McMaster-Carr is the best place to download real hardware and also learn new techniques in respective CAD software by reverse modeling. https://www.mcmaster.com/
chains
sprockets
bolts
nuts
hinges
Will have to agree. I download from McMaster all the time for hardware or fasteners that the Solidworks toolbox doesn't have.
So by saying I can download Hardware you mean I can actually download a computer RAM hard drive and all of that
It's a genius move on their part. Making it easy to integrate models of the things they sell means I end up purchasing parts from them a lot!
I was merely stating the fact that it is a good learning tool to see how pros model when you are just starting out in 3D CAD. Even if it is just modeled hardware (nuts and bolts). Also faster to model or design the custom components in the assemblies when you don't have to model the little details (hardware - nuts, bolts, chains, cylinders).
NOPE, Fasteners, gears ....
go take a break and take a look at what they have.
McMaster is a great Starting point, and one that I usually reference when people are asking me to draft standard parts. Here are a couple other sites that you might find useful:
https://www.traceparts.com/en: not as user friendly as McmasterCarr. But if you are actually looking to buy the parts it will give you more vendors to choose from. McMaster can be expensive. You can filter out the parts that do not have models, and it is free (though you might need to make an account)
https://www.dimensions.com/: Not the most “useful” page, but if you ever been thinking “how big is…” this site can help. It has downloadable CAD’s (2D only) of various things from ikea furniture to humans doing random things to profiles of cars. Great for basic references and layouts.
http://www.plans-for-everything.com/: Fun website, major kudos to the guys that put it together and keep it running. I’m guessing it must be a passion project. It was referenced in a question a while ago, and now I have it permanently bookmarked. Go get yourself a steam engine drawing!
https://componentsearchengine.com/: This was referenced in a question the other day. I haven’t used it yet, but it looked like it would be supper helpful if you are making electrical components and new the part numbers you needed.
https://www.stlfinder.com/: This one might be controversial. It’s a search engine that pulls from a few different sites including GrabCAD and Thingiverse. It directs you back to the original site to actually download the model. I’m not sure if GrabCAD has any issue with this, but the other day I looked up “Fishing Reel” in both places and got better “GrabCAD” results using this search engine.
***Update, Since writing this, STL is not paying nice with GrabCAD any longer. I'm not sure if this is applicable to the models I'm pulling, me personally, or overall, but I am having issues. ***
OTHER USEFULL PAGES:
https://3dp.rocks/lithophane/: Print yourself a lithophane. I’ve used this to turn logos into embossed name tags for a couple of customers. I really like it.
https://convertio.co/: I’ve used this to turn silhouettes and cartoons (must be a picture) into *.dwg’s. Not the best, but WAAAAAY quicker then sketching by hand.
http://www.matweb.com/: Look up actually material properties and make you simulations more closely match the real world.
https://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/: Useful basic calculations and references.
OMG! TYSM!!! I am so grateful for this reply Thomas.
Ok, Good Stuff!!!
Misumi has a massive range of customisable and products. Download models from the website or use their plug-in RAPiD Design(inCAD Components). I use Solidworks, and you can configure the part in the design window and change it at any point in the future.
https://uk.misumi-ec.com/service/rd/icc/sw/pr/incadcomponents/
As mentioned by Thomas Larson, I have used a Traceparts (industrial components) as well engineering tool box ( reference data) with great success. For 2D cad files (.dxf & .dwg files) I have used the following sites for importing into Solidworks sketches :
https://www.craftsmanspace.com/free-patterns : Various 2D CAD historical pattern designs for decorating purposes.
https://cad-block.com/ : https://dwgmodels.com/ : : Various sites with 2D CAD blocks for varied items (Architecture, Furnishings, Plants, Vehicles, etc)
There are also a number of Vector image sites good for using as decals in decorating models. Unfortunately these tend to be purchased licensing but can be relatively cheap if blocked purchased (ie https://www.vectorstock.com/royalty-free-vectors )
A couple of other interesting sites are :
www.engineeringspreadsheets.co.uk has good rigging related data with reference back to specific standards.
https://www.mitcalc.com/en/products.htm is a site that offers MS excel spreadsheet for calculation of industrial technical components (see table below). The spreadsheet then has an addendum that takes the calculation to produce parametric models for such (SOLIDWORKS, INVENTOR, SOLIDEDGE formats). Unfortunately this is purchased item but helpful for bespoke engineered designs to meet standards
Would MUCH rather deal with Misumi than McMaster. Much larger metric parts selection and the online catalog and custom configuration builder is easy to work with. Their automated materials configurator is really nice as well. Motion components, Die, Mold, Automation... they carry pretty much anything you need.
***Update, Since writing this, STLFinder is not paying nice with GrabCAD any longer. I'm not sure if this is applicable to the models I'm pulling, me personally, or overall, but I am having issues. ***
Great stuff! Thanks for the information guys, will make use of it in future.
Yes and no. They have solid models for the vast majority of their products but many of their models are much too detailed for normal use in designs. That’s especially true for their hardware. For small assemblies it doesn’t make much difference. But when you’re working with large assemblies with 10s of thousand of fasteners and a myriad of other parts, correct simplified representations is important.
Unless you are 3D printing the threads of a fastener (unlikely), actually modeling the threads of any part is superfluous detail that wastes computer resources. It shows up incorrectly on detail drawings. It’s difficult to automatically annotate, etc. Fully modeling threads is bad design practice that should be avoided unless your purpose in doing so is just making pretty renderings or 3D printed parts. And in most cases, the graphical representation that most CAD systems provide is indistinguishable from fully modeled threads except in very close up views.
McMaster Carr is my go to source for a great many components along with their solid models.
In most cases it is NOT a good place to learn techniques by reverse engineering.
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