Your first assembly
What an assembly is for, how parts get in, and why the first one should be fixed to the origin.
By the end you can
- Create an assembly and insert parts from one or more Part Studios
- Explain the difference between a Part Studio and an assembly
- Fix the first component so the rest of the assembly has something to build from
On this page · 4 sections
A Part Studio decides what parts are. An assembly decides where they sit and how they move.
Why both exist
It is a fair question — you already positioned parts relative to each other in the studio. The split exists because the two answer different questions:
- A Part Studio answers what shape is this and what drives it. Geometry is related by sketches and features.
- An assembly answers where does this go and how does it move. Parts are related by mates, and can rotate, slide, and be checked for collision.
A drivetrain modelled in a studio is rigid geometry. The same drivetrain in an assembly can spin its wheels and show you that the intake hits the lift at full extension.
Fix something first
The first component you insert should be fixed. Everything else mates to it, directly or through a chain.
Fix the chassis, not a wheel
Pick the part everything else hangs off — the drivetrain frame, usually. Fixing a wheel instead means the entire robot is defined relative to a thing that is supposed to spin.
A floating assembly is a confusing assembly
With nothing fixed, dragging any part moves everything in ways that look like a broken mate. If an assembly feels possessed, check whether anything is actually anchored.
Insert from the studio, not by copying
Parts inserted into an assembly stay linked to the Part Studio they came from. Change the part, and every assembly using it updates.
-
Insert the fixed base component — the chassis or main frame. Fix it.
-
Insert the parts that bolt to it, one at a time, mating each as you go rather than dumping them all in first.
-
Insert purchased parts from the supplier's public document — goBILDA and REV publish theirs. Link them; do not remodel them.
-
Check the instance list as you go. Every part should be named something a human recognises.
Next
Parts are in. Mates decide what they are allowed to do.
Finished this lesson?
Mark it complete to track your progress.