Recreating Assortment Box with Parametric Modelling

[faultykyle]

Hello!

I'm trying to recreate the 40mm tall Assortment Box by Alexandre Chappel using parameters so I can create a custom shape (that isn't a standard '1x1' or '2x1' shape). I can get most of the box structure made but I struggle to get the "lip" at the top developed as a sweep tool gives me an error about the operation intersecting itself and I'm not having success with other methods of recreating it (fillets don't get the same result and the shell function produces weird results with angles on sweeping corners).

Has anyone solved this problem before?

  

The STL model shows off some of the funky design decisions on the boxes (including a 0.5 degree angle on the outer surface), which is easy enough to model in, but the lip has me completely stuck.

I've uploaded what I've achieved thus far - but the sketches are ugly and not at the exact measurements as I've been throwing all sorts of cutouts at the problem to try and get one to work (and I've deleted my shell operations)

Thank you.

[OceanHydroAU]

One trick that gets me out of sticky problems is doing things (repeats/patterns/etc) on the *history* objects in the timeline.

As for your problem - looks like you've got a fixed corner, but parametric size of the sides... maybe model this as one corner using a circular pattern of 4 and parameters for the lengths and diameter of the pattern ?

[TrippyLighting]

The corner fillets on the corner .on the mesh  model look very different from the corner fillets on your model. Is that intentional ?

[faultykyle]

Do you mean the bottom fillets? Yeah I got those working as a proof of concept and figured I'd fix up the actual dimensions later.

I've managed to stumble a method of getting this to work that is 98% close to what the original design has. I'll continue tomorrow and if it works I'll post up my solution for others if someone finds themself in this exact situation.

It has been a headache inducing afternoon.

[g-andresen]

Hi,

I removed the screencast and file because I think that the example  by @TheCADWhisperer is easier to realize.

günther

[TrippyLighting]

No I am talking about the highlighted areas in the screenshot. The radii in your design do not match the radii in the mesh. 

[TheCADWhisperer · Accepted solution]

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@faultykyle wrote:

 I'll continue tomorrow and if it works I'll post up my solution for others if someone finds themselves in this

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Your sketches are more complicated than necessary and are not all fully defined.

Edit: Your 3 place dimensions are not measurable or manufacturable in the real world (unless you want to get very very expensive).

@faultykyle 

I did not take time to try to exactly reproduce the original - but note the simplicity of my sketches and overall design.

All dimensions could be set up as Parameters.

Even if I were to do a Sweep of the sides instead of Extrude - I would not sketch the wall thickness - that is what Shell is for.

[faultykyle]

Oh. My. Word.

Your timeline is so clean and crisp, you also solved it in a step-order I hadn't considered. I will work on parameterising the shapes/sketches to match the original, but what you have provided me as a starting point is so far beyond my best-attempt thus far.

Incredible thank you.

[TrippyLighting]

I used a slightly modified workflow to improve on the visual appearance of the  fillets.

[TheCADWhisperer]

@faultykyle 

Here is an alternate technique using Surface Sweep.

Surface modeling is often overlooked as most consider it only for "organic" geometry, but it can also be used as an efficient way to create simple prismatic geometry.

Nearly all dimensions in Sketch1.

I did not take time to try to duplicate the original geometry - just presenting alternate ideas.

Hide Section Analysis to see full model...

[g-andresen]

Hi,

Then I will throw another design into the arena here.
I have omitted the moulded handle.

günther

[faultykyle]

Thank you, even more for me to learn on options.

I've had to step away from my computer for a few days to travel for work, but will hopefully be able to resume this weekend and get my custom box built.

For context of those playing along at home it's to build a funky shaped box to house this sickle-like tool that's used on my pool pump. If I can re-create the original geometry I'll be able to have another layer of the 40mm boxes on top, plus keep those black squares free for either full height (75mm) or double stacked half height (40mm) boxes.

But the history timeline you've shown me shows if i get the model parameters right, I just need to start from a different shaped origin (rather than square, this odd rectangle-ish shape).

 

[faultykyle]

Brilliant. I'll probably end up merging heaps of these different ideas to be able to perfectly match the original geometry. The only 3 pieces that really matter are the overall height, the width, and the mating angles of the inner lip and the bottom angle. Hopefully with all these solutions I'll have a proper answer!

[TrippyLighting]

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@faultykyle wrote:

... to be able to perfectly match the original geometry ...

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That is something I would not do, as the "original" geometry left to be desired.