Rebuilding a cast triple clamp from a 3D scan
An Artec 3D scan of a motorcycle triple clamp, rebuilt as a parametric model in 37 sketches. Change a bore, the spacing, or the web, and the casting rebuilds around it.
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Use cases
Assemblies and mechanisms
Mate a robot’s legs and check their range
Vector mates each joint to the pulley that drives it, sweeps the hips and knees with Interference Detection, and adds limit mates before anything collides.
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Add a gear stage and check the ratio
Vector models the involute gear from module and tooth count, sets the center distance, adds the gear mate, and runs a motion study through both stages.
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Repair downstream after a component swap
When an upstream part changes, Vector lists every joint, projection, and extent that depended on it, repairs the unambiguous ones, and asks about the rest.
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Calculations, drawings, and BOMs
Check a gearbox against a new motor’s peak torque
Vector reads the gear, shaft, and bearing geometry from the assembly, runs the stress and life calculations in Python, and tells you which parts won’t survive the change.
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Make a shop drawing from the model
Vector places the views on a standard sheet, dimensions every feature once, calls out holes and slots, fills in the title block, and exports a PDF.
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Build a bill of materials you can order from
Vector reads every component, separates purchased parts from the ones you make, fills in part numbers, and exports a BOM with quantities for the build you’re planning.
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Batch the drawing package
Vector builds the drawing package from the assembly with views, scale, and a sheet index. Every drawing stays associated with the model.
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Create third-angle drawings
Vector places the views, adds diameter and angular dimensions, and reports anything Fusion can’t produce on the sheet.
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Batch export every body
Vector writes a STEP file for each visible solid, with consistent names and an index, and leaves the design unchanged.
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Printed parts and enclosures
Design a sealed enclosure around a circuit board
Vector measures the board’s outline, mounting holes, and tallest parts, then models a gasketed case with inserts, sealed connectors, and cable glands, and checks every clearance before you print.
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Design a printed tool station
Vector sizes the holster, battery docks, and bit sockets from your measurements with print clearances, checks the fit against reference bodies, and orients the part so it prints without supports.
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Turn a mesh into an editable solid
Vector converts the mesh, rebuilds planar and cylindrical regions as true faces, and keeps critical interfaces such as bores and flats.
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Design changes and repair
Resize a part inside an assembly
Vector checks how the part is dimensioned and which joints depend on it before changing the width, so the slots, holes, and mating parts end up where you intended.
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Fix a timeline after a design change
Vector finds the first feature that failed, reselects its lost reference by geometry, and recomputes the rest of the timeline without reverting your edit.
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Fix yellow and red features
Vector finds the earliest unhealthy feature in the timeline, repairs it, and recomputes everything downstream.
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Repair a failed fillet
When one edge fillets and its match fails, Vector compares the two, rebuilds the failing feature, and leaves the rest of the body unchanged.
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Recover lost references
Vector relinks broken sketches and features to stable planes and axes, and asks before choosing between ambiguous faces.
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Sketches, part families, and questions
Model a part from a hand sketch
Vector inserts the photo as a canvas, scales it from a known dimension, and builds a fully constrained part with the hole spacing as a user parameter.
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Make a part family with a design table
Vector drives the changing dimensions from equations, builds each size as a configuration, places them in an assembly, and exports a file for each size.
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Fully constrain a sketch
Vector adds the geometric constraints and driving dimensions the profile needs, without falling back on Fix constraints.
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Pattern repeated geometry
Vector detects repeated geometry and replaces the copies with a pattern driven by your parameters, so it updates when the design grows.
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Answer “how do I” in Fusion
Vector shows the missing step on the design you have open, then makes the edit if you want it.
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Case studies
Designing a four-speed dog-clutch gearbox from a brief
A four-speed gearbox designed from a written brief: 93 solids, with all four ratios measured from the assembly in motion.
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Modeling NASA HUNCH’s heat-stake press from its drawing set
NASA HUNCH’s heat-stake press, modeled from its published drawing set: eleven custom parts, catalog hardware, and a working mechanism, checked against the sheets.
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Vector runs on Windows and works with Autodesk Fusion, SOLIDWORKS, and Bambu Studio.
Vector for Fusion, SOLIDWORKS, and Bambu StudioDownload for Windows
