I'm not new to OpenBuilds, but new to posting here. When I typically build stuff, I just go through my OpenBuilds parts bin and try things out until it works. My challenge right now is that I'd like to build a custom machine from scratch for a product concept, and I'm not certain which plates' hole patterns work with V-Slot vs. C-Beam. Are there good resources for this, other than literally piecing real hardware together, or mating assemblies in CAD? I was going to start with engineering drawings so I could easily glance at hole spacing and other things. But it would be really nice if there were drawings that showed reference circles for the various wheels, so we could tell what works with what. Any advice would be really appreciated. I'd like to know how everyone else here starts out with a new design.
There are actually a number of ways to go about this: Pdf drawings can be found embedded within the Solidworks 2014 Parts Library download. Fitted assemblies can be downloaded from OpenBuilds ® | 3D Warehouse for use with Sketchup. But probably the simplest would be perusing the subsections of OpenBuilds Part Store as nearly every part gives an indication how it fits within the overall system.
Thanks, Rick! I hadn't looked at the SW lib since I've been using STEP with Onshape. I'll do that. I tend to avoid SketchUp (mostly due to lack of experience with it), and I definitely look at the images for each part, but I feel like it's got to be possible to do configurations other than what they indicate. For example, I've just pulled in a C-Beam and a XL Gantry plate. I then imported a 20x40 V-Slot to confirm that I would be able to mount it directly and flat against the XL plate. The XL product page only shows how it works with the wheels.
