a tidy row of three columns draw one column and select it click the clone button twice then use the tra
20. as two dimensions it s just a plain flat screen It has a width dimension and a height dimension but it hasn t got a depth dimension The fact that the screen is 2D presents a hurdle in our efforts to draw a 3D model on it ModelMaker helps to overcome the lack of real depth on the screen by drawing in a world with virtual depth In this world models are drawn with their dimensions adjusted to show perspective so the dimensions at the rear of the model are smaller than those at the front and also models that are drawn towards the rear of the screen are smaller This method of drawing combines to give the appearance of a 3D dimensional space to work within Think of the railway track effect in the real world Imagine standing on a railway track and looking along the track into the distance The part of the track closest is wide but the track in the distance is narrow yet we all know that the real dimensions of the track are the same whether close or far away ModelMaker like other 3D software mimics this effect to give the illusion of a 3D world FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Hel Bi GS GI WEN EB Of ISRO M eR elt tO aA S Bolg FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help DoS ey SeOMe elt taa S o MeO Bearing 45 0 Elevation 0 0 Orthographic IOC OOO a O
21. aw Sphere out the base click to set the base then drag the mouse again upwards to give the prism some height Click to finish Use the dropdown menu on the prism tool to choose the number of sides to the end faces Draw a pentagonal based prism for example Drawing a frustum of a pyramid shape Select the frustum of a pyramid tool click on the Regular screen to start drawing its base drag the mouse to draw out the base click to set the base then drag the mouse again upwards to give the pyramid height Click to finish When the frustum of a pyramid is selected as shown in the illustration two red control handles are displayed on top of the wedge Use these handles to adjust the pitch of the sides of the shape Frustum of a Pyramid Use the dropdown menu on the pyramid tool to choose the number of sides to the top and base Draw a pentagonal based pyramid for example FabLab ModelMaker Drawing Shapes Drawing a pyramid shape Select the pyramid tool click on the screen to start drawing its base drag the mouse to draw out the base click to set the base then drag the mouse again upwards to give the pyramid some height Pyramid Click to finish Use the dropdown menu on the pyramid tool to choose the number of sides to the top and base Draw a pentagonal based pyramid for example C Drawing a transition shape Select the transition tool click on the screen to start drawing i
22. axes X is a horizontal axis left to right Y is a vertical axis top to bottom Z is a depth axis in and out of the screen The coordinate at the very centre of the screen is X 0 Y 0 Z 0 ModelModer references all coordinate data to the centre of the shape Shape Properties The properties of each shape can be displayed by right clicking on a shape and selecting the properties option The shape properties pane contains sub headings to display properties relevant to that shape A cuboid will display properties such as Decription Formulae Area Volume Other shapes have different properties a platonic solid shape for example will show the type of face number and length of sides vertices etc Some example property panes are illustrated below 30 FabLab ModelMaker FabLab ModelMaker irreg prism tb4 114 D al amp Srp ON amp E _ D i Bearing 31 2 Elevation 22 Perspective h a v D S B Cuboid 5 ano cE A ES a Right click on a shape to display its menu then click position Quick Tip You can change the size and shape of a shape by changing the values in its properties pane using the keyboard s FabLab ModelMaker irreg prism tb4 114 AEE BEI B Veoh ie Set aeae Bearing 31 2 Elevatign 22 I Perspective v El Description E Polygons used Pentagon El Lenath of Side a 1 044in Close TA cE C EM
23. ched on the status will become ready Pressing the continue button displays the registration page Registration is needed in order to align the printed page properly on the Silhouette g fabricator machine Printing and cutting When you are printing nets which will be trimmed on a fabrication machine such as the SilhouetteSD use the print amp cut button The page printed has registration marks which are used by the fabrication machine to align the page prior to cutting the shape nets Quick Tip n a To print amp cut use the button Don t use the standard print function described earlier this will print crop marks instead of registration marks and the cut function won t work Print amp Cut cont d FabLab ModelMaker Automatic Registration aligning the page in the fabrication machine To trim the nets accurately the page must first be properly aligned on the fabrication machine This is achieved when the machine automatically detects the registration marks and uses them to align the page Detect Registration Marks and Cut Detect Registration Marks and Cut Detection of registration marks in progress inanan an an unan anana anana a Detect registration marks manually CC330L 20 V1 40 Status Detecting Reg Marks Settings eee Automatic registration in process Normally the fabricator will detect the registration marks automatically However if there
