Center of Mass Analysis Tool

Feature requests
1

The problem that this feature will solve:

Being able to find the center of mass/CG of a part, body, or design.

Brief description of the outcomes that you expect from this feature:

If a CG analysis tool is turned on, it will show a CG point in space for the selection. Ideally this point can be selected in combination with other features in the model much like using the measurement tool and display the distance to CG from the selected point.
Possibly even display the CG point of the model when in a sketch plane and be able to snap sketches to the point.

What can’t you achieve without this feature?

I need the ability to determine that designs are balanced when the shape of the design is not symmetrical.

Example: I designed a large hanging basket for submerging parts into a cleaning solution.
The shape of the basket is deigned in a way that the user can easily access the basket without having uprights in the way on one side. This assembly hangs from a crane. I needed the ability to figure out the center of mass so that the basket hangs level when lifted, and modify the design as needed to center the mass.

Clean Basket
Clean Basket1920Ă—1151 144 KB

Side Question: When an item or multiple items is selected, does the Move/Rotate/Copy gizmo location default to the mass center or dimensional center of the selection? I’ve not tried to test and figure it out. I’m curious if the gizmo is partially doing this feature already.

Note: I realize that for multiple selections that this would assume all of the selections are using the same material for correct CG, since we can’t assign material spec’s other than appearance (yet? :slight_smile: )

4 Likes
2

For the side question:

It’s the dimensional center.

We don’t have material support yet, so the mass calculation is currently impossible.

1 Like
3

I was making an edit the moment you replied @Laci_K
CG would have to be based on the assumption all items are the same mass.

In the design above, the entire basket was made from 304 stainless steel, so general center of mass would’ve worked fine I assume.

1 Like
4

Nifty suggestion! This could be very helpful in locating the balance point (so to speak) in various axes (X, Y, Z, or custom). This would be a fun one to program, ultimately based on elementary physics.

5

Trying to find out if it was possible to calculate CG position, I bumped into this very single topic, nothing else.
Nathan might have meant “based on the assumption all items are made of the same material”.
That would be very useful! Designing parts according to the general CG of the assembly is very important in dynamic system.
Hopefully it does already exist, or close to future release :slight_smile: