I have designed a lever to be used to push round bales of hay off a trailer and around storage without a tractor and lift. I would like to be able to set up the file so that I can move the lever arm up and down to show its movement range. For the life of me I cannot figure out how to make the movement work around the pivot pin. I’d like to learn how to make a pivot point so that I can then allow components to move around it.
I’m getting an error when I try to upload the file. When I get that figured out I’ll upload the file.
Without getting into fancy extensions, the simplest way is to create multiple scenes. Keep the camera the same across the scenes, but rotate a copy of the key object(s) around the pivot point from one scene to the next. Then you can play the scenes in sequence to create a simple animation of the moving part(s).
Are you using the Rotate tool (default key bind Q) to perform the movement? The Rotate tool lets you pick any point in 3D space and any axis through that point to use for the rotation. For example, if the pivot pin has a circular face on an exposed end then you cause SketchUp’s inferencing to locate the center of the circular face.
Select the object(s) or geometry that you want to rotate. Hover the mouse over an endpoint of the circle until an endpoint tooltip appears, then move the mouse toward the center of the circle. When close, SketchUp should show a Center tooltip and “snap” the tool location to the exact center. The axis of rotation will normally be perpendicular to the face on which the Rotate tool is pointing, which is what you probably want. Click once to set the circle’s center and face as the center and perpendicular axis of rotation. Move the mouse to some convenient point that will represent the starting (zero) angle of rotation and click a second time. Then sweep the mouse in the direction and by the amount of rotation you desirer and click a third time. Alternatively, you can type in a degree of rotation and press Return instead of performing the third click.
I tried using the Brave browser. I could drag and drop the filename into the post but the link appeared to be to my harddrive instead of uploading a file. I say this because clicking on the link in the message displayed by File Explorer/Manager and all the files listed in that subdirectory.
Am I doing something wrong? Is there another way to upload an SU file instead of dragging and dropping it into the post?
Several copies of the moving part in a radial array with Rotate/Copy. Each one has a different tag/layer applied to it. A different tag/layer is made visible for each scene.
OK. I see that the magic lies in layers/tags. I have been able to make other objects appear to move in drawings but always in a linear direction. Rotating them is the new bit to me. I’ll keep practicing.
The reason that I deleted the post and the file with it is that it appeared to me that anyone clicking the file name was taken to my File Explorer where they could access any file therein. At least, after making the post then clicking on the filename that is what happened for me. Is that what happened when you saw the file, Dave; or did the file just open in your copy of SU? I wasn’t too keen on allowing global access to my files.
I think my problem with the upload was related to Firefox. When I switched over to the Brave browser, I was able to upload the file without error. I’m running Win 10 and Fx 98.0.1 64-bit. Perhaps the forum software is not working with Firefox? I just tried it again and got the same error. Is there a way to report this to the admins?
The link doesn’t take me to your computer. Only to the uploaded file.
I use Chrome and haven’t had any issues. If it doesn’t work with Firefox is it the Discord forum software or Firefox. I guess you’d have to report it to both Discord and to Firefox but I don’t know the best way to do that.
The hole in your fulcrum isn’t quite aligned with the pivot point. Here I have selected all the moving parts and made them a component and set the axis/insertion point at the centre of the axle. This lets me drop a new version straight into the correct location. Then by adding an edge straight out from the pivot point it gives an easy grab handle for rotation.
