Introduction: Designing Toys With Autodesk Inventor 2012!
Instead of making a physical objects out of materials, I want to show you how to design models from Autodesk Inventor 2012 so you can create original designs. In this Instructable I will take you step by step through the designing of car and a boat models, both can be fitted with a motors, gears, and some rc parts to become an open source DIY RC toys. This guide is more geared for people who have a 3d printer/want to buy one/build one, or people who want to design 3d models with Inventor, or another program, export stl files, and upload them on thingiverse.
For me, Autodesk Inventor has been difficult to learn due to having no formal training with any CAD software. I used youtube and books from my school library to figure most of it out. I hope that this helps learning this software easier for you than it was for me.
Step 1: Required Materials:
For this You will need:
A copy of Autodesk Inventor 2012 -- This is free for college students!
If you are not a student, Autodesk 123D is free for everyone.
A 3D Printer -- maybe a MakerBot?
If you don't have a 3D printer a CNC would also work.
A length of 1/4 inch threaded rod for the wheels.
8 1/4 inch nuts for the wheels.
Although Autodesk Inventor is arguably the best software to design models with, it is by no means easy for everyone without cad experience. You may want to breakout your library card, log on to youtube, or sent me a comment if there is a step you don't understood/I didn't explain well enough.
Step 2: Starting a Model for the Wheels.
We will start with the wheels of the car.
First go to the create file button, click the little arrow, and then go to part.
Image one:This is the screen where most of your designing will be done at.
Image two: Create a circle using the circle tool, use the dimension tool to make it 2 inches in diameter, then click finish sketch.
Image three: This is your 3D modeling screen. Click on the extrude button and then click inside the circle. a menu should pop-up and
ask for the depth to extrude enter 1 inch and click ok.
Image four: This is the basic design for your wheel. Click the shell button and click the surface of the wheel, for wall thickness enter .1
inch, then ok.
Image five: Right click inside the wheel and select 2D sketch.
Image six: Use the circle tool or offset tool to make a small circle on the sketch, then click finish sketch.
Image seven : Use the extrusion tool in the small circle for a distance of 1 inch.
Image eight: Rotate the model to the back side.
Image nine: Right click on the flat side and go to 2D sketch, use the point tool in the center of the circle, then click finish sketch.
Image ten: Use the hole tool on the point you just drew.
Image eleven: on the plane drop-down menu, select plane offset, go to your history bar and go to origin, and click the view that bisects
the wheel like in the picture, then drag it up towards the top of the wheel allowing the round portion to stick out.
Image twelve: Move the view to the top and then right click on the plane and select 2D sketch.
Image thirteen: Draw a rectangle on the surface of the wheel, finish sketch then extrude to .25 inches.
Image fourteen: Use the fillet tool to round off one side of the wheel.
Image fifteen: Select the circular pattern tool, using the tread we just made as the feature and the circle pattern of the wheel as the
axis, create 18 treads in a 360 rotation around the wheel and click ok.
Image sixteen: You now have a tire with some treads, you can round off the sides with the fillet tool to give it a moon buggy look.
Image seventeen: Now we need to make tires for the opposite side
Image eighteen: Select the plane offset tool and click on on surface of the tread and pull the plane some distance away.
Image nineteen: Now click the mirror tool, on the menu select the second option on the left side, click the wheel as the features, and
use the plane as the mirror surface.
Image twenty: Click ok.
Image twenty one: You now have two tires for your toy car. Use the export function in the I menu and select export to cad file and then
export as a stl so you can slice it with skienforge and print it with plastic.
Step 3: Designing the Car.
Alright, time to make a car!
Image one: Start off making a rectangle with the rectangle tool.
Image two: Define the dimensions (15x10).
Image three: Create some 2D fillets on the corners using the fillet tool and selection two sides of the rectangle and click finish sketch.
Image four: Use the extrusion tool and give your car some depth. Now go into 2d sketch and make some lines to create the rear window.
Image five: The revolve tool can be used to make the rear window and create a part to hold a spoiler.
Image six through ten: Do a 2D sketch on the back of the car and draw a rectangle on the top part of the back part sticking up. go to
finish sketch and extrude it. then go back to 2d sketch and draw a rectangle below the spoiler you made and
then extrude it to cut out a hole.
Image eleven: Create a 2D sketch on the side of the car. Create wheel wells using the rectangle tool and round them off using the fillet
tool. Then select finish sketch.
Image twelve: Use the extrusion tool on the wheel wells, then round them off using the fillet tool.
Image thirteen: Start a sketch on the top of the car and create some lines or use the rectangle tool to separate the hood from the
windshield and the roof.
Image fourteen: Use the extrusion tool to make the hood and use the loft tool to make the windshield.
Image fifteen: Round off the sides with the fillet tool.
Image sixteen: The wheel wells can be made by sketching a rectangle where you want the wheels to go, then slicing it in half with a
line. Go to finish sketch then use the revolve tool and the cut function select one side of the rectangle and the line in the
middle as the axis.
Image seventeen: Draw a window.
Image eighteen: Extrude the window.
Image nineteen: Mirror the inside of the car using the mirror tool. This should give you a whole car.
Image twenty: Look a whole car!
Image twenty one: Draw a rectangle and extrude it as a window.
Image twenty two: Select inside the wheel well and create a 2D sketch.
Image twenty three: Create a point on the center of the wheel well, finish sketch and crate a hole trough the point and repeat for the
rear.
Image twenty four: This is what the bottom should look like. This should allow the wheel shaft to snap in.
Image twenty five and twenty six: Draw a rectangle on the bottom and extrude it to reduce the amount of material used.
Image twenty seven: Create a rectangle going in the opposite direction and extrude it.
Image twenty eight: The final product should look sorta like this, with some tinkering with the fillet tool you can make it look a lot cooler.
Image twenty nine: cooler.
Export it as a stl and send it to skienforge and print it.
Step 4: The Boat.
Now the boat!
Image one: Start out making a line.
Image two: Use the spline tool to make a boat like shape, then finish sketch.
Image three: Revolve the shape around itself for 180 degrees.
Image four: Use the shell tool.
Image five: Start a sketch on the rim, draw some lines inside the shape and finish sketch.
Image six: After selecting the rib tool highlight the outline of the boat and then the inside lines you drew.
Image seven: Create a plane which is at an angle toward the back of the boat, sketch a point on the center point which touches the boat,
and finish sketch.
Image eight: Use the hole tool to make a small hole for a shaft with a larger hole for a motor and finish sketch.
Image nine: Start a new sketch.
Image ten: Draw a circle and finish sketch.
Image eleven: Extrude the circle and create a plane along the circle and create a sketch on the plane and draw a rectangle.
Image twelve: Extrude the rectangle.
Image thirteen: Fillet one corner.
Image fourteen: Chamfer the opposite corner.
Image fifteen: Use the circular pattern tool to make more blades.
Image sixteen: Create a sketch on the propeller and make a point in the center of it and finish the sketch.
Image seventeen: Use the hole tool to make a small hole for a shaft.
Image eighteen: Use the shell tool on the propeller to reduce the amount of material needed.
Image nineteen: Create a new sketch and make a searing mechanism, which can be connected to a servo.
Image twenty: This is an alternative drawing.
Image twenty one: Extrude it and make a connector.
Image twenty two: Extrude it.
Image twenty three: Make a servo rod.
Export it as a stl and sent it to skienforge.
Step 5: A Chopper!
Step 6: Thanks.
Thanks for looking at this instructable, I hope this helped to create something cool.
Participated in the
Toy Challenge
