nx5 cad cam
April 28, 2017 | Author: zekibalaban | Category: N/A
Short Description
Descripción: cad cam design...
Description
NX Design for the Experienced CAD User Student Guide May 2007 MT13150 — NX 5
Publication Number mt13150_g NX 5
Proprietary & Restricted Rights Notice
This software and related documentation are proprietary to UGS Corp. Copyright 2007 UGS Corp. All Rights Reserved. All trademarks belong to their respective holders.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
mt13150_g NX 5
Contents
Course overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Course objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . How to use this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lesson format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Learning tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Common symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Template parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Teamcenter Integration vs. native NX terminology Layer standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Implementing a layer standard . . . . . . . . . Student responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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17 18 18 18 18 19 20 21 22 22 23
NX part files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1 Introduction to NX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Gateway application . . . . . . . . . . . . The NX window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cue and Status lines . . . . . . . . . . . . Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using a template to create a new file Saving an unnamed template . . . . . Layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Folder Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use of existing part files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Open multiple parts . . . . . . . . . . . . Change the displayed part . . . . . . . . Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Close selected parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Exit NX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 1-2 . 1-3 . 1-4 . 1-5 . 1-6 . 1-7 . 1-8 . 1-9 1-10 1-11 1-12 1-13 1-14 1-15 1-16 1-17 1-18 1-19 1-20
The NX user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1 Toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2 Docking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 Customize and display toolbars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4 ©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
3
Contents
Selection Bar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saving toolbar configuration between sessions Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Example roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Choose a role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using the mouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . View shortcut menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Radial menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Graphics window view manipulation . . . . . . . Selecting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deselecting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preview selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . QuickPick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 2-8 . 2-9 2-10 2-11 2-12 2-13 2-14 2-16 2-17 2-18 2-20 2-22 2-23 2-24 2-26 2-27
Coordinate systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1 Overview of coordinate systems . . Absolute coordinate system Work coordinate system . . . The WCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Access WCS Dynamics . . . . . . . . Dynamic Handles . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 3-2 . 3-3 . 3-4 . 3-5 . 3-6 . 3-7 . 3-9 3-10
Sketch Task Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1 Sketcher overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Constraints overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sketch types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using sketches as base features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using sketches to modify existing features . . . . . . . . . Other applications for sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The sketch process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a new sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a sketch on an existing plane or planar face . . Create a sketch on a new plane . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reference direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Name sketches on the toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Name sketches using the Sketch Properties dialog box Sketches and layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Internal and external sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Making internal sketches external . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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. 4-2 . 4-3 . 4-4 . 4-5 . 4-6 . 4-7 . 4-8 . 4-9 4-10 4-11 4-12 4-13 4-14 4-15 4-16 4-17 4-18
mt13150_g NX 5
Contents
Sketch curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inferred Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Help lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Short list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Stopping string mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Using a mouse gesture to create an arc in string mode Object Type options in Profile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Input Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create lines parallel or perpendicular to other lines . Create lines tangent to curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create lines at angles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Snap Point options on the Selection Bar . . . . . . . . . . . Constraints recognized by snap point . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inferred Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Snap Angle option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sketch curve functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick Trim . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick Trim example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Quick Extend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make Corner . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fillet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Constraints basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Degrees of freedom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Degree-of-freedom arrows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geometric constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Types of Geometric Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Displaying constraint symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Show or remove constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dimensional constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dimension types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create inferred dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edits using the Dimensions dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . Retain Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Attach Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Convert To/From Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Evaluating and updating sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Creating inferred constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Deleting or suppressing sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
4-19 4-20 4-21 4-22 4-23 4-24 4-25 4-26 4-27 4-28 4-29 4-30 4-31 4-32 4-34 4-35 4-36 4-37 4-38 4-39 4-40 4-41 4-42 4-43 4-44 4-45 4-46 4-47 4-49 4-51 4-52 4-55 4-56 4-57 4-58 4-59 4-60 4-61 4-62 4-63 4-64 4-65 4-66 4-67
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Contents
Datum features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1 Datum Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Datum plane types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Datum plane options . . . . . . . . . . . . . Applications for datum planes . . . . . . Create datum planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . At Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . At Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bisector . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tangent to Face at Point, Line or Face Curves and Points, Three Points . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Datum Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Datum axis types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Datum axis options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Applications for datum axes . . . . . . . Create datum axes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Intersection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Curve/Face Axis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Datum CSYS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 5-2 . 5-3 . 5-4 . 5-5 . 5-6 . 5-7 . 5-8 . 5-9 5-10 5-11 5-12 5-13 5-14 5-15 5-16 5-17 5-18 5-19 5-20 5-21 5-22 5-23
Swept features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1 Types of swept features Extrude . . . . . . . . . . . . Extrude options . . . . . . Boolean operations . . . . Body types . . . . . . . . . . Sheet bodies . . . Revolve . . . . . . . . . . . . Sweep Along Guide . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 6-2 . 6-3 . 6-4 . 6-6 . 6-7 . 6-8 . 6-9 6-10 6-11 6-12
Part structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1 Part Navigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dependencies panel . . . . . . . . . Details panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Preview panel . . . . . . . . . . . . . Timestamp order . . . . . . . . . . . Part Navigator shortcut menu Feature playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reorder features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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. 7-2 . 7-3 . 7-4 . 7-5 . 7-6 . 7-7 . 7-9 7-10
mt13150_g NX 5
Contents
Information . . . . . . . . Referenced expressions Distance . . . . . . . . . . Mass properties . . . . . Delayed updates . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . .
