Google SketchUp Thread

So is the basket in back gonna sit over the bed completely, or just inside it?

 

Yeah its an exo cage, so the bars wrap around outside.
It would be pretty sick to connect it to the cab and have an interior roll cage

 

Before I decided to go into nursing and was sure that medicine was what I wanted to do I played around with the idea of being an architect and made a few house's with it but lost them all when the computer crashed. Now I'm using it to design woofer boxes mostly. I haven't finished making the one that I'm working on for my truck yet but I already know the measurements and stuff that I'll need so it probably won't be finished. For some reason I can't get the pic to upload.

 

yes the basket/lightbar will start about 16" behind the top of the windshield over the cab then the supports will drop down behind the B-pillar to the frame.

 

You know how much that cage is gonna run you to have built?
If you don't mind me asking

 

right now just the basket light bar and supports are running me 450 not including powder coat.
the sliders are 350 installed.

the total cost for the entire bed/cage will end up being around 2500-3k installed and powder coated. after I get my Elite bumper put on we're adding light hoops and a tube that goes from the bumper along fender well to the slider.

 

Indestructible taco?

Thing will look sick when its all done!

 

I should really start a build thread. Everything but the bed will be done by Moab.


Thanks Nick I hope it turns out well!

 

A thread would be cool, then we could see the progress of your expo rig! I wanna see that bed cage!

 

That's most likely going to be next year. I need to get custom leaf packs the handle the weight.

 

Anyone have any links for some tips/tricks for a newb using a modeling software. First time using something like this , kinda lost lol.

 

best advise is to watch the videos on google and learn the short cuts for the tool pallet

 

go to youtube i learned all my basic things on there and after that if your creative enough you will figure out little tricks and ways to do stuff.. The main thing you have to do is play around with it and get use to it.. I got my AS in architecture and used GS on a lot of my final projects! crazy structures and helps with the creative side of things

 

Which software are you using? Your best best would be the video tutorials on youtube.

Like the other guys already said. I know Google SketchUp has some really good intro tutorials that got me started completely.

 

Can you make machine drawings with sketchup?

I messed around with it a little bit a few years ago, but then I took a class in solidworks and never went back. I actually use inventor now more than anything.

edit: I did this in inventor, if you make the tube dimensions correct and define a material it will give you an accurate weight of the model. You can also do very simple finite element analysis on the part if you want.

 

I really wish I knew how to use solidworks and more sofisticated software. GS is cool just because I can actually understand it. Im not sure how to draw tubing curved like that yet though

 

In solid works and inventor there is a tool called "sweep". All you do is define a shape to sweep (a circle on the vertical plane perpendicular to the slider) then define a path for it to follow with a line.

 

I'll have to take a look. One of the tutorials I watched said something about how to do it, but I don't remember how, and I can't find the video I watched haha.

I'm gonna use this program to design myself some bumpers. And a headache rack, and hopefully some sliders like the ones you posted.

 

It'll work for that, do you plan on making this stuff or having it custom fabbed or just drawing for fun? Im asking because if you have someone build stuff for you nice machine drawings are always nice.

 

I will be building it all myself. I have access to a computer guided plasma cutter, so I will be able to draw all the pieces on that software and have them cut out. Then just weld them all together.