24. dy for editing Use the mouse to add points to the shape by clicking on the white perimeter line Move points with the mouse to create the desired shape A wine glass for example Click the FINISH button in the popup toolbar Drawing a torus shape Select the torus tool click on the screen to start drawing drag the mouse to draw out the diameter Click to finish When the torus is selected as shown in the illustration two red control handles are displayed on inner radius of the shape Use these handles to adjust the diameter of the cross sectionof the torus A Drawing a platonic solid shape Select the platonic shape tool click on the screen to start drawing the default shape a dodecahedron drag the mouse to draw out its diameter click to finish Use the dropdown menu on the platonic shape tool to choose the number from any of the five platonic solids to draw dodecahedron tetrahedron hexahedron octahedron icosahedron 10 Rotational Shape Torus Dodecahe dron Quick Tip Keep the shapes small When learning ModelMaker it is best to keep the shapes quite small say two inches wide It is much easier to see what is happening and the shape NET will fit on a single page FabLab ModelMaker Drawing in 3D We live in a 3D world one with width height and depth dimensions and drawings created in Modelmaker are 3D as well It s inconvenient therefore that the computer screen only h
25. e rails going off into the distance the they appear to converge The gap between the rails is identical at both ends of the track near and far but in reality the gap between the rails at the near end looks much wider than the gap at the far end In the far distance they seem to converge to a point 28 FabLab ModelMaker s FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 158 il o File Edi Arrange cti Nets Tools Window Help BEA i GE GES WIE B GAO hk ie Set e th aA S MOS Bearing 71 9 Elevation 17 5 Orthogr aphic OCoO Qa X fics BIS co aE 2 This orthographic view of a wooden crate looks wrong The edge at the back looks wider than the edge at the front FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 158 File Edit Style Arrange Came Nets Tools Window Hel ra Projections ip Dol Po ORY amp E Of GAH ah oe Seale MO QAS 0 BIOS ing 65 1 Elevation 24 4 Per Q gt B Ocoo0og ies BL e o e In this perspective view the box is drawn with the back edge narrower than the front edge provid ing the illusion of depth Quick Tip Toggle the perspective and orthographic buttons Which view is real And which one looks real FabLab ModelMaker Shape Parameters All the shapes used in ModelMaker can be modified in some way by changing its parameters One can change the shape and size of a cuboid by modifying its width height and depth parameters for example Cuboid Parameters
26. e why the 1st angle projection is seen by some as illogical because when the projection is displayed showing the right view the view is actually placed on the left and the top view is placed at the bottom However the 1st angle projection is still the standard projection for technical and architectural drawings in Europe 42 An orthographic projection will always be 7 accompanied by a symbol to clearly show which projection has been drawn and this is normally placed at the bottom of the drawing The symbol shown here is used to denote that an orthographic projection has been drawn in the 1st angle Quick Tip 3rd angle projections are used a lot in USA UK and Canada whereas in Europe projections are usually 1st angle Output Window Projections Projections Right click on a projection to display different options for drawing it on the screen All models can be drawn in 1st and 3rd angle projections or a choice of seven single view projections in color black line drawing or a line drawing with hidden lines included Solid color or texture Hidden lines FabLab ModelMaker Multiview Projections ge E Ee Oe ogo o Single View Projections 5 a amp KEA Render Mode o oe Scale All the different projections can be toggled between the different styles of drawing shown on the left 1 Solid color or textured render 2 Black outline 3 B
27. et the sky to night time 25 FabLab ModelMaker Coloring Shapes FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Do lS SP fa 1 Po oy OPES The color palette window contains Ofe Olen SQA Sto HE D ap gem Left Corner fiew Perspective Color palette RGB HSL color picker Image library E i iz m m mm 9 6 O y q 4 5 Image orientation controls Wireframe button Solid button Browse for images N OO WM BP UU NY e ERE ERE 0 ee ss VA e O oe J Image orientation controls Wireframe or Solid Shapes Browse for images Color Pallette FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Do lS oy ta to BY E Of WA Owe alt 15 QQ Sow Blas i 2 s Bae tal Left Corner Vie tabLab ModelMaker Untitled 700 Fle Yat Soe Andoe Caner Prpectons Nets Dee ep tie Noos _ View Perspective Q 1 Oo1 G2 qQ Oc oO 206 33 S 6D emp Bae World Flags s 100 efn L s 100 Ofis Vi e O we Drop down menu for image library FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help leila BDE OP Cp 98 od TAA S we BIOS Left ew Perspective FY Quick Tip Color or texture a shape 1 Select the shape then click a color or image 2 Drag a color onto a face 3 Drag an image file from t
