Bolts and Nuts

Hi Can any one advise on a suitable extension for adding nuts and bolts to a Sketchup assembly.
Have used EP fasteners but that doesn’t seem to be updating and doesn’t have threaded rod which i use frequently. Also place of nuts and bolts is a little problematical.
Looking forward to hearing from people on this.
Thanks

The question first should be Do you need them? Or at least do you need correctly detailed nuts and bolts?
Adding all those threads can bring a model to a standstill. Depending on the situation and use case you may only need basic hexagons and cylinders.

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Relevant question but usually my models are quite small e.g. a 6m 1.2x1.2 stub lattice tower is the biggest so far. The Bolts and nuts fully detailed add a touch of realism but I guess I could make do with cylinders and hexagons but the I would have to make them all as I proceed.
The EP Fastener extension is great but could be further development.

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Why not model a bolt head and a nut and place them instead of the full meal deal?

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@david_silcock_creator

Live Components could be a place where nuts, bolts, fixings, etc, get created for use in a model.
a person usually requires a set of similar (compatible) items.
eg a M12 bolts with hex nuts, at different lengths, then a M12 coachbolt, then a M12 square washer…maybe a M10 bolt and nut as well…

Anything created in the 3d warehouse isnt editable so is a total pain to use. Also some people/manufacturers like having all the geometry, whereas others just want the overall size/shape…so Level of Detail adjustment would be ideal.
I like the style where a bolt is a cylinder and just uses an edge (spiral shape) to make it look like a thread, without actually modelling the thread. Or an image mateiral applied to look thread-like without adding geometry.

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A nicely modeled bolt head as a component with a correctly orientated insertion point and you just pop them on as needed. Or array them etc

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the suggestion.

I was hopping for an updated and improved EP Fastener or equivalent.

With its drop down box for selecting various sizes etc.

Also with being able to select the thread length I can quickly see if the threaded is included or not included in the active shear zone of the connection.

I think this would be very much a chargeable extension f done well.

Yes ideally a selection from the extension

Metric or imperial

Size M2 to M30

Head type eg: none (for threaded rod) , hex, allen key square, coach bolt etc

Length (up to say 1000mm)

Thread length

Placement at the centre of the thread end

Washer included or not

If you had the 2022 version, you could do as @Box suggested, or with the premade component use the stamp tool to quickly place them.

I’m always up for modeling screw threads but I think it’s important to think of the larger picture. I model screw threads when they are appropriate for the model. Recent example, below. But if the model isn’t about the screw threads, detailed ones become a liability not a benefit.

The EP Fasteners extension does work but it in my opinion they aren’t very nice threads. If I want screws with detail I prefer a different method which I did show in a video I posted on the forum. I expect a search will turn it up. And if I don’t need detail it might be a simple cylinder, maybe with a texture, or just a head, or in the case of a flathead screw in a countersink it might be nothing more than a circle with the drive insinuated with a few edges.

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An intermediate way would be to create a thread but without a slope as a simple component. Copied as an array and with the outer shell command, a solid volume of any length is quickly created…

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Hi Dave , can you provide a link to the " Screw Threads. in Sketchup video you made. The link I saw earlier seems not to be working.
thanks

Here you go.

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Thank you

I use EP Bolt and Fastner very often and I hope it continues to work.

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A quick and dirty solution is a “squeezebox.” It’s essentially a cylinder with a bulge in the middle that gets stacked. It won’t hold up to scrutiny, but they’ll look the part.

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This is a very good use case for Live Components! Ill chat to our content team to see what we can do about getting something like this on the 3D Warehouse.

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It would be great to have an extension further developing the one created by EP Fasteners.
I would be happy about this being a paid for extension.
Having realistic dimensionaly accurate fasteners in a model for mechanical and structural items is a great help for those of us doing workshop drawings.
I am quite surprised this has not been done already.
An example of panel antenna installation:

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I don’t find it particularly difficult to model small hardware like bolts, screws, and nuts… I model them as a components to save for later use. Bolts and screws are made so their length can be easily changed as needed.

All the hardware in this model was created long before I made this model.

The vise screw on this one uses the same component as the one in the above model with slight modifications.
Imgur

The chain and sprockets were modeled originally years ago for a twin-screw bench vise, the hand wheel and knob were modeled for a leg vise.

The square-headed bolt the U-bolt were made from a different bolt and the square nuts are from an old hex nut component.

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See this SU file to see a fast way to make U-bolts.

U-bolt.skp (277.8 KB)

You can also create these quickly with the Engineering Toolbox extension.

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