[scratch build] steambox case, based on Kyle's Compact Spash pc case

J

j34lqr

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Aug 24, 2013
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Hi guys,

After a long search, I still can't find the pc case which feeds my needs and desire. Therefor, I'm planning to build my own steambox case, based on Kyle's Compact Spash case, which looks as following:

compactsplash-01-900x600.jpg


Unfortunately, I don't have any experience and knowledge to prototype a case from scratch. So there are more then a couple of obstacles to overcame before I can succeed, and the first one is:

1. Which software program to use to prototype my case?

With this post, I hope to get the support and direction to the right resources to achieve my goal.

I will also report my progress in this post.
 
Most custom designers use SketchUp to begin with, but for production they eventually go to SolidWorks.

Out of curiosity, what features and/or design specifics do you plan to include in your case?
 
sketchup is free, but not very precise and i've never found a company that will take a sketchup file to create a product. So start with the free one, but just understand that if/when you ever get to the point where you want it to become a reality, you'll probably need to purchase solidworks and re-create it in there.

Just curious what type of case you are looking for? There are a few people on this forum alone close to making steambox style cases. It may be better to just wait for one of them than try to start your own. Getting a single prototype built by a company like Lian Li will cost a few thousand dollars. So unless you just have a bunch of money burning a hole in your pocket for a very specialized case, then your talking about getting funding, and backers, and that whole process takes a while, probably close to a year or longer. So if your wanting something sooner, it might be better to just check out the other threads of people making steambox style cases and get in on the buy orders for one of them. I think SaperPL is probably the closest to production for his. Necere is probably next for having a production version ready for sale.
 
Both Gryphon and Screes are spot on.

SolidWorks is the de facto standard CAD program for machine shops but it costs $5000.

Solid Edge is an interesting alternative, it's just as capable as SW but it can be rented for $130-$350 per month depending on the package ($220 is the lowest with the sheet metal module): http://store.plm.automation.siemens.com/store/siplm1/list/categoryID.63435700/ThemeID.33153000

Another option is to do the design in SketchUp and then hire an engineer to make the necessary CAD files and drawings. That can range from $30/hr for a freelancer to $80+/hr for a shop's in-house engineer. The freelancer is cheaper but the in-house engineer will be more familiar with the capabilities of the shop and can modify the design appropriately to avoid manufacturing issues.

For production I've been happy in my dealings with Protocase but they're not cheap. You may have luck with a local shop but that really depends on where you live. Most shops don't really want to mess with just a one-off job.
 
Just to add some positives...

You can make a 2D Autocad DXF with Sketchup with a free plugin (I forget the name right now). This is a file that laser cutting companies will accept.

Since Splash is fundamentally just flat parts with mostly easy folds and one tricky fold, you can have it cut and folded at a local shop. Then it's up to you to tap all the screw holes yourself, and then send it for powdercoating. This is more or less what Kyle did for the 2nd revision of Splash.

Anyway, follow the free tutorials for Sketchup and see if you can get the hang of it enough to design the case.
 
I also support Sketchup for prototyping. It's easy to use for making a basic layout and getting an idea of the dimensions your case needs. It's true that it is not very accurate, but it is generally enough for the basic stuff and you can get very accurate models of GPUs and motherboards for free just by googling them.
 
I'm not sure what you guys are saying about SketchUp being accurate or not.

I mean, are you saying that SketchUp, the software itself, has some bugs or capability problems that makes it impossible to build accurate models? That would be a huge surprise, if true...

Or, are you saying that it is more difficult with SketchUp (as in, it requires more effort) to arrive at fully accurate models?
 
Latest sketchup has a template for lasercutting. Can use very small measurements. I haven't encountered any inaccuracies but haven't really been looking for any.
 
SketchUp is not a solid modeler, it's vertex based. You especially notice this issue with curves, SketchUp approximates a curve using short, straight lines. You can increase the number of segments used to make the curve smoother but it will always be an approximation.
 
Yeah, first thing I do: make a circle and type s100 to increase segments.

But remember guys, Compact Splash was made with Sketchup -> DXF. If Kyle could produce 100+ cases like this, then so can J3alqr.
 
theGryphon said:
I'm not sure what you guys are saying about SketchUp being accurate or not.

I mean, are you saying that SketchUp, the software itself, has some bugs or capability problems that makes it impossible to build accurate models? That would be a huge surprise, if true...

Or, are you saying that it is more difficult with SketchUp (as in, it requires more effort) to arrive at fully accurate models?
Click to expand...

I've found Sketchup doesn't like lengths under 1mm or lengths that include a decimal of a mm (like 10.5mm, or 5.25mm), and will occasionally change or misrepresent them when they are on that sort of scale. Best solution I've seen for this problem is to make all your lengths 10 times or 100 times as large so you don't have decimals of a milimeter, and then just know to add 1 or 2 decimals when looking at any lengths on the model.

For instance, Cold Rolled Steel commonly comes in a thickness of .8mm for use in computer enclosures (this is what Antec usually uses for their cases), and if you try to model a computer case with .8mm thick materials sketchup will start to do some strange things and can make working with it almost unusable.

Also, do not just download motherboard and other computer related models from online, make them yourself. I've found the vast majority of models listed online for public use to not be accurate. They are alright to use for very general fittings, but when your designing a case you need everything to be EXACTLY the right length, not just sort of close.
 
Screes said:
I've found Sketchup doesn't like lengths under 1mm or lengths that include a decimal of a mm (like 10.5mm, or 5.25mm), and will occasionally change or misrepresent them when they are on that sort of scale. Best solution I've seen for this problem is to make all your lengths 10 times or 100 times as large so you don't have decimals of a milimeter, and then just know to add 1 or 2 decimals when looking at any lengths on the model.
Click to expand...

I have never seen that. I regularly make adjustments of 0.05mm and it works fine. E.g. when the beam on a lasercutter has 0.1mm diameter and I offset 0.05mm to account for that. Also had plenty of acrylic pieces made with 11.8mm holes using 100 segments and they are accurate and round enough that a G1/4 tapping tool seems to fit perfectly.

Which template are you using? I use "3D printing - millimeters".
 
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