Braille-like Chart Design Help

[18922014]

Hey Everyone,

I am fairly new to Inventor and parametric modeling in general and I am in need of some guidance on a simple dot chart that I am creating. I work in a research lab at a college of optometry, so 3D design is a bit over my head, but I am doing my best to learn it as quickly as possible. 

What I am trying to create is a small plate that will have raised dots (similar in shape and size to braille dots) arranged in a particular pattern. I won't actually be creating braille characters, just arranging these small raised dots on the plate. My overall dimensions for the plate are 110mmx110mmx3mm. With the dots being a height of 0.43mm and radius of 0.75mm. I am capable of creating the plate and the dots (as a simple revolved sketch) pretty easily, but I am running into trouble aligning the dots on the plate. Ideally I would like to be able to simply type in an X,Y coordinate and it place the center point for one of the dots in the specific location on the top surface of the plate, but I can't quite figure out how to do so. 

I've attached a picture of the general layout that I am attempting to create to hopefully explain myself a bit clearer. 

What I am asking is for you to explain how you would go about arranging these small dots or generating a design similar to what I am looking for.  I've attempted to place them as separate part files while in the assembly environment, but I can't figure out how to allign them as accurately as I need them to be. Another method was placing points in the specific locations of where the dots would be, but then I am lost at how to create the dots at the specific points.

Any information would be greatly appreciated!

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! There are many ways to create the model. The most intuitive way is to create a sketch containing a bunch of circles (0.75mm radius) and dimension them accordingly. Then extrude the circular profiles.

The tricky thing here is how to control the spacing between these dots. Based on the image, the most logical way is to create squares (pattern). Then each vertex can be the center point for the circles.

Attached is a more advanced version of the solution. I just create the dot as a Punchtool (iFeature). Then insert the punch to another part. The sketch consists of a pattern of squares. Please take a look and let me know if you have any question.

Thanks!

[18922014]

Thanks for the response, johnsonshiue! The first method you explained is how I originally approached desigining the chart, but I couldn't figure out the best way to properly create the "bumps". Sketching circles in the proper locations was certainly the easiest way of aligning the bumps/dots on the chart, but then creating the proper shape from the extruded circles had me stumped. I've attached an example of the dot/bump that I am looking to have on the chart. It is more of a dome shape than a cylinder, which I realize I failed to describe all that well in the first post. Your method of creating sqaure patterns is something I never thought of, and I think that worked out well with the iFeature you provided. Granted I don't understand iFeatures and how to edit them all that well, but I think that approach worked out very well. If there is a way to replace the cylindrical dots with the more rounded bumps that I need, then I think we may have found the solution to my problem.

Another way I attempted this was to try and draw the sketch that I used in the attached file, and then place that sketch's center point in the proper location on the chart prior to revolving it. I was trying to place the center point using coordinate geometry, but I always had the sketch in the wrong plane to be able to do that properly. Hopefully that makes sense. I was attempting to try and place the "dots" at lets say (2,2) on the face of the plate. Then, in my case, revolve the sketch at that point to create the correctly shaped dot. But due to the plane I needed to start the sketch in, point (2,2) lifted the sketch off the surface of the plate instead of putting in ontop or joined with the plates surface.

Any more help would be great, I really appreiciate it!

Thanks again,

Landon

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! I suggest you go through Inventor Tutorials to get some basics in modeling geometry. It takes a little bit getting used to parametric feature-based solid modeling. Once you got the concept, it would be very powerful for you and most parametric feature-based solid modeling CAD packages work similarly.

For this specific case, I did use a few "advanced" features to make it easy. To get a different shape of dot, simply follow the steps.

1. Open dot_source.ipt (the iFeature soure part file).

2. Add the dome by creating fillet or revolve cut.

3. Go to Manage tab -> Extract iFeature -> make sure you select Punchtool -> select all the features in dot_source.ipt -> click OK to extrac the features as a Punchtool (iFeature). You will get a .ide file, which is the Punchtool (iFeature) definition file.

4. Open Plate.ipt.

5. Delete the inserted Punchtool but keep the sketch.

6. Insert Punchtool -> pick the newly created .ide file.

Regarding how to place the sketch at the desirable location, you might consider creating UCS. Click on UCS tool -> pick a sketch point or a vertex -> pick two additional vertices to define X and Y. Then you will have a local coordinate system with three planes (axes) and a center point located at the first picked sketch point.

Let me know if you have any question.

Thanks!

[admaiora]

Hi Landon,

you can consider it as an assembly with parts, then just manage it with rectangular pattern.

Quick, easy and reusable for similar designs.

[18922014]

Thanks for the responses everyone!

After a longer than usual weekend I'm back at trying to finalize this design.

admoira,

I initially tried to create the chart as an assemly of the dots/bumps and the plate. I am just not yet familiar enough with the assembly environment, and I was running into problems when trying to align the dots and have them sit flat on the surface of the plate. The design you created looks great! That is almost exactly what I am looking for. I think I would have some trouble creating the proper spacing from dot to dot though. By chance, could you attach that assembly file so I could take a look at it and try to edit it on my own?

I've been having good luck using the punch feature that johnsonshiue uploaded a few days ago. I've found it to be a bit easier to align the dots with the proper dimensions for each successive row. (They decrease in spacing by 0.1 log unit from row to row)

I am not having trouble creating the IDE file with the correctly shaped dot to then insert using the punch tool.

A simple cylinder was the original "dot_source" that was used on the plate. Using a fillet, I wasn't able to completely make the top of the cylinder a smooth dome shape, but with a revolve cut I was able to get the correct shape. My problem now is that when trying to extract the dot as an iFeature, it will not let me select the revolved feature, just the extrusion.

Is this due to how iFeatures are created, or something with my sketch/revolution that is causing the error?

I've attached the dot file that I am trying to use to generate the iFeature for the punch tool.

Thanks again, I appreciate all of the help so far!

-Landon

[admaiora]

Hi Landon,

you can open it only with Inv 2015-

note: i did an equal distances between  the 4 square pin groups just to do it faster.

If they are not all, you have to do just more series

[18922014]

Thanks,admoira!

As I mentioned before, I'm not all that familiar with the assembly environment yet, but I think I will utilize your template for my design. I am curious as to how you would go about redefining the spacing between the dots? The sizing of the dots will remain consistent from row to row, but each successive row will decrease in spacing from the center to center of each dot. Would you create a new pattern for each row, or is there a way to simply define the distance from dot to dot in the pattern already in place?
I imagine it's not all that difficult, unfortunately I am still fairly new to this software. I'm watching as many tutorials as I can, so hopefully with a few more tips I'll be where I need to.

Thanks again, you have been a huge help so far!

[admaiora · Accepted solution]

Hi Landon,

i have atatched another assembly,

here a video to how manage it.

[18922014]

Thanks so much for the video! I think this design will definitely work for us.

I have one last question regarding this design and assemblies in general. If I wanted to take the plate and place one single dot on the plate at a specific location. Ideally, being able to define its placement on the top surface of the plate using coordinates (x,y) How would you go about doing that, and is there an easy way to define an objects placement using coordinates? Or is there another more straight forward way to defining the location of the dot in an assembly using dimensions instead of coordinates?

[admaiora · Accepted solution]

Here some infos about assembling:

http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2014/ENU/?guid=GUID-2DA23935-60DB-4632-9368-6B2E83CA513A

http://help.autodesk.com/view/INVNTOR/2014/ENU/?guid=GUID-EBD2C784-0E71-452A-B5F2-22738D22D45A