Introduction to Drafting Workshop

OVERVIEW

This workshop is designed to introduce attendees to the concepts of 2D and 3D drafting. It will cover the basics of hand drafting with pencil and paper, and then cover simple 3D modelling in Onshape, a free, web based CAD package. Specifically, the skills learned in this workshop will be applicable to laser cutting and 3D printing, and more generally any sort of 3D mechanical design.

This workshop is being offered in lieu of an in person 3D printing class that we had planned but had to cancel due to the pandemic. This workshop will not require in person training, and will be useful for anyone interested in learning more about 3D printers and laser cutters when we can offer those classes, but should be a rewarding skillset independent of production methods.

SYLLABUS

This workshop is designed for attendees with little to no drafting / technical drawing or computer modelling experience. By the end of the workshop attendees should be able to render orthographic and isometric drawings by hand, as well as create complex objects in 3D design software, and export them for use with a 3D printer or laser cutter.

Day 1: FUNDAMENTALS - pencil and paper

• use of common drafting tools: Pencils, paper, tape, erasers, T square / parallel rule and triangles
• orthographic views of an object
• guidelines and construction lines
• isometric views of an object

Day 2: INTERMEDIATE SHAPES

• use of a compass
• circles
• ellipses
• curved surfaces in orthographic views
• practice

Day 3: PRACTICE AND REVIEW

• material from days 1 and 2 will be reviewed and we will do some drawing exercises to cement these skills before moving on to CAD.

Day 4 : INTRODUCTION TO ONSHAPE

• introduction to the onshape workspace
• object views, solid bodies, action histories, toolbars
• sketches - 2 dimensional drawings that will form the basis of 3D shapes
• dimensions
• global variables
• basic positive and negative extrusions

Day 5: 3D SHAPES

• multiple ways to create solid bodies: extrusions, sweeps, rotations
• sketches on multiple planes
• translations and transformations
• boolean operations
• complex 3D shapes

Day 6: REVIEW AND PRODUCTION SPECIFIC DESIGN AND EXPORT DISCUSSION

• review lessons from days 4 and 5
• discuss methods for production specific designs: rules and techniques for designing for 3D printing and laser cutting
• export methods for creating STL and DXF files for 3D printing and laser cutting

MATERIALS AND PREREQUISITES

There are no prerequisites for this workshop other than that you are interested in the topic. You will need to have the following items/ software / accounts before attending the workshop:

1. A COMPUTER WITH AN INTERNET CONNECTION AND A WEBCAM

you may use your cell phone so long as you can log into a google meet.

it is not required that you have an external webcam, but if you have access to a webcam that can be mounted on a tripod or anything overhead of your desk, so that you can show your drawings, this will make week 1 much easier, as other participants and the instructor will be able to see your drawing without having to remove the paper from the work surface.

headphones are a plus but not required

a good microphone is a plus, but also not required

a desk lamp, or a well lit space to work in will make drawing and sharing your drawings much easier, but is not required

2. A FREE ONSHAPE ACCOUNT

You must create a free account at onshape.com. You don't have to know how to use the software, but we will not take away class time to walk people through the creation of an account. The software is browser based, so there is nothing to download, and all attendees will see the same workspace, regardless of their operating system. PLEASE WRITE DOWN YOUR LOGIN CREDENTIALS AND HAVE THEM HANDY BEFORE WE START THE WORKSHOP.

3. PENCIL, PAPER, ERASER, AND TAPE

nothing fancy here. one wood pencil with an eraser on the back will do. If you have a mechanical pencil with a long lead sleeve for tracing tools, all the better, but you do not need this for this class. Do have a sharpener at the ready if you are using a wooden pencil. Separate eraser is great, but any eraser will do. You will need a few sheets of paper and a few inches of masking tape to affix your paper to your desk.

4. PAPER / NOTEBOOK / DESK

The best option would be to use a clean desk with a straight edge that a T-square can rid on smoothly. In this case, you will need a few sheets of paper, tape, and a clear desk with a straight edge. If you don't have a desk that you can use with a T-square, we can use a notebook with a straight edge and a smaller T-square that will ride on the edge of the notebook. It will be harder to achieve precision this way, but absolutely fine for learning the principles of mechanical drafting. an A4 or A5 notebook and small T-square are recommended.

5. T-SQUARE AND TRIANGLES

If you already have a drafting T-square and a set of 30/60/90 and 45/45/90 triangles, great. If you do not, please let us know when you sign up for the workshop, and we will laser cut a set for you. When you request a set, please let us know if you are using a desk with a straight edge, or a notebook, and we will cut the appropriate size tools. These tools will be left at Quelab for pickup, FREE of charge. If you are not in Albuquerque but have access to a 3D printer, you can print some small notebook sized drafting tools from this github repo: https://github.com/cameradactyl/MiniDraftingTools

6. A COMPASS

This is not 100% necessary, but there are some hand drafting techniques that you will just have to fudge without one. I recommend a cheap Wal-Mart compass to start with, if you do not have a fancy compass.

COST

The cost of this workshop is free to Quelab members. We ask all participants to pay it forward and help the Quelab community stay engaged and learning during the pandemic. Attendees are encouraged to run a 1 hour workshop of their own over google meets, to share knowledge or a skill that they are passionate about. This is not absolutely necessary, but strongly encouraged. It will really help Quelab to continue to be the impressive space to share skills and ideas that it is, even while most of us are not in the space.  Quelab members must be logged in to use this option.

The workshop fee to the general public is $50.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Ethan Moses is a member of Quelab and serves on the Quelab Board of Directors, and is the current Board Chair. He works on electromechanical systems and builds cameras for a living. You can see some of his cameras at https://cameradactyl.com. He is not a professional draftsman, but spends more time than anything else drawing parts of machines, either on paper or in Solidworks.