28. g place on the existing shape D aB a Using these hot spots makes it easy to draw shapes whilst accurately butting them against existing ones fas VL O 00 a Quick Tip When the mouse hovers in front of the Draw a shape adjoined to another in the front view shape a new set of guides is displayed Assumes that a shape a cuboid for example already FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 exis ts in the Ed j t Wi n d OW Fie Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help EED Ges D SEED E JANEE TAA SMOS Select the Edit Window front view camera T Hover the mouse over the shape to reveal guides Click on one of the hot spots cursor is red Drag mouse to draw the front face Click to finish front face Edit Window rotates to show side view Drag mouse to draw side face Click to finish drawing side face P T ie ee age aes Edit Window reverts back to the front view 9 O O l 9 4 O x Q g m Click drag and click again to draw the 20 front face of the new shape Drawing 3D shapes in the front view cont d Summary of the two drawing methods The process for drawing shapes when the Edit Window is displaying the front view is a two stage process described in the previous few pages First one draws the front face then the window is automatically rotated to show the side view of the front face the side of the shape is drawn using mouse to complete the sha
29. g it some depth Click to finish The Edit Window rotates from the side view back to the front view and the shape is complete 18 FabLab ModelMaker FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help nous ay J E CES Gm cece op Flipped i Orthographie iY tTa D 9 O Q oss VL O oo 6 Edit Window showing the side view of the front face looking like a vertical line FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help EED GS GE SES EB Ai alt hh Qa ow Ble Flipped Orthographic y ice E e C The side view of the front face is set in place by clicking then the face dragged out to complete the shape FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Meuse Po col PENEN CaN Front View O ic Orthographic tY s Oco Q X 9 CO da Edit Window rotating between the side FabLab ModelMaker Drawing 3D shapes in the front view cont d FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 Quick Tip EELEE q ED TEED Co A eD Draw a shape in the front view Toe Select the Edit Window front view camera Click to set the corner of the shape Drag mouse to draw the front face Click to finish front face Edit Window rotates to show side view Drag mouse to draw side face Click to f
30. gistration marks for the use of the fabrication machine FabLab ModelMaker Print amp Cut As well as printing pages in the standard way described above Modelmaker can also prepare pages for printing amp cutting on a fabrication machine Instead of adding crop marks to the page the print amp cut function adds a set of registration marks for the use of the fabrication machine Print and Cut Print and Cut In order to cut nets on the Silhouette they must first be printed on an inkjet or laser printer Click here to print If you have already printed your nets skip printing and go directly to the cutting page Print amp cut window The print amp cut window is like the print window Printing and cutting but when the printing is complete you will be When printing nets which you intend to trim offered options and instructions to cut the using a fabrication machine such as the page you have printed SilhouetteSD use the print amp cut button Print amp Cut The page printed will have registration marks og Print amp cut is accessed via the fabrication to be used by the fabrication machine to align option in the file menu or by clicking the the page prior to cutting the shape nets print amp cut button If the model has been printed already you can skip the print part of the print amp cut function Quick Tip 2 es E and go directly to the cutting page To print a
31. he axis of the red shape has been set by the shape axis button Using the translate handles the shape is moved accurately along the face of the slanted shape World Axis ae The world axis is x y and z axis of the whole 3D scene and it never changes In the illustration the red shape has been rotated to rest between the vertical and slanted mauve shapes The axis of the red shape has been set by the world axis button Using the translate handles the shape is moved accurately up the face of the vertical shape Quick Tip To move a rotated shape in the X Y and Z axes ie horizontally vertically and in depth select the shape and set its axis to world axis Use the mouse to drag the translate handles FabLab ModelMaker 35 Output Window The output window is like a print preview page whatever is displayed in the Output Window is what is sent to the printer pages when Print FabLab ModelMaker is selected in the File menu The Output Window displays nets and projections as they appear on the page to be printout or trimmed on the Silhouette fabricator 36 i FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Nets Tools Window Help EED SE a SEED ea mo ee o GY CED Output window The output window can be set to display either the nets of shapes or the projections of shapes Shape Nets Nets of shapes displayed in the output window a
32. he hard disc onto a face 26 FabLab ModelMaker Camera view Go inside walk about ESED SEB GND AN EE q mna Ha BEN ED EL a er OEE Ks OND ND CKD E SEER Gan Gn 9 Left corner view default b X 5 O y 4 EED E aD ea J ED o a ao i Back view CEO ON Os VL O O o 6 S 9 8 b oF y g 4 CHERE Oa VL o O o 6 Bottom view Front view tilted TDD Left side view FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 152 Fie Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help EED SE a ofj Rean BEL ED EETL D TEO OO g a pay ics WIS O oo e Quick Tip Front view Top view Reuse a d a EID Aen CGE RD Deus oy ea EAA SS When you go inside the model use the arrow keys to walk A around and press the and O S G QlIOC BOO 1OB161B Q OLIVE E Z keys to look up and down ojaa WIS co 6 G g a m 2 Right side view Camera views SSS J ES GD GEE oD There are eight camera view buttons and one to take the viewer inside the model to walk around Other controls allow the model to be rotated
