Creating a flexible assembly?

[M.Reynolds]

I am wanting to create an assembly that I can manipulate and `pull about'.

To help describe what I have and I want to acheive try and picture this very simplistic layout :-

A length of hose 50 meters long.

Another length of 50m long hose 2 meters directly below it.

The 2 lengths of hose rigidly tied together at 2m intervals with a small diameter solid bar and clamps around the hose.

What I need to acheive is :-

An assembly showing the above items in a long straight 50m run.

(I have no problems with creating this assembly.)

From there though I then need to be able to create an `S' shape, with the hose staying at a fixed radius where it is rolled to form that shape, both hoses must stay inline with each other at all times.

If you can imagine how a hose would react as you rolled it in reality I want to try and replicate that within my assembly if it is possible?

I realise I could create one long flat assembly then create another seperate assembly showing it in it's rolled up `S' shaped state but that is not what I am wanting.

I hope I have explained things well enough to get an answer from somebody, if not I shall try to explain further from any points that are raised in the replies.

Thanks.

[johnsonshiue]

Hi! Inventor does support Flexible Assembly but it is not the "flexible assembly" you are looking for. You are actually asking for Flexible Part instead. There are some workflows in Inventor which might mimic the behavior you want to see. Here are the two I can think of on top of my head now.

Option1: iAssembly and iPart (see iAssembly1.zip)

You can create an iPart. There are two members in the iPart: one is straight and the other one is curvy (by using Bend Part feature for example). Then you insert the iPart to an assembly and convert the assembly to an iAssembly. For iAssembly member1, make sure the iPart's first member is showing. And, for the iAssembly member2, make sure the iPart's second member is showing.

Option2: Linked Parameters (see Assembly2.zip)

The modeling portion is really similar to Option1. Instead of using iPart and iAssembly, you can use a linked Excel table to control bend or no bend. Edit the Excel table and change the value fo Bend from 0 to 1 or 1 to 0 would allow tube to deform. The trick here is that the Bend Part feature in the TubeLink.ipt is controlled by the linked parameter Bend in Properties dialog (right-click on Bend Part feature -> Properties).

There are other ways to achieve the same behavior but these two are the ones I personally think most straight forward.

Thanks!