Shaft Component Generator dialog box - Design tab

Use the Design tab to design a shaft of a shape. The designed shaft can contain unlimited number of sections. Each section can have two edge features and unlimited number of middle features. The preview of the shaft displays in the Autodesk Inventor window. On the Design tab (which is optional) as you design, its shape changes according to the specification made in the Design tab (number of sections, shape of sections, hollow shaft shape, and so on).

In the Autodesk Inventor window, use the 3D grips to change and define parameters of the shaft. Click the shaft element to enable it and when the grips are shown, you can:

Access:

Ribbon: Design tab Power Transmission panel Shaft

Placement

Defines the placement of the shaft. Within the Autodesk Inventor window, select cylindrical face or work axis, start plane and shaft orientation, as needed.

When you define placement, the shaft is previewed in that location in the Autodesk Inventor window. Click OK to create and constrain the shaft in the assembly.

Note: By default, the shaft is previewed in an origin - X is an axis, YZ is a start plane and XY is an orientation plane.

Axis

Select the cylindrical face or axis.

Start

Select the work plane or face that can mate with the start of the shaft.

Orientation

Select the work plane to rotate shaft or its features.

Flip

Reverses direction of the shaft.

Mate

Check the box to mate the shaft onto the selected geometry.

Sections

Use this area to design a shape of the shaft. Use the graphical toolbar and the section tree control. Select Sections or Bore on the right/Bore on the left from the drop-down list. Your selection displays the appropriate commands on the toolbar. The Options command is always available.

Click the button to add appropriate shaft section (cone, cylinder, or polygon) and feature (keyway for example). For edge features, a dialog box displays where you can set the appropriate values. Click the middle feature icon to open the edit dialog box.

Selected section and feature displays in the list where you can edit or delete it.

The graphical representation of features and sections is displayed in Autodesk Inventor window as 3D preview and in the Design tab as 2D preview (which is optional). Work with the preview as with 3D Grips. You can drag the preview to the appropriate position. Double-click to display the Edit dialog box. Move the mouse cursor above the graphical representations to display a description of a section/feature.

Tip: Enable the Always Show option in the 2D Preview area of the Options dialog box to display the 2D preview in Design tab.

Use hotkeys to perform following actions:

On the shaft toolbar:

Click a section icon

Adds the section behind the selected one.

CTRL + Click a section icon

Inserts the section before the selected one.

On the tree control:

Double-click

Opens an edit dialog box.

Right-click

Displays the context menu.

Hover mouse over the tree item

Displays a tooltip with the tree item (section/feature) information (size, for example).

Drag (for sections only)

Moves section.

Sections

Insert Cylinder inserts the cylinder section after the selected shaft section.

Split Selected Section splits the selected shaft cylinder while keeping the same length of the shaft.

Insert Cone inserts cone section after the selected shaft section.

Insert Polygon inserts polygon section after the selected shaft section.

Specify shaft by picking geometry in assembly measures the shaft geometry from selected cylindrical face, planar face, work planes or sketches from the assembly.

Collapse All Children collapses the section tree.

Expand All Children expands the section tree.

Options opens the Options dialog box where you specify your preferences for shaft 2D and 3D previews.

Bore on the left

Insert Cylindrical Bore inserts inside cylinder section on the left after the selected shaft section.

Insert Conical Bore inserts inside cone section on the left after the selected shaft section.

Bore on the right

Insert Cylindrical Bore inserts inside cylinder section on the right after the selected shaft section.

Insert Conical Bore inserts inside cone section on the right after the selected shaft section.

The sections and features are editable:

Opens the appropriate dialog box to edit dimensions.

Deletes the selected feature or section or bore.

Section tree control

Section tree control contains controls for shaft sections and features. Middle features display as children of the sections. Edge features display as a part of sections. Section tree control displays sections or bores at one time only.

Left edge features

The list of available features in the menu is filtered based on the section type (cone, cylinder, and so on) and based on the section position (first, in the middle, on so on).

Click the arrow to display list of available left edge features.

Click to add a feature.

Following left edge features are available:

Section types

Three shaft section types are available within the Shaft generator. According to your section selection, the features are available. For Cone, no middle features are available. For polygon, no edge features are available, only Through Hole is available.

Right edge features

The list of available features in the menu is filtered based on the section type (cone, cylinder, and so on) and based on the section position (first, in the middle, and so on).

Click the arrow to display list of available left edge features.

Click to add a feature.

Following right edge features are available:

Section features

List of available features in the menu is filtered based on the section type (cone, cylinder, and so on) .

Click the arrow next to the icon to display list of available section features.

Click to add a feature.

Following section features are available:

2D Preview

When you design shaft, you have an option to display a 2D preview of the designed shaft within the Design tab. To display 2D Preview, select the Always Show option within the 2D Preview box of the Options dialog box, and click OK.

2D Preview area is resizable.

When you select a section, appropriate section is also selected in the tree control in the Design tab, and in the Autodesk Inventor window.

Right-click to display a context menu with available features.

Place the mouse cursor above a shaft section or feature to display a tooltip informing about section or feature dimensions.

Tips:

Results

To display the Results area on the right side of the Design, Calculation, and Graphs tabs, double-click the double line on the right or click the chevron.

Displays the calculated dimensions values such as main diameter. Click Calculate to display the values. The units of the calculated results values can be changed. Double-click the specified value you want to change.

The following output parameters are displayed in the Results pane:

Graphical Preview

A graphical preview of the selected geometry is displayed in Autodesk Inventor. You can use grips to specify section and feature dimensions. 3D Grips are available for selected section or middle feature.

Double-click or drag the 3D grip to change the dimension.

You can use 3D grips to edit following dimensions:

Tips:

Toolbar commands

Template Description

Parent topic: Shaft Component Generator
Related Information
Design shafts