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Too Tall Toby Leaderboard

NateLiquidGravity

NateLiquidGravity

Alibre Super User
Yeah, I built it with only speed in mind using the reference dimension for width. It seemed odd to me that the width at the bottom wasn't even an important part of the model. If that matters ultimately would depend on the design requirements of the job.
 
HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
Cator said:
Hi everyone,
I followed the championship with interest and enjoyed playing with different models. But I can't figure out how to execute
the elliptical conjunction found in the second drawing of the final. If anyone has the desire and the opportunity to show me how @NateLiquidGravity did with its model from the third challenge, I would thank them in advance.
Regards,
Francesco
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Will this help you out? I may have used a method different than @NateLiquidGravity but I show several that you can use.

 
Cator

Cator

Senior Member
HaroldL said:
Will this help you out? I may have used a method different than @NateLiquidGravity but I show several that you can use.

Questo ti aiuterà? Potrei aver utilizzato un metodo diverso da @NateLiquidGravity ma ne mostro diversi che puoi utilizzare.

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Hi @HaroldL ,
I watched your video carefully and thank you very much, your experience really opens up new horizons for me. When you want and can it would be nice to see how you develop the models that are the basis of the admissions to the April( https://www.alibre.com/forum/index.php?threads/too-tall-toby-leaderboard.24558/post-166731) competition in which some here in the forum want to participate. It would be a great opportunity to share and would probably give more chances to someone here in the Alibre community to qualify!

Regards,
Francesco
 
gwbruce

gwbruce

Senior Member
Looks like you are currently in 4th. You have a pretty good time. Maybe you will be in the top 16 on this one. I was wondering when you were going to jump in. Good luck.
 
Ex Machina

Ex Machina

Senior Member
gwbruce said:
Looks like you are currently in 4th. You have a pretty good time. Maybe you will be in the top 16 on this one. I was wondering when you were going to jump in. Good luck.
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I wasn't missing it for the world. But with a newborn and a week of the flu, it got pushed back. Now it's practice practice practice
 
gwbruce

gwbruce

Senior Member
@GIOV I am not sure I understand you why you are not happy. @Ex Machina has only shown the power of Alibre up against the giants in the industry. By showing the world how easy and powerful Alibre is in a showcase such as Too Tall Toby's leaderboard challenges just might possibly make a big impact on how fast and far Alibre can develop and apply new features. It is users like @Ex Machina who are pushing the boundaries in front of the world that show off the software and bring in new users, which supports Alibre. I see it as a win win kind of deal. We all get to see how powerful and easy Alibre is to use, we get entertained watching the models be created and quite possibly learn a few tricks along the way. I only hope more Alibre users jump in and give it a try.
 
HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
Cator said:
Hi @HaroldL ,
I watched your video carefully and thank you very much, your experience really opens up new horizons for me. When you want and can it would be nice to see how you develop the models that are the basis of the admissions to the April( https://www.alibre.com/forum/index.php?threads/too-tall-toby-leaderboard.24558/post-166731) competition in which some here in the forum want to participate. It would be a great opportunity to share and would probably give more chances to someone here in the Alibre community to qualify!

Regards,
Francesco
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Thanks for your comments. My aim is to pass along some of the tricks or techniques that I learned using SolidWorks and apply them to Alibre but with a different workflow.

As for modeling the TTT leaderboard drawings, I watched Konstantinos and I would create the models pretty much the same way but maybe a bit slower.
A couple of things stand out to me with this "speed modeling" contest. Usually for design work I create one sketch-one feature. That keeps the sketches simple and the model easier to trouble shoot if something goes off the rails. For speed modeling you can, and likely do, combine several features into one sketch and that can save time.

A couple things that I might suggest is to use the Rectangle Shape with Radiused corners for any rectangular/square feature that needs its corners filleted. It's easy enough to click in and enter the first/top data field then Tab to the next and the next, that keeps your hand on the numeric keypad for all data entries. You can use the same technique with the Hole tool when creating counter bored holes. I have found that if I select the C-Bore depth field first and enter its value then I just need to Tab a couple of times and I'm at the C-Bore diameter. A couple more tabs and I'm at the hole diameter. This works whether you are in a speed modeling contest or not.

And one more thing that will help you for all your modeling, When you are creating a sketch for a feature, say a cutout, you don't have to select the Deactivate Sketch icon. You can go right to the Model ribbon and select the feature you are going to create. And if you haven't already done so, turn on the In place Editing Menu. Hitting the Space bar will bring that up with context related icons. It's almost as good as short cut keys.

1702359325252.png
 
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Ex Machina

Ex Machina

Senior Member
GIOV said:
I am not very happy. Alibre's priority is to serve customers.
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Hey GIOV, just to add to what Gary (gwbruce) said, I am not an employee of Alibre in any sort of way. Nor am I sponsored by them for this or any other competition. So, it's not like Alibre is funneling funds to advertise through TooTallToby's competitions instead of development. In fact, Alibre needs to spend more funds advertising, period. At least in my humble opinion.

