Solid Modeling of a Drone - Lesson 3

In this lesson, you will learn how to create a solid model of a drone using SpaceClaim.

Drone

What is a drone?

Nowadays drones are becoming more and more popular in our everyday lives. They are used to take spectacular pictures and videos, or to cover racing competitions along very complex tracks, or to deliver packages.  A drone is an unmanned flying vehicle that is remotely operated with a controller. Drones use rotating blades to stay aloft and move around in the air. The most common configuration you can find is a drone using a set of four propellers, which is called a quadcopter or quadrotor.

Modeling Approach:

Our approach to modeling will begin by analyzing the technical drawing and the model’s final shape. Download the technical drawing and other assembly components required to create the drone model here. Once we understand its characteristics, we can outline a plan for completing the drone model. We can begin designing the center unit, then create the four arms and the stands. Last, we can import the drone blade model created in the earlier lesson (also available in the model files) to complete the drone.

Check out the video below to learn the step-by-step process for creating a drone model using SpaceClaim.

Alternate video link.

Recap:

In this modeling session you learned how to sketch and model the central unit of a drone using the Sketching tools and the Blend – Ruled Segments option. You discovered how to quickly create and combine curved cylindrical shapes using Splines as centerline guides for the Cylinder tool. Also, you learned how to create complex round edges for the Drone arms using the Pull – Edit as Variable Radius Round option. Last, you completed the model by importing  existing CAD geometry and aligning it to the drone body using the Move and Assembly tools.