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Solidworks 2007 animation : Folding Sheet Metal?

Solidworks 2007 animation : Folding Sheet Metal?

Solidworks 2007 animation : Folding Sheet Metal?

(OP)
Hello everyone!

I am still relatively new to SW, but you guys have been helpful in the past, so...

I am using Solidworks 2007 SP0 and have a good handle on animating assemblies. I've been asked to animate a package folding from pattern into a box. It's laid out in Sheet Metal and I have practically no experience with that side of SW.

Can anyone give me a loose idea of how to animate the folding of a sheet metal part?

RE: Solidworks 2007 animation : Folding Sheet Metal?

(OP)
thanks.

I guess the preliminary answer is "no."

Anyone else have methods that involve the timeline animator in SW ?

RE: Solidworks 2007 animation : Folding Sheet Metal?

You can do this as a synthetic animation.  Meaning, you actually break the sheetmetal parts into pieces that move.  So you'll actually have an assembly of flat bits that you will move to make what appears to be a fluid animation of a folding piece of metal.

You'll need to create some limit mates for your bits and pieces and do lots of quick show/hide maneuvers to quickly show a part, then hide another and pick up your motion with the new part (difficult to explain without a LOT of explanation).

I'd recommend thinking of breaking your part into parts that need to move--create an assembly that is made to animate the action you need.

Can you post an image of your part?  (I hope it's not too complex.)

Jeff Mowry
www.industrialdesignhaus.com
Reason trumps all.  And awe transcends reason.

RE: Solidworks 2007 animation : Folding Sheet Metal?

(OP)
I understand what you're saying, but can't post the part due to confidentiality issues. It's a very simple display box for product packaging.

Thanks for the non-conventional thinking.

---
One of my more simple animations: http://www.deviantart.com/download/50547626/

RE: Solidworks 2007 animation : Folding Sheet Metal?

Can the timeline cycle through configurations? I could see creating a configuration in like 5° increments for each bend then jsut cycle through the configs. Played back it would appear to be folding.

Jason

UG NX2.02.2 on Win2000 SP3
UG NX4.01.0 on Win2000 SP3
SolidWorks 2007 SP3.1 on WinXP SP2

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