Absolute beginner!! Need misc info!?/

[johnny916]

Ok I am taking a Pro/Engineer class at my local community college in Sacramento, CA.. Don't have any mechanical engineer experience or classes yet but very interested in the field.


My question is:
1. Can one person really invent whatever they wish with 3D modeling?? I mean, you know how software takes a team of 10-20+ people to design anything useful, is this the same with Pro/Engineering and/or 3D modeling programs in general?

2. If I am using the student edition then wish to have my work fabricated one day into a prototype, will I need to purchase a commercial copy? From a standpoint of giving it to a fabricator.

3. Is there anyone who I can talk to (phone) just to get a feel of what the industry is like and guide me in the right direction?

 

[krow72]

Hi jonny916. Welcome to the forum. To try and answer a little to your qustions.


1. If you can think it up and have the know how of how things work you can create great things with Pro-E. Pro-E is just a 3d software, so it is just a tool. The rest of the design comes from you! Be aware that you are able to design a part in a 3d cad system that could be practically impossible to manufacture. Check out this site from Leo Greene. He has some of his inventions and some tutorials that you may find interesting.


http://www.e-cognition.net/


2. You have the option to export out a 3d file (iges or step file) that can be read by other systems. We call these dumb files because they do not maintain the features of your original model.


3. You may want to post where you are from and contact some local people for this one. The industry is different from region to region so this is almost a loaded question. If you talk to someone in say California their answer would be different than some in Idaho. This also depends on what field you are interested in.


Hope I have help you out some.

 

[D3syn3rMike]

I tell people in my office seemingly everyday that designing something in Pro/E or otherwise does not require a degree. Pro/e makes it easier than paper and pencil to design something, you could think of it as molding clay to visualize your ideas.


Then, good drawings andcommunication with the potential manufacturers (machine shops, rapid prototyping shops, etc.) can turn your idea into a prototype. Good machinists will welcome the the discussion of your ideas, and probably offer counter ideas that might make it easier to manufacture and/or function. Good drawings don't require a degree either, just keep in mind that your drawings simply need to communicate your idea to the manufacturer.


A degree, in the end, is useful for testing your ideas say for structural integrity or thermal effects. But manyproducts/inventions start off as simple prototypes and many ofthe same things you learn from engineering tests could be obtained through trial and error and a couple iterations of prototyping.But don't worry about that stuff for now. Have funwith it.

 

[Atropos89]

Legally, you can't use the student edition for profit. That'd be a nasty lawsuit. Also, anything you create in the student edition won't open in the professional edition for this very reason, so refrain from making anything too important in the student edition. You'll just have to do it again once you purchase the professional edition.


If you just want to make something to put on your shelf, that's fine (to the best of my knowledge).

 

[johnny916]

Great site! Thanks everybody for the advice.. You can be sure to be asking a lot more questions.

 

[faisalmk]

As for me I use Pro/E for modeling a certain part and then I use manufacturing features as mold design and G-Code generation to produce it ... Just for fun, most things I creat in Pro/E I put it in my room or give it for free for one of my friends and they like it.


If you wish to be creative, First you have to be excellent in modeling then manufacturing.