topic Re: How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane? in Inventor Forum

How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane?

1802381YVZL8 — Wed, 02 Feb 2022 22:40:57 GMT

In the first video the objects in the centre of the assembly stay horizontal/flat. When I add more to the assembly they rotate as the assembly moves.

How do I constrain the objects to stay flat/horizontal while the assembly rotates around the centre?

I can't constrain it to a horizontal plane because of the movement and rotation of the assembly and I can't constrain the items to one another due to the varying distance between them as the assembly rotates.

Is there any solution to this problem?

Re: How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane?

SBix26 — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 01:57:13 GMT

Use an angle constraint between each piece and the appropriate origin plane (with angle set to 0).

Or, you could create a link part consisting of a sketch line with appropriately spaced workpoints, and use this to tie the parallel pieces together. Then turn off the visibility. This is how I would do it-- in my experience this is much easier for Inventor to solve than a large number of constraints.

If you can post the files (.zip format), I'll be happy to show you. Are you using 2021 or 2022?

Sam B

Inventor Pro 2022.2.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2

Re: How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane?

1802381YVZL8 — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 18:59:36 GMT

Hi, thank you for your response.

I've attached the files, they have been modeled in Inventor 2021 but I do have access to Inventor 2022 if that is easier for you.

Apologies but I'm a novice at Inventor so if you could show me using these files that would be great!

Re: How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane?

SBix26 — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 19:11:51 GMT

You've only posted .iam (assembly) files. They're useless without their component parts (.ipt). Please zip all the components with the assemblies.

Sam B

Inventor Pro 2022.2.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2

Re: How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane?

1802381YVZL8 — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 19:35:57 GMT

Apologies, hopefully this works

Re: How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane?

SBix26 — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 21:54:31 GMT

OK, here are two files for you (2021 format)-- a modified assembly, and a new part in that assembly, which is as I described previously, a part that consists of nothing but a sketch line and a pattern of workpoints on that line:

Your assembly v1, with just one row of benches, was not constrained to be parallel, but Inventor's solver decided to keep them that way when dragging the assembly. With another row added, it no longer "felt" the need to do that. I can't explain the math, just that it was completely accidental that they stayed parallel in the v1 and not in the v2.

Note, too, that I used Insert-type constraints to assemble the brackets to the benches-- much simpler than mate and flush for each one.

Hope that helps,

Sam B

Inventor Pro 2022.2.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2

Re: How to constrain an object along a moving horizontal plane?

1802381YVZL8 — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 21:09:00 GMT

That's perfect thank you!

I would never of solved that on my own.

Appreciate the quick response, thanks again 👍