LinkLab + CamLab

Draw a mechanism. Watch it move. Read the numbers.

Free and open-source teaching software for Mechanics of Machinery, from kinematics to dynamics. LinkLab is for linkages and CamLab is for cams. Both run in your web browser.

Open LinkLab Open CamLab
  • Free and open source
  • No install
  • No login
  • Works offline after the first visit

A crank-rocker and the path of its coupler point.

Two apps

Each app follows the order the topic is taught: from the drawing, through kinematics, to dynamics.

LinkLab showing a fourbar linkage with its velocity plot

LinkLab Linkages

  • Draw with compass, protractor and straightedge, then build a linkage on top.
  • Position, velocity and acceleration of any point, plotted over the cycle.
  • Dynamics: joint forces and input torque, held still or running at speed with inertia.
  • Shaking force and moment, balanced with counterweights.
  • Export the links as DXF for SolidWorks or Inventor.
Open LinkLab Download v0.11.0
CamLab showing a disk cam with its SVAJ plots

CamLab Cams

  • The graphical method step by step, next to the exact profile.
  • Motion laws from constant velocity to polynomials, with SVAJ plots.
  • Dynamics: cam force and torque, spring and preload, and follower jump at speed.
  • Pressure angle and radius of curvature for sizing the cam.
  • Export a DXF spline, profile points, or an STL for 3-D printing.
Open CamLab Download v0.3.0

For teachers

Made for a Mechanics of Machinery course and used in class.

One file per app

Download LinkLab.html or CamLab.html and share it with your class. It opens with a double-click and needs no internet.

Works on iPad

Open the app in Safari. To keep it, choose Share › Add to Home Screen.

Basic and Advanced

Start with motion only. Switch to Advanced when the class reaches forces, balancing and cam sizing.

Files stay with you

Designs are saved as files on your own device. The apps send nothing anywhere and need no account.

These are teaching aids. Check important results independently before using them to design a real machine.

Open source

LinkLab and CamLab are free software under the GNU General Public License v3. Read the code, report a problem or suggest a change on GitHub.

Using them in teaching material or a paper? Use Cite this repository on the GitHub page.

Source on GitHub Report a problem

Support the work

The apps are free and will stay free. If they help your teaching or your study, you can support their development on GitHub Sponsors.

♥ Sponsor on GitHub