As for me, I am competitive, I enjoy a good competition especially against the clock, and I am a paying customer of Alibre Design Expert which means I can do what I like with the software, including enter a CAD competition with it! So, I'm in it to showcase my work as well as the power of Alibre, which I myself doubted at the start, to fellow engineers who might be less exposed to the current status quo of Parametric CAD and more exposed to resellers' marketing blurs. That's how I see it and that why I do it.

Now, I personally am not missing any features. Not any that would put me at a competitive disadvantage professionally, anyway. Are there some nice-to-haves still missing. Sure. But putting the software through a competition will highlight that and potentially start the discussion to add/fix them. For the rest, we can definitely discuss it in the feedback thread.

For example, in the video above it is evident that if I had a sketch slot tool and the ability to select closed contours from a sketch with multiple ones I could have shaved an extra 10sec of my time, easily. Notice the legs in the caster wheel carrier (2nd part).

But both of these things are already being worked on or considered! Because of discussion that started in this forum. And Gary has hit the nail on the head saying that exposure will bring more users and they will bring more ideas. And Alibre usually listens, I think.
 
Ex Machina

Ex Machina

Senior Member
HaroldL said:
A couple things that I might suggest is to use the Rectangle Shape with Radiused corners for any rectangular/square feature that needs its corners filleted. It's easy enough to click in and enter the first/top data field then Tab to the next and the next, that keeps your hand on the numeric keypad for all data entries. You can use the same technique with the Hole tool when creating counter bored holes. I have found that if I select the C-Bore depth field first and enter its value then I just need to Tab a couple of times and I'm at the C-Bore diameter. A couple more tabs and I'm at the hole diameter. This works whether you are in a speed modeling contest or not.

And one more thing that will help you for all your modeling, When you are creating a sketch for a feature, say a cutout, you don't have to select the Deactivate Sketch icon. You can go right to the Model ribbon and select the feature you are going to create. And if you haven't already done so, turn on the In place Editing Menu. Hitting the Space bar will bring that up with context related icons. It's almost as good as short cut keys.

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OK, it is true that I hadn't put the effort in to check the tab order of the fields in the C'BORE menu of the hole tool. Excellent advice!

I actually did not know that you can turn it on by hitting the spacebar! I thought you could only bring it up by clicking in empty space! Again Excellent advice No.2!!! Oh man! This is what I was talking about when calling upon the Hive Mind. Harold is on FIRE HERE GUYS!

As for the ready made shapes, I really don't like them. You can only reference the insertion point in the sketch they are used and if you need to project the sketch somewhere else to reuse it, it's the same problem all over again. Generally speaking, I think they are a waste of code.

So, even though this is a good speed modelling advice (No.3) I go out of my way to avoid them as I view them as a very bad practice. I have been bitten by the inability to reference anything other than the insertion point. And that was in a loft, so I created a double-whammy of referencing blind spot. Now, I've learned my lesson, I have my slots as catalog features and I'm completely happy with that for day-to-day use. For competition, a slot sketch tool that works like the polygon tool would be nice.

P.S. Harold. You have the know-how. The speed you saw in the video is clearly a product of practice. Are you sure you couldn't design as fast as me..? Not even with a bit of practice..?
 
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GIOV

GIOV

Alibre Super User
Ex Machina said:
But both of these things are already being worked on or considered! Because of discussion that started in this forum. And Gary has hit the nail on the head saying that exposure will bring more users and they will bring more ideas. And Alibre usually listens, I think.
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What happens is that they are simple pieces and do not require many tools, only automatisms that give speed. Nothing more, it's not creativity, it's just that. I need essential functionalities for my day to day life and I have waited years, many years and they still haven't been implemented. To be frank, since 2012. I've been able to give very good recommendations to the program, but that springboard doesn't come for these reasons. All you need is practice to become more automated. And of course this entertainment is good for the retired bowler or the one looking for easy clients but I tell you there are thousands of new programs coming out that do the same thing as alibre...I look for excellence in Alibre and I don't worry about the "big boys".
I finished a fishing boat with the latest technology, it was successful in eavy sea. I wanted to make it complete in Alibre, using parts, panels and blocks, but I was frustrated because it has no surface and no deformable surface, only a few tools to make circular or square tubes. Now I'm with Rhino, which costs much less and gave me satisfactory results for the end of the work. They want to sell me version 8 but my computer is not suitable for it but they are going to make a modification so that I have access to it for the more important features. It's amazing how accessible it is. Expert programmers in Seattle are doing it.
Ask David about some of my requirements. ....Important loft details and more.

I hope you become a good Alibre driver for NASCAR:)


Congrats on the new guy!
 
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