Newbie In need for some guidance from the Masters
Heeeeello 
I want to start designing a new Air Glider model. I haven't started yet. And I'll do it on paper first, but what software do you use for such a thing? for Mechanical Engineering, or Aeronautic Engineering designs ? Just any ?
I want to start designing a new Air Glider model. I haven't started yet. And I'll do it on paper first, but what software do you use for such a thing? for Mechanical Engineering, or Aeronautic Engineering designs ? Just any ?
Replies
If you're totally new to 3d, choose blender.
1: free and open source
2: actually awesome
3: a lot of beginner videos in many languages
4: countless more advanced videos on google tagged "your language" blender video tutorial (sort with More Tools for past 24hr, then week, then month, etc to avoid OLD video tuts)
5: Not all things are the best in it, but some are, and it does a lot more than most other packages. It does things we usually have to use multiple packages for (I kinda wish blender would fork to 2 or 3 open apps, but that's me - even if it does do a lot, the interface is not bulky and is easy/intuitive for the most part once you watch the tuts I will link you)
Someone once said to me "there is no easy way to punch a hole in blender" the truth is that punching a hole in blender is just deleting a face and it's a circular hole because you're modeling in subdivisions.
There might be a lot of things already that don't make sense to you if you are as new as you let on. Don't worry about it. Download blender 2.5+ (it's 2.59 right now)
Start right here, he covers the download and everything, which is very simple, presented in flash:
http://cgcookie.com/blender/get-started-with-blender/
Follow that at least this since it is essentially the same stuff with different audio and video:
Drop1
http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188849-Blender-Fundamentals-First-drop-of-videos-now-available-to-the-public
Drop2
http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?188994-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-2-is-now-ready-for-download
Drop3
http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190455-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-3-is-now-ready-for-download
And bonus, I just found out a 4th drop was made:
http://www.3dbuzz.com/vbforum/showthread.php?190522-Blender-Fundamentals-Drop-4-is-now-ready-for-download!-Sept-9-2011
The files are tiny, though they are many, just point them somewhere to download and grab them all at once, then if you're wise
Watch them and you will know how to begin what you want to do. When you get to some new stages not covered in those videos (can cover all the videos in just a couple nights):
http://www.blenderartists.org/forum/
A long time ago, I wouldn't have ever used blender, but always thought it was so awesome, the things it can do, and didn't give it a chance until the interfaced was redesigned, when that changed it became really viable then for what I needed it for, so I've been trying to learn it, these videos have been really helpful. When I started out, the blendercookie one was different videos and the page theme was different. 3d buzz has been releasing these drops recently, and they have been great, as I know most of the stuff, but they are a very good set of teachers who have been around for a long time with a massive collection of material, they are mostly video game related, but they would teach you how to use the tools of anything you do end up settling on.
Sorry it's so long, I just wanted to make sure I was at least somewhat informative. For what you want to do, design a glider, I have presumed you want that glider to be printed or molded afterward. Blender has long been viable for uses that you need, for anyone else reading this, it's now becoming very useful for the things we may need it for, if you looked among the community.
Would I recommend it to anyone's pipeline in a development house? Not as a replacement for anything they are already using. But it is really good, and very fast when it comes to modeling things, coloring them, sculpting finer detail is getting better and better, it does everything you'd need for games. Games fork to a different direction and earlier part of the process for making them, designing your glider forks into things that blender is great at. Blender is getting there when it comes to usage for high definition production art, but it's long been great at design. Just was ugly as hell before the new GUI system :P
Again, sorry it's so long. I'm impassioned about the things being done with blender and the potential I've seen in it only getting better and better. As a brand new user, a brand new user should use blender, and the people who make the higher quality rendering and material pipelines (that you and game artists dont need) should invest in that foundation as well. Blender, from what I've seen over the past 2 years, it really should be learned by everyone, and everyone get involved with it. There's nothing to lose, only to gain with blender, for a new toy for people using other tools, and especially for a brand new user who is able to design on paper.
edit: This is an AWESOME resource especially for tiny videos that are straight to the point, the website interface is a little weird, but awesome. These videos are short and to the point:
http://gryllus.net/Blender/3D.html
The videos in this post are all English, so I told how to find new ones in other languages up top.