33. inish drawing side face E o ee o a Edit Window reverts back to the front view Back in the front view showing the completed 3D shape from the front 19 FabLab ModelMaker Drawing 3D shapes in the front view cont d FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 il it le range amera rojections Nets DEEST O o NRA TED een ay D Pron When the Edit Window is showing the front view one can ront View lt Orthographic y draw shapes by drawing the front face and then drawing the side face after the window has rotated to show the side view When there are already shapes in the scene new shapes drawn to join on to existing ones The process is similar to that used when drawing on top of shapes that are sitting on the grid floor When ModelMaker detects the mouse hovering in front of an i Front view of an existing 3D shape existing shape a set of drawing guides will be displayed in the Edit Window on the front of the existing shape FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Any shape drawn while these guides are visible will be Deusa GD SSD Ee MENER Front View lt Orthographic h 9 drawn joined on to that shape Hot spots on the guides are identified by the mouse cursor changing color to red Oco Clicking the mouse when the cursor is red will set the a v corner of the new shape and snap it to the correspondin
34. isting shape These illustrations show the sequence of events when the mouse hovers close to the side of an existing shape In this case guides are displayed and the cursor has turned red which means that the first click will snap the corner of the new shape to the corner of the existing one FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help TAFE SS GI SESS EB p PGS OMe elt 8 QQ Se Bigs Elevation 38 1 Perspectiv E The side of the new shape is drawn click drag click Quick Tip Draw a shape adjoined to another in the front view Select the Edit Window front view camera Click to set the corner of the shape Drag mouse to draw the front face Click to finish front face Edit Window rotates to show side view Drag mouse to draw side face Click to finish drawing side face So o ee a Edit Window reverts back to the front view 16 FabLab ModelMaker FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Bh GIES GI SID E I Gaon mt lt QQ Soe BIS gt Bearing 37 6 Elevation 38 1 Perspective ation A rsp i Oco an X D SaB oss VL e o 6 When the mouse is close to the side of a shape guides are displayed to help draw the new shape attached to the side of the existing one FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Came
35. ke and type in the dimensions The illustration shows a cuboid drawn using the wizard it is 2 x 2 x 2 inches The shape create wizard can be used to draw any of the shapes available in ModelMaker Each shape is defined by the user in terms of dimensions and coordinates and some of the more complicated shapes like the irregular prism are drawn by defining the coordinates for each of the points in the shape The coordinates for each shape are relative to the centre of the shape A cuboid with dimensions 1 x 1 x1 inch placed in the very centre of the scene will have the coordinates X O Y 0O Z 0 A cuboid with dimensions 1 x 1 x1 inch placed in the centre of the scene but sitting on top of the grid will have the coordinates X 0 Y 0 5 Z 0 22 FabLab ModelMaker OSs GS GE NEED Ge Of GAO S elt MQQSw Boe Bearing 45 0 Elevatian 29 5 Perspective w Y Cuboid Width w Height h Depth d BIS OOo 916 14 1 OCROO Ti mfa T aa Shape creation wizard D A GA NIR DPE o nA QSOS elt QQ Sie Bigg Bearing 45 0 Elevatian 29 5 Perspective T ty Irregular Prism Path Point DIJN CE OAE om og DE s Using the shape creation wizard to plot the points of an irregular prism FabLab ModelMaker Quick Shapes In addition to drawing shapes using the mouse FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools
36. lack outline with all the hidden lines showing Quick Tip Right click on a projection in ModelMaker and choose lots of different ways to display it 43 Printing FabLab ModelMaker The output window can be set to show either the nets of a 3D model or one of its projections and ModelMaker will print whichever is displayed Print Click here to print ModelMaker will print the display in the output window which can be set to show either the nets of a 3D model or one of its projections There are two ways to print a page Standard which gives you a normal printout Print amp cut for nets which after printing will be cut out on a fabricator machine Standard Printing Standard printing is accessed via the file menu f or by clicking the print button When printing nets you intend to trim manually with scissors use the standard printing method Printer window The standard printed page has crop marks to enable you to join multiple sheets of paper together easily When large shapes are printed out the crop marks can be aligned and the printed pages glued together The standard printout using this method is not suitable for nets which are to be trimmed ona fabricator machine in this case use the print amp cut function described below Quick Tip To print standard pages use the F button Don t use this method if you intend to pass the printed page to
