TABLE OF CONTENTS We have used standard drawing entities such as lines, arcs, two-dimensional profiles, and planar and cylindrical faces to construct design models up to this point. These models are, in most cases, used to fill the spatial and structural requirements in a machine. The modeling skills needed to construct them do not necessarily require a strong engineering background. However, most of key machine design elements such as cams, gears, and airfoils are either in the main kinematics/dynamics chain or under special aerodynamic requirements. Therefore, to model these key machine elements, knowledge of mechanical engineering sciences are essential.
In this chapter, we will first introduce basic curve-fitting methods and how to use them to obtain surface profiles and models; then we describe methods to model key mechanical components such as airfoils, implants, cams, and spur gear teeth.
