Quote Originally Posted by davide445 View Post
So our first work appear to be really the scan of a nautic propeller. Goal: reproduce the 3d CAD design since it's an old model and no 3d model is available, so to be able to produce it using metal printing.
Discovered the company (part of a bigger one) does have an CATIA license and workstation available.
Starting with no real modelling experience such as ours, CATIA REV tools will be really helping us or its a too steep path to start with? DesignSpark will be able to easier model a complex geometry such as a propeller just following the imported mesh?
It really depends how simple the propeller is. Is it a single thickness? In the simplest method, you're effectively going to have to load in the scan and then model a 2D shape for the start and finish points (oversize the shape and orientation wants to be correct) and then draw guide curve splines from corner to corner. You then want to loft between them which I don't think you can do in DSPK (only Spaceclaim) - this should be simple in CATIA however, if you transfer the files after. You'll then want to draw around (in whichever program) the profile of the propeller, and cut this away from the solid you make. You can then model your boss, rotationally mirror the propeller around it, combine all and add in your rads as appropriate.

If it's not a single basic thickness this isn't necessarily the best way, but it depends on what they are wanting it for, and the tolerances required.


To Sebastian: 3D scanning would achieve far quicker and better results in this instance than any traditional method.