ArtCam Jeweler

Project 4 Step 1 continued

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Fri, 07 Jan 2011 22:23:00 +0000

The Top Diamonds

I am going to add the vectors for the diamonds that are around the center stone. These diamonds are 1.3mm each. I "Paste Along Curve" 24 of these stones. I selected 24 by trial and error because of the fit. Remember it is best to use an even stone number to paste. I will then add the .6mm diameter prongs by nudging and mirroring them. I like to raise the prongs at a 50 to 80 degree dome and .6mm height. I used 50 degree in this project. This is what the vectors should look like.

The Finished Top

The Top Diamonds Video

Project 4 Ladies Engagement Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 03:57:00 +0000

This project has several techniques used to make it. First, the under gallery is designed in the ring Blank 3 Axis model to demonstrate and introduce the possibilities there. In other projects I will show other techniques for more advanced galleries. Second, the side diamonds on the shank has the angle of the prongs corrected by using a cutter method. This technique can be used for other shaped parts a jewelry designer can add to an assembly. ArtCam draws prongs and other objects straight up and down as a default in the program. I will demonstrate another simpler technique in another project that will make these prongs perpendicular to the shank much quicker.

Step 1
In this design I will create a softly squared top with 24 1.3mm diamonds around a 1 carat center. I start with the center diamond vector of 6.4mm and then draw a 12mm square with a 1mm radii. The center prongs are 1.2mm that I place in position, then mirror. I copy these two then rotate 90 degrees and then rotate all four prongs 45 degrees. I then offset the outside square vectors by these amounts in this order.
.4mm
.65mm
.65mm
.4mm
.35mm
The center stone vector is then offset by .25mm and 1mm. The vectors should look like this:

The Top

After drawing the vectors I will use the 3D Blend tool to make the initial plate. I use a small taper with the 3D Blend tool (.5mm Border and 1.0mm inner vector) to minimize the distortion that would occur when I make the prongs. Also it is more pleasing to the eye then a sharp incline. I then subtract the shadow box and build a couple raised areas on the top for decoration. I also made a bezel edge for the center stone for strength and looks. This is the video for this portion of the top. I will add the surrounding gemstones in the next section.

Project 3 Step 2

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Thu, 09 Dec 2010 01:20:00 +0000

Step 2

I'm going to begin this step by going back to the shank I created in step one and change the shape in the center of the ring. I want that area to be straight and not pointed. After that I will create a rectangle vector that I will subtract from the profile vector to make a euro shank. I simply reset the relief and then re sweep with the changed vectors to build my final ring design.

3D view showing the pointed section in the center of the ring.

2D view of the section I am going to edit.

I reset the relief then mirror the rectangle to use as a guide for editing.

Editing the top rail by inserting nodes.

Mirroring the edited top rail to the bottom.

Making a rectangle vector in the profile section for the euro shank.

F9 the rectangle to make sure it is centered. Then use the down arrow key to nudge in place.

The rectangle is in position

Subtract the rectangle from the profile vector by selecting the ring profile first, holding down shift and selecting the box second. Press the subtract vectors button.

This is the result. I will now edit the profile to the euro shape.

Enter node editing by pressing "n" and create an arc at the bottom by pressing "a".

.
Raise the arc vector up and then select the two outer nodes and nudge them down. Adjust the arc as needed for a pleasant design.

Two rail ring sweep the vectors. Select the top rail, bottom rail, small cross section, large cross section, and ring profile, in that order by holding down the shift key. Press the Two Rail Ring Sweep button to get to this menu. Make sure the add button is selected then press calculate.

The result from the sweep showing the euro and removed pointed section in the center of the ring. I still need to add the ridge back.

Select the two rectangle shapes and use the shape editor to add the 90 degree dome ridge back to the shank. Now, mirror merge left to right to assure both side are the same.

The finished shank design.

The Euro Shank Video

Project 3 Step 3

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 04:57:00 +0000

Step 3

This step builds a pear shape bezel in the 3 axis flat. The stone size is 4 X 3. I begin by making a rectangle vector the size of the pear shape stone and then place a 3mm circle at the bottom. The rectangle serves as a guide for my stone. I edit the circle into the pear shape. I then offset the stone vector outward and inner .35mm to create the bezel walls and the inner opening. I F12 and add 1.5mm to the outside vector. Then add a -45 degree pyramid with a start height of -.5mm. The inner vector is zeroed. This creates the bezel that is added to the assembly by the mesh creator.

The flat three axis model is used for the bezel. A small model size is used to just accommodate the setting.

Draw a 3 X4 guide box to create the bezel setting.

Draw a 3 mm circle and select the circle first then the rectangle then click align bottom.

