Airplane 3D Model
Airplane 3D Model
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Mechanical Engineering E3408
I. Project Overview
As part of the Mechanical Engineering E3408 course, the midterm project involved the recreation through reverse engineering of a toy. The toy airplane was selected to be part of the project. This hands-on experience involved carefully disassembling the toy to identify its key components. Seven different parts were identified including top and bottom bodies, cockpit, engine fan and adapter, wheel train, and wheels.
Using SolidWorks, detailed computer models of each part were created and assembled to accurately replicate the original toy. All modelling was done in MMGS units following the ANSI drafting standard.
Exploded Assembly View
Exploded Assembly View
Initial Drawing Schematics
Initial Drawing Schematics
II. Design Intent
A comprehensive modeling plan was developed to guide my initial approach at the start of the project.
One of the goals I had with this project was to design each part with the minimal number of features, prioritizing simplicity and ease of future modification. This streamlined approach accelerates the design process and reduces complexity making updates and iterations more efficient, an essential consideration in engineering environments.
For instance, instead of extruding multiple surfaces, I used revolved features for the plane body, engine, and wheels. I used circular patterns to avoid redundant sketches or features. Additionally, I used sketch relations to existing parts of the structure so that those sketches or features are updated when their respective relation is modified.
Finally, I always tried to set the origin in strategic locations that would serve future features in modeling and symmetry. For instance, in the cockpit, the right plane was set at the midpoint of the object which helped mirror entities such as small details. Similarly, the airplane body was mirrored across the right plane to avoid recreating the same wings.
Airplane toy and the virtual 3D model comparison.
III. Difficulties Encountered & Problem Solving
Throughout the modeling process, I encountered several technical challenges that required creative problem-solving. One major issue was achieving smooth surfaces at the ends of lofted features. I resolved this by ending the loft in a perpendicular plane to the original and filleting the end of the wing.
The cockpit window presented another complex challenged due to its varying angle, which made a simple revolved cut impossible. I overcame this by implementing a lofted cut through the extruded solid.
The plane body, especially the wing section, was the most time-consuming due to the need of multiple cross-sectional sketches with accurate dimensions to complete the loft for a realistic surface. A similar issue occurred for the engine blades which required numerous measurements to be taken to capture their form.
In many cases, initial design approaches did not produce the desired appearance, resulting in several iterations before arriving at the correct result. These attempts were time-intensive but ended up with a more accurate model. These experiences reinforced the value of persistence and adaptability.
IV. Conclusion
This project provided a valuable opportunity to combine engineering theory with practical application through the reverse engineering and digital reconstruction of a toy airplane. By applying CAD tools and an approach with design intent, complex modelling challenges were overcome and to produce an accurate replica.
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