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7-11 7-12 7-13 7-14 7-15 7-16 7-17
Using sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1 Drag sketch objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drag multiple curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drag a point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drag to assist constraining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create an alternate solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create an alternate solution for tangent circles . . . . . . Create an alternate solution for a line tangent to an arc Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reattach sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sketch timestamp and dependencies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirror sketch curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 8-2 . 8-3 . 8-4 . 8-5 . 8-6 . 8-7 . 8-8 . 8-9 8-10 8-11 8-12 8-13 8-14 8-15
Trim Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1 Trim a body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2 Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3 Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4 Swept feature options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1 Selection Intent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Curve rule options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Curve collection modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . Extrude with offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Two sided offset examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Start Offset Zero, End Offset Positive . . . Start Offset Zero, End Offset Negative . . . Start Offset Negative, End Offset Positive Single-sided offset examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Offset value too large . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Smaller positive offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Negative offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Extrude with draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Positive and negative draft angles . . . . . . Draft and the extrude direction . . . . . . . . ©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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Contents
Draft examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft with offset . . . . . . . . . . DesignLogic parameter entry options Reference existing parameters Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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10-17 10-18 10-19 10-20 10-21 10-22
Hole features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1 Features with predefined shapes . . . . . . . . Placement Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hole Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hole options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a hole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Positioning terminology . . . . . . . . . Positioning Constraints . . . . . . . . . Edit hole features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit a hole position . . . . . . . . . . . . Feature Dialog . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reattach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reattach Selection Steps . . . . . . . . Reattach Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . Change Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Add positioning dimensions to holes Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 11-2 . 11-3 . 11-4 . 11-5 . 11-6 . 11-7 . 11-8 . 11-9 11-10 11-11 11-12 11-13 11-14 11-15 11-16 11-17 11-18 11-19 11-20
Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Expressions dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . Expression list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Listed expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . Expression operators . . . . . . . . . . Conditional expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . Suppression by Expression . . . . . . . . . . . Suppress by Expression Procedure Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Distance options . . . . . . . . . . . . . Angle Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Measures and measurements . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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. 12-2 . 12-3 . 12-5 . 12-7 . 12-9 12-11 12-12 12-14 12-15 12-16 12-17 12-18 12-19 12-22 12-23
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Contents
Face operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1 Shell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a shell . . . . . . . . . . . Assign different thicknesses Shell options . . . . . . . . . . . . Selection Intent face rules . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Offset Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft types . . . . . . . . . . . . . Draft dialog box . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Associative copies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1 Instance Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Caveats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Array methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Rectangular instance array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parameters for Rectangular instance array Create a rectangular array . . . . . . . . . . . . Rectangular array example . . . . . . . . . . . . Circular instance array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Parameters for Circular instance array . . . Create a circular array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Circular array example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirror Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a mirror body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirror Body options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 14-2 . 14-3 . 14-4 . 14-5 . 14-6 . 14-7 . 14-8 . 14-9 14-10 14-11 14-12 14-13 14-14 14-15 14-16 14-17 14-18
Edge operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-1 Edge operations overview . . . . . . . . . Edge Blend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Edge Blend dialog box . . . The preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . Add New Set . . . . . . . . . . . . Resolve blended edge overflow Explicit Overflow Resolutions Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Variable radius blends . . . . . . . . . . . Tips and techniques . . . . . . . ©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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. 15-2 . 15-3 . 15-4 . 15-5 . 15-6 . 15-7 . 15-8 . 15-9 15-10 15-13
NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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Activity . . . . . . . Chamfer . . . . . . . . . . . Create Chamfers Chamfer options Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . .
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15-15 15-16 15-17 15-18 15-19 15-20
Introduction to Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-1 Definitions and descriptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Subassembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Component objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Component parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction to assembly load options . . . . . . Part Versions group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Load states . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scope group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Load Behavior . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Saved Load Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Assembly Navigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Node display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Icons and check boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . The Assemblies application . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Select components in the Assembly Navigator Identify components . . . . . . . . . . . . . Component selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Design in context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Displayed Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Use the Change Window dialog box . . The work part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assembly Navigator shortcut menu . . . . . . . Pack and Unpack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make Work Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Make Displayed Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . Display Parent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Save the work part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . File→Save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . File→Save Work Part Only . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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. 16-2 . 16-3 . 16-4 . 16-5 . 16-6 . 16-7 . 16-8 . 16-9 16-10 16-11 16-12 16-13 16-14 16-15 16-16 16-17 16-18 16-19 16-20 16-21 16-22 16-23 16-24 16-26 16-27 16-28 16-29 16-30 16-31 16-32 16-33 16-34 16-35 16-36 16-37
mt13150_g NX 5
Contents
Adding and constraining components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-1 General assembly concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Assemblies toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . Use the bottom-up construction method Add components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Move Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Assembly Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Constraint types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a Touch Align constraint . . . . . . Create a Concentric constraint . . . . . . Create a Distance constraint . . . . . . . . Create a Fix constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a Parallel constraint . . . . . . . . . Create a Perpendicular constraint . . . . Create an Angle constraint . . . . . . . . . Create a Center constraint . . . . . . . . . Create a Bond constraint . . . . . . . . . . . Create a Fit constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-1 General concepts concerning Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . Default Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Model Reference Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The Lightweight Reference Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . The simplified Reference Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . User defined Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reference Set information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replacing Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Replace Reference Sets using the Assembly Navigator Replace Reference Sets in context of an assembly . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Delete and Rename Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Load Options and Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From Search Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 18-2 . 18-3 . 18-5 . 18-7 . 18-8 . 18-9 18-11 18-14 18-15 18-16 18-17 18-18 18-19 18-20 18-21 18-22 18-24 18-25 18-26
