The Team at Hamilton By Design have extensive experience with 3D mechanical part design, modeling, and assembly creation. Our mechanical designers are very familiar with the complicated CAD geometry and surfaces that are required for many types of products. Hamilton By Design CAD engineers excel in developing fully constrained components that are modelled in a wide range of materials offering a complete scope so that materials can meet a wide range of product design requirements.
Our design highly skilled engineers utilize the latest 3D CAD software systems to create their mechanical designs. 3D outputs can be easily generated from the design process to allow our clients to get a good view of the mechanical design prior to the construction of any prototype models.
Our mechanical designers will create all of the manufacturing drawings and documentation to accompany the 3D CAD model. These drawings will include the detailed part drawings and the assembly drawings that will be required for the factory.
Parametric Solid Modeling — Design Intelligence Meets Reality
At Hamilton By Design, our mechanical designers bring years of experience in 3D modelling, assemblies, and advanced geometry. But in 2025+, the frontier is not just parametric modelling — it's coupling that with 3D scanning to deliver designs grounded in real-world reality.
Parametric solid modelling gives us the flexibility, editability, and relationship-driven logic engineers need. Scanning gives us the spatial truth. Together, they create a design platform that is both intelligent and reliable.
Why Parametric Modelling Remains Core
Parametric modelling is about more than curves and solids. It’s about design intent.
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Fully constrained components: Every part is built with defined dimensions, constraints, and relations so that changes can ripple predictably through the model.
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Material flexibility: By defining material properties early, we can drive calculations, simulation, and value comparisons transparently.
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Iterative design freedom: Change one parameter (thickness, radius, length), and the geometry updates coherently — no manual re-sketching.
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Assembly behavior: Mates, constraints, and motion behavior become part of the model, not an add-on.
In short: parametric modelling turns geometry into a living system, not just a static drawing.
When you integrate parametric modelling into your mechanical workflow, the result is:
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Less manual error
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Faster iteration
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Better reuse of design modules
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Cleaner models that survive redesign cycles
But parametric modelling alone still assumes you know the environment. In retrofit or complex environments, that assumption often breaks down. That’s where 3D scanning saves you.
Elevating the Workflow: Parametric + 3D Scanning
Imagine this: you're tasked with adding a new equipment module or retrofit to an existing plant. You have only legacy drawings, partial CAD, and decades of structural creep. Where do you begin?
Here's how we proceed at Hamilton By Design:
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3D Scan / LiDAR Capture
We bring portable laser scanners to your site — either static or while systems are live — to capture the physical world. The result: a high-density point cloud capturing every surface, offset, and distortion. -
Point Cloud Processing & Cleaning
We register multiple scans, eliminate noise, filter redundant data, and segment surfaces relevant to your project — beams, existing structures, pipes, concrete slabs, equipment. -
Feature Extraction & Reverse Modelling
Using the processed point cloud, we extract geometry: planar surfaces, curves, lofts, extrusions, arcs. That becomes the base reference for our parametric model. -
Parametric Reconstruction
We rebuild the extracted geometry as editable parametric features — fully constrained, dimensioned, and relational. We embed design intent, constraints, and modular logic. -
Integration, Assembly, and Validation
The new parts or subassemblies are designed in context — mated to scanned reference geometry. We run interference checks, motion/mate behavior, and situational simulation (e.g. clearance, deformation, alignment). -
Simulation & Verification
Once the model is solid, we run FEA, modal, thermal or other relevant analyses to validate performance under real-world loads — now informed by the scanned geometry and correct spatial context. -
Deliverables & Lifecycle Link
We deliver full 3D models, drawings, and scan references. The scan + model become the baseline for future updates, retrofits, or condition comparisons.
What This Enables in Mechanical Design
This integrated approach unlocks capabilities that older CAD-only workflows simply can’t match:
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First-fit confidence: Because your design is built atop reality, surprises on site are rare.
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Clash avoidance: You can detect spatial conflicts early — not after parts are fabricated.
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Evolutionary design: Future changes, additions, or retrofits slot in cleanly because the reference geometry is accurate.
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Digital twin readiness: The scan + model pairing yields a basis for digital twin, monitoring, comparison, and performance tracking.
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Better stakeholder alignment: Visual 3D models overlaid on real surfaces ease review, approvals, and field validation.
Practical Use Cases
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Equipment retrofit in existing structure
For instance, fitting a new gearbox, support frame, or structural bracket onto aged plant structure. Scanning gives the exact mounting points, offsets, and misalignment. Parametric modelling places the new parts precisely, eliminating guesswork or rework. -
Wear replacement on rotating machinery
Over time, wear, thermal expansion, or deformation shift geometry. By scanning the actual component or liner, you rebuild the as-worn geometry, design replacement, and validate fit without surprises. -
Plant layout and extension design
When extending a plant, adding conveyors or piping, you must design around existing beams, walls, and infrastructure. The scan + model strategy ensures that new modules respect real clearances, pipe runs, supports, and floor deviations. -
Structural alignment and refurbishment
Aging structures bend, sag, or drift. Scans reveal those distortions, which become the basis for model alignment, repair planning, or reinforcement design — all in parametric space.
Overcoming Challenges in Scan-Model Workflows
Integrating scans and modelling isn’t trivial. Some challenges include:
| Challenge | Strategy |
|---|---|
| Point-cloud noise and clutter | Filter aggressively, segment relevant surfaces, restrict modeling to key geometry. |
| Occluded zones or missing data | Use multiple scan angles; supplement with manual measurement to fill gaps. |
| Complex surfaces difficult to parametrize | Use hybrid modelling (free-form + parametric) or surface fitting techniques. |
| Tolerance mismatch between scanned and nominal geometry | Fit surfaces using best-fit algorithms; maintain tolerance bands. |
| Heavy scan data size | Use down sampling or region-of-interest clustering to manage scale. |
The key is not to over model every detail — focus on the features that matter.
Why Hamilton By Design Adopts This Approach
We didn’t adopt scanning simply as a novelty — we did it because the combination of parametric modelling and scanning fundamentally improves quality, speed, and confidence in mechanical design work.
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Reduced rework: Far fewer field adjustments, clash fixes, or misfits.
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Greater accuracy: Designs reflect reality, not guesses.
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Flexible updates: As-built changes, wear or modification can be rescanned and folded into living models.
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Stronger client collaboration: Models grounded in site reality foster clarity in peer reviews, procurement, and fabrication.
In every project, we aim to deliver more than a drawing. We deliver a spatially coherent, parametric model that aligns precisely with the built world and adapts gracefully over time.
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