Inventor Basics: Assembly Challenge

Overview
We've learned how to make a Part in Inventor, now it's time to understand how we can combine Parts into an Assembly.

A Part is a collection of data regarding a single object. Because we're using a digital format, we can leverage the power of our computers to rapidly create multiple instances of a single object:



Constraints can be applied to lock the parts in relation to each other:






Process
• Create a part that represents a single wooden cube. Use a ruler to measure the wood cube and create the part to scale.
• Choose one of the puzzle assorted puzzle cube parts that we have in class (see examples available in image below).
• Use Inventor to create an Assembly of the chosen puzzle cube part using the single wood cube Part.
• Post a photo of the puzzle cube piece you chose to model (you may use your lap top or cell phone to capture an image) and a corresponding screenshot of your assembly.




Achievements:
Post evidence of all achievements earned to your online portfolio (click here to see an example). Tally the total number of Achievements earned and start your post with "I earned X achievements for this challenge" where X is the number you earned.
"1st Assembly" - Post a photo of a puzzle piece (use webcam or smartphone) and then a screen shot of an Inventor assembly of it.
"2nd Assembly" - Post a photo of a second puzzle piece (use webcam or smartphone) and then a screen shot of an Inventor assembly of it.
"3rd Assembly" - Post a photo of a third puzzle piece (use webcam or smartphone) and then a screen shot of an Inventor assembly of it.
"4th Assembly" - Post a photo of a fourth puzzle piece (use webcam or smartphone) and then a screen shot of an Inventor assembly of it.
"5th Assembly" - Post a photo of a fifth puzzle piece (use webcam or smartphone) and then a screen shot of an Inventor assembly of it.
"Give Help" - Help your classmates. Describe a specific case of help you gave someone else.
"Recieve Help" - Solicit and recieve help from a classmate. Describe who helped you and how.
"I'm the Assembly Master!" - Create an assembly of the monster tower of power below (this could be tough...):

Character: Grit

Perseverance and continued passion for goals seem to be as important to the achievement of long term success as talent (as measured by grades/test scores). This is an important realization for us as aspiring technical leaders.

So how can we tell where we stand with these qualities of perserverance and long term passion for goals (or in other words, "Grit")?

Angela Duckworth from the University of Pennsylvania has developed a "Grit Scale" to help gain insight on these qualities.

Please complete the following:
• 1) Use a sheet of paper to record your answers to the questions on the Grit Scale (find below).
• 2) Obtain a copy of the evaluation key and evaluate your responses. Annotate your paper with a value for each of your answers. Calculate the average scores as specified for each of the five areas: Grit, Consistency of Interest, Perseverance of Effort, Brief Grit Scale and Ambition.
• 3) Self generate feedback (+, change, ? and !) regarding the test. Specifically: Identify an area where you're strong (+), identify an area where you could improve (change), identify ideas on how you might improve in that area (!) and list a question that you have for yourself (?).
• 4) Turn in your self evaluation when complete. Your score is based on your ability to complete step 2 (average scores) and step 3 (self generate feedback).


Grit Scale
Directions for taking the Grit Scale: Please respond to the following 17 items. Be honest – there are no right or wrong answers!

1. I aim to be the best in the world at what I do.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

2. I have overcome setbacks to conquer an important challenge.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

3. New ideas and projects sometimes distract me from previous ones.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

4. I am ambitious.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

5. My interests change from year to year.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

6. Setbacks don’t discourage me.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

7. I have been obsessed with a certain idea or project for a short time but later lost interest.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

8. I am a hard worker.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

9. I often set a goal but later choose to pursue a different one.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

10. I have difficulty maintaining my focus on projects that take more than a few months to complete.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

11. I finish whatever I begin.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

12. Achieving something of lasting importance is the highest goal in life.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

13. I think achievement is overrated.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

14. I have achieved a goal that took years of work.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

15. I am driven to succeed.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

16. I become interested in new pursuits every few months.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

17. I am diligent.
Very much like me
Mostly like me
Somewhat like me
Not much like me
Not like me at all

The Deep Dive

In this activity, you will watch a group of professionals work to solve a design problem in just five days.

Copy and paste the following questions into your blog and answer them based on what you learn from watching "The Deep Dive". Use different color text for your answers to distinguish them from the questions:


1. “From the buildings in which we live and work, to the cars we drive, or the knives and forks with which we eat, everything we use was designed to create some sort of marriage between _________________ and _________________.”



2. The folks at IDEO state that they are not experts in any given area. But, they do claim to be experts on the ____________________, which they apply to the innovation of consumer products.



3. After the team of designers is brought together, told the problem, and informed they have five days to “pull it off,” what phase of the design process do they immediately engage in?







4. Give two examples of what the team members did during this phase.

a.


b.





5. List five rules-of-thumb that IDEO employees follow when they share ideas during the brainstorming phase:

a.


b.


c.


d.


e.