Top-down assembly modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-1 Top-down design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-2 ©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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Contents
Create a new component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Verify the creation of a new component . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Considerations of selecting data during component creation Design in context of an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sketch in context . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Introduction to interpart modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Geometry types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Localized interpart modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Interpart modeling applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Part in process modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mold/die applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edit links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Mirrored Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 19-3 . 19-5 . 19-6 . 19-7 . 19-8 . 19-9 19-10 19-12 19-13 19-14 19-15 19-16 19-17 19-18 19-19 19-22 19-23 19-24 19-26 19-27
Interpart references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-1 General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . Types of interpart references . . . Overriding expressions . . . . . . . . Create interpart references . . . . Edit Interpart References . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Partial loading issues . . . . . . . . . Load Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tips and recommended practices Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 20-2 . 20-3 . 20-4 . 20-6 . 20-7 . 20-8 . 20-9 20-10 20-11 20-12
Component Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21-1 Component Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . Editing a component array . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Feature-based component arrays Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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21-2 21-4 21-5 21-6 21-8
Revisions and substitutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22-1 File Versioning/Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Revise a component and assembly using Save As The Part Modifications dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . Additional Assembly Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
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Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Partial Loading issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Close assembly component parts . . . . . . . Reopen component parts . . . . . . . . . . . . Substitute components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Substitute components using Substitute . Substitute components using Reopen . . . Substitute using the Assembly Navigator Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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. 22-9 22-10 22-11 22-12 22-14 22-16 22-18 22-19 22-20 22-21
Master model . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23-1 Assembly models . . . . . . . . . Master model concept Master model example Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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23-2 23-3 23-4 23-5 23-6
Introduction to Drafting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-1 Drawings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create new drawing sheets . . . Open a Drawing Sheet . . . . . . . Edit a drawing sheet . . . . . . . . Delete a drawing sheet . . . . . . Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monochrome display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . View Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Hidden Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . Edges Hidden By Edges . . . . . . Smooth Edges . . . . . . . . . . . . . Virtual Intersections . . . . . . . . Add a base view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . View creation options . . . . . . . Add projected views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Projection lines . . . . . . . . . . . . Preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Project view options . . . . . . . . . Edit existing views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dragging Views . . . . . . . . . . . . Removing views from a drawing sheet Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Utility Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Utility symbol options by group Create utility symbols . . . . . . . Delete utility symbols . . . . . . . ©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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. 24-2 . 24-3 . 24-4 . 24-5 . 24-6 . 24-7 . 24-8 . 24-9 24-10 24-11 24-12 24-13 24-14 24-15 24-16 24-17 24-18 24-19 24-20 24-21 24-22 24-23 24-24 24-25 24-27 24-28
NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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Contents
Create automatic centerlines on existing views Create a linear centerline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create a cylindrical centerline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dimensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Annotation Preferences . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dimension preferences and placement . . . . . . . Appended text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Tolerances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Text orientation and text arrow placement . . . . Editing an existing dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Text creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Entering text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Create leaders on notes and labels . . . . . . . . . . Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Text editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Text preview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing tools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Editing notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Helper lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Master Model Drawing Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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24-29 24-30 24-31 24-32 24-33 24-34 24-35 24-38 24-39 24-40 24-41 24-42 24-43 24-44 24-45 24-46 24-47 24-48 24-49 24-50 24-51 24-52 24-53
Additional projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1 Project 1 Project 2 Project 3 Project 4 Project 5 Project 6 Project 7 Project 8 Project 9 Project 10 Project 11 Project 12 Project 13 Project 14 Project 15 Project 16 Project 17 Project 18 Project 19 Project 20 Project 21 14
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©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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A-2 A-3 A-4 A-6 A-8 A-10 A-12 A-14 A-16 A-18 A-19 A-21 A-23 A-25 A-27 A-28 A-30 A-32 A-34 A-36 A-38
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Project 22 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-40 Expression operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1 Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Precedence and associativity Legacy unit conversion . . . . Built-in functions . . . . . . . . Scientific notation . .
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B-2 B-3 B-4 B-5 B-6
System Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1 Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Customer Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Customer Defaults levels . . . . . . . . . Setting Customer Defaults . . . . . . . USER, GROUP, and SITE directories Managing your changes . . . . . . . . . . Updating to a new release of NX . . . Interpart Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . File Versioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . File Versioning example . . . . . . . . .
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C-2 C-3 C-4 C-7 C-9 C-10 C-11 C-12 C-13 C-15
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Index-1
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Course overview Intended audience This course is suited for designers and engineers who already have experience with another CAD system and need to learn NX. Prerequisites Understanding of parametric modeling and the master model concept.
Course objectives After successfully completing this course, you should be able to: •
Open and examine NX models.
•
Create and edit parametric solid models.
•
Create and modify basic assembly structures.
•
Create and modify simple drawings.
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How to use this manual
How to use this manual The following guidelines describe how you can get the most benefit from your use of the course guide and the accompanying HTML activities.
Lesson format The general format for lesson content is: •
Instructor presentation
•
One or more activities
•
Workbook project Projects allow you to test your new skills without detailed instruction. Consult your instructor for additional information.
•
Summary
Activity format Activities have the following format: Step 1:
This is an example of a step. Numbered steps specify the actions you will perform. Action bullets detail how to complete the step.
Always read the Cue and Status information while working through activities and as you perform your regular duties. As you gain skills you may need only to read the step text to complete the step.
Learning tips •
Ask questions.
•
Confirm important facts by restating them in your own words. It is important to use your Student Guide in the sequence it is written.
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Course overview
Common symbols The student manual and workbook use special symbols as shown below. Design Intent – Information about the task and what must be accomplished. Tip — Useful information or advice. Note — Contains useful information that supplements or emphasizes the main points. Example — Shows a possible way that the current topic of discussion could be used. Caution — Contains important reminders or information about a task. Warning — Contains information essential to your success.
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Template parts
Template parts Template parts are an effective tool for establishing customer defaults or any settings that are part-dependent (saved with the part). This may include non-geometric data such as: •
A frame of reference, such as a datum coordinate system
•
Commonly used expressions
•
An initial application such as Modeling, Drafting, or Sheet Metal
•
Part attributes, for example, attributes for a parts list
•
Drawing formats
•
User-defined views
•
Layer categories
The following graphic shows the dialog box where you can choose a template.
