» I need a "bicycle" help!I need a "bicycle" help!I need a
» "bicycle" help!I am taking the mechanical desktop class and i have a
» project to do in 2 weeks. I want to model a bicycle but i do not know
» where to begin. Please help!

Hello pleasures,

This advice assumes that you know how to use MDT. They are things to consider.

I ssume your have a bike that you will measure parts from or possibly you have a set of drawings with dimentions of a bike assembly (even better).

Since you will be designing an assembly, you need to consider which approach to take. There are two:

Bottom Up Assembly Approach
In a "bottom up" approach, large or complex assemblies are broken down into smaller subassemblies and components. Each component is designed as a separate part by one or more designers. The component parts can be archived in a library of files. This is the most efficient way to create and manage large or complex assemblies.

Each part is inserted into the active part creating a component instance and thus an assembly. The component becomes the child of the active part and can then become the active part. Because an instance of the actual part is used, you can have it update automatically if the archived part is modified or you can modify the archived part by activating and modifying its component instance.

Top Down Assembly Approach
In a "top down" appraoch all components are typically designed by the same person within a single part. Many modeling apps allow you to create and design a component while you are in the assembly part - switching amoung components to edit as you go along. This is also called "In Context" assembly design. You can work on a component (i.e., the sprocket) within the context of the assembly. This is an advantage, as you can consider form, fit and function of the component as it relates to the assembly (i.e., how the sprocket mounts to the sprocket assembly).

As a beginner, it may be easier for you to use the "Bottom Up" approach and design each part of the bike as separate parts files and them create an assembly where you insert and align each component as required. I say this because the bike likely will already be designed (unless you plan on designing a unique bike as you go).

Try not to get caught up in modeling all of the minute features of each part (i.e., every fillet and chamfer), initially anyway. After you complete the assembly you can always go back and edit some of the parts to complete their definition. Also, this is good advice to prove out the structure of the assembly (i.e., mating constraints).

That's it for now.
I'll try to ad more as time goes on.
Good luck!

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