Node edit the circle into a pear shape using the rectangle as a guide.

Offset the stone vector both inner and outer by .35mm

Using F12 add 1.5mm to the outside vector.

Using F12 add a -45 pyramid with a -.5 Start Height to the stone vector.

Using F12 zero the inner vector.

Add to the assembly with the mesh creator.

Rotate and nudge into position.

Copy and paste another bezel into the assembly.

Rotate the second bezel 180 degrees in z.

The completed ring.

The Pear Shape Bezels Video

Project 3 Euro Shank

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 22:03:00 +0000

This is a simple design with many possible ways to recreate it differently. It is designed to fit a half carat center diamond set in a peg head. Two 4 X 3 pear shape stones are placed as accents on the side. It also has a euro shank for both looks and comfort.

Step 1

Select the Tapered Round Shank from the model New Shanks section. The following pictures show the values entered.

This is the view showing a thick and not very flowing shank design created by the wizard. I am going to edit this model into my final shape. The important thing to remember during the design process is to create smooth flowing lines and pleasing shapes.

The first thing to do is accept the wizard, then reset the relief, then offset the inner shank in the profile section out by 1.8mm. The thickness of 1.8mm between the fingers keeps the ring comfortable. This will be the vector I will edit to make the ring profile including the euro shank later. Normally, I would do all the editing in one step but to demonstrate the thinking process I have broke it down in smaller sequences.

The next thing to do is edit the profile curve into our desired shape. This is done by node editing. I also inserted a couple of nodes to create the profile I wanted.

This is the view of the shank after editing in the profile section.

Here I am editing the top rail for the ring shank. I only reshape the top left side. I will delete the bottom rail and then mirror the edited top rail to the bottom.

A two rail ring sweep is done with the changed vectors including the profile or ring silhouette.

This is the result of the ring sweep and a mirror merge left to right.

A rectangle vector is added to the shank where we want to make a ridge for decoration. This rectangle needs to be node edited to match the shape of the rails.

Use the shape editor F12 to add a domed 90 degree height to our vector.

The result is then mirror merged left to right to get both sides of the ring.

The 2D view of the completed shank.

The Shank Video

Stuller Settings Catalog

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:31:00 +0000

If you are a member of the verified section of the ArtCam forum I have uploaded a selection of Stuller settings that can be downloaded and added to the component library. The link to the download and the original post is located here at the ArtCam Forum . You can also use this link to Download the settings too. Afterwords, just go to ArtCam files/component libraries/Settings and add this folder, then do a rescan and they will be available to import. Here is a picture of all 18 settings.


Stuller Settings These make a nice presentation to add to your finished ArtCam projects. You will still need to scale the settings to fit the required stone size you need. The setting numbers are the catalog numbers from the Stuller findings catalog to make for easy ordering of the part. Here is number 383 for example used as the center head for project 2. Enjoy the download.

Project 2 Step 5

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 23:16:00 +0000

Step 5

In this section I am going to create the engagement ring by duplicating the wedding band model and then editing the vectors. This is a very quick way to produce this ring. I can do this by drawing a rectangle vector where I want to merge low 1.5mm the center of the ring for a peg head to be soldered on. I will also ungroup the vectors to remove the unwanted vectors and then regroup only the vectors I need.

Merge Low Center Section

Project 2 Step 4

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 21:18:00 +0000

Step 4

In this section I am going to create the milligrain beads to place on the outside edge of the ring. These beads are .4mm in diameter and spaced .15mm apart. They are also doomed at 45 degrees. This spacing works well because they are still close enough to each other for a pleasing effect and yet far enough apart to allow the mill to cut between each one without damage or distorting the beads. I will offset the shadow box .4mm and edit that box to get the line that I can paste the beads on to evenly. After that I will apply the shape editor (F12) to all the vectors I have drawn to build the finished wedding band from the blank.

Milligrain Beading

The Milligrain and Wedding Band Completion Video

Project 2 Step 3

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 20:26:00 +0000

Step 3

In this section I am going to make the beads for setting the stones and the recessed shadow box around the diamonds. I have selected .6mm as the diameter of the beads. I place the first one in position and then holding down the control key and hitting C then V to copy and paste a new bead. Using the arrow keys I then move the new bead into position. The zoom button also allows for great accuracy in placing these beads into their proper position. The shadow box is created by editing a rectangle around the stones/beads closely and then offsetting by .4mm. I have found a .4mm space allows for easy polishing around the beads.

