Inventor video tutorial - Why does this happen???

[erin.blue]

I am working through the Inventor video tutorial, and I am currently on this lesson. I have mirrored the gearbox assembly and the set of bolts, nut, and washers that fasten it to the table. When I try to rotate the top plate of the first gearbox, a bunch of other things also rotate. I was having similar but ignorable problems before this, but this is not ignorable. 

One part of the weirdness is that the lower set of screws rotates around the first of the set, but the first of the set stays attached where it's supposed to. Two other classmates are experiencing this same problem, so I know it's not just something I've done. 

I am fairly certain this is a glitch. I was having similar problems, and it got to the point that I had to start over, this is the result. I am at exactly the same point that I started over, and I don't think that's a coincidence. 

If anyone has any ideas on what the heck is wrong or how to fix it, please please tell me. 

(No, I cannot attach the file, I already tried and it's too big.)

(I know it says to use audio in my screencast, but I'm in a public school, so there's quite a bit of background noise, and I'm not sure how legal it would be.)

[Hunteil]

It sounds like to me that the gearbox isn't constrained the same way the video shows it as. I'm not familiar with these tutorials but it looks like the entire class is designed to make you build everything yourself. So I'm guessing maybe a step was missed earlier when they had you constrain that gearbox to the table. (I took a quick look and I don't see where they tell you to do that though so it's just a guess.)

Generally when things move freely, it's a sign something wasn't constrained correctly or just not entirely yet. I recommend looking back through the previous steps for where you needed to attach things to the table and check those steps.

Also as far as 2 sets of screws... That video only made 1 set of screws for that 1st gearbox... so it's possible you got confused and created the 2nd set when the instructor flipped to the other side. I personally thought it was jarring when the instructor quickly flipped the table for the 2nd surface selection w/out telling you how. (Perhaps he reviewed view controls before this.) Anyways, I see it often where new users accidentally prematurely end a feature or click an additional thing by accident b/c they were trying to change a view. To be more precise... the instructor tells you to pick all the upper point etc... when he rotates to under the table, make sure you don't click anything else by accident and use the view cube to change your view orientation. (view cube isn't always necessary, there are other tricks for view manipulation.)

^All the above are only just ideas b/c I cannot see what you have going on in your model. As far as uploading file. Use PacknGo in the save as... Then zip the file. That may help.

As far as screencast... If you're in school. Can't you ask your teacher for help?

[BDCollett]

If you can show us a screencast, the audio does not matter.

What version of Inventor?

There have been bugs with flexible assemblies and patterned components, it sounds like this is what you are seeing. 

[erin.blue]

This is my second run through of this course. I had to start over at exactly this point because I was having similar problems. This time, I was being very, VERY careful to do everything exactly as he did, I'm 99.99% sure I got everything right.

There are holes built into the table for bolts to attach the gearbox to the table. The instructor mirrored the original set of holes to the other side of the table. If I was to copy the gearbox assembly, it would not fit with the holes, so, I mirrored it. The screencast was taken directly after the mirroring, I have not done anything else so far.

My teacher is also new to the software, and he is stumped.

[erin.blue]

My version is 2022, the video uses 2019.

[BDCollett]

There is still no Screencast attached.

[SBix26 · Accepted solution]

You can't just mirror a gearbox in real life-- it's a purchased component, and it is what it is unless the manufacturer offers a mirror option (LH/RH).  I see nothing in the tutorial suggesting that you should mirror the gearbox; in fact it explicitly states:

23. Using the same workflow place a second
gearbox in the assembly and add the
fasteners.

That tells me that you are not to copy or mirror the existing gearbox, but simply place another instance of the gearbox.  You will have to constrain it, though (not stated explicitly).  Since the hole through the baseplate for the motor coupling was mirrored and is clearly not in the center, you will need to rotate the gearbox to match, which is verified by the following steps in the tutorial--

Does that help any?  I agree that the instructions are not particularly clear on that point, but steps 25 & 26 make it visually clear that the two gearbox instances are not mirror images of each other but are rotated with respect to each other.

---

Sam B

Inventor Pro 2023.1.1 | Windows 10 Home 21H2

[erin.blue]

Thank you so much! There's still some weirdness with the screws, but I'm fairly certain it's a glitch and not something I've done.