Lesson video

Hi there, everyone, my name is Mr. Booth, and welcome to your Design & Technology lesson for today.

It's brilliant that you could join me.

Today, we are going to model a moving part in Tinkercad.

Yes, that's right, we're gonna make your models move and show you how you can control them.

This is part of the "Prototypes with mechanisms: robots and automation" unit.

Our outcome for today: I can use the connectors in Tinkercad to simulate movement.

We're going to be using Sim Lab.

Five keywords for you today.

The first three are all the different types of connectors we need to use to model movement in Sim Lab when using Tinkercad.

The first one is the axle connector.

This allows parts to rotate around one another, like a wheel on an axle.

We then have a pivot connector, allows parts to swing or rotate around a fixed point, like a door opening on a hinge.

We have slide connector.

This allows parts to move back and forth in a straight line, like a drawer opening and closing.

We also have static.

This means stay still and does not move during a simulation.

And then finally, simulate, physics-based digital simulations in computer-aided design models.

It means that we actually get gravity in our models and it acts like the real world when we simulate.

Three learning cycles today, all related to the types of movement we are gonna be simulating.

And the first one is axle connections.

In Tinkercad, you can simulate movement in three different ways.

There are actually a few more, but we're gonna focus on these.

The first one is axle, slider, and pivot.

To do this, connectors are added to a model and tested in Sim Lab.

Sim Lab shows how moving parts will work in models and checks if different parts will interact and move together correctly.

So we can actually test our models before we make them.

The axle connector in Tinkercad allows one part to rotate around another, like a wheel spinning on an axle.

When you use an axle connector, you simulate rotational movement between two connected objects.

Axle connectors are used for testing wheels, gears, and any part that you want to spin.

And that is the symbol for an axle connector, which you will see in the Sim Lab menu.

And this is an example of a model.

You could use it if you wanted the wheel to rotate around the axle.

Quick check for understanding.

What does the axle connector do in Tinkercad? Does it A, it makes a part slide in a straight line, B, it connects parts so they move together in a pivot motion, C, it allows one part to rotate around another, or D, it glues two parts together so they don't move.

Pause the video now, have a go at this, and come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, C.

It allows one part to rotate around another, like a wheel rotating around an axle.

So let's have a look at how you can add an axle connector to your models.

Well, first of all, you need two shapes.

We need two shapes 'cause we want one of them to rotate.

We then need to click on the Sim Lab icon, which is a falling apple because of course, it's falling because of gravity.

We're gonna introduce real-world physics into our model.

Once we've done that, we can then see our different connectors, and we need to drag an axle connector onto one of the shapes.

Once we've done that, we're gonna drag the orange handle onto shape one and the blue handle onto shape two.

And that's the component that we want to rotate.

If we then click Play, which is in the bottom left-hand corner, or you can press the space bar, you should then be able to see the simulation happening.

If the axle connector and shape aren't aligned properly, the center of rotation will be off, and you'll see it.

It'll seem like it's wobbling around a little bit crazy.

So what we need to do is we need to align them.

Now, you might have used the align tool before, and it's exactly the same when you are aligning connectors and shapes.

So first of all, we're gonna change the view.

Now, in this case, I've used the ViewCube.

I've clicked on the left-hand side so I can see, clearly, all my shapes to whether they are lined up or not.

And you can see they're not aligned.

I'm then gonna select both the connector and the shape and then click Align.

Once I click Align, you will then get your handles, and you just need to select the correct handles to get it lined up with the center.

In this case, it's that one, and then they're nice and centralized.

Now, when adding connectors into your model, you might want certain parts to be static, to stay still, to not move at all.

Now, this helps you understand the control, how the parts interact and function together.

It's really easy to do this in Tinkercad.

You simply click on the part you don't wanna move, and then you click Static, which I've highlighted for you there.

And that means that when you press Simulate or you press Run, what will happen is is it will stay still.

Now, what you need to remember is when you click Play, your parts will then suddenly experience gravity.

