Turning a part into a negative to remove material from another part

[Tapap]

I don't know if this is possible or not. I want to turn one part into a negative so when i put two parts together it'll cut one from another. My most recent example is I have a lag screw and I'm making a coupler to attach a wooden dowel. I made the coupler with the extrude cut for the dowel. I found a file for the lag screw on mastercarr. I load both into tinkercad and make the lag screw a "hole" and i line the two up and merge. This way it removes the exact space the screw occupies from the other part. it makes for perfect fits.

another example is i was making a recessed holder for my phone. i created the base part in alibre, loaded my holder and a exported stl of my phone into tinkercad, made the phone a "hole" and merged the two. this created a perfect cut out of the phone from the rest of the holder.

i guess i couldve created the lag screw and extrud cut the drawing but i not good enough yet to create every item i need to create a mold for

 

[jcdammeyer]

I made a ring gear by first creating the gear using the python addin. Then created a disk the same thickness as the gear and used the boolean method to remove the middle leaving the ring gear.
Now attached as a package

 

[HaroldL]

@jcdammeyer, It's better to upload booleans and assemblies as Package files (File>Package>Create). It's then easier to open the file from the top level and you don't have to Zip any files, Alibre puts all the files in the package.

 

[Tapap]

I made a ring gear by first creating the gear using the python addin. Then created a disk the same thickness as the gear and used the boolean method to remove the middle leaving the ring gear.
Now attached as a package

ok this is epic. i haven't learned booleans yet in class but ill start messing with it now. also what are you using for gears? i've been rough making them for my projects with patterns and a lil math

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

Articles

help.alibre.com

 

[jcdammeyer]

Enable AlibreScript under utilties. Then on the menu bar click on script. Under Script Explorer the examples folder has mechanical folder with scripts for constructing gears. I modifed this one to add module as a parameter.

# Gear Generator Script
# Used as a demonstration of how to create a custom utility
# for use with Alibre Design
# 18DEC2021 -- John Dammeyer
#   -- Added Module parameter

Units.Current = UnitTypes.Millimeters

# default settings
NumberofTeeth = 20
Module = 1.0
PitchDiameter = 0
PressureAngle = 20
Thickness = 3

Win = Windows()

ScriptName = 'Gear Generator'

# create dialog window and show to user
Options = []
Options.append([None, WindowsInputTypes.Image, 'GearGenerator.png', 170])
Options.append(['Number of Teeth', WindowsInputTypes.Integer, NumberofTeeth])
Options.append(['Module (mm)', WindowsInputTypes.Real, Module])
Options.append(['Pitch Diameter (mm)', WindowsInputTypes.Real, PitchDiameter])
Options.append(['Pressure Angle', WindowsInputTypes.Real, PressureAngle])
Options.append(['Thickness (mm)', WindowsInputTypes.Real, Thickness])
Values = Win.OptionsDialog(ScriptName, Options, 170)
if Values == None:
  sys.exit()

print "Working..."

# get user inputs
NumberofTeeth = Values[1]
Module = Values[2]
PitchDiameter = Values[3]
PressureAngle = Values[4]
Thickness = Values[5]

# get current part
MyPart = CurrentPart()

# get the plane to create the gear on
GearPlane = MyPart.XYPlane
if (PitchDiameter==0):
  PitchDiameter = NumberofTeeth * Module;
else:
  if (NumberofTeeth != 0):
    Module = PitchDiameter/NumberofTeeth;

# create the sketch then extrude it
ProfileSketch = MyPart.AddGearNP("Profile", NumberofTeeth, PitchDiameter, PressureAngle, 0, 0, False, GearPlane)
Gear = MyPart.AddExtrudeBoss("Gear", ProfileSketch, Thickness, False)

print "Done"

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

@jcdammeyer Use the "Code" function instead of "Inline code"


Use
[CODE]Stuff Here[/CODE]
Instead of
[ICODE]Stuff Here[/ICODE]

 

[jcdammeyer]

BTW, I have a copy of Gearotic written by the Art Fenarty, author of MACH2/3. It can create elliptical planetary gears. I tried a simple ring gear and the STL imports into Repetier without problems. Also appears to import into FreeCAD but doesn't export as either IGES or STEP. So getting it into Alibre is still an issue. Not far enough on the learning curve in Gearotic to actually be able to make the interal elliptical ring gear.

 

[Tapap]

BTW, I have a copy of Gearotic written by the Art Fenarty, author of MACH2/3. It can create elliptical planetary gears. I tried a simple ring gear and the STL imports into Repetier without problems. Also appears to import into FreeCAD but doesn't export as either IGES or STEP. So getting it into Alibre is still an issue. Not far enough on the learning curve in Gearotic to actually be able to make the interal elliptical ring gear.

ill look it up. im getting to the tinker stage that i need custom gears

 

[Tapap]

Enable AlibreScript under utilties. Then on the menu bar click on script. Under Script Explorer the examples folder has mechanical folder with scripts for constructing gears. I modifed this one to add module as a parameter.

