[Shiny]

Progress looks great!

Definitely sounds like this project will take a back seat for a while. Moving will eat you up for a while but I'm confident you'll get settled again.

[dataway]

In preparation for our move I'm getting the house as organized for the new owners as possible (whomever they end up being).

Using the 3d printer to print up tags for all the pipes, wires etc. I just zip tie them on. In some cases double sided tape to the wall.

Yes I love this 3d printing thing, feeds my OCD perfectly
Red for electric, Yellow for gas, Silver and black for water etc. I'll be including the internet cable, antenna cable to the attic, network cables too.

[3X24SPD]

You're out of control with this stuff! LOL

Shame you're retired and weren't younger and still in the work force and inclined to consider relocating to the NH seacoast.

I've been interviewing candidates for a career in Mechanical Design/3D Printing since January. Fantastic opportunity for someone who wanted to learn and be on the most forward cutting edge of the evolving technology.

Finally found & made the right person an offer last week- so the job posting is now closed- but I think you would have been a great fit and enjoyed the role immensely.

-Bill

[dataway]

There are certainly a lot of young guns out there that love this stuff. Right now there seems to be somewhat of a division in the field .. there are people with great skills in 3D design on the graphics side but not much natural aptitude on the engineering side, and then Engineers without much natural aptitude on the creative side.

The Gaming industry sucks up a lot of the talent as most games these days are functionally just complex physics simulations with words and art added. The artistic guys end up having to develop a feel for the physics and realism so they can design game elements that work like real life.

Most everything starts with the 3D model ... then you make it "do stuff"

Yes sir I would have loved it. I was a "Nuke" in the Navy where I got my background in engineering, physics, chemistry, metallurgy and from moment one wanted to design my own devices and systems. But .. Que, sera, sera ... no looking back now

Still Nerd enough to appreciate the vote of confidence.

[dataway]

I still do side work ... at present I'm working on a 3d model and texture material for some special effects in a short sci-fi film. Here is a render of the model superimposed on a still frame from the film ... it will all be blended together by the film editor at some point. These days video editors can render 3d models/materials directly into a video and manipulate them, light them etc. All I do is create the model, the exterior texture/material and send it to the editor who then does all the fancy stuff making it fit seamlessly into the video.

My advice to anyone 50 years old right now ... learn the new technology, whether it's the latest computer OS, smart device, phone, navigation aid, machine shop app, or CAD ... stay reasonably current with the technology. I hate to see people end up like my parents in their 80's with no clue about how to function in a modern world ... you have to stay current, you have no idea what technology that today seems irrelevant that tomorrow will run half the world.

[Shiny]

This explains everything. Only an alien could do what you do...

I just finished a couple "senior classes" about current issues in technology and AI. Technology change used to be fast... now it's accelerating at a staggering rate. Materials science, bio-tech, manufacturing, software, agriculture, energy, you name it, there's a revolution in progress.

[dataway]

Excellent, had no idea there was such a thing as classes to familiarize age enhanced individuals with new technologies.

Sometimes the great wisdom and experience we obtain kind of crowds out the trivial knowledge

And yes I just coined the term "Age Enhanced Person".

[dataway]

Had a few minutes of spare time to fill ...

Had to happen eventually ... GTO Key Fob, about 6" long.

[dataway]

My first attempt at a Rally II wheel, a little tweaking and I think it will turn out nice.

[Shiny]

The wheel looks outstanding. Were you able to make "one" spoke, then replicate "radially". Very nice!

[LastoftheThinkers]

Originally Posted by dataway

I still do side work ... at present I'm working on a 3d model and texture material for some special effects in a short sci-fi film. Here is a render of the model superimposed on a still frame from the film ... it will all be blended together by the film editor at some point. These days video editors can render 3d models/materials directly into a video and manipulate them, light them etc. All I do is create the model, the exterior texture/material and send it to the editor who then does all the fancy stuff making it fit seamlessly into the video.

My advice to anyone 50 years old right now ... learn the new technology, whether it's the latest computer OS, smart device, phone, navigation aid, machine shop app, or CAD ... stay reasonably current with the technology. I hate to see people end up like my parents in their 80's with no clue about how to function in a modern world ... you have to stay current, you have no idea what technology that today seems irrelevant that tomorrow will run half the world.

This is so important. I grew up with computers being an everyday reality, but even so, I struggle to keep up with all of the new tech. It moves really quickly.

[dataway]

Shiny .. yes, I did a sketch for one spoke and then a circular pattern of five, then I connected the five spokes in the sketch to achieve the results I wanted.

The spokes are actually created by cutting out the space between them from a large shallow cone, which leaves the shape of the spokes.

I'm still undecided if the method I used to create this wheel was the best choice, lot of ways to skin this cat.

New improved version on the left, previous version on the right. I keep forgetting to "cartoon'ize" the measurements. Plastic being much weaker than steel you can't just scale down parts that include thin section metal. I basically made all the cross-section measurements thicker on the new one, and changed some settings on the printer.

