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[Scratch Build] It's finally done! Custom case, custom watercooling, custom cables, custom everythin
- Thread starter Simwalh
- Start date
A rather small update this time:
I had to remodel the case in AutoCad in order to have smooth circles instead of 24 sided polygons when exporting to dxf, so thats what I have been doing the last couple of days. And i thought, while i'm at it anyways, have this:
I had some rendering issues, that's why this is the only image.
I also contacted some companies with the files, some of them already responded. looks like the case will cost me something around 300€ at most. I don't have to change a whole lot, but apparently there is no 2mm acrylic avaliable so i'll have to go up to 4mm there.
I had to remodel the case in AutoCad in order to have smooth circles instead of 24 sided polygons when exporting to dxf, so thats what I have been doing the last couple of days. And i thought, while i'm at it anyways, have this:
I had some rendering issues, that's why this is the only image.
I also contacted some companies with the files, some of them already responded. looks like the case will cost me something around 300€ at most. I don't have to change a whole lot, but apparently there is no 2mm acrylic avaliable so i'll have to go up to 4mm there.
A rather small update this time:
I had to remodel the case in AutoCad in order to have smooth circles instead of 24 sided polygons when exporting to dxf, so thats what I have been doing the last couple of days. And i thought, while i'm at it anyways, have this:
I had some rendering issues, that's why this is the only image.
I also contacted some companies with the files, some of them already responded. looks like the case will cost me something around 300€ at most. I don't have to change a whole lot, but apparently there is no 2mm acrylic avaliable so i'll have to go up to 4mm there.
I can cut Plexiglass if you'd like, send me a PM if you're interested.
Edit:
I have 3mm thick clear Plexiglass in stock
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Thanks for the offer, where are you located? i'm in germany, so i don't know if this will be practical
I'm located in the Netherlands, so that should work just fine, shipping from NL to DE is €13,00 including tracking. I've done some lasercutting for Minefoxi on his project, although that was 6mm plywood.
To give you an estimate I'd need to see your files, but seeing as this is a M-ITX case it shouldn't be that bad, definitely not €300.
PS: 2mm is definitely also possible, I don't personally have it stock, but I can order it if you want 2mm plexiglass.
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QinX you are a legend.
Neat render on the case. I don't know how strong 2mm plexi is, maybe have 3mm for rigidity? It does add 50% weight, though, so that should be kept in mind.
Neat render on the case. I don't know how strong 2mm plexi is, maybe have 3mm for rigidity? It does add 50% weight, though, so that should be kept in mind.
That would be really awesome! please send me a pm with your e-mail so i can send you the files. any chance you can cut aluminium too? i'm trying to get as much as possible made by one person.
Weight is not a concern for me, especially given that the acrylic probably only makes up a small amount of the final weight. I don't think rigidity will be a problem either, but i am now debating between 2mm and 3mm/4mm for asthetics... would 2mm look just too thin?
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Unfortunately no, my machine can't cut aluminium, I can get aluminium cut for you if you want it sourced from one person but that is up to you. I've sent you a PM with my contact details.
Having the 3mm plexiglass right in front of me, I personally think that 2mm might be on the thin side, for small areas it should be good, but a largish side panel might become a too flexible.
i would prefer sourcing from one person, but if it's not possible i'll have to source my parts from two or three people, no problem either. Do you have a partner company to source aluminium parts from or are you just contacting someone you've worked with before?
I wasn't able to find comparable images of 2mm acrylic, so i'll take your word for it and go for 4mm panels as i have already changed the model to fit them.
also, i can't find your pm. am i just being stupid or is this disabled because i'm a new user?
Edit: it just showed up.
just updated my post, but you beat me to itNo I just finished writing it and it's in your inbox now
not really an update but i did some more rendering yesterday and today, and here are some results. i wonder if someone can guess what program i have been using
obligatory moneyshot $$$
i like this straight on side view.
tilted up, giving a better view on the cpu block.
Making fan blades by hand in sketchup is pretty time consuming and annoying, but i think it was worth it.
and finally a render inside an actual room. i also added a 19mm vandal switch.
i'm still using the model with 2mm acrylic panels here, still debating if i will go 2 or 4... symmetry vs thicker acrylic...
by the way, does someone know any good rendering / 3d modeling sooftware that i can use for free? currently i am using autocad with a student license and (you probably guessed it) KeyShot for rendering. the problem with autocad is that it is really hard (vandal switch took me an hour vs 5 minutes in sketchup) and i would like to get rid of the watermark when rendering.. but really like the way keyshot handles different materials. suggestions?
obligatory moneyshot $$$
i like this straight on side view.
tilted up, giving a better view on the cpu block.
Making fan blades by hand in sketchup is pretty time consuming and annoying, but i think it was worth it.
and finally a render inside an actual room. i also added a 19mm vandal switch.
i'm still using the model with 2mm acrylic panels here, still debating if i will go 2 or 4... symmetry vs thicker acrylic...
by the way, does someone know any good rendering / 3d modeling sooftware that i can use for free? currently i am using autocad with a student license and (you probably guessed it) KeyShot for rendering. the problem with autocad is that it is really hard (vandal switch took me an hour vs 5 minutes in sketchup) and i would like to get rid of the watermark when rendering.. but really like the way keyshot handles different materials. suggestions?
