V-wheel in rail, really hard

[neil]

I have regular need to have wheels rolling on things, such as the v-wheel rolling in the groove on v-rail (openbuilds.com).  I have read the posting that describes creating a joint origin above the rail, then using a slider.  Wow, what a lot of work for something that is really simple in Solidworks, Inventor (others?).

Please see this video for a short demo of the problem:

I sincerely hope that the developers of Fusion 360 (an otherwise amazing product) will consider this need in future updates.  In general, having to go back and create custom joint origins is a royal pain, and is counter-intuitive.  In this regard, mates are just better.

[Beyondforce]

Hi @neil,

Please attach the file and I will help you.

Cheers / Ben
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Did you find this reply helpful ? If so please use the Accept as Solution or Kudos button below.

Check out my YouTube channel: Fusion 360: NewbiesPlus

[neil]

Thanks Ben.  The best (only actually) solution I've seen is this:

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/design-validate-document/joining-v-slot-with-v-wheel/m-p/6359194#M588...

As I said, it's a lot of work but shouldn't need to be.

I'll be happy to post the component files if you have a better (read "EASY") solution.

Regards

Neil

[Beyondforce]

Remember to create the components "In Place". It is much easier to join them together when they are already in position (As-Built Joint).

Fusion is a much easier system to work with and if you come from a different system, it takes time to forget the logic from the last system and adapt a new one.  

Okay here you go:

Cheers / Ben.

[TrippyLighting]

Creating components in place is not always an option when using imported 3D geometry.

@neil If you like Solid Works or Inventor better, what attracted  you to Fusion 360 ?

[neil]

Hi Ben and Peter.

Ben, thanks for the effort you put into creating the really nice video  - what you did is very clear and easy to understand.  Unfortunately the method you show puts the wheel close at best, unless one spends the time and energy to fuss with the numbers.  This is not a solution that works in the best engineering sense as it is not a true tangential relationship (as understood by the software) and will not adapt readily to changes in the parts.  If one of my students did this, I'd likely give them a firm nudge.  In short -- visually aligned is not aligned at all, and can be very harmful to the model.

Peter, you are right, I use a modicum of imported parts and intend to continue to do so.  The answer to why I'm looking at Fusion at all is two-fold.  Even though I've been using (and loving) Solidworks (and Inventor before that) for years both as college instructor and engineer, I do have reasons to explore options:

1. I'm nearing retirement and want something that won't put me back thousands of dollars a year to just keep current.  Solidwork's (Dussault's) habit of preventing old versions of the product from opening files created by newer versions is an abhorrent money-grabbing practice, one that I can't afford to support.

2. I like the CAM ability of Fusion.  In fact, at this point I'm planning on continuing to use Fusion to generate G-Code on imported parts that I'll design in Solidworks.

Maybe the software jocks at Autodesk will eventually create a new "Rolling" Joint (wouldn't that be nice!).   For now, I'll have to back-burner this project and stay with SW, at least for my modeling.

If someone has the magic sauce please chime in!

Neil

[Beyondforce · Accepted solution]

This one is a bit better:

[neil]

Hi Ben, that was FAST!  

Yes, the method you show (a) creates a relationship between parts that is mathematically sound, and (b) is a band-aid for a missing feature.  It takes more work than I'd like, is not particularly intuitive nor adaptive --  but it will get me there in a pinch.

Thank you for the very good explanation, you clearly know the product quite well.

Best

Neil

[Beyondforce]

I know what you mean. It took me awhile to accept the fact that Fusion is missing some key features and they are not gonna be implemented in the near future. But in the other hand, if forced me to be more creative and to think out of the box (I like the challenge).
My YouTube channel if focus a lot on techniques and workflow. Maybe you will find something useful.

[neil]

Agreed, and I will definitely check out your YouTube channel.  

You may do the same with mine -- I created a series of Solidworks training videos that I use when teaching, plus some other tasty stuff.

Best

Neil

[neil]

For those who are reading this thread after the fact, I have marked Ben's solution as "accepted".  What this means to me is that, within the limitations of Fusion 360, it seems to be about the best one can do.  This doesn't mean that I like the solution in an absolute sense -- and I still hope that the folks at Autodesk see fit to bring back Mates.  

However given all the hype about Joints doing everything someone might ever want to do (NOT!) it seems unlikely, particularly given the price point of F360.  

Bye for now ... back to Solidworks.

[Anonymous]

hello guys, 

I would like to join this gantry on the linear rail (by Openbuilds library), but there is no way to make it works.

I've tryed to join only the top v-wheels but it does't work. 

Moreover, the bottom wheels have an eccentric.

Any help?

Thanks

[g-andresen]

Hi,

please start a new thread and share your design

File > export > save as f3d locally  > attach it to the next post.

günther

[Anonymous]

hello, I did it but i always get an error msg: the operation is not possibile ... try again.

How to solve this?