CATIA V5 Lightsaber Model Part 1

Welcome to my CATIA V5 lightsaber introduction Instructables. My series of instructables will focus on how to model various parts of Anakin Skywalker's (and now Rey's) lightsaber from the Star Wars Franchise. This will start as a basic CATIA V5 tutorial, so no prior knowledge is needed. Measurements are as direct as I could find them to be. In total, there will be approximately seven parts to this series, the first five focusing on building the various outer lightsaber parts, the sixth on connecting those, and the seventh on turning the lightsaber into a technical drawing all using CATIA V5.

In order to create this, you need is access to CATIA V5 modeling software, and a fair amount of time. This is not a small project, and even some of the parts can be very complicated. Make sure you have a way to save the parts also, and save often.

CATIA V5 is a common modeling software used in engineering and other modeling. In order to demonstrate some of the capabilities of CATIA V5, I'm going to show you how to model a basic lightsaber. While some steps are left out, this is a beginners introduction, so it exists more to give people a basic idea of how to use CATIA V5 by creating something cool. This is a bigger project, but I hope the results are cool and interesting. Besides, who doesn't love star wars and isn't interested in creating a replica of the lightsaber Anakin Skywalker used.

Use these steps to create a new Part file. We will create 5 part files over the course of this instructables series. If you create a part and don't have the New Part dialog open up, try to open up a new part in case it didn't load properly.

This instructables will be done in English Units. As such, makes sure that everything is measured in inches.

The following part is the first part we will make. This is a basic introduction to which movements we will use in CATIA V5 that are not self explanatory (like the magnifying glasses).

The first button moves an object

The second button rotates an object

The third button returns the object to the main view (Isometric View)

The fourth button centers the screen around the entire object

To delete an object, you can either use control Z or simply highlight it and press delete

On top of each toolbar is a small line, you can click on this and pull in order to drag the toolbar out of the dock and have it on the screen

To create the lightsaber base, and any part in CATIA V5, you must first create a sketch. This sketch, and most of the sketch that follow, will be along the yz plane.

Center this sketch on the center circle in the square in the middle of the screen. This will help constrain it in a following step

This is required in order to rotate or expand a sketch once you are finished with it. If the item is not constrained, you will not be able to work with the sketch once you exit the sketching screen. A sketch is fully dimensioned once it turns green. If it turns purple, delete the constraint that turned it purple. This happens when a sketch is over constrained, meaning two constraints measure the same thing.

Double click on the constraint tool in order to keep it highlighted as you constrain, so it is orange even after you constrain something once. Otherwise you'll have to click on the tool each time. When you do double click on it, you'll have to exit the tool before you can delete geometry.

Use the following buttons to exist the sketch board

Once you've exited the sketch plane, if the drawing is fully dimensioned, you will be able to rotate it to create a 3D base for the back of the lightsaber. This uses the shaft tool in the sketch based features menu. Make sure to select the proper Axis (which is the axis of rotation) in order to create the part above.

Create a new Sketch along the yz plane

Use the tool noted to draw a feature that is not a normal geometry. To do this, simply click to place points and a line will connect them. Make sure the part is CLOSED before you move on.

Constrain the base grip as follows. The second image is an image of an over constrained part. Once again, AVOID this at all costs. For this part, create constraints to the center circle (the one within the square) by clicking on a side and then clicking on the center circle. This is done to measure the relative distance of the part to the 'center'.

Once you exit the main menu, revolve the base grip as you did for the first grip, but only revolve it a little rather than all the way around. The axis of rotation is the main line going through the lower base again.

Use the circular rotations tool to rotate the grip bases around the main shaft

Create the main hole as follows. You will also need to do a positioning sketch of the main hole (next step). DO NOT push okay yet.

Use the sketch button to center the main hole (if it isn't already). Sketch the main hole as follows so it's centered on the object. Exit and hit Okay.

Create a back connector so it can connect to a piece we make later.

Rotate the back connector around the main axis of rotation.

Create the main grips similar to how you created the grip base, but rotate them less.

Create a Sketch on the ZX plane as follows

Use the Pad tool to give an object depth without rotating it.

Use the rectangular tool to create 5 rings behind the one we just modeled. As this is a tutorial, the next step will show how to make patterns in front, rather than behind.

Use the reverse button to create objects going in the opposite directions

Create the front connector with the skills learned throughout this Instructable

Congratulations! You have created the first part of a lightsaber. To continue on, check out my other instructables (when they're posted if they aren't already). Thank you for following these steps and I hope you learned a lot about CATIA V5. Make sure to save your part and then you're finally done.