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It looks fantastic! If you can get a student license for AutoCad, you can probably also get a student license for 3DS Max, which can import files from AutoCAD and Inventor to my knowledge, and is the program QinX uses for his renders (I think with the VRay renderer).
I would recommend using Inventor over AutoCAD as well, it's not as capable, as in I wouldn't want to model a House including the power line circuitry in it, but very straight-forward to use and does sheet metal (if you ever want to go that route) and curved surfaces way better than SketchUp. A vandal-switch would take you 2-10 Minutes, depending on how well you know the software. Don't use it's built-in renderer though, it produces ugly results.
I would recommend using Inventor over AutoCAD as well, it's not as capable, as in I wouldn't want to model a House including the power line circuitry in it, but very straight-forward to use and does sheet metal (if you ever want to go that route) and curved surfaces way better than SketchUp. A vandal-switch would take you 2-10 Minutes, depending on how well you know the software. Don't use it's built-in renderer though, it produces ugly results.
Downloading inventor and installing 3ds max at the moment! i didn't know autodesk had such a large variety of products avaliable basically for free, it's really awesome!
Oh yeah - it's awesome until you have to pay full freight for the software. Autodesk also has new time-based licensing - say bye-bye to perpetual licenses (unless you already own 'em)!
You're god damn right
So, here is the result:
It's beautiful, isn't it? Those lines, the simplicity, just astounding. I love it. The colour and texture also look great. And match my wall.
A closeup of the integrated motherboard standoff posts. I call them "Integrated motherboard standoff posts"™. Really convenient. Slightly out of alignment with the holes in my motherboard, but still reeeeeeally convenient. (fixed that by now)
Here is the system up and running. Note how well the Noctua fans' colors match the case! I'll now have to get a brown fan for my cpu cooler as well.
From another angle. I think i did a really good job of hiding the cables. And notice how nicely the green ram pcb clashes with the black/red gpu and orange/yellow/purple/whatever cable, creating some vibrant contrasts. Just awesome. Also, take note of my "just kinda chillin in there"™ ssd mount. Really proud of this one.
Here is the whole setup. Psu didn't fit into the case because its ATX instead of SFX, and the CPU cooler would be kinda in the way. But that's just a minor thing. Also, you can see my old case sitting next to the new one there. The reason for that is that i don't have my vandal power switch yet, and i have to turn this wonderful piece of craftsmanship on somehow, so I'm using the power switch of my old case for that. the front io pins are buried below the cpu cooler, so just shorting them is not an option.
I decided that I'll keep this setup for now, as I am really pleased how it has turned out. It's not exactly compact or small, but I think it looks really gorgeous. I don't even need acrylic panels (they wouldn't fit anyways), I'll just leave it open like that. I hope that this case will stay with me for a long time and survive many many upgrades and rebuilds, because it was a lot of work to get to this finished product that has the quality that i was looking for. I would like to thank everyone who helped me design this and motivated me, you are a really great community!
aaaaaaaaahhhhaha gotcha.
You won't get rid of me that quickly, of course I'll finish this off with a proper case and watercooling! But jokes aside, the cardboard prototype works. Everything fit together niceley besides the motherboard holes, which were only off because I apparently can't copy simple measurements from the screen onto cardboard.What did I learn or realize doing this?
First: The 12mm cubes are tiny. When doing CAD modeling, you really lose the sense of size for the things you are modeling, just like @QinX said in one of his threads when he recieved the o-rings for his custom waterblock. It's really funny sometimes.
Second: I can't screw in my GPU. Derp. With the way the IO panel is bent, i either have to leave it just hanging there, or i have to use nuts and bolts to screw it in fron the other side. I won't put holes into the part, as that would look just plain awful...
Third: Making pieces that are 3mm wide out of cardboard is hard. Tape is your friend.
I will maybe make some proper 12mm cubes out of something else than cardboard and reassemble the cardboard prototype with those and screws, as it seems pretty instable right now. We'll see how long the Parvum cubes i ordered two days ago will take to get here, maybe I will then just use those instead. I also already ordered thumbscrews, button head screws for the places where they are not too visible (because thumbscrews are expensive), case feet and the vandal switch. 100€ gone just like that. Oh boy.
High quality camera work as well, those beauty shots only show the case from it's most gorgeous angles! Your lighting setup must be unbelievably expensive! I wish I had the compassion and skill to build something as complex and beautiful as this, good job!
I actually used your "just kinda chillin in there"™ mounting solution as well, didn't know you patented that, so I'll send you the licensing fees right now and hope you don't sue me. Sorry.
I actually used your "just kinda chillin in there"™ mounting solution as well, didn't know you patented that, so I'll send you the licensing fees right now and hope you don't sue me. Sorry.
My lighting in fact is really expensive, ~400€ a piece, but at least it has a phone attatched to it. Licensing Fees will be 500€ + whatever the case costs me. But only by coincidence, not that i planned this or anything.
*cough*
Anyways, I've got a small update for you today. Look at it in all its 768p glory:
I changed the loop up a bit and switched the DDC pump for a D5 one. Yes, I was actually able to get a D5 in there without increasing the size.
also, i added two SSD to the system model, but forgot to render it. Duh. They are just taped to the motherboard tray on the other side, for maximum flexibility when mounting them (because i'll maybe have to use a fan controller back there too, so space is an issue).
I also added the CPU cutout and some Cable routing options in the lower chamber, for things like the power button. i don't need it for anything else really. but put it there just in case. (pun not intended)
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