An (as accurate as I could imagine up in my head) 8-cylinder DOHC internal combustion engine with a flat-plane crank, modeled in PTC Creo Parametric 3.0/4.0 as a class project for MEE2024 (Solids Modeling and 3D Design Principles). This project included a basic, yet fully developed rotating assembly of over 150 engine components, though the assignment only called for a twenty part assembly with few linkages.
The final design package included:
- Part illustrations
- Assembly illustrations
- Engineering drawings and annotations
- Overall parts list
- A whole lot of patience!
Looking back on this project, I see how simple this model is. The dimensions were relatively arbitrary. I guessed and skipped on many solid modeling features like chamfers and fillets. Not much interference or tolerance analysis conducted. But, there is so much beauty in this project when I look back on it, or reflect on how I felt when I completed it back in 2018. I had just learned parametric CAD, and I created something I was interested in. I remember bringing my old Dell laptop with 8Gb of ram to an alternative spring break trip to New Orleans, and worked on it while my bunk-mates slept. I remember having to re-create many parts over again because my computer would crash while re-computing features. It was a mess. But it was a labor of love.
If you want pursue a big project, just do it. Impress yourself. If you want a hand or want me to teach you CAD, reach out.
Also, start somewhere. FreeCAD is free, Open-Source CAD software allowing you to download, use, sell, distribute models. My Thoughts on FreeCAD.
Below are screenshots of my “engineering drawings” for this project.
