solid model vs 3d wire model

I only recently started doing 3d work so I learned using solids; it
seemed like the best way to go. I just did a model for a trade show
builder, and they told me they only use 3d wire frame models? Did
AutoDesk abandon surfaces modeling as the solid modeling became
quicker to use? If I'm missing something in working a "3d wire frame
model", as they call it, I would love to know what. It just seems like
it will take longer and be less useful. After I create my model I use
the solprof command, & sol view to make section views, plus my parts
are accurate for cnc cutting. I also use it up front to show the
client/designer what I come up with before I spend time engineering
shop drawing for something they do not want. And in the end I can use
it for a set-up drawing.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

 

Can you export as IGES or ACIS? If so I know I can import to SolidWorks
and export again to IGES with a specific option to generate wireframe
and you should be able to import that again as AutoCAD wireframe (if you
can import IGES). I realize that some while back AutoDesk disabled
IGESIN and IGESOUT unless you have Mechanical Desktop, but I thought
perhaps they had rethought that (very poor) logic and had included those
capabilities again.

I'm willing to try to import and export your particular model for the
trade show builder, but of course that doesn't solve your greater
problem of having now to work in wireframe instead of solids. But if
you want to contact me you can find a valid email address on the main
page of my Web site.

Mark 'Sporky' Stapleton
Watermark Design, LLC
http://www.h2omarkdesign.com

 

I didn't think anybody used wire frame models in maybe 15 years. I know 20
years ago we did.

But that isn't really my answer.

The real question is "do they know what they are talking about?" Wireframe
CAN be a model and it can be a way to model in AutoCAD. It is also (and more
commonly used as) a way of displaying an existing model (that is, not hidden
or colored).

It COULD be that you were told they don't do fancy renderings and only use
wireframe "renderings" for whatever reasons that may actually make sense for
how they work/chose to work/have learned to work/haven't broken out of
working yet. It could be that they really do only make wireframe _models_.
But that would be "weird".

- gruhn

 

....or they don't want him to use "solids"....

 

I'm not at all sure that "3d wire frame models" has any accepted meaning.
If this is a debate about the best entity types to use for the modeling you
are doing for delivery to the client, I'd suggest that the client is
(generally) "always right".

 

I should start by saying that I think "wireframe" has changed in
meaning over the years. Initially, it refered to a 3D drawing that
consisted of only lines, and it was not possible to use the hide
command such a model. At that time, we generally used the word
"surface model" to describe a model comprised of 3Dfaces and meshes.
Now I often hear the word "wireframe" to describe what used to be
described as a "surface model".

Time warp to the present, when many 3-d modelers are doing solid
modeling, and I suspect that the word surface refers to any kind of
surface, EXCEPT a 3dface.

I model using mostly 3d-faces and meshes, and deliberately avoid
solids as much as possible. The reason is that the two kinds of
entities have two different sets of editing commands. E.g. the
solprof command only works on solids, and you can only use stretch on
3-D faces.

In general, it seems that Autodesk is actually regressing in 3d
aspects of AutoCAD now that they have other software they wish to
encourage people to buy (Inventor).

I've tried to convert entities between the 3-d face meshes and
solids, but the process was not simple, and in the end didn't really
work well. If I recall correctly, it involved converting 3-d faces to
regions, then exporting the regions to an IGES file, then re-importing
that IGES file. However, many of the closed meshes were not
successfully converted to a closed solid. Inventor, dispite all its
claims of AutoCAD compatability, can only successfully import a
limited set of 3-d objects from AutoCAD. I think it has problems with
this process because it is a metric program internally (regardless of
the units setting) and rounding errors apparently prevent the process
from working well.

I don't know the kind of models you have to deal with, but Polytrans
is the best conversion program I've used. http://www.okino.com

Joe Dunfee