It is a stand-alone modeling program and is designed so you can create your 3D geometry right inside Touchcad. Touchcad originally started as a boat design program, so it has capabilities such as dynamic cross-sections that allow you to absolutely define whatever shape you create. That way you can differentiate everything and identify what should mate up with what.įig 3 : When you create a surface in Touchcad 3.5, it can be shaped by pulling and pushing directly on the grid.This is a fast way to get in the ballpark when it comes to complex shape definition. Touchcad 3.5 features automatic panel and point numbering. The unfolded view is a sort of nesting area, which, if you’ve ever looked at the back of a sewing pattern, you’ll understand. Other software packages actually create new geometry when they show an unfolded view. That’s because the unfolding is just another view of your 3D geometry - like an exploded view in an assembly. Since the flat pattern is linked directly to the 3D model, when you go back and make changes to the surfaces, the flat pattern will automatically update. You can even add such things as seam allowances if you want. When you unfold your model, you can change how Touchcad 3.5 goes about unfolding surfaces (see Figure 2). You can also import and use various 3D modeling formats (i.e., DXF, STL, OBJ, and VRML). It’s like adding sides to a polygon until it is smooth enough for what you want. By adding U and V lines, the shape you are creating will be a lot less angular and thus smoother. If the resulting shape is a little too rough, you can always go in and increase the grid values for smoother transitions between grid panels. ![]() You can also move them using your arrow keys. Then you click and drag the nodes on the grid to wherever you want them to be (see Figure 1, above). You start modeling by laying down a grid and positioning it in space. Touchcad says it is built around a five-dimensional (5D) concept, that’s length, width, height, and -um - unfolding? What they mean is that Touchcad is a 3D modeler that maintains parametric unfolding properties for everything you create. If you don’t like what you see, you can change it.The shaded area is the material or cutting table.You drag the flat pattern in and rotate or otherwise position it to optimize placement. Touchcad 3.5 handles pretty much anything you throw at it - especially complex organic shapes.įig 2: You can select how you want Touchcad 3.5 to unfold your model’s surfaces. They usually handle only sheet metal and predictable shapes. There are other programs out there that do essentially the same sort of thing, but cost more and are much more specialized. ![]() Touchcad 3.5 is a 3D modeling program that specializes in breaking up and unfolding complex shapes so they can actually be made. How do you break up your shape into the flat pattern - and what if you need to apply an image to it? Impossible you say? Not for Touchcad 3.5 from Lundström Design. Pretty easy right? But your product isn’t a perfect sphere. They print a flat pattern, cut it out, then glue it all together to make the sphere. How are they made? They don’t print all those countries on a sphere you know. How many times have you needed to get a flat pattern of a complex freeform shape? It happens. The grid.This is a fast way to get in the ballpark when it comes to complex shape definition. Fig 1: When you create a surface in Touchcad 3.5, it can be shaped by pulling and pushing directly on
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