Geneva Mechanism

The Geneva mechanism device, which is created using one of the Geneva Mechanism templates provided with the Vectorworks software, produces intermittent rotational motion of the driven part (index plate) while the driver rotates at a constant speed.

The recommended procedure to include a Geneva mechanism in an existing Vectorworks drawing is to create it in a separate document and then copy and paste it into the drawing and convert it to a group by selecting it and selecting Modify > Convert > Convert to Group.

The new file opens with a Geneva mechanism inserted by default. The Geneva mechanism’s properties can be edited from the Object Info palette.

Parameter	Description
Number of Points	Enter the number of points on the index plate
Center Distance	Enter the distance between the center of the index plate and the driver
Follower Dia.	Enter the follower diameter
Cam Clearance	Enter the cam clearance
Cam Dia.	Enter the cam diameter
Driver Dia.	Enter the driver diameter
Index Plate Dia. (Ref.)	Displays the diameter of the index plate
Follower Dist. (Ref.)	Displays the follower distance
Cam Cutout Radius (Ref.)	Displays the cam cutout radius
Lighting Holes	Select to place lighting holes on the driver
Number	Enter the number of lighting holes
Diameter	Enter the diameter of the lighting holes
Center Distance	Enter the distance between the center of the lighting holes about the driver
Show Center Marks	Select to place center mark symbols on the index plate and cam/driver
Show Center Lines	Select to draw the index plate and cam/driver with center lines

Geneva Mechanism

Parameter

Description