The issue package
- Parametric design and assembly
- Engineering calculation notes
- GD&T drawing package and bill of materials
- Supported STEP or fabrication exchange
- Reviewed release packet
Mechanical, parts and production
From a problem. To a part that fits.
Follow a small engineering team through a parametric design, an assembly check, a drawing package, a design review and the hand-off to fabrication.
Eight separate open-source apps in CadCraft Studio. Not SuperCad Studio, the separate all-in-one product.
What this firm needs to deliver.
A manufacturer needs a custom mounting bracket or fixture. The engineering team needs the dimensional intent, tolerances, a material and an export production can use.
People in the chain
- Design engineer, requirements
- Mechanical designer, model
- Engineer, loads and tolerances
- Detailer, production drawing
- Manufacturing, CAM
- Reviewer, release
A responsible hand-off at every stage.
Each step names the person, the app and the result. The story is how the office delivers work, not every engineer using every tool.
-
Set the design brief
Capture hole positions, the envelope, loads, candidate materials, fasteners and the manufacturing process.
- Hand-off
- Dimensioned design constraints and acceptance criteria.
- Engineering check
- Confirm the material is available and the load cases are the real ones.
-
Build a parametric model
Create a constrained sketch, named features and an assembly with the parts it mates with.
- Hand-off
- Editable part history and its assembly.
- Engineering check
- Check degrees of freedom, interference and parameters.
-
Check the engineering intent
Review fits, tolerance stack-ups and the supported structural calculations, and keep the input assumptions with them. The mechanical design field pack is built for 0.8.
- Hand-off
- Calculation record, tolerance notes and a revision decision.
- Engineering check
- A simulation is evidence for review, not a guarantee of performance.
-
Produce the fabrication drawing
Create manufacturing views, dimensions, tolerances and notes, and set up the drawing sheets.
- Hand-off
- Dimensioned drawing package and parts list.
- Engineering check
- Check the drawing standard and the dimensions critical to function.
-
Prepare the shop hand-off
Export a supported neutral model and the manufacturing files, and review tooling, nesting or post-processing where it applies. The manufacturing field pack, with CAM and sheet metal, is built for 0.8.
- Hand-off
- STEP, the release drawing, and a supported toolpath or NC output.
- Engineering check
- Check the post for the actual machine and inspect the first article.
-
Review and release
Compare the changes, sign off the revision internally and send the right package to production.
- Hand-off
- Reviewed revision packet and issue closeout.
- Engineering check
- Keep independent inspection and quality controls in place.
See it in the apps.
Two short silent recordings from the real apps, one for each half of the story.
What the client gets.
A good case study ends with files and decisions, not a rotating 3D object.
What this example does not claim
A manufacturing file is not a machined part. Post-processors, tooling, tolerance processes and inspection stay the manufacturer's responsibility.
The software is free. Building it is not.
CadCraft is open source, and Community has every app and every feature, for personal work and paid client work alike. An owned license is a permanent commercial license in your name, from $1, and it pays for the people building the Great Eight and what comes after it. It adds no features: nothing is held back from Community.
The Team Cloud Plan is a separate service. It will add team seats, cloud saving and sync.