In my real job, I’m in sales at a wholesale electrical supply distributor. And I’m thankful for this - means that the fittings used with PVC are the same for schedule 40 and schedule 80. It would be an incredible headache if we had to stock 2 sets of fittings - and fittings where one (or more) connections are schedule 40 and one (or more) connections are schedule 80!
And above (and not including) 2" Trade Size, EMT, IMC, and RSC all have the same OD within any given trade size.
Acronyms Used
For those not familiar with electrical acronyms:
EMT = Electro Metallic Tubing (Thin wall, no thread)
RSC = Rigid Steel Conduit (Heavy Wall, usually threaded)
IMC = Intermediate Metal Conduit (Thinner wall than RSC, but also usually threaded)
For the callout and 2D symbol I’m not really sure what I should use, for now I’m showing the device part number and a simple rectangle. Any thoughts or suggestions in this regard will be appreciated.
Not entirely satisfied with the way this is setup. Rather than the part name the Voltage and Amperage should be displayed with the symbol. Additionally it would be really nice if the user could add their own hardware into the library for meter sockets and CSEDs.
Per customer request I also think it would be pertinent to add some disconnect/switches to the misc. tool. Typically in residential applications you will see these mounted externally for AC equipment or hot tubs. The more common ones are not too expensive so I thought it would be instructional to actually put my hands on some of these devices to better understand them and also for more accurate modeling reasons.
With fixtures like these it is a trade off or balance between realism and keeping a very low poly count. Each of these units is only about 80Kb, but with careful modeling they can still look pretty good, be dimensionally accurate and are “clean” models.
When I describe a clean model I have the following criteria (Modeling Rules) for all components I add to the plugin libraries:
1.) The group(s) should be solids.
2.) No stray lines or geometry that is not supposed to be there.
3.) Try to keep all dimensions nice predictable values (ie. 5/8" → 0.625). No one wants an AC unit that is 29.831235" wide when it should be exactly 30.000000" wide.
4.) Layers/Tags are uniform and named accordingly.
5.) Materials are minimal and named accordingly.
6.) Group names match file/component name or follow an organized logical fashion.
7.) The geometry should be as low poly as possible but as realistic as possible. This one can be hard to achieve, but I do my best.
8.) All unused components, layers, materials etc… should always be purged from the model before saving the final copy.
9.) I like to zoom out a bit so that the generated thumbnail for file is not too big and again it will minimize file size.
10.) Curves and circles should be approximated with as few segments as possible where applicable.
With something like this no one cares what the inside of the AC unit looks like or even what fittings are on the exterior of the device for connecting back into the house. The biggest concern is the footprint (area and volume) and the representational aspect within the model (so it needs to look good).
I only wish that many of the models added into the 3D Warehouse conformed to the criteria I’ve given above. There is a lot of good stuff there but some of it is so heavy that I really don’t want to bog down my model especially if I am working on my laptop.
These additional variants added per customer request. They are the exact same as the similar sized units other than the addition of the weather guard top. Hopefully this gives enough selection for typical residential AC units however if there is need for any other styles etc… please let me know.
Added two generic side discharge hvac/heat pump condensor units into the built-in library: HP_XV19_42, HP_XV19_36.
Added various “Wilkerson Art” framed art prints within the “art” category under misc. fixtures: Wasco, Frog, Hummingbird, Eagle under Sun, Killer Whale, Abstract and Medeek (Grizzly Bear).
The funny thing is that I added the hummingbird framed art back in June (2024) as an Easter Egg but I guess no one noticed, or at least no one ever messaged me about it so I guess it went undetected. I’ve also added in a decent wall clock as well for those needing a wall clock mounted in a room.
Decided to take a much needed break from the code today and did some other misc. tasks. This one just kind of popped up on my radar so I figured I would add a few more framed prints.
As far as using the artwork in any of your projects, so long as you hold a licensed copy of the Medeek Electrical plugin you are authorized to use my artwork in any personal or professional projects you see fit. My only request is that if you do decide to use the artwork, please give attribution where possible and applicable.