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Hello everybody,
How do you design slingshots when you have zero skills with CAD software, and doing it all by hand with the help of old school tools, such as a compass, protractor, and ruler, are a bit of a chore? :hmm:
Well, Adobe Photoshop has this wonderful tool to draw circles, squares, and other fancy shapes. With the help of the "ruler" for dimensions,I always start out with drawing the forks by creating two circles in the top center of the blank file (sized to 20 x 20 cm) with a white background: first the larger grey outer circle with a fill color, followed by the smaller inner smaller circle in the (white) color of the background.
After flattening the layers, I create a rectangle with the background (white) color to cover half of the initial two circles, which creates a half circle i.e the forks.I then flatten the layers again. I now have the forks as a central element to work around.
All the other shape elements are created according to that approach. You can zoom in to get the exact dimensions and shape connections you need, while using the Y and X axis of the ruler to get the measurements right.
Once the overall shape outline and inside shape elements meet my objectives, I proceed as follows to remove the fill color(s), and to retain only the outer slingshot shape outline - here is how that is done (I am assuming you are familiar with Photoshop to some extent):
- Quick select the object;
- Create a layer via copy;
- In the "edit" menu, select "stroke via outline", making sure to select a dark color (ideally dark blue or black);
- Select the background color (ideally white), and use the "paint bucket" tool to fill each of the colored inner sections.
- Flatten the JPEG image with the shape outline that remains.
You should now have only the shape outline, which you can print and use for a board cut type slingshot. I generally stick the A-4 paper printed version on cardboard, and cut out the shape to see how it feels in the hand before making the actual slingshot.
I have found that a grip width of 40 mm, and a forward grip thickness of 35 mm gives quite good ergonomics for an average sized hand.
The objective of the birch plywood board cut slingshot shown in the photos below, created as mentioned above, was to improve index finger and thumb safety on a low forks design.The complete finger and thumb loops also have the advantage that the slingshot will not end up in the shooter's face if they don't hold it well when the bands or tubes are drawn for a shot - ideal for novices, in principle.
So, if like me you're useless at drawing shapes with a pencil, the Photoshop method is a relevant alternative. I should add that you can resize JPEG image-based shapes inserted in MS Word documents by dragging the sliders - a quick way of resizing the design - albeit that this is far from perfect.
Let me know what you think.
How do you design slingshots when you have zero skills with CAD software, and doing it all by hand with the help of old school tools, such as a compass, protractor, and ruler, are a bit of a chore? :hmm:
Well, Adobe Photoshop has this wonderful tool to draw circles, squares, and other fancy shapes. With the help of the "ruler" for dimensions,I always start out with drawing the forks by creating two circles in the top center of the blank file (sized to 20 x 20 cm) with a white background: first the larger grey outer circle with a fill color, followed by the smaller inner smaller circle in the (white) color of the background.
After flattening the layers, I create a rectangle with the background (white) color to cover half of the initial two circles, which creates a half circle i.e the forks.I then flatten the layers again. I now have the forks as a central element to work around.
All the other shape elements are created according to that approach. You can zoom in to get the exact dimensions and shape connections you need, while using the Y and X axis of the ruler to get the measurements right.
Once the overall shape outline and inside shape elements meet my objectives, I proceed as follows to remove the fill color(s), and to retain only the outer slingshot shape outline - here is how that is done (I am assuming you are familiar with Photoshop to some extent):
- Quick select the object;
- Create a layer via copy;
- In the "edit" menu, select "stroke via outline", making sure to select a dark color (ideally dark blue or black);
- Select the background color (ideally white), and use the "paint bucket" tool to fill each of the colored inner sections.
- Flatten the JPEG image with the shape outline that remains.
You should now have only the shape outline, which you can print and use for a board cut type slingshot. I generally stick the A-4 paper printed version on cardboard, and cut out the shape to see how it feels in the hand before making the actual slingshot.
I have found that a grip width of 40 mm, and a forward grip thickness of 35 mm gives quite good ergonomics for an average sized hand.
The objective of the birch plywood board cut slingshot shown in the photos below, created as mentioned above, was to improve index finger and thumb safety on a low forks design.The complete finger and thumb loops also have the advantage that the slingshot will not end up in the shooter's face if they don't hold it well when the bands or tubes are drawn for a shot - ideal for novices, in principle.
So, if like me you're useless at drawing shapes with a pencil, the Photoshop method is a relevant alternative. I should add that you can resize JPEG image-based shapes inserted in MS Word documents by dragging the sliders - a quick way of resizing the design - albeit that this is far from perfect.
Let me know what you think.