Beads and Shadow Box Video

Project 2 Step 2

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:40:00 +0000

Step 2

In this section I am going to make the vectors for the diamonds. I will make the first stone at 2.0mm then offset that stone larger by .15mm. I offset the stone because we need a tolerance for stone size variations and to make sure they do not touch each other when setting the finished ring. It also serves as a guide to align adjacent stones. I then select both circles by holding down the shift key and clicking each one till highlighted and then copy and paste a second set of circles. Using the left arrow key and the zoom button I then align the outside circles to each other. By selecting both sets of these now aligned circles and hitting the F9 key I will accurately center the pair. I do this because we have an even number of stones and therefore there is no stone centered in the ring.

I then continue to create each stone one at a time, offset the .15mm and align them up until all required stones are completed. I will only do half the ring because I will mirror the rest of the design later.

Stone Vectors

Stone Vectors Video

Project 2 Ladies Milligrain Wedd Set

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Tue, 30 Nov 2010 04:06:00 +0000

Step One

In this design I am going to make a milligrain engagement ring with a matching wedding band. The engagement ring has ten tapered diamonds with five on each side of the center stone. It is designed to hold a peg head for the center diamond. The wedding band has 12 tapered diamonds. All diamonds are bead or micro pave set with a shadow box. I am going to design the wedding band first and then duplicate and edit the model to create the engagement ring. The milligrain beads are designed to be large and spaced so that during the milling process they are cut without distortion. Here are the specifications for the project.

Finger size is 6
Wedd Band Diamonds are:
4 at 2.0mm; 2 at 1.8mm; 2 at 1.7mm; 2 at 1.5mm; 2 at 1.3mm
Engagement Ring Diamonds are:
2 at 2.0mm; 2 at 1.8mm; 2 at 1.7mm; 2 at 1.5mm; 2 at 1.3mm

I am going to create a new project after opening ArtCam Jewelsmith and then click on models. I will select the tapered square from the shank library and select size 6. I will input the following values in the boxes. I picked these values by comparing other similar ring styles. The 4.5mm Top Width and the 3.0mm Top Thickness are clearly the most important choices.

I am then going to edit the cross sections by straightening the sides and adding a little half round shape to the top of each. I do this by creating a rectangle that will serve as a guide. The values I chose for the guides were because I liked the flow and for no other reason. I will then rebuild the ring blank. I will then edit the profile curve to bring in the sides of the ring that fits between the fingers. This should be about 1.8mm for comfort on the hand. After editing the profile section I reset the relief and resweep the ring to create the final ring blank that I will use to place the diamonds and milligrain beads on. Lets see the video for the ring blanking process.

Creating the Ring Blank Video

Project 1 Step 3

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Micro Pave

I am now going to create the vectors for the micro pave section of the ring. Again I am only going to do one quarter of the ring because I will mirror the other sections into place. This means one center diamond with eight diamonds on the side. I will begin by offsetting the top ring rail to the right by .6mm which will define our outside wall. We continue to offset the resulting lines as we defined in the specifications above. That is .25mm for the next wall, ( I will also offset .65mm twice here to give me a center line) this equals the 1.3mm for the diamond which includes the required spacing, and lastly another .25mm for the other inner wall. These lines will serve as guides to help layout the diamonds.

I will then make the first center diamond and place it into place. This will be followed by copy and pasting, then moving the remaining diamonds into position. I will then create the micro pave prong and position it where it belongs. I will do this by zooming in to judge the placement. I will then copy and paste, (Control C & Control V), the remaining beads into position. You must remember the accuracy is incredible and far superior to any work performed by hand. ArtCam allows you to work in this fashion and achieve outstanding results in very short order. I will then define the shadow box around the diamonds and subtract that area .5mm from the surface of the ring. I will then raise the beads .6mm with a 50 degree dome added. The rest is mirroring the ring to complete it.

Rendering the Ring

In this final section I will create the gemstone vectors from the model and then create the gemstones to produce a rendering. This is done by selecting the vectors in the 2D view that represent the gemstones and having ArtCam calculate the stones sizes from the vectors. I will then select all the new gemstone vectors and quickly create the gems from there.

Micro Pave Considerations

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:30:00 +0000

The following pages are a detour from the project so I can share with you the general procedure I use for micro pave. The first realization is the diamonds coming from your diamond dealer will vary in diameter size from .09mm to 1.1mm. So what I do is create the stone diameter at 1.1mm then offset larger by .10mm. I then use the larger diameter circle (1.3mm) as a guide to line up my gemstones. I construct it this way so that any stone of approximate size will fit into the mounting and stay tight.

The prong diameter size is .5mm and now drop a guide line touching the top of the 1.3mm circles. This is the location for the prongs as shown below. After laying out the top row you can mirror to place the bottom prongs in position.

