Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] threads in 3D CAD

On 2/21/2013 10:19 PM, Michael Fagan wrote:

> Interestingly enough, this is one feature of Inventor that I have not seen
> duplicated in any other CAD package I have used, including Solidworks and
> ProEngineer which would be on the same level. I actually found it quite
> helpful especially when working with custom thread forms and multiple
> special threads. The key is not just having a rendering of the thread
> appearance, but actually cataloging the thread parameters so that when you
> make blueprints they reflect the actual part.
>
>
> On Wed, Feb 20, 2013 at 8:47 PM, scyvt <scy@...> wrote:
>
>> **
>>
>>
>> Hello group
>>
>> Some years ago I took several trade school classes in CNC. The software
>> was Inventor and Mastercam. Although I knew that I could never afford to
>> own either, using them in class conditioned my expectations of what
>> software should do, and I assumed that over time less costly programs would
>> come to offer similar capabilities.
>>
>> Getting to the point, IIRC, parametric generation of threads of virtually
>> any spec was easy in Inventor, and I assumed that some similar, if not so
>> elegant, capability would be included in any 3D modeling application. Now I
>> have just learned to my great surprise that Rhino, which had become my aim
>> to acquire, has no thread modeling capabilities.
>>
>> So my question is: do most 3D CAD have integral parametric thread
>> generators, or is this considered a special capability?
>>
>> TIA
>> Steve
>>
>>

In Solidworks, you model a thread form by using a shape following a
helix. First draw the thread form, then draw a helix using number of
theads per inch/mm and use the sweep command. Cosmetic threads are less
memory intensive but threads can be modeled.

--
R Wink