Any AutoCad users? If so I have a ?

[faust9]

Any AutoCad users? If so I have a ?

I used UG NX 1.8 and 2.0 mostly but I have to do some work in AutoCad 2005. Basically, I have an 8 bar parallel mechanism and I need to model it at a few points to verify clearances and the like. I'd prefer UG but we can't always do things the easy way now can we.

My qusetion is: Is there a way to produce a linked system in autocad where rotating one part of the system casuses appropriate changes on the other parts? Just wondering otherwise I have to seek another piece of software to help me verify my clearances in addition to drafting it in autocad.

Thanks for any and all help.

 

[Gokul43201]

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you want... but you can create blocks, using the "Block" command. A block allows you to treat a group of objects as if they were one object. So you can essentially grab the block and rotate it in the desired manner.

Perhaps this is not what you want ?

 

[franznietzsche]

I'm not sure I understand exactly what you want... but you can create blocks, using the "Block" command. A block allows you to treat a group of objects as if they were one object. So you can essentially grab the block and rotate it in the desired manner.

Perhaps this is not what you want ?

I tihnk he means something more like two "blocks" connected by a gear or gears. Move one and you get a change in the other that is related but not identical.

 

[FredGarvin]

Plain old AutoCad does not have what you are looking for. The best you could do is what Gokul recommended. You would have to redraw each position individually. There is an AutoCad Mechanical add on made by Autodesk, but I don't think it will do any dynamic analysis. It mostly tries to automate repetitive tasks and has a lot of built in blocks and such. Here is a link to it's site:

http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/index?siteID=123112&id=4260547

Just out of curiosity, what exactly do you want to do? It really doesn't take a 3D modelling software to do a tolerance stack up or interference check. If you want to go into a bit more detail, we can probably do it the old fashioned way.

 

[faust9]

Thanks for the replies. Your right, I could do it the old fashioned pen and paper way but old fashioned means extra work for me(I already did the FEA and motion/path requirements analysis). I have to physically show the input link orientation with respect to one of the couplers (one of the couplers comes very close to the housing) as well as prove the parallel link remains parallel through the path of travel to a client; additionally, I wanted something that would allow a client with limited software resources to make changes and verify the changes will not interfear with system operation. I know the system works (already did the necessary pen and paper work) but I'd like to show the results in a form my client has access to. I don't think my client has ADAMS or the like so I was hoping AutoCad would have somethink to build simple mechanical systems. It's just such a pain moving the links manually. Again, thanks for the replies.