The Italian artist Bruno Munari began building "useless machines" (macchine inutili) in the 1930s. He was a "third generation" Futurist and did not share the first generation's boundless enthusiasm for technology, but sought to counter the threats of a world under machine rule by building machines that were artistic and unproductive.[1] 

Advanced Design Techniques

Suppose that you want to design a hinge assembly that you can modify easily to make similar assemblies. You need an efficient way to create two matching hinge pieces and a pin for a variety of hinge assembly sizes.

Some analysis and planning can help you develop a design that is flexible, efficient, and well defined. You can then adjust the size as needed, and the hinge assembly still satisfies the design intent.

This tutorial discusses:

• Using a layout sketch

• Suppressing features to create part configurations

• Creating a new part in the context of the assembly

• Detecting collisions in assemblies

This tutorial assumes that you know how to perform basic assembly operations, such as moving and rotating components, and adding mates.

SOLIDWORKS Motion Tutorial

SOLIDWORKS Motion uses complete kinematic modeling to compute component motion. You can use SOLIDWORKS Motion to analyze forces in models that include springs, dampers, motors, and friction.

In this tutorial, you learn how to:

• Run a SOLIDWORKS Motion study for a model that includes a spring and a motor.

• Plot the results.

• Duplicate the motion study with modified simulation parameters.

• Use the results to redesign the model.