I am concentrating this week on Fusion 360 3-D Modeling power. I am using Hinge design as a very simple design problem that everybody can understand: Hinges are everywhere! You will be surprized to know how much of your engineering theory they carry! This week is the beginning of a strategy that I will follow till the end of the term. I think I know enough about this class and I want to maximize my time with you.
I have noticed the weaknesses. Some can be worked on in the term. Others are too fundamental and will take time. However, I want you to note a few points:
1. One of the goals of a design course is to orient your mind to THINK LIKE AN ENGINEER. When you look at an object, there are things that will be going on in your mind that an untrained eye cannot imagine. This course should move you in that direction. We will therefore, beginning from this lecture, look around campus and Omu Aran town, see all the things that, from an engineer’s perspective, can be done better. We shall, using 3-D Solid models and simulations, propose superior solutions. This will be your preparation ground to redesign Nigeria.
2. The ability to turn physical objects to 3-D solid models, if that is ALL you learn in this course, will be sufficient to give you a comfortable living. There is NO STUDENT in this class that is not capable of mastering that. Your background is sufficient to learn if you want to. If at the end, you still don’t know, blame your laziness. On my part, I will give the time and will be ready to assist you.
3. There will be some necessary theory. Here, you need to improve your background in some basic stuff like Vectors, Tensors, Differential Equations and Numerical Analysis. What you absolutely need is not beyond you. I will teach some in this course; the rest will be done in MCE534 as we do not have sufficient time here. This will be the basis of explaining what is going on in Simulations to you. An Engineer that can properly simulate linear and nonlinear elasticity, thermal and vibrational problems, etc. that can be done inside Fusion 360, will be competitive with any other engineer in the world no matter where they might have been trained. Its up to you to learn to simulate and animate.
4. As we shall combine simulation with animation, we shall be able to do digital prototyping. At that level, you will be able to get jobs anywhere in the world – which I expect you to reject because Indians, Vietnamese, Chinese, etc are coming in here to make millions and billions and there is no need for you to go and live in the margins of Western society.
This week, we will look at two different hinge designs. Our job for the week is to be able to do 3-D models of them and use that to master some aspects of modeling. I have one of my workflow timelines here: It is silent and too fast. I will try to improve on that in subsequent weeks. The slides try to explain the same things as I will go through them in class.
The same slides are here in .pdf files [gview file=”http://oafak.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Hinge-Design-Corrected-Again.pdf”]Here are the things I require from you:
1. Each one should add me to his/her design group in Fusion 360. Here is how you can invite me: That will give me direct access to the projects you are working on for this course. That way, I will be able to have the basis to award your grades for each week’s work done. Note that the continuous assessment for this course carries a lot more weight than end of term exams which can only test theory. Therefore be serious now rather than later.
2. Try to complete the hinge design this week so we can go into other designs next week. I want us to have a few well done 3D models before we go into simulation and analyses.