SolidWorks Design Project 2017

Recreational Equipment

Casey Price
Engineering Design Technology
Temple City High School
Spring 2017
Introduction
The object of this project was to create a set of recreational equipment
containing at least 3 major components in a high amount of detail using the
software SolidWorks. The design must be able to compete with recreational
equipment currently on the market and be marketable to a specific
audience. Additionally, the SolidWorks design must utilize at least 5 different
appearance types portraying various materials. The project is intended to
familiarize students with SolidWorks even further and to demonstrate the
various stages in the process of producing a product on the market.
For my project, I decided to create an obstacle course similar to one
that would be used in the sports competitions American Ninja Warrior and
Rugged Maniac. The obstacle course would be intended to be attempted by
athletes with strong endurance who are looking to have fun.
 Research
For my research, I looked up popular
obstacles that are typically featured in
obstacle courses. I decided to
integrate 3 main obstacles that the
participant must bypass. The runner
will begin by climbing up stairs so they
are on the second level of the
structure. The first obstacle is similar to
The Ringer in Rugged Maniac, in which
the runner must make their way across
a pool of water using rows of pull-up
rings suspended in the air as monkey
bars.
The pull-up rings will
be held up by chains.
 Research
The next stage in the obstacle course
is going down a spiral tubular tunnel,
where they will be released to ground
level.

Finally, the participant must cross a

12-foot high wall consisting of rows of
standard 15-inch diameter tires. The The tire wall will
runners objective is to climb over the be arranged 4x4
similar to this
wall using the tires as hand- and example.
foot-holds.

The color scheme for the course will

feature wilderness tones, so the
obstacle colors will be nature-themed.
 Isometric Sketches I sketched isometric
drawings of what
The rings will be held up each component of
with chains attached to
horizontal metal poles.
the obstacle course
would look like in a
3D space.
The slides
material will
When the runner gets
be plastic.
past the rings, they will
jump onto this platform,
where the slide will
subsequently be
situated.

The slide will

A pool filled with water
spiral down in
will be underneath the
The runner will begin this fashion.
obstacle to catch the
the obstacle course by
runner if they fall.
climbing these steps.
Isometric Sketches
The structure will be
framed by wooden
beams.

The tires are stacked on

top of one another to
allow the runner to
climb up and down

The tires will have to be

strapped together to
provide stability.
Update #1

In the first week on working on this project, I

created the tire wall obstacle in SolidWorks.
I first had to create a single tire, then pattern
it so the tires would form a 4x4 layout.
 Building the Tire
Pic of basic fillets
shape

I first made a basic cylindrical shape for Using the Fillet feature, I
the tire by sketching two circles and rounded off the edges to
create a more realistic tire form.
extruding it 5 feet.
Making the Texture
I sketched the texture of the
tread on the tire and used the
Extruded Cut and Circular
Pattern features to create the
desired appearance.
Making the Texture

I used the Circular

Pattern and Mirror
features to imitate the
tread sketch around
the side of the tire and
to make diagonal
grooves on the filleted
edges.
Creating a Linear Pattern

Using the completed tire

(with an applied matte
rubber appearance), I
created a Linear Pattern
across so that there are
columns of 4 and up so that
there are 4 rows.
Goals for Next Week
Next week, I plan on:

Building the frame for the tire wall and

assembling it together
Creating the spiral slide
Beginning the pull-up ring obstacle
Update #2

In the second week, I altered the tire

wall, built the frame around the tires
that would give the obstacle its
structure, and finally assembled the
parts together. I also created the spiral
slide and began working on the basic
structure of the pull-up ring obstacle.
 Forming the Wooden Structure
I also extruded the
horizontal mast that
would rest on top.

Using the Extruded Base feature, I made

one vertical mast and mirrored it across a Final assembly of the frame
plane to create the second mast.
 Assembling the Tire Wall
Due to the large file size from so many
extruded cuts, I decided to reduce the
tire wall to 3x3 to reduce buffering in
the program.