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Course overview
Teamcenter Integration vs. native NX terminology Teamcenter Integration Term Item
Native NX Term Part
Item revision Dataset
Part revision Part file
Item ID
Part number
UGMASTER dataset UGPART dataset (specification or manifestation)
Master part file Non-master part file (.dwg, .mfg)
When you work in NX, you manipulate parts, part revisions and part files. These correspond to items, item revisions, and datasets in Teamcenter Integration and Teamcenter Engineering.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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Layer standards
Layer standards Parts used in this course were created using layer categories the same as or very similar to those found in the Model template parts. Layers provide an advanced alternative to display management (Show and Hide) to organize data. Layer categories in the Model template parts Layers 1–10 11–20 21–40 41–60 61–80 91–255
Category SOLIDS SHEETS SKETCHES CURVES DATUMS No category assigned
Description Solid bodies Sheet bodies All external sketches Non-sketch curves Planes, axes, coordinate systems
Implementing a layer standard You may implement or enforce layer standards using some of the methods below: •
Create NX Open programs to create a standard part organization and verify it upon release.
•
Use a macro to create layer categories: Tools→Macro→Playback.
•
Your administrator can enforce company standards by providing suitable templates. In this course you may use a layer organization method you anticipate using in your work.
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Course overview
Student responsibilities •
Be on time.
•
Be considerate of the needs of other students.
•
Listen attentively and take notes.
•
Ask questions.
•
Practice what you learn.
•
Have fun!
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1
Lesson
1
NX part files Purpose This lesson is a fundamental introduction to working with NX parts. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Start an NX session.
•
Create a new part.
•
Open a part.
•
Copy a part.
•
Close a part and exit NX.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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NX part files
1
Introduction to NX The first step in working in NX is to log on to a workstation and start an NX session. •
Your instructor will provide the steps needed to log in and start NX in the classroom.
After you start NX, you see the No Part interface. You can change defaults and preferences, open an existing part, or create a new part.
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Gateway application The tools in NX are grouped into a series of applications that support different major workflows, including creating geometry, building an assembly, or producing a drawing. Gateway is the first application you access when you: •
Create a new part.
•
Open a part that was saved in Gateway after NX 4.
•
Open a part that was last saved in NX 3 or earlier.
Gateway allows you to review existing parts. To create or edit objects within a part, you must start another application, such as Modeling.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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NX part files
1
The NX window 1.
Work and displayed part names
2. Main menu 3. Cue line 4. Status line 5. Resource Bar 6. View rotation triad 7. Rail
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Cue and Status lines The Cue and Status lines appear at the top of the main application window. • •
The Cue line provides specific information on what to select for the highlighted item in the dialog box. The Status gives you feedback and confirmation on what you selected. You can move the Cue and Status lines below the graphics window. 1. Choose Tools→Customize. 2. Click the Layout tab. 3. In Cue/Status Position, select Bottom.
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NX part files
1
Menus By default, menus display all available commands. You can display “folded” menus, showing only frequently-used commands. When you see folded menus, click the Expand button to display the full menu.
To display folded menus: 1. Choose Tools→Customize. 2. Click the Options tab. 3. Clear the check box for Always Show Full Menus.
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NX part files
1
Templates Use templates to create a new part. Choose File→New to select a template. Templates are grouped by types, such as model or drawing. Your system administrator determines the templates that are available. Use blank templates to create parts with no custom content. When you create a new part from a template, the part has a copy of all the objects in the template part and inherits all its settings. After you create the part, NX starts the appropriate application for the template the part was based on. For example, if you select a modeling template, NX will start Modeling. A default name and location for the new file is assigned, based on customer default settings for each template type. You can change the name and location: •
Before you begin work on the part.
•
In native mode only, when you save the part for the first time.
You can specify a master part to reference when you create a new non-master file. •
Choose File→New and define the attributes in the dialog box.
•
Choose Format→Database Attributes→Assign and define the work part’s attributes in the Attributes dialog box.
Benefits of using template parts •
Easy to use and help to enforce company standards.
•
Automatically start the appropriate application.
•
Simplify using master models by defining a master part reference as you create a new file.
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NX part files
1
Using a template to create a new file
•
On the Standard toolbar, click New
•
Click the tab for the file type you want (1).
•
Select the template you want (2).
•
(Optional) Enter the name and path information (3).
.
You can also enter this information when you save the part.
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Saving an unnamed template 1. On the Standard toolbar, click Save
.
2. In the Name Parts dialog box, notice the name of the first file for which you must provide a name (1). 3. Enter the name and press Tab to continue (2). 4. Optionally, use the browse buttons to help to define the name and/or path (3).
5. When you press Tab after entering a name, the template is checked in the list (4), the indicator moves to the next file that requires a name, and the OK button becomes active. If you click OK or press Enter before you have specified all names, files that are named will be saved, and unnamed files will not be saved. You will receive a warning. 6. When all files are named and optional path information is entered, click OK (5).
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NX part files
1
Layers Use layers to organize geometry. Use layer categories to organize and name layers. To access the Layer Settings dialog box, choose Format→Layer Settings. There are 256 layers in NX, one of which is always the work layer. You can assign any of the layers to one of four classifications of status: •
Work
•
Selectable
•
Visible Only
•
Invisible
The work layer is the layer that objects are created on and is always visible and selectable. When you create a new part, layer 1 is the default work layer . When you change the work layer, the previous work layer automatically becomes selectable. You can then assign it a different status. The number of objects on one layer is not limited. You may choose which layers to create objects on and what the status will be. Layer categories in the Model template parts Layers 1–10 11–20 21–40 41–60 61–80 91–255
Categories SOLIDS SHEETS SKETCHES CURVES DATUMS No category assigned
Description Solid bodies Sheet bodies All external sketches 1 Non-sketch curves Planes, axes, coordinate systems
1. You will learn the meaning of the term External sketches in a future lesson.
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NX part files
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Activity In the NX part files section, do the following activity: •
Create a new part
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NX part files
1
Folder Creation You can create a new folder from within the New Part File and Open Part File dialog boxes if you have write access to the selected parent folder. 1. Right-click over an existing parent folder in the folder tree list. 2. Select the New Folder option. You may also Rename an existing folder.
You cannot delete a folder from the New Part File and Open Part File dialog boxes. Default container The last folder used when creating a file will be the default folder when creating data later in your session. To change the default folder, select the Folder icon to change it.
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Use of existing part files NX parts have a .prt extension. Useful features on Windows file dialog boxes The Look in: list shows the name of the current selected drive or folder.
Up One Level works with the Look in: option menu to traverse back up through the folder hierarchy. Create New Folder option allows new sub-folders to be created in the current folder. View Menu allows the appearance of the listing in the window to be modified.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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NX part files
1
Open multiple parts You can open or load more than one part at any time and work on several parts concurrently. There are two identifiers for loaded parts:
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Displayed
The part is displayed in the graphics window.
Work
The part is accessible for creation and editing operations.
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NX part files
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Change the displayed part You can have multiple parts open, or loaded, at the same time. Control which part is displayed in the graphics window by using Window on the menu bar. The Window option works in two ways: •
The list contains up to ten recently displayed parts. Select from the list to display a part.
•
Select More to display the Change Window dialog box. The Change Window dialog box contains a list of all components in an assembly structure as well as any loaded parts not contained in a loaded assembly.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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NX part files
1
Save As File→Save As allows you to save the current part under a different name and/or in a different directory. When you select Save As, a file selection dialog box displays asking for the new name and location. The name/location must be unique within the current directory. If you specify a name that already exists, an error message displays. The current part is filed under the new name, and the new part file name displays on the graphics window.
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Close selected parts Choose File→Close→Selected Parts to select parts to close from a list.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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NX part files
1
Activities In the NX part files section, do the following activities:
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•
Open an existing part
•
Save part as
•
Close selected parts
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NX part files
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Exit NX End an NX session by choosing File→Exit. If you modified any parts and did not save them, you get a warning message.
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NX part files
1
Summary In this lesson you:
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•
Started an NX session.
•
Created, opened, and saved parts.
•
Copied a part.
•
Closed a part.
•
Learned how to exit NX.
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Lesson
2
The NX user interface
2
Purpose This lesson is a fundamental introduction to the NX user interface. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Customize toolbars.
•
Save and restore toolbars by applying a role.
•
Select objects in the graphics window.
•
Manipulate the orientation of the work view.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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The NX user interface
Toolbars Each application has its own set of toolbars.
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The NX user interface
Docking •
You can dock toolbars horizontally or vertically in the NX window.
•
You can move undocked toolbars on your screen.
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The NX user interface
Customize and display toolbars
2
•
You can hide or display available toolbars for each application.
•
You can either display or hide available buttons for each toolbar.
•
For each toolbar you can add buttons from other toolbars, or remove them.
•
You can save and share toolbar arrangements for all or selected applications, using Roles.
Display toolbars
1. Choose Tools→Customize from the main menu bar. 2. On the Toolbars (1) page, select check boxes (2) to display toolbars and clear to hide them. Select Text Below Icon (3) to display names on the buttons.
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The NX user interface
Display toolbars using the shortcut menu
1. Right-click in the NX window but outside the graphics window (1) to display a shortcut menu of all toolbars. 2. Select the listed toolbar names to display toolbars or clear the check boxes to hide them (2). Empty check boxes are not displayed beside menu items that are not selected. You can also select Customize (3) to open the Customize dialog box.
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2
The NX user interface
Add or remove toolbar buttons
Toolbar options are an efficient way to turn on and off the display of buttons within a toolbar.
2
1. Click Toolbar Options on a toolbar and select Add or Remove Buttons.
2. Select a toolbar to modify, or select Customize to open the Customize dialog box.
3. Click an item with no check box to display it. Clear the check box to hide an item.
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The NX user interface
Toolbar options on undocked toolbars
Access toolbar options on undocked toolbars as shown below.
2
Dialog Rail
Dialog boxes open at a predefined location on the Dialog Rail. To ensure a consistent location and presentation of all dialog boxes, you can attach or “clip” most dialog boxes to a “rail” located along the upper edge of the graphics window. This prevents the graphics window from being obscured by dialog boxes. You can move the dialog boxes right or left, temporarily hide them, or unclip them if you prefer to have them float.
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The NX user interface
Selection Bar The Selection Bar consolidates various selection options in one convenient location.
2
1. Selection options to specify types of objects to select, for example, features only, instead of faces, edges, bodies. 2. Selection Intent options. 3. Snap Point options. 4. Annotation placement options, available in Drafting.
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The NX user interface
Saving toolbar configuration between sessions When you exit an NX session, the current state of your toolbars is saved by default. They will be the same when you start a new session.
2
You can control how this is saved: 1. Choose Preferences→User Interface. 2. On the General page, select Save layout at exit.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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The NX user interface
Roles As you define your own roles, you or your administrator can add them to a palette for others to share.
2
Roles let you control the appearance of the user interface in a number of ways. For example:
2-10
•
The items displayed on the menu bar
•
The buttons displayed on the toolbars
•
Whether button names are displayed below the buttons
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The NX user interface
Example roles NX comes with a number of example roles. These give you a choice of starting points as you customize toolbars to meet your needs. The roles palette includes these groups: •
System Defaults — generic roles for new and advanced users
•
Industry Specific — examples of configurations for various industries
•
User — exists after you save one or more personal configurations For those starting to use NX or those who use NX infrequently, one of the Essentials roles in System Defaults is recommended. For more information about any role, hold your cursor over its button.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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2
The NX user interface
Choose a role 1. On the Resource Bar, click the Roles tab
2
to display the palette.
2. Click the role you want or drag it into the graphics window. 3. Click OK to accept the new role.
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The NX user interface
Activities In the NX User Interface section, do the following activities: •
Toolbars
•
Roles
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The NX user interface
Using the mouse There are three mouse configurations in common use. The buttons are identified below.
2 1. Left 2. Middle 3. Right
On a two-button mouse, use the left and right buttons together when you need the middle button. On a three-button mouse, you can use combinations of mouse buttons. •
Use middle plus right buttons to pan.
•
Use middle plus left buttons to zoom.
Here is a summary of the various actions that can be performed using the mouse buttons. Mouse Button Left mouse button Middle mouse button
Action Select or drag objects. Click OK while in an operator. Press and hold down while in the graphics window to rotate the view. Hold down Shift and the middle mouse button to pan.
Right mouse button
Hold down Ctrl and the middle mouse button to zoom in or out. Display shortcut menu with various functions. Also display action information for currently selected objects.
Rotating mouse wheel Zoom in and out in graphics window. Scroll in lists, menus, and the Information window.
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The NX user interface
Here is a summary of things you can do by moving the mouse cursor. Over buttons on a toolbar
Display Balloon Help for the button.
Over buttons in a dialog box
Display the button name.
Over objects, features or components in graphics window
Pre-highlight objects based on the Selection Type Filter.
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The NX user interface
View shortcut menu When the mouse cursor is in the graphics window, but not over geometry, right-click to display the view shortcut menu. This menu lists frequently used NX functions.
2
Option Refresh
Refreshes the entire graphics window. Erases temporary display entities.
Fit
Fits the entire part to the view. Utilizes the fit percentage found in the Preferences→Visualization→Screen dialog box.
Zoom
Fits the view to a user specified rectangle.
Rotate Pan
Activates the rotate mode to rotate the view with the cursor. Activates pan mode to pan the view with the cursor.
Rendering Style
Specifies the method of shading and hidden edges in which the model is displayed.
Orient View Set Rotate Point Clear Rotate Point Undo
2-16
Description
Displays the current view in a canned view orientation. The original visualization settings and view modifications are retained. Active only in modeling view. Defines a point about which the model is rotated. The point may be defined on a curve, edge, face, or point in space. Removes a rotate point that was previously set. Removes the effect of the last single operation performed.
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The NX user interface
Radial menus When you right-click and hold, a radial menu displays buttons around the cursor location. These buttons differ depending what is beneath the cursor. As you learn the position of the buttons, just moving the mouse in the appropriate direction will choose the option. 1 — Shaded 2 — Shaded with Edges 3 — Studio 4 — Fit 5 — Wireframe with Dim Edges 6 — Face Analysis
You can also use the View toolbar to perform the view manipulation functions found in the view shortcut menu, and more.
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2
The NX user interface
Graphics window view manipulation You can rotate the view by dragging with the middle mouse button. Release the mouse button to stop rotating.
2
If the cursor is near the boundary of the graphics window, you can use inferred rotation about a horizontal, vertical, or normal axis. If the cursor is in the middle of the graphics window, the axis of rotation is determined by the direction in which you drag the cursor.
Other options to manipulate the view orientation are described below. Orient View button
Home key
Orients the current view to Trimetric.
End key
Orients the current view to Isometric.
F8 key
2-18
Modifies the orientation of a specified view to a predefined view. Changes only the alignment of the view, not the view name. This option can be invoked from the View toolbar or from the shortcut menu.
Orients the current view to a selected planar face or datum plane or the planar view (top, front, right, back, bottom, left) that is closest to the current view orientation.
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The NX user interface
View triad Click an axis of the view triad to restrict middle mouse button dragging to rotation about that axis only. Press Esc or click the rotation triad origin handle to return to normal rotation.
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2
The NX user interface
Selecting objects Use the Selection Bar to identify the types of objects you want to select.
2 You may either select an object first and then choose a function to perform, or, choose a function first and then select the required object. Use the selection Type Filter to control which type of objects you can select. The content of the list changes with the active NX function.
The General Selection Filters allow you to further restrict what type of objects you can select.
You can use toolbar options to add many additional buttons to the Selection Bar.
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The NX user interface
You can right-click an object and choose commands for the shortcut menu for the object type. The cursor must be over the object, and the object must be highlighted.
2 The shortcut menu changes depending on the object. The following shortcut menu is for a typical feature.
Options also vary with the application: Modeling, Drafting, Manufacturing, etc. If you right-click and hold over an object, a radial menu appears. The options vary depending on the object. The following radial menu is for a typical feature.
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The NX user interface
Deselecting objects You can deselect and object by holding the Shift key as you click it. To deselect all objects in the graphics window, press the Esc (Escape) key.
2
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The NX user interface
Preview selection Objects are highlighted in the preview selection color as the selection ball passes over them.
2
By default, Preview Selection is enabled. Turn it off by choosing Preferences→Selection from the menu bar. The color of preview highlighting is determined by the Preselection setting found under Preferences→Visualization→Color Settings. When you hold the Shift key, the preselection color is applied to currently selected objects that you can deselect.
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The NX user interface
QuickPick When you select objects, more than one object will often be within the selection ball. QuickPick provides easy browsing through selection candidates.
2
If there is more than one selectable object at the selection ball location and the cursor lingers for a short period of time, the cursor changes to a QuickPick indicator:
This cursor display indicates that there is more than one selectable object at that position. Click after the cursor changes to display the QuickPick dialog box.
You can change the amount of time the cursor must be stationary for the QuickPick indicator to appear.
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•
Choose Preferences→Selection.
•
In the QuickPick group, change the Delay value (in seconds).
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The NX user interface
Use the middle mouse button to cycle through the items in the list and then click when the desired object is highlighted. Use the buttons in the dialog box to filter the list to include object types: • • • • • •
2
All Construction Features Body objects Components Annotations
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The NX user interface
Activity In the NX User Interface section, do the following activity: •
2
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Views
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The NX user interface
Summary In this lesson you: •
Modified the location and contents of toolbars.