So if you haven't grouped them or they're off the ground, they'll suddenly fall to the ground.

And quite often, it takes a little bit of experimentation to get this right, but you will get there eventually.

Quick check for understanding.

In Tinkercad, what is the function called to make parts not move during a simulation? Is it A, static, B, freeze, or C, motionless? Pause the video now, select the right answer, and come back to me when you've got that.

It is, of course, A, static.

Now onto your first task, Task A.

I would like you to open your simple robot head model.

Using the axle connector in Sim Lab, make the robot's eyes rotate.

If your robot doesn't have any eyes, this is the perfect time to design them.

Now, you might need to make some of your parts static in your model, so remember to do that as well.

Pause the video now, have a go at this task, come back to me when you've completed.

So how did you get on? Well, hopefully yours looks something a little bit like mine.

And I'm sure what you've also discovered, that if you press the left mouse button, for some reason, you start firing all sorts of random shapes at your robot.

Now, we can actually use those shapes to our advantage, and we can do that in the next task.

So now what we're gonna do is look at pivot connections.

So the pivot connector in Tinkercad allows one part to rotate round a fixed point or an axis, similar to how a door swings open on its hinges.

It's used in simulate for swinging or rotating movements between two connected parts that pivot.

And this is, of course, our pivot connector, so you can see it clearly there.

The pivot connector relies on two parts.

One has to be static, and the other has to be moving.

And that's unlike the axle connector 'cause you'll have discovered in learning cycle one, that will work even if you've got no parts that are static.

True or false? Quick check for understanding.

The pivot connector allows one part to rotate around a fixed point or axis.

Is that true or false? Pause the video now, have a go at this, come back to me when you've got your answer.

That is, of course, true, but I would like you to tell me why.

Can you explain why? Again, pause the video, come back to me when you've got your explanation.

It is, of course, the pivot connector relies on two parts, one static and the other moving, unlike the axle connector, which will work even if there is no static part.

Now, before experimenting with pivot connections, you need to decide on which parts need to move and which need to remain static.

Now, every single model will be different, so we're gonna use this simple swing model as an example.

Now, if I look at my model, there are certain parts that I want to remain static.

So that would be the uprights, the bar across the top, and the connectors holding the chains.

The parts I want to move are the chains and, of course, the swing's seat.

Now, you also need to decide where to place the pivot connectors, and this is really important to make sure it moves correctly.

And you might not get it right straightaway, but that's absolutely fine.

Now, if you're designing the swing, the pivot connector should be positioned at the top so the swing can move back and forth.

There's no point in putting the pivot connector where you have made a part static.

And you can see on this one, I would want to put my pivot connector just below there where the holder's connected to the chain.

Let's look at how you would add a pivot connector to a simple swing model.

So first of all, you need to open the model, and then in Sim Lab, select the pivot connector.

And then orbiting round very carefully my design and zoomed in, I'm gonna drag the connector into its position, making sure it's in the right orientation.

What we then need to do is drag the orange connector onto the static object, the object that isn't gonna move, and then drag the blue handle onto the moving part that we want to swing.

We also need to align it, similar how we did with the previous learning cycle.

So what you need to do is select both the connector and the static part and align them so the connector sits central.

You can see I'm using the two handles in the center to make sure it is central.

And then finally, we can test it.

And this is when we can use our objects to throw it at the swing to make it swing.

Now, the swing might move slightly on its own, but actually using these objects is quite fun, and it will also make the swing swing back and forth.

Now, if it doesn't work as expected, reset the model and have a look at where your pivot connectors are located.

Quick check for understanding.

Identify the pivot connector symbol.

Is it image A, image B, or image C? Pause the video now, have a go at this, come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, B.

Onto your second task, Task B.

First of all, I want you to open this model.

So we have two simple swings.

You just need to type that into your search bar and you will be able to access that model.

You need to click Copy and Tinker so you make a copy of that model.

And then I want you to apply pivot connections, pivot connectors, to the second swing to make it move back and forth, just like the first one.

