This week I continued modelling the engine. I want to try and set up animations for parts of the model to make sure that the mechanism I am modelling is working. I intend to get my wheels spinning.
I reviewed the tutorial on constraints and positioners and took the results of the previous weeks’ lessons and applied them to my own machine using the same principles. I then used the Aim constraints accordingly and placed the required elements in the correct hierarchy to achieve plausible motion. Furthermore, I needed the large wheel rotation to drive the bearings on the can together, and I tried to make constraints to try and get the piston to do the job well, some parts required manually offsetting certain parts of the piston and setting key frames on them to achieve this.
I built some pipes and bases and put them together. My steam engine is built. The animation is also constrained to complete.
This is a rendering of the final model