37. lick net menu 38 In FabLab ModelMaker all the NETS of 3D Shapes are displayed in the output window and which can then be printed out to make 3D paper models NETS can be rotated and moved to better fit the paper and different NET permutations can be displayed for shapes like the Tetrahedron Hexahedron Octahedron and Cuboid shapes All the shape nets can be printed onto paper or card scored and trimmed using a Silhouette fabrication machine folded and glued to make 3D paper models A Saturn V rocket can be made from cylinder shapes for example or a new package for after dinner mints could be made from cuboid shapes FabLab ModelMaker Output Window Nets Separating Nets In addition to being able to move and rotate nets to achieve a better fit on the page nets can also be broken into two parts or separated Separating a net into two parts provides more flexibility and can save a lot of space FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 62 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help CEC SEB GD SLX EE Two cuboid nets identical in size SEE T SK Es To place nets more efficiently on the page it is useful to select the Separate Nets function which splits the net into parts Right click on the net and choose Separate Net s In a real life situation where many thousands of copies of a product are made saving material in this way is environmentall
38. ll the actions carried out since the last undo redo __ ee Undo Redo 50 O75 150 O 100 A more accurate way to scale the shape is by applying a value typed into the scale pane The pane can be accessed by right clicking the shape and choosing the rotate option or via the arrange menu 33 nai al Select button WRA Shapes can be stretched by 1 Dragging a stretch handle with the mouse 2 Applying a value in the stretch pane When the select button is active selected shapes will be bounded by a box with red scale and pink stretch handles attached Stretch the shape in the direction of the face by dragging the stretch handles A more accurate way to stretch the shape is by applying a value typed into the stretch pane The pane can be accessed by right clicking the shape and choosing the rotate option or via the arrange menu 34 FabLab ModelMaker 50 Co75 150 200 Apply Quick Tip If you stretch a shape by hand and make a mistake use the undo button to go back and try again The undo button can undo all the actions carried out since the last undo redo __ ee Undo Redo Shape Axis xN T Shape axis means that the x y and z axis of the shape will remain relative to the shape even after it has been rotated In the illustration the red shape has been rotated to rest between the vertical and slanted mauve shapes T
39. mp cut use the button The cutting function is described in more detail 6 Don t use the standard print function described low belo earlier this will print crop marks instead of registration marks and the cut function won t work 45 Print amp Cut cont d Loading a Page on to the Fabrication Machine FabLab ModelMaker After the page has been printed or if the print has been optionally skipped the next page gives instructions for loading the fabrication machine in this case a SilhouetteSD You will be instructed to place the page on to a carrier sheet made from clear plastic and then load it into the machine Loading the Silhouette Loading the Silhouette There is 1 page remaining to be cut Place page 1 on the carrier sheet as shown Load the carrier sheet into the Silhouette Continue CC330L 20 V1 40 Status Ready Print amp cut window Loading the Silhouette or other fabricator The loading page contains instructions for loading the page into the fabrication machine together with a diagram showing what the page looks like on its plastic carrier sheet To summarise these instructions There is 1 page remaining to be cut 1 Place page 1 onto the carrier sheet as shown 2 Load the carrier sheet into the Silhouette 3 Continue An window at the bottom shows an image of the fabrication machine with its identification and status When the machine is swit
40. n the grid is displayed in the default drawing view it acts as a solid floor for newly drawn shapes Once a shape has been drawn on the floor unless one deliberately wants to move it up or down in the Y axis using special grab handles then it will remain on the floor even when moving it around the screen This makes it really easy to build models when combining lots of shapes To help further the grid can be locked so that shapes snap to the squares and the dimesions and number of grid squares can be adjusted to suit different preferences For example the default grid might comprise of 1 inch squares divided up into a grid sixty four 8x8 smaller squares But if all the shapes get drawn on the solid grid floor what happens if one wants to place shapes on top of others In this case if ModelMaker detects that a shape is being drawn on top of another shape it will cause the existing shape to become the floor 12 FabLab ModelMaker Drawing in 3D The illustration on the left shows some 3D shapes sitting on the floor these shapes can be moved around and stay on the floor They can of course be moved in the Y axis by using special grab handles to move the shape directly up or down The illustration on the right shows shapes drawn on top of each other In this case ModelMaker detects when a shape is going to be drawn on top of another and causes the height of the existing shape to become the floor for the new shape Once
41. nslate handle on the X axis to drag the cloned copies off of the original column and translate them to the new position W P X Clone button Rotate a shape R R A lt Rotate button Shapes can be rotated by 1 Dragging a rotate handle with the mouse 2 Applying a value in the rotate pane When the rotate button is active selected shapes will be bounded by a box with green handles and axes handles Click on an axis handle to determine which axis to rotate the shape then rotate the shape by dragging the green handles A more accurate way to rotate the shape is by applying a value typed into the rotate pane The pane can be accessed by right clicking the shape and choosing the rotate option or via the arrange menu Scale a shape oO Select button Shapes can be scaled by 1 Dragging a scale handle with the mouse 2 Applying a value in the scale pane When the select button is active selected shapes are bounded by a box with scale handles at each corner The pink handles in the middle of each face are for stretching the shape Dragging a handle on the corner will scale the shape dragging the middle will stretch the shape in the direction of that face FabLab ModelMaker Rotate 90 0 180 0 270 0 iso Quick Tip If you rotate a shape by hand and make a mistake use the undo button to go back and try again The undo button can undo a
