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View Full Version : 3D Tank stand & Plumbing Design, Sketchup


Tyrenlds
12/02/2008, 01:07 PM
Want to share the design process I went through as a first time reefer.

Off the bat I knew a custom stand had to be built due to existing conditions; a carpet/linoleum joint exists where I wanted to locate the tank... as such the stand would have to incorporate a 'lifted cut-out' to accommodate the carpet portion and prevent any weight from resting on it, creating permanent depressions. Decided to model the stand in sketchup and use it to build from. Once the thing was drawn construction was a piece of cake.

What I did was snap dimensions from the model and create a work order with lumber sizes and quantities, then faxed this to the local home depot for them to make the cuts. 2 hours later picked up the lumber, they charged a total of $5 to make all the cuts I think. Kind of lazy on my part but was worth it as construction became sort of an easy Lego building project. This went so well that I modeled the plumbing also, enabling me to generate a work order for myself to purchase from. This resulted in fewer trips to the hardware store and no wasted fittings. Will try and get better pictures of the plumbing but the finished product is almost 100% true to design.

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/5a.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/6a.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/7a.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/8a.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/1.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/4.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/3.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y92/tyrenlds/2.jpg

windupdevl
12/02/2008, 04:08 PM
Looks to me like you did an awesome job. Congrats!

Quick Question: How well did the guys at HomeDepot make your cuts?

Tyrenlds
12/02/2008, 04:39 PM
pretty flawless. The guy actually forgot to account for the thickness of the saw blade when cutting so every piece was about .25" shorter than spec... didn't matter since he did this throughout, would have been a problem though had it been inconsistent.

to answer your question, they're great and I'd do it over again in a heart beat.

boodlefish
12/02/2008, 05:41 PM
dude you went to a lot of work to paint it black.
not criticism just an observation. :)

btw i think it looks great.

Tyrenlds
12/02/2008, 05:44 PM
ya, didn't think it would come out looking so sharp with just the natural wood grain. Hated to paint it but it looks cleaner black IMO.

~sp0ok~
12/02/2008, 07:22 PM
good job...nice sketchup may i ask where did u get it ..i cant find where to get the sump pvc.. e.c.t for sketchup


ty

MeuserReef
12/02/2008, 10:53 PM
I cant tell if your hobby is reefkeeping, or SketchUp rendering :lmao:

Very nice work on both the plan and the actual setup!

james3370
12/03/2008, 12:52 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13863746#post13863746 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by MeuserReef
I cant tell if your hobby is reefkeeping, or SketchUp rendering :lmao:

Very nice work on both the plan and the actual setup!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v501/james3370/myspace%20pics/sho-nuff2.jpg

i started out tryin to do my stand in sketchup, but quickly got frustrated with it
:mad2:

BeanAnimal
12/03/2008, 09:21 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13864352#post13864352 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by james3370
[IMG]
i started out tryin to do my stand in sketchup, but quickly got frustrated with it
:mad2:

It is one of the most bass-ackwards frustrating pieces of 3D modeling software made, free or not. I have gone back and tried it 5-6 times. Each time I walk away wanting to strangle somebody or beat my own head bloody and poke out my eyes. It takes an act of god to get the software to drill a hole in a solid or create a union or intersection of a solid. Thanks... but no thanks :)

Nice work on your rendering and build.

Tyrenlds
12/03/2008, 09:38 AM
The sump and skimmer are custom drawn. All pvc fittings came direct from Spears MFG... they make all the fittings you typically see around here, marinedepot carries their stuff for instance. They have a program that piggy backs onto AutoCAD, you just select the type of fitting/valve, size, and it drops it in there in 3d. From that I just imported into Sketchup and assembled. Had to jump a few hoops to get the program from Spears though...

Anyways, thanks for the compliments... sketchup can be super frustrating for sure. I use autocad for mechanical design everyday at work so I guess the backround helped. Coming in fresh and trying to use sketchup? ya i'd strangle somebody too

james3370
12/03/2008, 11:08 AM
tried sketchup again last nite to do my stand & after about 2hrs, i felt like this :

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v501/james3370/smileys/frustrated.gif

runningstix
12/03/2008, 11:32 AM
should have exported it back to cad and rendered it using viz or 3ds. since you spent so much time whats another 4 hours. haha good work though.

