Radiusing

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#1

Now, I am new to Shapr- but have 40 years experience doing cad drawing.
its possible the app has the functionally I mention below and I just have no idea where its hidden…
But its worth asking…

Most CAD drawing starts out with simple straight lines, rectangles, 45 degree angles etc.
In every other CAD package I draw in, converting a corner connection between two angled lines to a radius is simply a matter of selecting a point, ( or all the corner points I want radiused ) and tapping a radius tool to define the radii of all the intersections.

With Shapr this simple task a pain. While adding radius curves to 90 intersections is pretty straightforward…it still involves either scaling to exactly the grid spacing I want for the radius , or drawing an unattached arc and trying to use the tangent tool to line it up with the drawn corner.

When adding radii that are bridging other angles, especially obtuse angles, its even more problematic… Requiring multiple taps of several tools just to try and make a corner rounded to a known quantity- Half the time, the app moves the straight line rather than simply adjusting the position of the arc center and degrees to achieve the tangency.
At present it seems the only way to do this is to laboriously constrain the lines, turn off snaps, and then tell it to make the curve tangent so it will move the centerpoint.

It is literally faster to take a drawing with multiple angled corners, exit sketch into 3D, extrude the sketch, and then select all the edges to radius together, and then project the body back onto a sketch plane.

Can you PLEASE add a simple radius tool that allows you to select as many corner points on the sketch plane as you please and simply drag or enter a radius value?

Or am I missing where this feature exists and is hidden?

#2

Hi @Sculptingman, I see what you are looking for and it can be useful sometimes.
I have seen some modeling workflows where sketch radiuses were possible, but it turned out that defining the radius on the sketch phase can easily lead to broken models when intersecting each other for example with non-matching surface corners because of the different radiuses. I’ve heard several times that filleting/chamfering is the next step after the solid bodies are created.
In Shapr3D the sketch fillet feature is not available. It can be defined only on the bodies by selecting the edges and moving the two-way arrow or tapping on the arrow and type in a number. And here comes the trick, if you move the arrow from the edge or type in positive numbers, it will create a radius. If you move the arrow into the body or type in negative numbers, Shapr3D will create chamfers. As you finish the command, you can select the filleted/chamfered surface and hit delete to get back to the sharp-edged model of yours. Is there a specific reason why you are missing to fillet the edges in the sketch phase?

#3

I am aware of filleting and chamfering.

The problem comes in when I want to take the drawing and export it with dimensions.
The only way is for me to essentially tediously try to place radii in the drawing which you warn may end up in bad geometry…
Or to project my final model onto a sketch plane and then have to laboriously hand select and lock every dimension just so it will show up- even though I had already done that once before to draw the original sketch.
For example… I want to take a drawing I have already laid out and export it for a CNC mill to cut out of sheets of metal or wood. I don’t even NEED a 3D model… just a proper CAD drawing I can verify and export.

If the app can essentially just take any line segment and simply apply a dynamic radius… in 3D, I don’t see why essentially the same code can’t treat a 2D connection point of two lines as an end view of a line segment and pull the same trick?

#4

I see, in 2D only it could be helpful. But as you end up in the third dimension, the solid fillet/chamfer tool could interfere with the sketch. I mean it would no be that simple to delete that radius from the solid body.

#5

Sketch fillet has been requested multiple times before. That and Array tool :slight_smile: Not sure when or if they will add it, but:

My work around is to just draw a circle with the correct sketch fillet and use tangent and lock constrains to make the fillet. It´s not as fast as making sketch fillets in autocad, but it does the trick.

#6

I don’t see why this would be an issue. If I can draw arcs, and those arcs when tangent to adjoining lines will fillet or bevel without issue, then what is a radius except another arc on the drawing plane?
The one parameter to a radius between two lines you know is always wanted is tangency to the lines being radiused.
This is already the defining constraint to ensure your 3D chamfers or radiuses won’t have an issue.

At present- this is the only workflow I have found that works reliably on the drawing plane. I have two straight lines meeting at an angle with a common point. I have to lock the points on BOTH ends of each line so the tangency constraint will not move the lines. ( six taps )
Then I have to draw a circle with the radius I want and hand position it pretty dang close. ( Without creating a ‘connection’ constraint to either line or the point,) A tap, a drag, another tap for a field entry, then a tap and a drag )
Then I have to select the circle and one of the lines and tap the Tangent constraint. ( 3 more taps)
Then I have to select the circle AGAIN and the other line and tap the tangent constraint again. ( 3 more taps )
Then I have to take the trim tool and trim most of the circle off, and the two ends of the lines where they join. (3 more taps )
18 taps, minimum.

All that to create 1 radius in a drawing where I might want 15 or 20 radii, all the same size.
As opposed to just selecting a radius tool and just tapping the adjoining lines…

Or even better, the radius tool only being able to select corner points between two lines- just select all the corner points, then tap next, and enter the radius- and end up with perfectly tangent arcs that do NOT move any of the lines…?