42. oid shape T Select the cuboid shape tool Click to set the corner of the cuboid Drag mouse to draw the base of the cuboid 9 5 O Y I 4 6 Click to finish drawing the base Drag mouse up to draw the height Click to finish te ae es ee FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Bei i Gs GED WIN EB i godinat tfo QQoow Bigg x earing Bea nq 35 3 Elevation 38 7 Perspective g A Ad FabLab ModelMaker Drawing in 3D The illustrations below show what the mouse cursor looks like when drawing a shape In the left illustration the mouse cursor is blue and a shape is about to be drawn on the floor In the right hand illustration the mouse cursor has been moved so that it hovers over a shape and in this case a set of guides has appeared on top of the shape When the mouse cursor turns red it means that any point drawn with a click of the mouse will snap to a logical point on the shape below A logical point might be the corner of a cuboid the middle or the centre of a side When the cursor is blue one can choose a position to click and draw When a new shape is being drawn all the existing shapes become transparent which helps to see what is happening during construction of the new shape FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera
43. pe This method for drawing 3D shapes is also used when the Edit Window is set to display the side view top view or the bottom view of the model When the Edit Window is displaying a corner view where one is looking down at the 3D model ModelMaker uses a simple process to draw 3D shapes by using the grid as a floor Quick Tip Cursor Hot Spots When drawing a shape on top of or next to another shape ModelMaker displays drawing guides Hot Spots are revealed when the cursor turns red Clicking this hot spot will snap that part of the new shape to the existing one This makes it easy to join shapes together accurately FabLab ModelMaker pousey ea Ep Giele TED O EKA ED x 9 6 O O l 3 4 3 fas VL O o 6 Edit Window rotating from the front view to the side view Fie Edit Si tyle Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help I GID SSD EB TEID Gee co LE Oe oraora E D gt aA ofsa BIS O oo 6 The side view of the front face of the shape being drawn terz F NA J E i SS ee eee D S aA ERILE EE amp 7 Bi B Edit Window rotating from the side view back to the front view 21 Shape Creation Wizard As well as drawing shapes using the mouse ModelMaker has a simple wizard to draw Shapes using dimensions and coordinates typed on the keyboard Click the Create Shapes Wizard to display the wizard box Select one of the shapes to ma
44. ra Projections Nets Tools Window Help Deo eps po oR amp Ops godinat MV QQcouw Bialg 3 Bearing 37 6 i E Elevation 38 1 Perspective tY OC O Qa X D SB Gabe The new shape is complete drag click and the two shapes are joined exactly together FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 87 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Deo eps ipo RRO i EEEE 19 45 0 Elevation 22 Perspective Si Oco m v a 3 2 etan It s easy to draw shapes joined together in this virtual 3D world FabLab ModelMaker Drawing when the Edit Window in showing the front side top or bottom views When ModelMaker displays the default view looking down at the model from the left corner the grid will act as a floor making it easy to draw shapes in 3D and combine them to make models But when the Edit Window is in the front side top or bottom views set by the camera buttons it is impossible to visualise where the grid is in terms of how far or close it is to the viewer In a corner view where one can see shapes sitting on the grid it is easy to move them around and to draw new shapes But in the front view for example while it is easy to draw a shape with width and height a 2D shape is not possible by eye to draw and accurate depth dimension Drawing 3D shapes in the front view When drawing in the front view ModelMaker switches automaticall
45. re directly related to the 3D shape drawn in the Edit Window The figure below shows a cuboid and its associated net when the cuboid is scaled bigger or smaller then the net will display bigger or smaller too ters F N 3 CAB Sie BE CONGO GO Ge GR AY D 9 OF O z 4 5 g 5 Window NETS of 3D Shapes are what you get when you take 3D shapes like a cube a cone or a prism then unfold the shape and flatten it out The flattened shape or NET can then be copied folded and glued to make the original 3D shape NETS of Shapes would be almost impossible to make into a physical 3D model so tabs are added to the faces of each net to help stick them together to make the physical model Quick Tip Initially try to limit the size of shapes so that their nets fit onto one page A cuboid 2x2 x2 inches for example will easily fit onto a page controls FabLab ModelMaker Output Window Nets The generation of shape nets is central to the existence of FabLab ModelMaker and is what makes the program one for digital fabrication Whatever one designs in the software it can be printed out trimmed and scored with fold lines and then constructed in the real world from cardstock Here are some of the nets found in ModelMaker FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 73 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help Ly el eo PO BV