Now I have to try to find a cross section view of a G70-14 bias ply tire

[Shiny]

That is getting so good we can start arguing over the codes and color of the center cap!

Are you printing these with a "silver" material?

What did you do to change the texture on the spokes? Is that a "resolution" setting (ie prototype vs final) or do you force something in the build path/"layup" (sorry I don't know the terminology)?

Mike

[dataway]

It's supposed to be silver .. far more a slightly shiny gray. Most of these filaments are made to look good from the vertical side, not the top surface so not very shiny. I have filament that is supposed to be shinier .. but it can be kind of finicky so that will wait till the actual design is finalized.

The result on the left was was done with a 0.4mm nozzle, the prototype was done with a 0.2 nozzle ... so the one on the left SHOULD have been a lower resolution, but it appears that reduction in resolution was more than offset by printer settings for the 0.4mm nozzle being set up better.

The company that makes the printer has recognized that their printing profile for 0.2mm nozzles has some issues and they are working on a fix. The 0.2mm nozzle is so freaking small that it can be a challenge to get it right, but when it is it looks great. I changed filament brands to something that was supposed to be better ... but doesn't appear to be.

So that's a good catch, results were kind of opposite of what I expected. The upside is that the 0.4mm nozzle will print the wheel about 3 times faster.

Below is the wheel/tire combo, based on the dimensions of a G70-14. Still some work to do there, need to find a soft filament that doesn't print so shiny. Pops on to the wheel very nicely with a little effort. As you can see the complete model will be pretty large.

[Shiny]

Wow, that is so cool you can replace tires!

Nice job on the tire design. Looks great.

Thanks for explaining the nozzle size anomaly. Makes sense the finish could be strongly influenced by how the deposit blends with adjacent material, not just the nozzle (resolution) size. Sounds complicated and the printer companies probably invest a lot of effort in "tuning" for specific filaments.

[Shiny]

I suspect you're immersed in your new home but thought of this thread as I'm struggling to learn some basic CAD skills. I just submitted my 1st 3D part model to my library to print. They somehow print for free, but are limited to PLA so I may join a local "maker" group that has shared printer access. Hopefully their equipment can handle more useful materials.

This is probably low on your priority list but hope you someday continue!

Mike

[dataway]

More problematic than moving my home, was moving the CAD software I used. I swapped from Autodesk Inventor 2017 to Solidworks 2025 (using a student subscription). This means converting tons of files over to the new format. Solidworks will attempt to do it, but lots of details get lost or scrambled, so it's time consuming to straighten out some of the models that took quite a few hours to create.

Lately we've been focused on working with an architect on the plans for the new house. My new household work space is too small, and has too poor climate control to get real enthusiastic about working on the GTO model project. Mostly I'm just printing necessary items for the house and shop.

I'm waiting for a particular item that will help keep my filament in a lower humidity environment which will streamline things a bit.

Feel free to contact me about printing something for you, long as it's not huge, or particular difficult to print. I can do PLA, PETG, ASA (better version of ABS), TPU, and Carbon Fiber PETG depending on part.

I don't typically charge anything except shipping for forum members that just want something for their own use.

My latest project. A metering valve for my cheapo blasting cabinet. It's the gray piece, has passages inside for sand and air.

[Shiny]

Glad you are getting settled and making progress on the house. That's a lot of work!

Thanks for the offer to print, and I'll consider reaching out if I strike out locally. I would not want to drag you along on one of my misadventures, though, so for now, I'm walking before riding the bike.

For now, my minimal CAD skills would be a barrier to doing much, but having a purpose drives the learning. You may have pointed me... I'm using the free version of Autocad Fusion which is impressive enough for me.

My first CAD learning task was a workbench for my new-to-me garage. Modeling it helped the planning and understanding how much there is to learn!

My 3D part thing is a mount for a small monitor I strap to the rear-view mirror in the truck when I tow the camper. I have been using balsa blocks and after breaking them about 3 times it occurred to me I could print some and learn more Fusion. Win win.

The PLA prints will tell me if I sized it right, then I'll find a way to print with a material that can tolerate the sun through the windshield of a parked truck.

Mike

[dataway]

I often print prototypes in PLA, then use PETG or ASA for the final product.

I made several contraptions to hold navigation aids when we were making the trips from NY to TN during the move.

PETG should work fine in a car as long as the load isn't putting too much stress on it. PETG is much more heat tolerant than PLA, but something like ASA is even better. PETG Carbon Fiber would also be a good choice. I'm guessing the monitor is very light, so PETG should be fine.

I still keep Fusion on my computer since it's free and it works well. And so popular it's good to keep familiar with it.

Just let me know if you need anything, specially if you have tested a PLA prototype. It can get a bit tedious working with someone to come up with a working prototype first, tough thing to do long distance. But a working model makes things much easier.

[R 70 Judge]

Wow this is cool stuff! I don't usually read the Lobby threads, so I've missed this one until now.

Do any of you have the ability to convert a SDLPRT file to a DXF file format? I have some files for custom parts that were made for my 70 TA that I wanted to make a few copies of through SendCutSend and they don't take SLDPRT file formats.