Need help with modelling / geometry problem

[b16gee]

Hey Guys. I decided to jst leave the whole thing be for a day as I had overcooked my brain overthinking this! I'm going to try your suggestions now

[ReMark]

Well hurry up. We have nothing to do and we're looking for someone to bug! LoL

[b16gee]

Haha

 

I think you are nearly there with that. Have inserted them at a zero angle to the post and rotated them about the end of the rafter. The only problem now is trying to get them aligned with the centre line of the edge beam

[ReMark]

I'd tackle it the other way around. Maybe you could use the ALIGN command?

[b16gee]

If I use align to align the cleat with the edge beam cl, the cleat is no longer aligned with the rafter axis

[ReMark]

The cleat should be part of the beam should it not? Union the two THEN align that assembly with the tab that is on the rafter.

[JD Mather]

... I had overcooked my brain overthinking this!

 

Would you like to hear how easy this would be in Autodesk Inventor?

 

I'm looking forward to seeing your finished solution as I'm quite certain you are making this too difficult (even for AutoCAD).

 

BTW - I would keep all of the parts as separate parts, just like the real world until welded. I think that would make aligning the assembled parts much easier. If you do a union before it is all figured out, well.... http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?71724-Is-there-a-way-to-explode-3D-Unioned-Objects

[ReMark]

If we said "No" would you be offended?

 

Heck, anybody could do it the easy way. It takes a real pro to do it the difficult way!

[JPlanera]

Would you like to hear how easy this would be in Autodesk Inventor?

 

 

This reminds me of a chat that was started quite some time ago...

http://www.cadtutor.net/forum/showthread.php?55802-C.T.-Wells-(CADTutor-and-Time-Travel)

[JD Mather]

Is this thing going to open and close?

If so, Inventor could even be used to check the kinematics for the linkages to make sure there will not be any binding.

 

In either program the first thing I would do is set up a 3d skeleton (lines only) based on the top and front views.

[ReMark]

I think the OP does have some centerlines already established. I'd have to double check the drawing though to be sure.

[b16gee]

I have finally managed it.

1. Aligned UCS with end profile (circle) of CHS.

2. Using that UCS, rotated cleat using the centre line of the edge beam as a reference angle.

3. Then aligned UCS to cleat. Then used ALIGN command to align the cleat with CL of edge beam.

4. Used UNION to make rafter and cleat 1 object.

5. Cleat is now aligned on CL of edge beam and also in line with axis of rafter.

 

Seems to work - thank god. Big thanks for all your help!

[Dadgad]

I'm all ears JD, I'd like to know how you would do it?

[JD Mather]

I have finally managed it.

 

Lets see the file.