46. s manually click on the arrows to move the cutting head over the first registration mark indicated by the green square on the diagram Once the head is positioned click detect registration marks Quick Tip To help ensure reliable detection of the registration marks always load the printed page on to the carrier sheet so that the corner of the page just overlaps the L shaped marks on the carrier 48 SD Card Saving to the SD Card and Cutting FabLab ModelMaker Models can be saved to an SD card and transferred to the fabrication machine for cutting Select the SD card function in the fabrication option in the file menu Saving files to the SD Card Saving files to the SD Card Please select your SD Card in the list Max Size 2GB l SD Cards found Alternatively click here to brows Selected location is No location selected Click here to save the nets to the selected location Saving files to the SD card The SD card window will prompt you to print the page before saving the file If the page is already printed then skip this section to go directly to the SD saving page ModelMaker will detect an SD card on the system and display its location and you can also browse for a card of your choice Ensure that the SD card is 2Mb or less Model Maker has been designed to ignore cards with greater than 2Mb of memory to cater for restric tions in the cutting machine Once
47. s works in a similar way to most standard vector packages but in 3 dimensions Shapes can be created by selcting a shape tool and then drawing the shape or they can be dragged onto the screen from a selection of shapes or even defined using a wizard and typing in the dimensions Output Window The Output Window can display either nets of shapes created in the Edit Window or else 1st angle 3rd angle or single view Projections It s called the output window because what you see in this window is what gets output to the printer or the trimming machine The output window acts like a print preview allowing the user to place shapes as they will appear on the printout Switching between the windows The bar separating the Edit and Output Windows can be moved to allocate more space to one and less to the other Alternatively three buttons are provided to switch between Edit Window only both Edit and Output Windows and Output Window only modes These icons are mirrored by the options in the Window menu FabLab ModelMaker The main screen can be displayed with a basic intermediate or advanced toolbar layout selected using the dropdown Tools menu An overview of the main screen with all the toolbar buttons is illustrated below Output Window Control Buttons Edit Window Control Buttons FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 100 Fle Eat Side Arange Camere Projections Nets Toas Window He Dc al SPP PO ON Ep moo Drawing Tools cp VEREE
48. to any angle using the mouse OSa OPAR AC E Views be toggled between perspective and orthographic G g D D 2 Orthographic and Perspective views Shapes can be drawn and viewed in either an orthographic or a perspective view Orthographic view The orthographic view is when the shape is displayed with its dimensions exactly as they are in the real world Look at the model of the wooden crate It is a cuboid and the dimensions of its front and back sides are exactly the same If it were a real wooden crate then it s obvious that the actual dimensions remain the same wherever it is near or far from the viewer Although the dimensions in this orthographic view are accurate the wooden crate looks wrong and this is because when we view an object in the real world our eyes take into account the distance we are from the object The further away an object the smaller it looks If the front of an object is closer to the viewer than its back the dimensions at the front look bigger than the Same dimensions at the back Perspective view The perspective view is when shapes are drawn in a way to simulate how we perceive objects viewed through the lens of our own eyes how they appear in the real world Shapes in ModelMaker are drawn in a way to provide the illusion of depth or distance Imagine a railway track a railway track comprises a pair of parallel rails and when one looks along th
49. ts base drag the mouse to draw out the base click to set the base then drag the mouse again upwards to give the transition piece some height Click to finish mameI On A drop down menu for the transition tool provides options to create a transition shape with different end faces For example choose to draw a shape with a square face at one end and a pentagonal base at the other end Q Drawing an irregular prism shape Select the irregular prism tool click on the screen to set a corner point of the base drag the mouse to draw out the base click to set the base then Irregular drag the mouse again upwards to give the Prism cuboid height At this point the prism looks like a cuboid shape ModelMaker then animates the shape to position its end face square on to the viewer ready for editing Use the mouse to add points to the shape by clicking on the white perimeter line Move points with the mouse to create the desired shape A staircase for example Click the FINISH button in the popup toolbar FabLab ModelMaker Drawing Shapes 4 Drawing a rotational shape Select the rotational tool click on the screen to start drawing its base drag the mouse to draw out the diameter and click to set Drag the mouse again upwards to give the shape some height Click to finish At this point the shape looks like a cylinder ModelMaker then animates the shape to position its side view square on to the viewer rea