I then want you to simulate and test the motion to see if you got it right.

Pause the video now, have a go at this task, come back to me when you've completed it.

So how did you get on? Well, hopefully you're having lots of fun throwing all sorts of things at your swings and you can see them rocking backwards and forwards.

Fantastic.

Now on to our final learning cycle.

This is all about slider connections.

So in Tinkercad, slider connections allow parts to move back and forth in a straight line, like a drawer opening and closing.

So we've used axle, haven't we, because we've rotated.

We've used pivot, obviously to rotate around a certain part, a certain axle or a certain part.

Now we want to go in a straight line, just like a drawer opening and closing.

Now, this is the image of the slide connector.

As you can see, it's slightly different.

Now, the model needs a path for the movement to use the slide connector.

Now, for example, a drawer would need a runner to slide along, just like in your kitchen.

The exact shape of this path depends on the model.

In most models, the path would remain static and the object would move.

So once again, we're looking at our static objects, which is the casing for the drawing, and then obviously our moving object being the drawer.

Now, what I've done is I've been very careful to make sure I grouped these two components individually.

So my casing is one component now 'cause I've grouped it, and the drawer is also another component grouped, so it acts as one model.

Quick check for understanding.

Which icon is the slider connector? Is it A, B, or C? Pause the video now, have a go at this, come back to me when you've got your answer.

It is, of course, A.

Well done.

Now let's look at how you add a slider connector.

Very similar to what you've done before, but let's have a look.

So first of all, once again, you need to open your model and click on Sim Lab.

Select the slide connector from the menu.

Drag the connector onto the front of the object that you want to move.

You then drag the orange handle onto the static object.

And then drag the blue handle onto the object you want to move.

Once you've done that, you can test your simulation once again by throwing all your random objects at the drawer.

But you might say: That's a bit pointless because I've gotta throw them at the drawer to open it.

I've then gotta orbit my model around, and then I've gotta throw them at it to try and close it.

So how can we get more control over our design? Let's have a look.

So what we can actually do is we can get more control by using our keyboard.

So first of all, click on the slide connector in your model, and then in the dialogue box that appears, click on Motor Type.

Once you've done that, you can click on Edit Interactions and a keyboard will appear.

What we can then do is we can use keys on our keyboard to control our model.

Now, we're gonna use two keys: one to open, one to close.

So first of all, I'm selecting the key A, and then I'm gonna set the speed to +100.

Once I've done that, I'm gonna select my second key.

That's gonna be S.

And notice that I'm setting the speed to -100.

I actually got it slightly wrong in this.

I went to -103, but that's not too bad.

Once I've done that, I can then simulate again.

And by pressing those two keys on the keyboard, I can open and close my drawer.

Isn't that fantastic? Now onto your final task.

In the Shapes Library in Tinkercad, I want you to select Sim Lab.

What I then want you to do is look for the three files, Trebuchet, Keyboard drivable car, and Wave pendulum.

Opening each one individually, I want you to run the models and identify the types of connections used.

You can even experiment by changing those connections if you wish.

Pause the video now, have a go at this task, and come back to me when you have completed it.

So how did you get on? Well, hopefully for the trebuchet, you identified lots of axles in there.

You might have even experimented with changing a few of those.

For the wave pendulum, you can see there is a pivot.

And for the car, you can see there's an axle.

And hopefully you had fun driving that around your work plane.

Well done.

So that brings us to the end of this lesson.

Haven't you been brilliant? You can now move your models in Tinkercad.

You can create motion using our different connectors.

Let's have a quick summary of what we've learned today.

In Tinkercad, movement can be simulated using three types of connectors, axle, pivot, and slider, each allowing different types of motion.

The axle connector allows one part to rotate around another.

The pivot connector allows parts to swing or rotate around a fixed point.

And finally, the slide connector allows parts to move back and forth in a straight line.

Well done today.

You've been absolutely fantastic.

I look forward to seeing you all next time.

Goodbye.