Chapter 18: Mastering 3D Solids

Overview

So far, you have been creating 3D models according to a method called surface modeling: as you drew, you used 3D Faces to give your models form and the appearance of solidity. But you can use another method to create 3D computer models: solid modeling.

When using surface models, drawing a simple cube requires several steps; when using solids, you can create a cube with one command. Having created a solid model, you can assign materials to it and have the computer find physical properties of the model, such as weight and center of mass. It is easier to create models by using solid modeling, and many advantages are associated with the technique, especially in mechanical design and engineering.

Solid modeling requires more computational power than most personal computers were capable of only a few years ago, but with today's powerful microcomputer hardware, solid modeling is well within the reach of most PC users. AutoCAD offers built-in solid modeling functions, which you will explore in this chapter.

Tip  

LT users do not have solid modeling capabilities. However, you can take advantage of the region objects and their related editing commands described in the section titled "Using 3D Solid Operations on 2D Drawings" in this chapter.