Raising the Beads

I then give the micro pave beads a dome angle between 50 and 80 degrees and a height of .6mm. (In some instances a higher dome angle can be used to shrink the amount of metal showing). The tapered shaped of the bead allows for the small variance between stones. I set these diamonds with a hart bur by the way, by back cutting into the first bead pair and then beading down and over with the second diagonal bead. The common prong is really just an illusion. I then continue in the same direction with the same technique. If I want a shadow box around the beads I create the box first and then subtract that area down .5mm. Now, lets continue with the project at hand...

Project 1 Step 2

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:19:00 +0000

In this next step I will begin by creating the center stone vectors. Some of the issues we have to consider have to do with the spacing between the stones. There are many factors required to produce a micro pave or channel ring correctly. I will offset each stone larger by .15mm to assure the stones will set closely but still fit into the space we have designed. Remember, when we channel set the gemstones down into the finished mounting, the diameter of the ring becomes smaller, thereby creating a smaller space in the metal to set the stones in. We need to allow for that difference when designing our pieces. I have created each stone one by one, performed the offset, and moved them into position individually. Lastly I grouped the stones together. I will only build half the ring as I can mirror the sections to complete the model. The following video will demonstrate this process.

The Channel Walls

I am are now going to offset the center stones inward to create the seats for the center stones; and then draw the outline for the channel including the pointed end of the channel. I will move the cross sections upward to keep the viewing area clear. I will use color in this step to allow me to isolate the sections and vectors I want to control; and merge low the seats or underbezels for the gemstones. I will also keep the side wall of the channel straight. It is better to offset the center and create a thicker seat because we can drill out and enlarge this hole in the metal easily. It is also necessary to reduce the width of the channel by 5%. This will equal a 10% reduction in the channel width because it will happen on both sides. We will begin the next video by drawing and editing the channel.

Project 1 Gents Ruby and Diamond Ring

noreply@blogger.com (Spicas AKA Maxcola) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 21:56:00 +0000

In this first project we are going to design a simple gents ruby and diamond ring to get familiar with the tools in ArtCam Jewelsmith. I will be designing in ArtCam 2009.


Gents Ruby and Diamond Ring

Step One

In this project I am going to design a gents mounting to hold nine channels set round stones and a total of 34 small round diamonds bead set with common prongs. There are 17 stones on each side of the channel. The specifications are as follows:

Finger size is 10
Round Center Gemstone Sizes are:
3 at 2.5mm
2 at 2.25mm
2 at 2.0mm
2 at 1.75mm

Round Side Diamonds are: 34 at 1.0mm

One of the great things about ArtCam Jewelsmith is the fact many pieces can be completed in a number of different ways. What follows is one technique to produce this piece and not necessarily the only way to achieve this. This piece was completed in 14K white gold and set with diamond cut rubies for the 9 center stones and 34 diamonds in the beaded sides. It was milled in wax, cast, and sold to a purchasing customer. Total design time is about 30 minutes.

Other considerations to note is the ring has a half rounded style and shape to the entire surface. Also a minimum amount of metal is desired for the channel section. Round under bezels are also desired for the channel section.


Picture of Finished Ring Showing Under Bezels

The Thinking Process

I am first going to create a new project in ArtCam, then select and build the tapered flat shank from the model library. I will then edit that model to fit the specifications desired. I need to figure out the approximate dimensions for the finished ring. To determine the top width of this ring at the widest section it is necessary to add the stone size diameters (plus a tolerance) with the thickness of the desired walls for the channel and the beaded sections. This is as follows:

2.5/2 +.15 for the center stone (half the diameter of the middle stone plus a .15 tolerance). This equals 1.4mm
.7 for the channel wall
.25 for the first inside wall of the beaded section
1.0 + .10 times 2 for the beaded stone; this equals 1.3mm
.25 for the second side wall of the beaded section
.6 for the outside wall
See following picture for better understanding....

This equals 4.5mm for one half of the ring, so times 2 is 9.0mm ring width. I like a 50 % taper from top to bottom so the bottom of the shank will be 4.5mm wide. I already know the bottom thickness needs to be 1.5mm. Lastly, I need the height for the top of the ring. Since, 61% of largest stone of 2.5mm is 1.525 and the gems will be channel set at least .5mm down from the top. The ring needs to be at least 2.50mm thick to keep the stone off the finger. I will edit the cross sections to also achieve a 1mm flat edge on the side of the ring. The rest of the profile for the ring will be half rounded.

Making The Blank

Since we have all the required information to create the shank as a blank lets see a video for this first step. The following video is going to start after I have selected "Create New Project" from the ArtCam opening menu. I am using ArtCam 2009. Also, I normally use a resolution of at least 40, but because of the video recording software I have selected only 30 resolution to reduce the load on my computer.