My Interactive Realtime 3D Meccano® Project
Page 1 : Beginnings, testing and feasabilities.
Page 2 : Building No.10 Set's Lifting Shovel
Page 3 : "Aunt Sally" Fun Machine
Page 4 : MeccanoRAMA
Page 5 : This page.... Meccano Mechanisms
Page 1 : Beginnings, testing and feasabilities.
Page 2 : Building No.10 Set's Lifting Shovel
Page 3 : "Aunt Sally" Fun Machine
Page 4 : MeccanoRAMA
Page 5 : This page.... Meccano Mechanisms
Meccano Mechanisms
Over the many years that Meccano has been in existance, a vast number of mechanisms of varying type have been produced by enthusiasts. My aim here is to just take the more standard types, and reproduce them in an interactive 3D format. I have found that it is far easier to understand how a certain mechanism actual works when you can interact with it and view it from all directions, rather than just looking at a two dimensional image. For the purposes of this project, I am going to reproduce the thirty or so mechanisms from the Instruction Manual that Meccano Ltd. provided with their popular Meccano Mechanisms Outfit.
A listing of all the mechanisms in the above Manual can be found here at the www.meccanoindex.co.uk site.
I will be going through these one by one, commencing at the beginning. The mechanisms will be named M1, M2, M3.... M30.
I've no idea how long this is going to take me (I have a number of different projects on my plate !) but I'm going to try and aim for at least one a month.
The format I will follow is:
1) an image of the mechanism (reproduced from the Instruction Manual)
2) a brief description of the mechanism (reproduced from the Instruction Manual)
3) an image of my virtual 3D model of the mechanism
4) a video of the mechanism model in action
5) a download link for anyone who would like to interact with the virtual model.
So here is the first in the series:
I will be going through these one by one, commencing at the beginning. The mechanisms will be named M1, M2, M3.... M30.
I've no idea how long this is going to take me (I have a number of different projects on my plate !) but I'm going to try and aim for at least one a month.
The format I will follow is:
1) an image of the mechanism (reproduced from the Instruction Manual)
2) a brief description of the mechanism (reproduced from the Instruction Manual)
3) an image of my virtual 3D model of the mechanism
4) a video of the mechanism model in action
5) a download link for anyone who would like to interact with the virtual model.
So here is the first in the series:
03/05/2013
Mechanism M1
The above video demonstrates using the mouse to grab the test-weight (moving the mouse pointer over the test-weight until the pointer changes from white to green, then pressing the left mouse button, and when the pointer changes to a "grasping hand" shape, you will be able to move the test-weight straight up and carefully place the hook over the protuding pin on the fishplate) Please practise all the movement and navigation techniques as outlined in the HELP window (toggling the [F1] keyboard key will turn HELP off and on) You will notice that if you manipulate the test-weight too roughly it may pass through the balance arm (but anything is possible in the virtual world ! ) The same applies to the balance itself... miraculously suspended in mid-air !!
If the test-weight falls and is inaccessible to you, you can press [R] on the keyboard and it will be restored to its start position.
Once the weight is hanging on the short arm of the balance, then use the keyboard [<] and [>] keys to move the slider weight along the long arm until it settles at even keel.
And here is the download (approx 19Mb):
If the test-weight falls and is inaccessible to you, you can press [R] on the keyboard and it will be restored to its start position.
Once the weight is hanging on the short arm of the balance, then use the keyboard [<] and [>] keys to move the slider weight along the long arm until it settles at even keel.
And here is the download (approx 19Mb):
| meccanomechanisms_m1_installer.zip |
13/05/2013
Mechanism M2
The above video demonstrates how you use the mouse to select the gear wheel. Position the mouse cursor over the centre of the gear, and it will change to green. Then press the mouse right button, and the cursor will change from an arrow to a "pushing hand", whereupon press the keyboard [5] or [6] keys to rotate the gear and hence cause the whole mechanism to activate. Note that this is NOT an animation... it is real physics in action (as will be all the mechanisms in this series)
And here is the download (approx 19Mb):
And here is the download (approx 19Mb):
| meccanomechanisms_m2_installer.zip |
14/06/2013
Mechanism M3
This was quite a tricky one... the construction itself was pretty straightforward, but the software simulation of the actual weighing was pretty time-conuming to get more or less correct. It required much tweaking of the physics spring system to avoid instabilities. There is still a little jittering, but this does not deter from the simulation. You can download it and try it out for yourselves... there is a styrofoam block, a wood block and
a metal block which can be lifted with the mouse and placed on the weighing platform. Refer to the video above and use the [F1] Help instructions.
Here is the download (approx 16Mb):
a metal block which can be lifted with the mouse and placed on the weighing platform. Refer to the video above and use the [F1] Help instructions.
Here is the download (approx 16Mb):
| meccanomechanisms_m3_installer.zip |
10/07/2013
Mechanism M4
Grab the red ball with the mouse and drag down to move the lever.
| meccanomechanisms_m4_installer.zip |
23/08/2013
Mechanism M5
Grab the red ball with the mouse and drag the motor switch up to turn on the motor.
I mentioned in my introduction that it is sometimes difficult to picture how a mechanism works from its 2D image alone. This is one such example... being able to interact with the 3D simulation makes it so much easier to understand the operation of the mechanism.
I mentioned in my introduction that it is sometimes difficult to picture how a mechanism works from its 2D image alone. This is one such example... being able to interact with the 3D simulation makes it so much easier to understand the operation of the mechanism.
| meccanomechanisms_m5_installer.zip |
23/09/2013
Mechanism M6
| meccanomechanisms_m6_installer.zip |
26/11/2013
Mechanism M7
You can change gear using the [<] and [>] keys. For ultimate interaction I could have made mouse manipulation of the actual gear lever to accomplish the gear change, but from a user point of view this was adding an unneccesary complication... so I decided to make things easier by using the keyboard.
| meccanomechanism_m7_installer.zip |