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All Forums >> RC Airplanes >> Scratch Building, Aircraft Design, 3D/CAD >> Prints for building airplanes?
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Prints for building airplanes? - 5/14/2008 4:23:37 PM   
DuceNova


 

Posts: 100
Joined: 7/11/2007
From: Endicott, NY, USA
Status: offline 		I have AutoCAD LT on my computer. I need prints for airplanes that I can import then print out.

Also, how do you draw the curve in the ribs?

Thanks,

John
       Post #: 1

RE: Prints for building airplanes? - 5/14/2008 5:43:56 PM   
draftman1


 

Posts: 302
Joined: 9/4/2007
From: Strathmore, CA, USA
Status: online 		how much do you know about autocad? basicly you can use the arc tool or use the eclips tool and trim it. some frre plans are dwg or dxf file, those can usually be opend up with autocad. if they are pdf then you need a pdf converter or if you have a newer copy of autocad then it mite have it built in

(in reply to DuceNova)
       Post #: 2

RE: Prints for building airplanes? - 5/14/2008 5:52:53 PM   
mmattockx


 

Posts: 2112
Joined: 4/28/2005
From: Calgary, AB, CANADA
Status: offline 		John,

Look in the Scratchbuilding Forum, there is a sticky thread at the top with a long list of sources for plans and designs.

For ribs, it depends on how your airfoil shape is defined. If you are ballparking one by eye (which works fine for almost any model), then you can use arcs or ellipses combined with straight lines. If you are using airfoil data from NACA or similar info, then you plot the coordinates using a polyline and then SPLINE it to smooth the corners. I always draw all my airfoils with a 10" chord in my source file and then it is easy to scale them to any chord as a simple multiple of 10. It's really critical because CAD will scale anything to anything, it is just an easy thing to remember when pulling in a block to a new drawing.


Mark

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(in reply to DuceNova)
       Post #: 3

RE: Prints for building airplanes? - 5/14/2008 11:43:39 PM   
Mike Emilio


 

Posts: 438
Joined: 3/17/2003
From: TorontoOntario, CANADA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: DuceNova

I have AutoCAD LT on my computer. I need prints for airplanes that I can import then print out.

Also, how do you draw the curve in the ribs?

Thanks,

John

If you don't have a large format plotter, you might be just as far ahead to get something as a tiled pdf. You might wing up with 20-30 sheets, but at least you'll get something printed out. Any new decent wide format plotter will set you back a few thousand bucks.

(in reply to DuceNova)
       Post #: 4

RE: Prints for building airplanes? - 5/15/2008 2:14:47 AM   
DuceNova


 

Posts: 100
Joined: 7/11/2007
From: Endicott, NY, USA
Status: offline 		Thanks to all for the input. I have a friend that plots out big prints for me. I should know how to do elipses, splines, and arch, BUT it's been a while since I've had to do them. Time to wind the brain back up and get back into the game! LOL!

I did download a couple of DXF files and worked with them a little last night.

Yes, it takes about 8 sheets of paper in landscape (to be wide enough) to print out a 48" wing on the HP5610 printer. I call it "killing trees".

< Message edited by DuceNova -- 5/15/2008 2:16:54 AM >

(in reply to Mike Emilio)
       Post #: 5

RE: Prints for building airplanes? - 5/20/2008 9:02:44 PM   
longdan



Posts: 462
Joined: 10/18/2006
From: Auckland, NEW ZEALAND
Status: offline 		For doing foils, download Profili2. It has a huge library of foils in its database. They can be exported as DXF files which can be opened in autocad. Profili2 asks you what chord length you want. If you register it, it opens up a whole lot of options like spar cutouts, lightening holes etc. But these can be done in autocad as well.

(in reply to DuceNova)
       Post #: 6

RE: Prints for building airplanes? - 5/20/2008 11:02:48 PM   
dreadnaut



Posts: 625
Joined: 3/13/2004
From: Vista, CA, USA
Status: offline
quote:

ORIGINAL: mmattockx

John,

Look in the Scratchbuilding Forum, there is a sticky thread at the top with a long list of sources for plans and designs.

For ribs, it depends on how your airfoil shape is defined. If you are ballparking one by eye (which works fine for almost any model), then you can use arcs or ellipses combined with straight lines. If you are using airfoil data from NACA or similar info, then you plot the coordinates using a polyline and then SPLINE it to smooth the corners. I always draw all my airfoils with a 10" chord in my source file and then it is easy to scale them to any chord as a simple multiple of 10. It's really critical because CAD will scale anything to anything, it is just an easy thing to remember when pulling in a block to a new drawing.


Mark


I avoid using splines. They are not really necessary for this kind of work, and become difficult to work with if you intend to use a laser cutter. Laser cutting works better if it is a ployline with only straight line segments. If not, many laser cutters will charge extra to get to into this form.

For drawing airfoils, I use a data file that lists points. I use a script file to draw the points in ACAD (this might not work in LT). Then I trace them with a pline.

The script file is just a text file, where tou change the file extension to.scr, and contains the follwing

Pline
1.1,1
1.2,2
1.3,3

at the command line type "script" then enter. you will be prompted to enter the name of the script file, enter the one you made.

The first word -pline- is entered into the command line. the hard return after Pline in the script file is read as "enter" by the command line. find a data set of the airfoil you want and try this. You may have to insert some blank lines in the .scr file because some command inputs require you to enter twice.

I agree withs johns technique of drawing the airfoil to a size that can be easily scaled. I use 1 instead of 10, but either will work.

< Message edited by dreadnaut -- 5/20/2008 11:05:25 PM >

(in reply to mmattockx)
       Post #: 7

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