# Gear Generator Script
# Used as a demonstration of how to create a custom utility
# for use with Alibre Design
# 18DEC2021 -- John Dammeyer
#   -- Added Module parameter

Units.Current = UnitTypes.Millimeters

# default settings
NumberofTeeth = 20
Module = 1.0
PitchDiameter = 0
PressureAngle = 20
Thickness = 3

Win = Windows()

ScriptName = 'Gear Generator'

# create dialog window and show to user
Options = []
Options.append([None, WindowsInputTypes.Image, 'GearGenerator.png', 170])
Options.append(['Number of Teeth', WindowsInputTypes.Integer, NumberofTeeth])
Options.append(['Module (mm)', WindowsInputTypes.Real, Module])
Options.append(['Pitch Diameter (mm)', WindowsInputTypes.Real, PitchDiameter])
Options.append(['Pressure Angle', WindowsInputTypes.Real, PressureAngle])
Options.append(['Thickness (mm)', WindowsInputTypes.Real, Thickness])
Values = Win.OptionsDialog(ScriptName, Options, 170)
if Values == None:
  sys.exit()

print "Working..."

# get user inputs
NumberofTeeth = Values[1]
Module = Values[2]
PitchDiameter = Values[3]
PressureAngle = Values[4]
Thickness = Values[5]

# get current part
MyPart = CurrentPart()

# get the plane to create the gear on
GearPlane = MyPart.XYPlane
if (PitchDiameter==0):
  PitchDiameter = NumberofTeeth * Module;
else:
  if (NumberofTeeth != 0):
    Module = PitchDiameter/NumberofTeeth;

# create the sketch then extrude it
ProfileSketch = MyPart.AddGearNP("Profile", NumberofTeeth, PitchDiameter, PressureAngle, 0, 0, False, GearPlane)
Gear = MyPart.AddExtrudeBoss("Gear", ProfileSketch, Thickness, False)

print "Done"

ok this has kept me up all night. this made my designs so much easier. can you make other gears with scripts like rack and pinion or double helical?

also during assembly, what would be the best way to mesh the gears together for proper operation?

sorry if im bothering. im learning 3d cad on my own time. my first class was all 2d and constraints and my second class doesnt start until the fall. right now im just a tinkerer. instead of a pulley im trying to design a 5 to 1 gear box for a bike lift / hanger

 

[Oldbelt]

See the thread Gear up loaded to day. It is simple templates for what you want.
Bevel , helical , straight gear and racks

 

[DavidJ]

That would be

Gear templates

Gear templates to straight , helical, bevel and racks gears

www.alibre.com

 

[Oldbelt]

David yes.
Why this script talk, but at list the guy have a opportunity to practice script scripting.

 

[Max]

BTW, I have a copy of Gearotic written by the Art Fenarty, author of MACH2/3. It can create elliptical planetary gears. I tried a simple ring gear and the STL imports into Repetier without problems. Also appears to import into FreeCAD but doesn't export as either IGES or STEP. So getting it into Alibre is still an issue. Not far enough on the learning curve in Gearotic to actually be able to make the interal elliptical ring gear.

Doesn't Gearotic export DXF? You can import that into Alibre Design, right-click the drawing > activate sketch on sheet > copy all > paste into a 3D model's sketch > extrude.

 

[jcdammeyer]

The templates are great, as is Gearotic (other than that program can only export as STL). The script, once I modified it to use module, has been very useful for me but I wasn't able to find the source code for:

ProfileSketch = MyPart.AddGearNP("Profile", NumberofTeeth, PitchDiameter, PressureAngle, 0, 0, False, GearPlane)
Gear = MyPart.AddExtrudeBoss("Gear", ProfileSketch, Thickness, False)

Which is why I resorted to using boolean to create the ring gear. Recall that for machining, in addition to Module the cutters are also marked for the number of teeth on the gear. And above about 130 Teeth the tooth profile is like a rack. So perhaps AddGearNP() can be told to use an infinite PitchDiameter? Perhaps it can be told to cut helical? If not perhaps it could be upgraaded?
John

Edit: I did find I've downloaded, at some point, this zip: Don't remember where I got it.

 

[jcdammeyer]

Doesn't Gearotic export DXF? You can import that into Alibre Design, right-click the drawing > activate sketch on sheet > copy all > paste into a 3D model's sketch > extrude.

Yes it does. Haven't tried that. I did contact Art Fenerty to see if he is planning on creating STP or IGES files. No answer yet.