•
Applied a role to restore saved toolbar settings.
•
Manipulated the work view orientation.
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2
Lesson
3
Coordinate systems 3
Purpose This lesson is an introduction to the coordinate systems that are used in NX. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Describe the absolute coordinate system (ABS).
•
Describe the work coordinate system (WCS).
•
Move the WCS.
•
Obtain geometry information relative to the WCS.
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
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Coordinate systems
Overview of coordinate systems You can define planes and coordinate systems for constructing other geometry. These planes and coordinate systems are completely independent of the viewing direction. You can create geometry on planes that are not parallel to the screen. A three-axis symbol is used to identify a coordinate system. The intersection of the axes is called the origin of the coordinate system. The coordinate values of the origin are X=0, Y=0, and Z=0. The figure below illustrates that, starting at the origin, the positive direction of each axis is represented by a line.
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This lesson describes the following coordinate systems:
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•
Absolute coordinate system (ACS)
•
Work coordinate system (WCS)
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Coordinate systems
Absolute coordinate system The absolute coordinate system, or model space, has the location and orientation coordinate of a datum CSYS and the working coordinate system in use when a new Model template is opened. The datum CSYS in the template is actual model geometry; however, the absolute coordinate system is a conceptual location and orientation. Other coordinate systems may be defined, but one particular coordinate system, called the work coordinate system or WCS, is used for construction. You can always return the WCS to the absolute coordinate system in any part, regardless of whether any geometric coordinate system exists with that location and orientation.
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Coordinate systems
Work coordinate system You can locate and orient the WCS anywhere in model space. The WCS is not itself a geometric entity; however, it can be positioned on an existing coordinate system entity. The WCS axes have identifying colors. X is red, Y is green, and Z is blue. WCS axes also have the letter C appended to the axis name.
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You must consider the location and orientation of the WCS when you:
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•
Create a fixed datum plane or fixed datum axis.
•
Create a rectangular instance array.
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Coordinate systems
The WCS You can access WCS options from the Utility toolbar or by choosing Format→WCS on the menu bar. Options available to manipulate the WCS include: Origin
Specify the location without changing the orientation.
Dynamics
Use handles to adjust the origin and orientation.
Rotate
Specify rotations in a dialog box
Orient
Use a dialog box with Dynamic, Absolute, Current View, and several other methods.
Change XC Direction
Use a dialog box with several options to specify the XC axis.
Change YC Direction
Use a dialog box with several options to specify the YC axis.
Display
Show or hide the WCS.
Save
Create a CSYS geometry entity at the current WCS origin and orientation.
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Coordinate systems
Access WCS Dynamics You can access WCS Dynamics in one of these ways:
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•
Double-click the WCS in the graphics window.
•
Click WCS Dynamics
•
From the main menu, choose Format→WCS→Dynamics.
on the Utility toolbar.
You can exit WCS Dynamics mode in one of these ways:
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•
Press Esc.
•
Click the middle mouse button.
•
On the Utility toolbar, click WCS Dynamics
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Coordinate systems
Dynamic Handles
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1
Translation
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Rotation
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Origin
Move the WCS (freeform) 1. Place the cursor over the origin handle (cube-shaped) on the WCS. 2. Drag the WCS to any location. Move the WCS origin to a point To move the WCS origin to a specific point: 1. (Optional) Use the Snap Point options on the Selection Bar to enable one or more point selection methods.
2. Indicate the snap or screen position to which you want to move the WCS. You can also use the point constructor
.
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Coordinate systems
Drag the WCS along an axis 1. Place the cursor over any of the three translation handles on the WCS. 2. Drag the WCS in either direction along the axis. Move the location of the WCS along an axis using a dynamic input box 1. Place the cursor over any of the three translation handles and click.
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2. Type a value in the dynamic input box. 3. Press Enter. Rotate the WCS 1. Place the cursor over any of the three rotation handles. 2. Drag to rotate the WCS around its axis. Dynamic input boxes indicate current angle and snap increment. Orient the WCS to an object 1. Select one of the WCS axes. 2. Select an object, such as an edge, to which you want to align the WCS. To specify a vector, in the WCS Dynamics dialog bar, click Vector Constructor
.
The WCS orients to be parallel with the object, without changing the origin coordinates. Reverse the direction of the WCS To flip the WCS 180 degrees: •
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Double-click one of the WCS axes.
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Coordinate systems
Activity In the Coordinate Systems section, do the following activity: •
The working coordinate system (WCS)
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3-9
Coordinate systems
Summary The absolute coordinate system is a stationary coordinate system that defines a fixed point in model space while the work coordinate system (WCS) is a mobile coordinate system that may be moved and reoriented as necessary to support other functions. In this lesson you: •
Identified the difference between the absolute coordinate system and the work coordinate system.
•
Relocated, rotated, and reoriented the WCS.
•
Reviewed the Point Constructor and CSYS Constructor.
•
Obtained geometry information relative to the WCS.
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Lesson
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Sketch Task Environment Purpose This lesson introduces the methods of creating a sketch. Objectives
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Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create a sketch.
•
Create sketch curves.
•
Apply dimensional constraints to sketches.
•
Apply geometric constraints to sketches.
•
Identify constraints.
•
Convert sketch curves and constraints to reference status.
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Sketch Task Environment
Sketcher overview The Sketch Task Environment, informally called the sketcher, is an NX application that you use to create two-dimensional geometry within a part. A sketch is a named collection of 2D curves and points residing on a plane that you specify. You can use sketches to address a wide variety of design needs. For example, you might create: • • •
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Detailed part features by sweeping, extruding, or revolving a sketch into a solid or a sheet body. Large-scale 2D concept layouts with hundreds, or even thousands, of sketch curves. Construction geometry, such as a path of motion, or a clearance arc, that is not meant to define a part feature. This lesson shows you examples of sketches that define features.
