4 ms·

VirtualMEC – a free 3D CAD for MECCANO

60 points by app4soft 5y ago

WalterGR 5y ago
Meccano is better known in the US as Erector Sets. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_Set https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_Set
app4soft 5y ago
VirtualMEC site also is some sort of gallery/repository of users created models, where every logged user could add on model.[0] Also there are Meccano Kinematics[1] and Meccano Gilde Nederland[2] sites with a set of various mechanisms created using VirtualMEC app. N.B. In 2009 VirtualMEC review by Douglas Carson published in Meccano Society of Scotland Newsletter #79.[pdf] [0] http://www.virtualmec.com/content/models.aspx http://www.virtualmec.com/content/models.aspx [1] https://meccanokinematics.net/meccano/models/ https://meccanokinematics.net/meccano/models/ [2] https://www.meccanogilde.nl/vm/demos.html https://www.meccanogilde.nl/vm/demos.html [pdf] https://www.meccanoscotland.org.uk/downloads/mag079_April_2009.pdf https://www.meccanoscotland.org.uk/downloads/mag079_April_20...
marcodiego 5y ago
It is free (as in beer) which makes me think they are not making any money on it. Why not FLOSS it?
- app4soft 5y ago
  > Why not FLOSS it? You may ask original dev via email: info AT virtualmec DOT com
medo-bear 5y ago
The title is wrong. It is not free. The demo is free > You can download and try the demo version of VirtualMEC. The demo version of VirtualMEC has all the features of the retail versions with some limitations: you cannot save or print models; you cannot playback/animate a model's building process. Once you have downloaded and installed it, you can practice the included Tutorial (you will find it in the Help Topics) that will guide you through the process of building the Scooter model shown above. You will realize how it is simple to build virtual models (and quite similar to build real ones). Then, you can decide to unlock the retail version of VirtualMEC, that enables you to build models as big as you like.
- caslon 5y ago
  You missed the news part of the page; the title is correct: Good News! VirtualMEC is now FREE
  - medo-bear 5y ago
    you are right i did miss it. my appologies
ece 5y ago
This brings back some childhood memories. A 3D print function would be cool.
- app4soft 5y ago
  > A 3D print function would be cool. As alternative to MECCANO (which is by design not for 3D-printing), there is STEMFIE — a fully free & open-source 3D-printable educational construction set.[0] Another alternative: try reconstruct MECCANO parts in LDraw format for LeoCAD (LeoCAD has an option for export into STL).[1] [0] https://stemfie.org/ https://stemfie.org/ [1] https://git.io/digitallego https://git.io/digitallego
  - app4soft 5y ago
    JFTR, There some projects on GitHub (and various other sites) on Meccano parts for 3D printing. Here is one of such: https://github.com/paulidale/meccano3d https://github.com/paulidale/meccano3d
    - ece 5y ago
      Thanks for the links, maybe I can still find the Meccano sets I used to have.. Should be interesting for those who want to mix and match with 3D prints.

60 points by app4soft 5y ago

Meccano is better known in the US as Erector Sets. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_Set https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erector_Set

app4soft 5y ago

VirtualMEC site also is some sort of gallery/repository of users created models, where every logged user could add on model.[0] Also there are Meccano Kinematics[1] and Meccano Gilde Nederland[2] sites with a set of various mechanisms created using VirtualMEC app. N.B. In 2009 VirtualMEC review by Douglas Carson published in Meccano Society of Scotland Newsletter #79.[pdf] [0] http://www.virtualmec.com/content/models.aspx http://www.virtualmec.com/content/models.aspx [1] https://meccanokinematics.net/meccano/models/ https://meccanokinematics.net/meccano/models/ [2] https://www.meccanogilde.nl/vm/demos.html https://www.meccanogilde.nl/vm/demos.html [pdf] https://www.meccanoscotland.org.uk/downloads/mag079_April_2009.pdf https://www.meccanoscotland.org.uk/downloads/mag079_April_20...

marcodiego 5y ago

It is free (as in beer) which makes me think they are not making any money on it. Why not FLOSS it?

app4soft 5y ago
> Why not FLOSS it? You may ask original dev via email: info AT virtualmec DOT com

medo-bear 5y ago

The title is wrong. It is not free. The demo is free > You can download and try the demo version of VirtualMEC. The demo version of VirtualMEC has all the features of the retail versions with some limitations: you cannot save or print models; you cannot playback/animate a model's building process. Once you have downloaded and installed it, you can practice the included Tutorial (you will find it in the Help Topics) that will guide you through the process of building the Scooter model shown above. You will realize how it is simple to build virtual models (and quite similar to build real ones). Then, you can decide to unlock the retail version of VirtualMEC, that enables you to build models as big as you like.

caslon 5y ago
You missed the news part of the page; the title is correct: Good News! VirtualMEC is now FREE
- medo-bear 5y ago
  you are right i did miss it. my appologies

ece 5y ago

This brings back some childhood memories. A 3D print function would be cool.

app4soft 5y ago
> A 3D print function would be cool. As alternative to MECCANO (which is by design not for 3D-printing), there is STEMFIE — a fully free & open-source 3D-printable educational construction set.[0] Another alternative: try reconstruct MECCANO parts in LDraw format for LeoCAD (LeoCAD has an option for export into STL).[1] [0] https://stemfie.org/ https://stemfie.org/ [1] https://git.io/digitallego https://git.io/digitallego
- app4soft 5y ago
  JFTR, There some projects on GitHub (and various other sites) on Meccano parts for 3D printing. Here is one of such: https://github.com/paulidale/meccano3d https://github.com/paulidale/meccano3d
  - ece 5y ago
    Thanks for the links, maybe I can still find the Meccano sets I used to have.. Should be interesting for those who want to mix and match with 3D prints.