6. Why should wild (and sometimes crazy) ideas be entertained during the brainstorming phase?









7. After the brainstorming phase was over, the team narrowed down the hundreds of ideas by _____________ for those ideas that were not only “cool” but also _________________ in a short period of time. What phase of the design process is this called?





8. IDEO believes that the ideas and efforts of a ______________ will always be more successful than the planning of a lone genius.



9. Once the ideas were narrowed down and divided into categories, the group was split into four smaller teams. What phase(s) of the design process was each of these groups responsible for?



10. The leaders at IDEO believe that ________________ behavior and a ______________ environment are two important reasons why their employees are able to think quickly and creatively to produce innovative results.



11. Sometimes, people come up with great solutions that work by trying their ideas first, and asking for _________________ later.



12. Design is often a process of going too far and having to take a few steps back. What phase of the design process would the critique of the four mock-ups come under?





13. Upon critique of the four teams’ models, it was obvious that none of the teams had developed an optimum solution. However, the people at IDEO believe that it is important to _____________ often in order to _____________ sooner.



14. What percentage of the entire week’s time did it take to fabricate the final prototype?





15. Instead of showering his design team with a tremendous amount of praise, what did the boss require his employees to do with their new design?





16. Of all the things that we are surrounded by every day, what has not been placed through the design process?







Conclusion

1. What did you find to be the most impressive part of the team’s effort?









2. What advantages are there to having a design team with members that have non-engineering backgrounds?









3. There was a point in the process where a self-appointed group of adults stepped up, stopped the ideas, and redirected the group to break up into teams. Why was this done?









4. At the end of the video, Dave Kelly states, “Look around. The only things that are not designed are the things we find in nature.” Can you think of anything that would contradict this statement?

Product Evolution Slides

We've had some great presentations on Product Evolution in our Engineering Design classes. To help capture your experience, please post your slides to your blog.

Tip: In Power Point, save your file as an image (change the file type from .ppt to .jpg). The software will ask if you want to save a single slide or choose to save them all. Saving them all will create a folder with all your slides as images in it. Use these to post to your blog.

• Post your slides
• Arrange your slides in sequence
• At the start of the post, put your slides into context with a sentence or two summarizing your presentation (product, key moment in evolution).

The "Brick by Brick" Challenge

This challenge is an opportunity to apply what we've learned about
making Parts in Inventor. As a "Challenge", this is an open ended, Achievement based format. Earn as many Achievements as you can. Your final score is curved against the class average.

Overview:
The Tiki Brick Co. is looking to create a digital design archive of their legacy brick products.

Criteria:
Create 3D digital parts of the below Brick designs.

Constraints:
• 3D parts will be rendered using our Autodesk Inventor software
• All work must be your own but you are encouraged to collaborate with your classmates for pointers/advice.
• Save your files for future reference.


Achievements (These are how you earn points!):
• Create a post titled The "Brick by Brick" Challenge
• At the top of the post, list the number of Achievements you've earned ("Total Achievements Earned = X")
• Write a one or two sentence summary regarding making parts in Inventor (your blog is an online portfolio/reference so provide context for readers from outside of our course).
• Justify each Achievement you've earned. Post the title of the Achievement and an image of your part (use the main menu in inventor to save an image of each part you complete).
• We're just learning the basics of making parts so we're not yet focused on using exact measurements in our designs. Your parts must be roughly proportional (correct number of faces/curves, similar proportions) to the Bricks in question. If there is any doubt, we'll put it to a jury of your peers. Your instructor has the final verdict. Don't worry about texture details, we're just looking at the shapes of the product.




Achievement - The "Basic" Brick
A straightforward part shape to start with. Click here to see an example Inventor Part.




Achievement - The "T-Bone" Brick
This shape adds a few more sides to the basic brick. Click here to see an example Inventor Part.






Achievement - The "Axe Head" Brick
Now we'll experiment with using curves.





Achievement - The "Tri-Pole" Brick
More complexity with our curved shape.








Achievement - The "MC Escher" Brick
Can you figure out something like this?!



Achievement - The "Make Your Own" Brick
Use Inventor to design your own Brick. Post an image of the result.

Achievement - "Seek Help"
Ask a classmate for help. To earn the achievement list who helped you and what they helped you with.

Achievement - "Lend a Helping Hand"
Lend help to a classmate. To earn the achievement list who you helped and what you helped them with.

Inventor Basics: Making Parts

In our Inventor software, a "Part" is the basic building block one uses to put together a more complex design. Once you've created one or more parts, you may put them together into an "Assembly".

We will review the process of creating an Inventor part in class today.


If you need to review how to make a part, here are some useful links:

• Click here to follow a step by step tutorial on making a part in Inventor

• Here is the first in a series of youtube videos that demonstrates how to make sketches, which are then extruded into a 3D shape.