09-16-16:
https://www.lynda.com/123D-Design-tutorials/Welcome/371320/415648-4.html?autoplay=true
Today I finished watching the lynda.com tutorial on 123D Design. Here are some key points:
Design menu in upper left corner- can open projects, save projects, and import SVGs
Orbit- look around an object
Pan- move side to side
Adding primitives- change dimensions of 3D primitives when first adding them to the workspace. This is the easiest time to do so.
Selecting primitives- holding down the shift key allows you to select multiple objects at one time
Sketches- composed of lines and shapes; sketches can be drawn on faces of a 3D object; you can add to already started sketches
Polylines- draw straight and curved line segments; can enter length and angle dimension values
2 pt and 3 pt arcs- draws a more precise arc
Splines- curved lines that connect several points, can add on polylines, can be open or closed
Fillets- curved corners on 2D sketches
Trim- erases lines either that you don't need or interior lines inside sketches
Extend- restore the lines inside a sketch
Offset- larger or smaller copies of your line work that you have drawn
Edit dimensions of a 2D sketch- after clicking into edit dimension mode you can drop dimensions and change them by clicking on the dimension, and then they will be constraints of the dimension of the sketch
Dragging- objects just "pass" through other geometry, no snapping behavior
Cruising- (free drag) default behavior when objects are first placed on the grid; after solid is in the workspace press shift and move the object to get cruise and snapping behavior (where you click on the object matters)
"D" key- drop an object back on the grid
Snapping with the magnet- can auto group or keep them separate, only connects faces
Move/rotate- move an object along x, y, z axes, rotate around any of the axes, and reorient the manipulator to move object around a different reference point/axis; can be used with sketches
Scale- use to resize solids or sketches
Tinkercad vs 123D Design:
Tinkercad is a watered down version of 123D Design. In both of the programs they provide primitive shapes and 2D "sketches", but you can't alter the object as much in Tinkercad. The only thing you can do in Tinkercad is change the dimensions of the figure. On the other hand, 2D sketches can be extruded in 123D Design, and on 3D objects, sides, vertices and faces can be changed, pulled, and titled. It is also in my opinion easier to move objects in 123D design because there is more accurate ways to do so. All in all, Tinkercad is a good introduction to designing 3D prints but in the end123D design is more powerful.