First Steps with Cabinet Design Software

Cabinet Design Software –  Getting started that all important first board.

In in my last blog, I showed you the workspace for my actual kitchen. I’ll be adding the cabinets in that space, but it is a bit large for creating a single cabinet. No issues actually doing it, but it would involve a lot of zooming in and out, so I created a cabinet sized workspace to easily build my base cabinet.  Working with it as an assembly allows me to easily move it, resize it, and use it in other parts of the room.  This model can then be saved in my library and imported into the kitchen space as needed.

As I start working with SketchList 3D cabinet design software, the biggest difference I notice is that while CAD systems are based on drawing with lines and SketchList 3D is based on modeling with 3D boards.  With SketchList 3D  you manipulate 3D boards in the work space – much like you would actually assemble a piece on your workbench.

Start with a board.  Select Insert- New- Board, [or you can drag the board icon onto the assembly image] and fill in the info needed for the left cabinet side.

The board is created by filling in the new board form.  That’s a big difference between this and CAD.  this approach seems to me to be more organized or structured than just drawing.   It seems to me to be more organized or structured than just making line drawings.  The form defines the board – what it looks like, what material it comes from, and how it will be laid out for cutting.  In this way the board holds information beyond size and shape.   I think of it more as building than drawing.

The form that pops up has orientation, grain direction, and dimensional info on the left, and the board materials on the right.

Get in good habits from the start. Name the part at the top left, and on the top right choose the material type and select the specific look below.

Since we are creating a board, SketchList 3D not only needs to know the dimensions, but also the orientation.  Notice the three boxes on the left under the name. They allow you to select which direction the thickness is measured, which determines orientation of the board. This thickness lets the optimizer know how to lay the board onto the materials.  Same thing with the grain direction.  Hovering the cursor over the boxes expands them so old folks like me can see them.  See the image above.

Finally, you add in the dimensions of the part you are creating.

It’s just a rectangular board hanging in space right now, but next time out, we will begin adding the details.  – Ralph

 

PS:  Related SketchList 3D video covering new boards.  WATCH VIDEO

 

 

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