Assembly automation for different car sizes

Hello everybody.

In the next few days i will begin to draw the automobile parts (windshield, doors, bumpers, etc.) in order to design a complete car model for a university assignment. The design will mostly serve the purpose of aesthetic design using Bezier curves and so on and the model won't be subjected to dynamic or aerodynamics analysis, but will be created in accordance to ergonomics and SAE regulations. After the design of the parts i would like to create a simple interface that gives the user the chance to choose between car sizes by running a script (?) and automatically assemble the body parts based on that. For example if one chooses small city car the result will be a two-seater car (using 2 passenger models), the bodywork pillars will be close etc. If one chooses station wagon the pillar will be far from each other.

Hoping that you understood what i need to be done i'd like to hear you suggestions-opinions on how to make this possible. How am i supposed to create the macros that do this? The last thing a want is to mess with programming (Autolips, VBA...). I found out some plug-ins that record actions so that automation is possible, but i haven't figured out if that suits me.So i am listening....

Thank you very much in advance.

It's somewhat difficult to assess the dimensions of your question. If the user only has to choose a size, can't you use a single design for each size? If you have to conform to "ergonomics and SAE regulations," I'd guess the process will be significantly more complicated. You seem to be talking about incorporating a good bit of design logic into the process, and that means collecting more information from the user, and that means exponentially more procedural branching. Macros don't do branching, and if you want a macro to have any flexibility, you have to use AutoLISP or DIESEL. That's programming. Sorry, but based on what you've outlined, you'll probably have to write some code to do what you want to do.

Thanks for the reply.

I should clarify what i meant with ''in accordance to ergonomics and SAE regulations''. For example SAE regulations state that M1 category city cars must not exceed 3800mm in length. So i am talking more about dimensions like wheelbase etc. Also the passenger space must be at least x cubic meters for city cars, y for sedans and the maximum distance between the foot pedals and the drivers hips is z, that kind of stuff(ergonomics)...So the options of the interface will pretty much limited. You could choose between City, Sedan.... and thats it:D. So they are all obey pretty much the same basic dimensions constraints.

I'm gonna create a database that contains the designed body parts but furthermore i need some kind of script that produces pseudo-alternatives. Think of it more as a tool for design evaluation and for picking the model that goes for production.

Does anybody know if i can buy online CAD drawings of existing models?Lets say for a Smart?It could really help...

Still not understanding exactly what you want to do. Should the end product be a three-dimensional representation of a car, or a unique collection of representations of parts that connect at established points, or a list of available parts, or something else? What is a "pseudo-alternative," and how does it apply to your task? What type of "interface" do you envision? What are the criteria for "picking the model" if not user whim?

Typically (and someone may correct me on this), AutoCAD is used to lay out objects in two or three dimensions and then output various representations of those objects. You can draw a car, render it so it looks realistic, define an environment and a camera, and output images or video. You can output a 3D model of the same car for various applications, some by Autodesk, and show it or manipulate it however you like. AutoCAD has many powerful tools for creating objects, but those same tools aren't necessary when you present your work to clients. All of which is to say that you may be expecting more from AutoCAD than it can do.