These were the assembly constraints that I used. I had to make sure that each part couldn't move in translated directions or rotated directions. For the ears, I had 3 constraints that were all a Mate/Mate solution, which connected the ears to the corners of the head. For the antlers, I had 10 constraints that were all also a Mate/Mate solution, which connected the antlers to the top of the head.
Calculations are correct and proper units are used
Proper material assigned: Birch wood & Maple wood
Weight = 74.529 lbs. (less than 125 lbs. and withstands a force of 50 lbs.)
My final Deer Yard Art design resembled the head of a male, white tailed deer (buck). The detailed head is mainly constructed out of birch wood, including the ears, and it's antlers are made out of maple wood, which are located around our area. The tip of it's nose and it's eyes have a black cast color for decoration. The yard ornament has a total weight of 74.529 pounds - the head weighs 67.595 lbs., the ears weigh 4.611 lbs., and the antlers weigh 2.322 lbs. (these measurements were found in the physical part of the iProperties section). The ornament is under 125 pounds, and does not tip over on its tipping point from a force of 50 pounds applied to the location of the tipping force. This ornament consists of exactly 3 separate pieces (head, ears, antlers), and can easy be assembled and disassembled. While working on this project, I came across many problems, one being the weight constraint of under 125 pounds; at first, my whole ornament weighed over 600 pounds! I then had to learn how to use the "derive" tool to minimize the scale factor of each piece to get the product under 125 pounds, which expanded more of my knowledge of Inventor tools. After assembling and constraining the parts together, the iProperties measured the total weight of my model.
Present the Solution
I really enjoyed this project, as it was fun, challenging and taught me how to use more detailed features in Inventor. The efficiency of using a solid model was very useful, because is was easier and quicker to construct. It would definitely be easier to subtract parts on the model, but I unfortunately couldn't do that, because I already had the minimum amount of parts constructed; subtracting parts would just dissatisfy the criteria, and probably become less precise. The location of the solid model in the grid system was also very helpful, because it depicted where the center of gravity was to accurately calculate the tipping point and force being placed on the model. Our class created these projects as though to give them to a manufacturing company that would put in them in stores to sell to the public. It made the experience feel realistic when we calculated the center of gravity, tipping force, weight, etc. that would be needed in a real-life situation when making yard ornaments. I preferably think that this was my favorite project so far, because I got to make something out of my own imagination and creativity that could be used in reality, with a small criteria applied to it. When Ms. Zienty announced to the class that we were going to make "Deer Yard Art" and that this was the first time she had given this assignment, I could tell that it was going to be difficult, but also enjoyable, and I couldn't wait to start on it. I did come across A LOT of problems, especially towards the end of the project - (I accidentally renamed all of my parts which broke their links in inventor, so that made the models not show up anymore and I pretty much had to start all over), and I still don't have the hang of assembly constraints - but I eventually fixed everything and I think that my project turned out very nice overall. I really hope that we can do more of these creative projects in the future, and maybe a hands-on model that we can create in real life.