Make it Move with SOLIDWORKS – Part 1

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Have you ever wanted to make your model move but were not sure how to do it?

As a young aspiring engineer I wanted to make stuff move, which is why I didn’t get a civil engineering degree (they might not think motion is awesome there).  As mechanical engineers we need our designs to move and sometimes, we need to communicate how that happens to individuals who are not as savvy at the science behind the motion. The benefit for the SOLIDWORKS user is that they can create technical design data for documentation purposes and share the video of their findings as a proof of concept.

yeti-robot-climbing-2016

My example for the Make it Move series is a model from FIRST Robotics Team 3506 YETI. This robot was designed and built in 6 weeks by a team of high school students using SOLIDWORKS.  Black Ice was designed to shoot foam balls, cross rough terrain, and climb a six foot castle wall.

launch

That brings me to the first of three distinctive methods for making your models move in SOLIDWORKS : the Mate Controller.  The Mate Controller was introduced in 2016 and it is now the easiest way to control your model and make quick movies of your assemblies moving.  Check out this video of Part 1 of Make it Move with SOLIDWORKS.

Just don’t use it on any office building designs.

By: Robbie Hoyler • SOLIDWORKS Application Engineer • TPM

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TPM, Inc. is the Carolina’s largest 3D CAD provider and a leading technology company proud of its reputation of providing cutting-edge solutions to the engineering and design community for the past 40 years. Founded in 1973, TPM Inc. serves more than 3,000 customers across the Southeast each year. Inspired by our founder, Jerry Cooper, we are committed to offering our clients the best: 3D Design Software, 3D Printing and Scanning Options, Data and Document Management Solutions, Large-Format Graphics, Wide-Format Plotters and Office Equipment, and Reprographics.
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