The 3D Raddict

As a starter, I've chosen the Lifting Shovel from the No.10 Outfit Instruction Leaflet . This is a model I had
always wanted to build "way back when", when I possessed a real Meccano Set, but never got round to doing so.
I'l be building the model on my Virtual Workbench, and, as in the Eiffel Tower project, I'll show the various stages of its construction. Compared to the actual Workbench environment, the Meccano parts have been scaled up 3 times........this is to facilitate easier viewing of detail.

The basic chassis :

........and flipped over:

Added the E15R Electric Motor and the main drive shaft. The drive is transmitted from the motor via a worm gear which meshes with a pinion on the main shaft. Softwarewise, from the PhysX point of view, this had to be set up very carefully because any unwanted collsions can cause extreme instability, with the whole model leaping around all over the benchtop !

And a short clip (not of best quality) showing the running motor :-

I've now added the secondary driveshaft which can slide back and forth so that the 57-tooth gearwheel can mesh/unmesh with the pinion on the main driveshaft.

At the moment I interactively slide this shaft back/forth using the mouse, but at a later stage a lever will be added to the model which will do this job. Here is a video clip showing this action while the motor is running.

I've now added the extension to the secondary drive shaft. This extension holds a universal joint which will later be linked, via a shaft, to the rear wheels differential joint.
While I was testing the operation of this extension, I noticed that inertia and centrifugal forces were causing the chassis to move about on the benchtop, thus preventing me from taking a decent video of the action.
To remedy this situation, I have built a support stand for the chassis which holds it firm but allows me to rotate the chassis +- 45 deg to the horizontal, for easier viewing of the top and underneath.

.........and rotated horizontally 45 deg.

......and a video of the action:

We now have a lever which enables the sliding action of the secondary shaft, thus engaging/disengaging the main drive.

The differential has been built and is now linked to the universal joint on the drive shaft. This was a rather tricky process and caused me a few orientation problems with the various software "joints".

The addition of the rear wheels and differential casing completes the transmission system.

Cab assembly added.

Slowly, but surely, we're progressing. The Jib Assembly is now in place.
Still to come..........Motor Bonnet, Front Axle and Steering Mechanism, Winch Assembly, Shovel Assembly.
I can't wait to get this little beast to do its stuff.......maybe by Xmas if I'm lucky!

Bonnet and radiator added.
Steerable front wheels is next

I've now added the front axle and wheels, together with the steering mechanism. Although this looks comparitively simple, it was actually pretty intricate to get correct.......a number of small pivoting parts which have to set up accurately.

Here is a video showing a closeup of the steerring mechanism in action. There is actually a steering wheel (hidden by the cab) which transmits its rotation to the contrate gear via a pinion on the steering column.. The rotation of the contrate gear causes the pivoted steering rod to push/pull on the pivoted front axles. Each wheel has a seperate axle, linked together by a rod.

The Winch Assembly is now complete. Also, seeing as the model now has both front and rear wheels, I thought it a good idea to let it stand on its own four wheels. So I've got rid of the support stand and added a turntable on which to place the model. This will enable a full 360 deg rotating model as it approaches the final stages of production. Here a few snapshots of the Winch Assembly from different viewpoints :

The winch mechanism will be out of sight (hidden by the soon-to-be- added Balance Weight Boxes and Winch Cover) so here is a video of the model being rotated by the turntable, and showing the winch drum in operation.

The drive to the winch drum is fed from the motor's main drive shaft via a bevel gear which meshes with another bevel gear at right angles to it. A small bush collar on the same shaft as the second bevel gear, rubs against a rubber ring held on the winding drum. A control lever, operated from the driver's cab, causes the winding drum to be pushed against the rotating bush collar, and friction does the rest.

Counterbalance weightboxes and winch cover added to the rear end. All that remains for completion is the addition of the shovel bucket, arm and operating cables.

Mission accomplished ! And well within my deadline.
Its been a real pleasure putting this model together......frustrating at times.....but still a pleasure. The problems that one comes across when building a virtual Meccano model are of a different kind than those of a real world model, and innovative solutions have to be found. What I am doing is relatively new, so there is a shortage of references on the web (none, in fact, relating to Meccano), and I have to be my own guide in this regard.

Here is a video of the Shovel Arm in action. I use the free version of Fraps to make my videos, which only gives me 30sec recording clips.....so I've had to splice a few of them together using Microsoft Movie Maker.
( or link to the YouTube version)

To all Meccano enthusiasts : As mentioned in my Blog page, please feel free to provide me with some feedback......comments, suggestions and ideas are most welcome. (My Blog page has the facility to add comments)