How do you mesh two gears together on onshape?

VEX V5 Technical Support
#1

So I was just wondering how I would go about meshing (or mating) two gears together on this online CAD program I use called Onshape.

Thanks y’all!

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#2

if you’re not on a Chromebook I would recommend using a different CAD Software such as Autodesk Fusion360, Autodesk Inventor, or Solidworks.
I personally have never heard of that CAD Software or seen anyone use it. Sorry I am not much of help but there are many tutorials online showing how to use the software with VEX CAD Files that I have listed above.

#3

You mate them to their axels (which should be revolute mated to a bearing). Then, you click on “gear relation” in the toolbar, select the two revolute mates, and choose the ratio.

It’s mentioned here on the forum not infrequently…

I also suggest the onshape help docs and tutorials, they are actually pretty great.

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#4

@KDburneraccount: OnShape’s help system is pretty extensive. Here’s a video discussing gear mates: https://www.onshape.com/videos/assemble-gears. I’m assuming you’ve already taken the time to learn the basics of mating parts; that is, you’ve got the gears assembled and they spin, but you want to mesh them at the proper gear ratios.

@zrteh : OnShape is a high-end CAD system, founded by Jon Hirschtick and John McEleney who where former CEO’s of SolidWorks. When SolidWorks was acquired by Dassalt Systems (who also owns the other high-end CAD system called Catia–(well, there’s also Unigraphics NX, too.)), Jon and John started OnShape to develop a high-end CAD system that took advantage of cloud computing. They say is is sort of like the “google docs” of CAD.

Neither Catia nor Unigraphics NX offer educational licenses, however, so if students want to learn a high-end CAD, it will be SolidWorks or OnShape, or perhaps Solid Edge.

Here’s more information about various CAD software available to robotic students: CAD for VEX Robotics (2).pdf (300.8 KB) .

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#5

A quick Question here, but how would I cut a C- channel on onshape?

#6

To cut a part in a 3D CAD program (this applies to all CAD, not just Onshape):

First, some background. Parametric CAD uses several file types, parts, assemblies, and drawings are the main types. Part files contain the geometric math data for a particular part. Assembly files contain the data to mate part files together (they don’t contain any part data themselves). Drawing files contain data to arrange drawing views and show annotations.

If you’ve been doing basic CAD, then you’ve learned to take premade parts (perhaps importing .step files from vex, or using one of the community-made parts libraries), and assemble them together. This only goes so far, and there will be a point when you need to customize a part. Here’s the basics:

  1. Open the part you want to customize. This is outside the assembly you’ve been working with…it’s the part file for the single part.
  2. “SAVE AS” and give the part file a new descriptive name. You don’t want to modify the original part, or your modification will be done to every instance of the part you’ve already used. You will be making a new part file.
  3. Be sure you’re working with your new part file, then you can cut the part. A couple of the common ways of cutting parts are to “cut the part with a plane” or to “extrude a cut around what you don’t want”. As you get more advanced, you could create a version of the part with many different configurations (for example a c-channel with 35 different lengths) which you could bring into your model and pick the length you want “on the fly.”

Specifically for OnShape, here is one way to cut a part.

  1. With the part open, select the primary plane (top, front, right) that is parallel to the cut you want to make. Pick “plane” and create an “offset plane” at the distance you want to make the cut. (green check).
  2. Pick “split”, then select your part and the plane you created. (“keep tools” checked, green check). You now have two parts.
  3. “right click” on the part you want to remove, select “delete part 2” from the popup menu.
  4. Rename the part so you can use it in your assembly.
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#7

Thanks so much. Your answers definitely help me figure out things easier and faster.

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