15-394 Assignment 2: Build an Automaton
Design
- Design an automaton in SolidWorks. It should be a cam-driven
automaton like the ones we saw in the videos, with at least four
cams. It must be three-dimensional, not planar, meaning that the
segments of your automaton cannot all move in the same plane the
way the LittleMan automaton did. A hand crank should power the
mechanism. Nothing other than the crank should be hand-driven.
To start, download
Frame.zip, and
LinearBushingPatterns.zip,
and inspect their contents. You can use these as a starting point
for your design.
Simulate
- Simulate your automaton in SolidWorks. Remember to turn on
SolidWorks Motion in the SolidWorks Add-Ins tab, and then change
the animation type from "Animation" to "Motion Study".
- Save an animation file from your simulation. To do this, click
on the Save Animation button which is in the same row as the Motor,
Damper, and Solid Body Contact buttons, but further to the left. Use
the AVI file format. Be careful not to make the file size too big;
keep it below 40 MB.
Fabricate and Assemble
- Laser cut your parts using some combination of
Masonite/hardboard, wood, and cardboard.
- Use the brass round-headed fasteners or 4-40 hardware to attach the
components.
- For the artistically inclined: color your components by painting
them, drawing on them, applying stickers or decals, etc.
Document
Generate a realistic rendering of your mechanism in SolidWorks:
- Assign materials to your parts. To do this, open each part file
and, in the feature manager tree, right click on Materials. You can
either choose one of the popular materials listed in the pop-up menu,
or choose Edit Material for a wider range of choices.
- Go back the assembly and verify that your parts are colored
correctly. You may need to remove an existing appearance attribute in
order to see the material's color. To do that, click on the part,
click on the beach ball (Appearances icon), and click on the red X to
remove any unwanted appearance attributes.
- Go to the SolidWorks Add-Ins tab and select PhotoView 360.
- A new tab will appear to the left of SolidWorks Add-Ins called
"Render Tools". Switch to the Render Tools tab.
- Click on Edit Scene, and in the "Appearances, Scenes, and Decals"
menu on the right side, click on one of the basic scenes, such as
"3-point faded", and drag it into the graphics window.
- Click on the green checkmark to accept that scene, or click on
the red "X" to choose a different one.
- Click on the Preview Window button to see what the final
rendering will look like. You may need to rotate or translate your
part, or zoom in or out, to get the view you want.
- Click on the Options button to adjust the resolution of the
rendered image. The default is probably good enough, but you can
change it if you wish.
- Click on the Final Render button to pop up a Final Render window
and generate the rendering. This will take a little while.
- Click on the Save Image button in the Final Render window and save your image.
Take a photograph of your actual automaton.
Post the rendering and the picture to Piazza in the thread provided for this purpose.
Hand-In
Hand in a zip file handin.zip containing the following:
- Your SolidWorks part and assembly files, and your DXF files.
- Your animation file.
- Your rendering image.
- Your photograph of the automaton you made.
Due date: check the class schedule.
Grading (20 pts)
- 10 pts - At least four cams (or equivalent) in your automaton; different/custom character; motion in more than one plane
- 4 pts - Motion study
- 4 pt - Reasonable files and style (colored DXFs, etc.)
- 2 pts - Assembly and documentation (picture, rendering)
- 1 pt (BONUS) - Extra creativity (multiple characters, interesting links, colorful, etc.)
Gallery of Past Projects
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