Challenge 7 : Concept Modelling of Steering Wheel

Concept modelling of Car Steering Wheel

Objective

To create a proper curve network and further develop surfaces to create a car steering wheel.

Introduction

The steering wheel is the part of the steering system that is manipulated by the driver to control the direction of motion of an automobile. Steering wheels are used in most modern land vehicles, including all mass-production automobiles, buses, light and heavy trucks, as well as tractors. Steering system in automobiles can be direct mechanical contact as in rectangular ball or rack and pinion steering gears, hydraulic or electronic powered steering. Power steering gives the driver an easier means by which the steering of a car can be accomplished. Modern power steering has almost universally relied on a hydraulic system, although electrical systems are steadily replacing this technology.

This project involves concept modelling of a car steering wheel. This project was designed in Autodesk’s Alias AutoStudio 2021.

Design methodology / approach

Description of features/tools used

Concepts Involved:

1. Importing model design canvas of steering wheel
2. Adding canvas to layers
3. Tracing the curves using basic curve functions and utilities
4. Visualizing and manipulating curves structures to obtain proper surfaces.
5. Generating symmetries.

Features used:

1.Various pick options:

• Pick object

Used to pick and place objects from one place to another.

• Pick nothing

Used to unselect previously selected objects, components, curves etc...,

• Pick Curves

Used to specifically pick curves

• Pick blend points

Used to pick blend points in the workspace.

2. Some Transform options

• Move

Used to move around selected objects, curves etc...,

• Rotate

Used to rotate selected items about a point.

• Scale

Used to scale up/down the size of selected items.

• Snap

It's essentially not a transformation tool yet comes very handy. It's used to snap desired items to particular an object, a curve or a point.

3. Curves options

• cv, ep curves

Used to draw curved features.

• Blendcrv tools (new, edit)

Used to blend to lines/curves to form a single entity. Blends can be edit to achieve optimum accuracy.

• Keypoint curve box (Ellipse, arc, line, drag)

Contains tools like Ellipse, arc, line, drag which comes handy while drawing.

4. Features associated with layers and canvas.

• Attaching canvases to layers.
• Hiding and unhiding canvases using hide/unhide functionality in layers.

5. Surface generation features

• Rail

This surface creation tool is used when there are generation and rail curves available. Depending upon the no. of generation, rail curves present, one can easily toggle among for more appropriate versions of rail tool and generate surfaces.

• Square

This is another surface generation tool that comes very handy. This tool can be used when surfaces are to be generated within 4 bounding curves.

• Skin

To build a surface bridging two curves

• Ffblend

This feature is primarily used to bridge surfaces.

• Srfillet

This feature is used to add fillets betwwen two edges.

6. Surface edit tools

• Project

Project tool can be used to project curves onto surfaces which can be later used for trimming purposes.

• Intersect

This tool is similar to project tool but used to project surfaces and objects.

• Trim

This option is used to trim away parts that are unnecessary. This tool can be used only after project/intersecting curves or bodies onto surfaces that are later trimmed/altered.

• Trimcvt

This feature is similar to trim function except for its ability to reorient the CVs of the trimmed surface.

7. Object edit tools

• Align

This feature can be used to align curves/surfaces to form continuous flowing entities.

• Attach/detach

This feature is used for attaching/detaching two surfaces or curves.

• Extend

This feature is used to extend or lessen the cross sections of curves or surfaces.

• Qryed

This feature takes us back to the feature that’s been previously applied to the selected object.

Images of Models:

Conclusion

Working on this project gave insights of how to go about designing the car steering wheel using a single view and visualizing the rest. Interpreting 2D design blue prints and converting them to 3D curve structures gave understanding of different views and planes. Practised the basics concepts of continuities in curves and surfaces. Ventured through different features and approaches of design in Alias.