50. wedge is selected as shown in the illustra tion two red control handles are displayed on top of the wedge Use these handles to adjust the pitch of the sides of the shape Drawing a cylinder shape Select the cylinder tool click on the screen to to start drawing its base drag the mouse to draw out the base click to set the base then drag the mouse again upwards or downwards to give the cylinder height Click to finish O Drawing a frustum of a cone shape Select the frustum of a cone tool click on the screen to start drawing its base drag the mouse to draw the base click to set the base then drag the mouse again upwards to give the shape height click to set the height then drag the mouse again to set the di ameter of the top face Click to finish FabLab ModelMaker Cuboid Wedge Cylinder Frustum ofa Cone FabLab ModelMaker Drawing Shapes A Drawing a cone shape Select the cone tool click on the screen to start drawing its base drag the mouse to draw out the base diameter click to set the base then drag Tone the mouse again upwards to give the cone height its third dimension Click to finish Drawing a sphere shape Select the sphere tool click on the screen to start drawing it drag the mouse to draw out its diameter click to finish y Drawing a regular prism shape Select the regular prism tool click on the screen to start drawing its base drag the mouse to dr
51. wings in the USA and in the UK ModelMaker can display the 3rd angle projection with either the left or right views or with both Students display the projections rendered in color or white with black lines or as line drawings with the hidden lines included An orthographic projection will always be accompanied by a symbol to clearly show which projection has been drawn and this is normally placed at the bottom of the drawing A 3rd angle projection will be indicated by the symbol shown here Quick Tip Whether your 3D model is big or small its 1st or 3rd angle projection can be scaled to neatly fit the page 41 Output Window Projections Orthographic Projection FabLab ModelMaker There has been endless controversy about which projection is the best one to use suffice to say that the 3rd angle projection is considered more logical in its layout and has always been the standard in USA With the exception of the UK the 1st angle projection is still the standard in Europe i FabLab ModelMaker coloured mansion tb4 62 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help SSI GS ID SESS Gp 35 Gap cee First angle projection showing the left view on the right 1st Angle Projection The ist angle projection displays the same drawings as the 3rd angle projection the difference is found in the way the views are arranged It is easy to se
52. y friendly and All these nets have been separated makes economic sense allowing better use of the available space Quick Tip Deselect All a eee If a net is too big for the page separate it into parts and move them around to fit Change Permutation Separate Net Right click net menu 39 Output Window Projections Orthographic Projection FabLab ModelMaker An orthographic projection comprises six views of an object front back right side left side top and bottom However it is common to only use three of these views when drawing 1st or 3rd angle projection Here are all six views of the model of a mansion building drawn from simple 3D shapes in FabLab ModelMaker p Top view Bottom view An orthographic projection includes the front and plan views of an object and will include either or both the left and right hand sides as well A projection would be complete when it includes the rear and bottom views too making a total of six 2D views to illustrate the 3D object However a standard drawing of an orthographic projection comprises just three views front side and plan There are two ways to draw an orthographic projection one is called the 3rd angle projection the other a 1st angle projection Both these projections are used to represent the model being drawn and differ from each other only in how the front and side views are positioned in the drawing
53. y to a different method of drawing shapes allowing the user to draw a 3D shape and in the process place it exactly in the desired place in 3D space This requires more skill than drawing shapes on the grid floor but does provide an accurate method to draw and place shapes at exact coordinates in 3D space and to draw shapes next to existing ones The process to draw shapes when the Edit Window shows the front view a a two stage process 1 Draw the front face of the shape When drawing a cuboid for example click to set the first point then drag the mouse and click to complete the front face At this point the ENTIRE EDIT WINDOW rotates to show the side view of the model and the side view of the front face just drawn is on the mouse cursor 2 Draw the side of the shape Without touching any of the mouse buttons move the move to position the side view of the front face in the desired place and click to set its position Dragging the mouse will then draw the side view of the shape giving it depth click to finish and the EDIT WINDOW reverts back to the front view The shape just drawn still looks like a flat 2D shape looking at it from the front view but one can select another view by clicking different camera buttons to see the 3D shape that s been drawn FabLab ModelMaker Untitled 161 File Edit Style Arrange Camera Projections Nets Tools Window Help EENEN GEES GI SES EB o Moke CRS GIST OE
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