How to create an descending path efficiently?

[bizilux]

Hey everyone,

I was approached by a customer, who wants a learning aid on how to properly write letters for his kid, using rolling marbles. My business is designing and 3d printing marble machines, so this seems like a nice thing for me to design. Besides, I get my first child in September, so... this will be a natural progression soon 🙂
That product already exists, but she doesn't like the font, video here: https://www.facebook.com/TeachersFollowTeachersOfficial/videos/kindywithmisskenway-found-these-aweso...

Now I found the perfect font. The problem is, I don't know how to efficiently create 26 letters, to have marble tracks into them at the appropriate descent angle, for example, that the track always goes down 3 degrees.
I have an "a" letter here, and the path and the test sweep are done, but it is all on a horizontal plane. Is there a good and efficient way to create a 3-degree slope? because I have all the other letters still to do, and sure I can manually adjust spline points so that each is lower, but I think there is a better way to do that?

Thank you for your help!

(I will most likely 3d print hero models and sand them perfectly, and then resin cast the pieces)

[g-andresen]

Hi,

Perhaps this can also be done with sweeps and matching taper angles.

günther

[matthewrjacobs]

You should be able to do this with sweep.  Two methods I would try, but I don't have fusion at work, so I'm kind of guessing:

1. Draw a line in the center of the arc in the direction you want the incline.  use sweep+ guide rail, select the line you just drew as the path and the circle as the guide rail.

2.  Draw the line in the center of the arc,  then a line that goes from the center line and intersects with the profile you want to sweep.   In surface sweep, select the center line as the path, and the other line as the profile,  and add a twist angle that goes as far as you your track needs to go,  looks like about 315deg from the pic.  this will create a surface that you can use the edge of for a solid sweep/cut

[matthewrjacobs]

So option 1 didn't work.  Option 2 worked,  but slightly different selections and order.  You should be able to follow along in the attached model

[laughingcreek · Accepted solution]

I think the crux of the question is "how do you have al sorts of wavy paths, but keep the slope at a constant 3deg along the path?"

to do that you will some how have to pull that path out straight, apply a 3 deg slope, and re-bend it.

you can do that with sheet metal or emboss.  in the attached I used the emboss command.

this will be tedious, and each stroke will probably have to be done separately.

[laughingcreek]

same curve using sheetmetal

[bizilux]

perfect thank you!!! I knew there was some elegant way, but I just never use emboss or sheet metal... man this will help me greatly with my marble machines.
this is so huge now to know how to have a constant angle in all different directions 🙂

[laughingcreek]

did you design the models on your website yourself?

[bizilux]

Yep, I've designed everything except for the big flusher and wavy slide module 🙂

I've been doing it for almost 3 years now... so yeah it's a slow process. Marbles have a mind of their own, and they are quite tiny, 7.144mm or 9/32 inch, so there really isn't a lot of wiggle room when it comes to tolerances and 3d printing isn't the most precise thing yet.
I'm designing a new lift mechanism, but it's such a hassle, its got 9 gears, and either it's too loose and all janky or too tight, and then it is catching on things, and then movement ain't smooth. video here.


I'm trying to do the emboss method for the "a" letter... didn't have much luck, fusion keeps throwing errors at me. So now I will recreate the "a" letter with spline... before it was just extruded text. Hopefully, that will get fusion to cooperate a bit more...
Couldn't get it to work with sheet metal either, i think its because it is not a spline

[laughingcreek]

can you post the A your trying to do?

[bizilux]

Here you go... there are 2 components.

a text is the old one that I was trying to do, that is extruded from text... and just won't cooperate with emboss or metal

and then a v2 component, I recreated it with spline tool and it seems to be working nicely.

It might not be clear, but at the start where you place the marble, there is a flat section so that marble doesn't roll on its own. A child pushes it so it starts rolling

[matthewrjacobs]

If want to create a flat section,  instead of drawing the sloped line for the emboss from the corner, start it a bit inward