BeanAnimal
12/03/2008, 11:55 AM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13865580#post13865580 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tyrenlds
The sump and skimmer are custom drawn. All pvc fittings came direct from Spears MFG... they make all the fittings you typically see around here, marinedepot carries their stuff for instance. They have a program that piggy backs onto AutoCAD, you just select the type of fitting/valve, size, and it drops it in there in 3d. From that I just imported into Sketchup and assembled. Had to jump a few hoops to get the program from Spears though...

Anyways, thanks for the compliments... sketchup can be super frustrating for sure. I use autocad for mechanical design everyday at work so I guess the backround helped. Coming in fresh and trying to use sketchup? ya i'd strangle somebody too

Ohh I think knowing ACAD or any other competant package makes it worse :) I can do a drawing in 20 minutes in ACAD that would take hours in Sketchup...

Tyrenlds
12/03/2008, 12:13 PM
if we're talking 2d then I totally agree but I can generate 3d models in Sketchup in half the time... definitely a learning curve involved but I find the program much more intuitive than AutoCAD for 3 dimensional work. It's a deceivingly powerful program.

Rendering in Viz is a great idea BTW, might try that and see how it comes out. I can send you the file if you'd like to take a go at it too...

runningstix
12/03/2008, 12:28 PM
Yeah I dont really want to take a stab at it, dont need the practice. lol

On a side note check out Revit. It's Autocad+Architectural Desktop+Sketchup+Viz. Its quickly replacing CAD.

MSU Fan
12/03/2008, 12:54 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13865498#post13865498 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by BeanAnimal
It is one of the most bass-ackwards frustrating pieces of 3D modeling software made, free or not. I have gone back and tried it 5-6 times. Each time I walk away wanting to strangle somebody or beat my own head bloody and poke out my eyes. It takes an act of god to get the software to drill a hole in a solid or create a union or intersection of a solid. Thanks... but no thanks :)


This is officially the funniest post I have read today. :rollface: I apparently don't find it quite as difficult to work with, but there are some things you just can't do right in that program (at least that I know). :mad2: :blown: So I feel ya.

BTW, nice build. Is that right tank in the stand supposed to be top off water or something?

Tyrenlds
12/03/2008, 01:08 PM
A few of our clients use revit. We do HVAC and Plumbing design for commercial buildings and yes it does look like revit is taking off... really cool idea. will probably have to switch sometime in the near future.

Yes the reservoir to the right is for top off.

BeanAnimal
12/03/2008, 02:45 PM
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=13866561#post13866561 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tyrenlds
if we're talking 2d then I totally agree but I can generate 3d models in Sketchup in half the time... definitely a learning curve involved but I find the program much more intuitive than AutoCAD for 3 dimensional work. It's a deceivingly powerful program.

Rendering in Viz is a great idea BTW, might try that and see how it comes out. I can send you the file if you'd like to take a go at it too...

I find the opposite to be true. The ACAD logical operators (Union, Intersection, etc.) work very well, as do the 3D trim, rotate, slice and move options. With Snap to grid, point, line, etc. I am not a CAD expert by any means, but have used many tools and find the sketchup to do nothing but cause stress related nose bleeds.

Don't get me wrong, I am not knocking anybody who uses it or like its, I jsut can't stand it. It is not what I consider well authored software with an intuitive or useful interface and/or toolset.

addonnis242
12/03/2008, 05:27 PM
Nice sketch, I have a question about your return pump configuration. I see by the drawing that your return pump draws water up over the top edge of the sump. My question is how well does that work and are there any negative effects from doing it that way? I'm asking because I'm starting a 210 build and I want to use a 90 for the sump and with 48" length the only place for me to mount my Snapper return pump is above the sumps return section.

Thanks in advance.

Tyrenlds
12/03/2008, 05:50 PM
should work fine. there's really no added head pressure doing it the way I did.

With the pump above the sump the pressure loss would be the same as loss from an 'up-and-over' approach like I've done.

Doesn't matter if the pump is on the ground or mounted at the top of the tank, it still has to overcome the same amount of gravity (in this case the vertical distance from the return inlet in the sump to the outlet in the tank)

addonnis242
12/03/2008, 06:00 PM
Thanks, I hope it works out. I mostly see others drilling the side of the sump so I thought there may be an issue.

Thanks again