Where are the Limits with SolidWorks?

Where are the limits with SolidWorks?

                                                                                                                                             By Richard Williams 8/8/08

            Well, I haven’t found them yet myself but then again I am not a power user like those that make their livelihoods with this SolidWorks program.  I’m more like many of you reading this article.  I struggle to find ways for using it in our schools here in our district.  I’m constantly working to find new and different things to do with SolidWorks to promote its use in so many other ways that many of us have not tried as yet.  So I took upon myself another project recently.

           I was asked by one of our university professors here to do some conceptual designs for the conversion of Cargo Shipping Containers that will be used as emergency or highly portable temporary housing units.  I took the challenge up and started to work with some other conceptualization programs that are easier to use with this type of idea phase.  (You might remember my last article about that where I suggested two free programs to go get for yourself.)  Eventually, my ideas took shape and in order to do the fine detailing and exacting assembly work, I had to move into SolidWorks itself with my conceptualization ideas.  Now as you already know, SolidWorks was never meant to be an Architectural program.  Now having said that, I will let you judge the results for yourself.  Mind you now, I’m not a professional user of this marvelous program, so in the hands of one of the CSWP (Certified SolidWorks Professional) I’m sure a much greater level of creativity and design would be obvious.  However, I will submit my screen shots of the final assembly work I did over this last week or two.  Now the two basic designs are done and I can use them to place a small to large community of them on the desert.  I have not yet finished with these concepts and more are going to be done in the near future.  But these screen captures will show you what is not only possible but doable when using SolidWorks.  Enjoy the pictures and comments.

             It is easy to make mistakes when bouncing back and forth between different versions of deigns you have up and running at the same time.  Today I put some finishing touches on both of the two configurations so far of the CSC’s.  For instance, in this triplex unit, I did not realize that the beds were wrong.  I had to design a bunk bed that would go into each of the four bedrooms.  To finish out the rooms I installed a full length mirror across from the bunk beds along with a small night table.  I also placed the dining table with six chairs in the center middle CSC.  It takes time to design furniture and then to install it you must make those “mates” to place things where you want them.  I have learned how valuable certain mates can be in the placement of things like furniture.  Especially the distance mates I used for home furnishings.  No, I have never played with a doll house but I did make one for my daughter once, many years ago. This has been a fun project but it does take time.  I still have a long way to go yet.

 

Inspiration can come at the very oddest and inconvenient times.  More than once I have had to get up in the middle of the night to draw some ideas out that were not allowing me to sleep.  It is all for a very good cause so I really don’t mind.  This is basically a humanitarian project right now.  From building Fettuccini Pasta Bridges to this is a big jump into another direction but both were challenging and fun to do.  I’m happy to share it with all of you out there.

Packing things in tightly is one of the parameters here with these conversions.  They must be completely portable as these Cargo Shipping Containers are designed to be anyway.  Everything is supposed to go inside for shipment.

As you can now plainly see, doing architectural designs within the SolidWorks program is very possible.  The major time element here was the building of the house furnishings.  I went around my house to measure things that we have here in order to build things digitally.  J  I believe it goes without saying that for these screen captures or shots, I hid walls and roof sections to allow a deeper look into the inside setup.

After remembering what life was like in the US Marines, while on maneuvers and even when back in the Marine barracks on the base, all of these designs are better than what we had as a normal routine.  These designs were not meant to be for the normal family but rather to provide shelter to those on construction projects working far away from their homes and out in remote areas in the desert regions.  Why you would ask?  One reason is that there is a great need for them and if you have ever tried sleeping out in the desert in tents and a blanket you would know what I mean.  This is being done now by construction crews working on modern cities in the United Arab Emirates.  They have a tremendous foreign workforce there and living conditions are horrible.  The have the worst conditions possible there, so this project for ideas is being pushed hard and not only by me but by those leaders in that country as well. J

          Once ideas are approved, then plans can be formulated for the prefabrication of them into these highly portable living units.  Their design was meant to provide housing for sleeping comfortably, getting cleaned up, including clothes washing and of course food and drink.  Deserts can get mighty cold or hot depending upon the time of the year.  I live on one in Las Vegas, Nevada and I’m always surprised at how cold it gets out there at times.  I did not even include the wind that seems to love the open areas of this Mojave Desert.  I’ll be using that factor in a little wind power generation to provide electrical power to these units.  Photovoltaic power is already planned for it. 

            One other consideration has to be mentioned.  We have a severe energy problem here in the USA that is costing us tremendous amounts of money to be sent to those countries that have the oil for sale.  If we are ever going to cut way back on that dependence on foreign oil, we will need to utilize or designate large areas of open deserts we have here in this country for the conversion of solar power to be fed into the electric power grid.  In doing this we will need large numbers of construction workers from all the different trades and specialties to work at these sites.  So I guess you can see where these converted units might come in very handy.  J  Small temporary cities were built for the workers on projects like the Hoover Dam and many others, including the Nevada Atomic Testing range.  As a former construction electrician that had to travel to many, far away from home jobs, I would have loved to have something like these units, to share with my fellow workers rather than to rent high priced one room apartments.  Some of us slept in campers and trucks.  That is just a small look into how things get done and accomplished on large job sites and the sacrifices that are made in order to build America.

           Here is hoping that this article has inspired some of you and also that it has shown you what is also possible to do with the SolidWorks program.  Bye for now.

Comments

[Richard erasmus]

your solidworks program is simmilair to building houses in THE SIMS the only difference is sims works on a grid and all the walls and windows and doors are a standard size so creativity is limited.i think your dezign is very good well thats all

[Corporal Willy]

Thank you Sir. It is always nice to have someone respond to what you have posted. This Conversion of Cargo Shipping Containers has been very time consuming but as a humanitarian type of project, I am giving it my best. There are no pre-built blocks of materials and or windows, doors or any other type of objects to embed into my conversions. I have had to design them all myself with my limited abilities. I am not too sure I know what you meant by SIMS. Obviously you are talking about a program but one that I am not familiar with. Thank you for the feed back. :)

[HID Kit]

It is a wonderful article,i like it,thank you very much!Keep posting more.

[Corporal Willy]

SolidWorks is not a great archtectural tool but having said that I believe in the future there will be add ons for that purpose. I did the best I could but I am neither an architech or an engineer. I am a retired electrical construction worker out of New York. Take care.