Finally, I made an assembly

with the wall of tires and
the frame.
Tires rendered without
harsh outlines
 Making the Spiral Slide

To make the slide, I began by I used the Swept Boss/Base feature I then shelled the spiral body
sketching a Spiral with 2 with a circular profile to create the body to a thickness of 2 in.
revolutions and a height of 120 in. of the slide.
 Making the Spiral Slide
After making the shell, I used
the Extruded Boss/Base and
Extruded Cut features to make
the opening at the bottom of
the slide.
I created a square
extrusion around the
upper opening of the
slide and extruded a
circle to create the
hole.
Starting the Pull-Up Ringer

I started making the

structure for the pull-up
ringer obstacle. I first
extruded a rectangular
prism with its general size,
and made extruded cuts
to the component.
 Starting the Pull-Up Ringer

I extruded out a cylinder and

patterned it across the top
opening, which would become
the poles that the rings hang Another extruded cut and
extruded base later
down from.
Goals for Next Week
Next week, I plan on:

Making the chain and ring for the pull-up ring obstacle and patterning it
throughout the bars
Building stairs that lead up to the rings
Finishing any remaining details
Assembling the parts together into one file
Final Update

In this update, I wrapped up the

construction of the components and I
rendered them with a plain white
background and images from the
Internet.
Building the Stairs
I wanted to make a
simplistic design for
the stairs, similar to
wooden steps
leading to porches
or wooden play
structures.

I decided to make half of the flight

of stairs and mirror it to ensure
symmetry. I began by sketching
the first step and the diagonal
railing and extruding them.
 Referencing back to my original sketch, I
Building the Stairs decided not to do two flights because
the ledge the stairs lead onto was not
high enough off the ground for it to be
necessary.

Then, I patterned the steps along the railing to make 8

steps and mirrored everything to get the final result.
 Making the Rings
Next, I had to make the pull-up rings themselves,
which would hang off of the bars in the structure. I
first made the chains by using the Swept Boss/Base
feature on a Straight Slot shape, and twisting it 105
degrees. This allowed each individual chain to link to
the next when I made a Linear Pattern.
Making the Rings
I made a circular hoop
that would connect
the chains to the bars
in the pull- up ringer
structure.

Finally, I needed the handle that the user

would hold onto when passing the
obstacle. Again, I used the Swept Boss/
Base feature on a sideways D shape
and extruded a cylinder with a matte
rubber appearance across the horizontal
bar on the bottom, and filleted it.
Making the Rings
I got the three components I made
the circular hoop, the chain, and
the handle and made an
assembly to link them together. I
made sure that the hoop fit through
the topmost link in the chain, while
the handle was oriented to fit
through the bottom one.
 Assembly of the Pull-Up Ringer

I added the structure, stairs, and handle to one assembly

and used the Linear Pattern feature to distribute the
handle along the bars. My original sketch also featured a
pool below the pull-up ringer, but during production of
the component I decided that including the pool would
be impractical for selling it.
Renders Tire Wall

Tire wall fully

rendered against a
white background.
These two views
show the full size
and depth of the
composition.
Renders Tire Wall
Tread engraved
into the tire sides.

Front view and close-up of tires.

Tires are not hollowed out in order
to provide stabler footholds.
Renders Tire Wall

The Tire Wall rendered in different environments to display its ability to be integrated
into any outdoor area.
Renders Slide
Fully rendered spiral slide from
both sides. Mouth of the slide
opens out onto the ground.
Renders Slide
Spiral slide in different play structure
settings. Slide provides a fast way to
get from an upper level to the ground.
Renders Pull-Up Ringer
Front and back views of the pull-up
ringer.
Renders Pull-Up Ringer
Close-ups of the rows of rings.
Handles are a polished silver metal
and have soft grips.
Renders Pull-Up Ringer

The pull-up ringer rendered in

an outdoor background. The
component can easily be
placed in any open outdoor
environment and can be
connected to other recreational
equipment to allow access to
and from ledges.
Conclusion
I feel that this project has taught me a lot about what I want to do in
the future. I found that I enjoyed constructing things in SolidWorks when I
actually knew what I was doing, and seeing the final rendered results was
very satisfying. I know I still have a lot of skills to improve on, and this
project has made me interested in taking the next level course of
Engineering Design Technology, Advanced CAD.
Overall, I think this project has truly taught me the importance of
planning ahead when making anything in a 2D space. Sketching out on
paper can be drastically different from actually sketching in a 3D CAD
program, which can cause complications if not considered thoroughly
enough. I hope that I can use the skills I gained when working on this
project for future endeavors, and that I can get even better in SolidWorks.