The Stuff I Make for Fun

So, I finally have access to wonderful rendering software again. Yesterday, I installed Autodesk Inventor 2019 on my second computer, and I've already created a new tank with it! No, it's not the IS-4, which I've gotten several requests for. I still need to play around a bit with the program, since Inventor 2019 is a bit different from Inventor 2011, which is what I run on my primary computer. For starters, the 2d sketch feature functions very differently, and while there are some nice new features to it, it is infuriating to use at times, especially since I have a habit of cramming as much as I can into a sketch, thus creating as many entities as possible from as few sketches as possible. I have a feeling that I'm going to have to change my methods with the new version. I have yet to play around with any video editing software, so if you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm afraid it will be a while before I can show you.

Anyway, on the the main attraction! Below are some views of my favourite tank design of all time, Object 279:

This is an old screenshot that I took in Inventor 2011. The rest I took today in Inventor 2019:


I've made some minor tweaks to the design, and will probably have yet another one printed soon to test them. Those tweaks were to make the rims of the wheels 40% thicker so that they would print. If I ever get a really good close-up lens for my camera, I will document the various versions of the model I've hand printed and explain exactly WHY I did that. The other change I made was to add a gusset to the cuppola lamp. The updated version applies only to the white model, not the coloured models, because Shapeways dye actually adds a bit of strength to the surface of the plastic. I did not have this problem when I ordered the model in black, but when I ordered it in white, the lamp had broken off the turret and was left in the bag. It wasn't a printing problem, it was a shipping problem. Anyway, to continue:

I really like this tank for two main reasons. The first is that it was ahead of its time, and many of its design elements were not revived until 58 years later. I am, of course, referring to the hydraulic suspension, which has only recently been re-introduced on the T-14 Armata. I could fill an entire post with the functional things I like about this tank (and I may very well do that), so I'll move on to the other main reason I like it so much: it looks cool. In fact, squint at it the right way, and it looks something like a dalek. That gave me an idea:

This is not the first time I've combined a Soviet tank with a dalek casing. The first was the ShU-255, of which I have four different versions in my Shapeways shop. As you can see, this thing isn't as detailled, mainly because it's not finished. I'll go back to it at some point and add lots of detail, but for now I just wanted to play around and see if I can still get up to my old tricks on my new computer.

Next on my list of things to do are 1: figure out how to use Blender to process my .stl files, since I can't get replicatorG to work on Windows 10, and 2: start playing around with Fusion 360, which I got mainly so I wouldn't have to spend an arm and a leg on MasterCAM. It had better not disappoint! Once I get comfortable with my new setup (which remind me, I need a new office chair, since the one I'm sitting at right now is killing my neck), then I can start making CAD/CAM tutorials. Let me know what kinds of lessons you'd like to see, since I don't have a terribly great number of lesson plans floating about in my brain.