Replies

1. 
   daverichards | Apr 09, 2010 05:06pm | #1

   If you want to send me the SKP file, I'll take a look and see if I can help you get it straightened out.

   Dave

1. 
   Hastings | Apr 09, 2010 05:46pm | #2

   Dave:

   Thank you for your help. Here's the file. I am trying to make a scalable panel with the piece on the lower left of the drawing ( from the front view).

   Hastings

   
1. 
   daverichards | Apr 09, 2010 06:36pm | #3

   I see what you've got going now. Your dynamic components need a lot more than just specifying lenx. For the stiles, lenx is the width of the stile which I'm guessing you don't want to change.

   The drawback of making Dynamic Components of frame and panel doors is that changes in length are done by scaling the component. If you want to change the length of the rail, you will end up scaling the cope and stub tenon as you can see in your model. To prevent that you need to divide the rail into 3 separate components. From left to right I'll call them A, B and C. A and C include the cope and stub tenon geometry while B is just the center section of the rail.

   Next, in setting up the dynamic component, you'll set component  A so it doesn't change position, component B so it can be scaled along lenx only with the left end fixed and component C will be set up to move by the distance lenx so that it ends up at the end of component B. That way there's no scaling done to the joinery on the ends of the rail. You can hide the seam line edges so the rail looks like a single component.

   Rails can probably be scaled using lenz unless you have a mortise at the ends for a real tenon in which case you would need to split it into three sections as for the rails.

   The panel is another story. If you simply scale the panel, you'll change the proportions of the raising. To make it possible to scale the panel either horizontally or vertically you'll need to divide the panel into nine smaller components. To change the width of the panel you would leave the three sections on the left where they are, scale the three in the center with lenx and move the three on the right by lenx. Changing the height of the panel would involve leaving the bottom three, scaling the middle three and move the top three.

   When you get finished setting up all of that, you make a nest component of all those components and set it up so that a change in door width results in scaling and moving the appropriate components inside the door. You'll be writing formulae that reference the dynamic Components inside the dynamic door component.

   It's probably as much work as it sounds but when you get finished, you can use the door quickly and easily in a variety of models. Be aware however, if you want to use the CutList plugin, the information you get on the doors will be virtually useless unless you want to do the math to combine the various components. the CutList plugin drills down to the lowest level of components and reports them.

   I'm not trying to talk you out of using Dynamic Components but I think there is an easier way to vary the size of your doors using simple, basic components. All you need to do is open the components for editing, drag a left to right selection box around one end and use the Move tool to move the selected part of the component. I demonstrated something similar in a Design. Click. Build. blog post not too far back. In the video accompanying that post I modified a fern stand into a bench. The same process would work for frame and panel doors and give you the benefit of useful output from the CutList plugin if you want it.

   Dave

1. 
   Hastings | Apr 10, 2010 08:06pm | #4

   Dave:

   Thank you so much for your help. I have been mulling over your comments vis-a-vis the dynamic capabilities and the difficulties with a frame and panel door. Having played around with it today, I think you're right – it's just not worth it and it makes a mess of the components.

   How do I keep a rail next to it's stile so that it doesn't move away when you scale? How do you easily determine the desired position? Do you build these around the origin? Are positional constraints relative rather than absolute?

   And I thought it was going to be easy to create dynamic components!

   I really appreciate the time you have spared for me.

   Hastings

1. 
   daverichards | Apr 10, 2010 10:07pm | #5

   Hastings,

   I am glad to help. I'm sorry to have painted such a negative picture of Dynamic Components. I think they do have their place.

   As far as the sizing/scaling thing with them, that generally occurs relative to the component's origin which is normally at the lower front left corner. The way you maintain the relationship between parts inside depends upon the parts and what has to happen to them. You might want to import some ready made Dynamic Components (DCs) from the 3D Warehouse and take a look at how they are made. You can see the forumlae used to make the resizing work.

   If you aren't going to use Dynamic Components, use the Move tool instead of the Scale tool to resize the components. In most cases I find this method easier and faster than creating a DC when I need to make a similar element in a model with different sizes.

   In one of my current drawing projects I had need for some #8 x 1-1/2"  round head screws as well as 3/8" x 4" lag  screws. They were both made from the same #8 x 2" flat head screw I drew for another current project. I did use Scaling as well as the Move tool for the lag screw but it was only a couple of minutes of work to make the new screws and that was actually more involved resizing a frame and panel door. 

   Dave

2. 
   spaetzleboy | Apr 25, 2010 05:22am | #6

   rankest newby

   first time accessing the cad discussion. I downloaded Sketchup but find it opaque. 

   I wonder if there exists a glossary of CAD terms, as well as woodworking terms on this site. I've been secretly wanting to design my boxes before cutting the wood. I loved the idea of drawing 3D plans on my computer, but Sketchup is frustrating to say the very least and impossible without some kind of instructions. Otherwise, the site is stimulating. Can anyone help?

   Spaetzleboy