Help with Onshape assembly tools (Trebuchet project)

devin_maynard

i'm working on a quick sketch for a floating arm trebuchet i'm making in an engineering class and need help selecting and using the correct mate tool in the on shape assembly tool. i need the axle on the end of the throwing arm to slide up and down within the rectangular slot running up and down the center of the main truss. here is a link to my Onshape document for reference, any help is greatly appreciated https://cad.onshape.com/documents/f0f670cc3201ce04f987ae1a/w/723209b2cfa2750e2fb9c9cd/e/d8732549292a58fa44415b73

Tim_Rice

Devin,

This video tutorial may be a good place to start: https://www.onshape.com/videos/assembly-mates

Mates in Onshape work a little differently than traditional CAD platforms and it is important to understand the degrees of freedom that each mate removes from the assembly. You can also hover over the mate's icon in the toolbar and a description of the mate should appear. It appears that you are on the right track with the cylindrical mate. I would suggest 'fixing' the frame to the origin so it does not move around when manipulating the arm. Simply right click the frame and select "fix".

devin_maynard

Tim_Rice said:

Devin,

This video tutorial may be a good place to start: https://www.onshape.com/videos/assembly-mates

Mates in Onshape work a little differently than traditional CAD platforms and it is important to understand the degrees of freedom that each mate removes from the assembly. You can also hover over the mate's icon in the toolbar and a description of the mate should appear. It appears that you are on the right track with the cylindrical mate. I would suggest 'fixing' the frame to the origin so it does not move around when manipulating the arm. Simply right click the frame and select "fix".

thank you! i will try these out. this is my first cad program as i'm doing this for a senior engineering class in highschool so i dont have much experience around any of it hahaha. this is project is getting me incredibly excited for starting my mechanical engineering studies next year though. thanks for the advice, cheers!