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Sketch Task Environment
Constraints overview Sketcher tools let you fully capture your design intent through geometric and dimensional relationships that we refer to collectively as constraints. Use constraints to create parameter-driven designs that you can update easily and predictably. Sketcher evaluates constraints as you work to update geometry and to ensure that they do not conflict. A fully constrained sketch has as many constraints as there are degrees of freedom in the sketch, so that there can be no ambiguity in the final shape. While it is not required, UGS recommends that you fully constrain sketches that define feature profiles. Sketcher also offers you the flexibility to create as many, or as few, constraints as your design requires. That means you can use Sketcher to create wireframe drawings that can serve a wide variety of up-front design purposes, and are not meant for downstream processing. Optional toolbar buttons, Inferred Constraints, which opens the Inferred Constraints dialog box, and Create Inferred Constraints, which is hidden and active by default, allow you to mix constrained and unconstrained geometry in a single sketch.
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Sketch Task Environment
Sketch types When you create a sketch, you can define its plane and orientation using one of two methods: •
Sketch in Place Use this option to sketch on an existing planar face or datum plane, or on a new datum plane.
•
Sketch on Path This is a specialized type of constrained sketch that you use to create a profile for a Variational Sweep feature, discussed in Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies. You can also use the Sketch on Path option to position a sketch for features like Extrude and Revolve. Select a target path and define a sketch plane location on that path.
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Sketch Task Environment
Using sketches as base features Does the sketch that you are creating define the base feature for the part? If yes, create an appropriate datum plane or datum coordinate system on which to sketch.
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Sketch Task Environment
Using sketches to modify existing features Is the sketch adding to an existing base feature? If yes, select an existing datum plane or part face, or create a new datum plane with an appropriate relationship to existing datum planes or part geometry.
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Sketch Task Environment
Other applications for sketches You will also find sketches useful in free form designs. Consider them for guide paths for swept features, or as section curves for free form features.
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Sketch Task Environment
The sketch process The steps typically involved are: 1. Select a sketch plane and horizontal reference. 2. (Optional) Rename the sketch. 3. Set your options for Inferred Constraints. 4. Create the sketch. Depending on your settings, Sketcher creates many constraints automatically.
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5. (Optional) Add, modify, or delete constraints. 6. (Optional) Drag the shape or modify dimension parameters. 7. Exit Sketcher.
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Sketch Task Environment
Create a new sketch 1. (Optional) Set the work layer for the sketch.
2. Click Sketch
.
3. Define the sketch plane. •
For a base feature, select an existing datum or create a datum CSYS from the Create Sketch dialog box.
•
For a detail feature, select a planar face of a body, a relative datum, or create a relative datum from the Create Sketch dialog box.
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4. Define a horizontal or vertical reference. 5. (Optional) Name the sketch. 6. Click OK.
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Sketch Task Environment
Create a sketch on an existing plane or planar face When you first create a sketch, you must define a plane on which to place the sketch curves. You can define the sketch plane as an existing planar face, relative datum plane, or a datum plane belonging to a datum CSYS. You can also create a relative datum plane or a datum CSYS from the Create Sketch dialog box. To create the sketch on an existing face, datum plane, or datum CSYS plane: 1. Select the planar face, datum plane, or datum CSYS plane. 2. Define a horizontal or a vertical reference. 3. Click OK.
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Sketch Task Environment
Create a sketch on a new plane To create a datum plane from the Create Sketch dialog box: 1. In the Sketch Plane group, expand the Plane Option list and select Create Plane. 2. Select the required method and objects to define the datum plane, or open the Plane Constructor
.
3. Click the middle mouse button to complete the step. 4. Define a horizontal or vertical reference.
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5. Click OK. To create a datum CSYS instead of a datum plane in the above procedure, in the Plane Option list, select Create Datum CSYS.
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Sketch Task Environment
Reference direction You must specify a reference object with which to determine the horizontal and vertical sketch directions. In some cases, such as with a datum CSYS, a direction reference object is inferred, but there must always be a direction reference object with a timestamp earlier than the sketch. The default reference direction is horizontal. If there is no linear object in the desired direction, you may specify a vertical reference. To change the direction of an axis:
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•
To reverse the direction of a sketch axis, double-click the vector conehead.
•
To specify a new direction, first select the axis to change and then select a straight object. The object is projected to the sketch plane to define the new direction. If you select a datum plane as the sketch plane, a Z axis is displayed. Change the normal of the sketch plane by double-clicking the Z axis.
In the following example, the shaded face (1) is specified as the placement face. An edge (2) is defined as the vertical reference. The resulting sketch orientation is shown on the right.
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Sketch Task Environment
Name sketches on the toolbar Give descriptive names to external sketches. Sketches are assigned a default name with a numeric suffix such as SKETCH_000, or SKETCH_001. You can rename any sketch to a more descriptive name. 1. On the Sketcher toolbar, select the name of the sketch.
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2. Type a new name and press Enter.
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Sketch Task Environment
Name sketches using the Sketch Properties dialog box 1. When you edit a sketch, from the main menu , choose Task→Sketch Properties. 2. Click the General tab. 3. Type a new name in the Name box. 4. Click OK. You can also access the Sketch Properties dialog box from:
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Over a sketch node in the Part Navigator, right-click and select Properties.
•
Over a sketch in the graphics window: right-click and select Properties.
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Sketch Task Environment
Sketches and layers •
The sketch environment keeps all objects created in or imported into an external sketch in the same layer.
•
If you edit an external sketch the work layer is set as the layer in which you created (or moved) the sketch.
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Sketch Task Environment
Activity In the Sketch Task Environment section, do the following activity: •
Sketch creation
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Sketch Task Environment
Internal and external sketches Sketches that you create from within commands like Extrude or Revolve are internal sketches. The parent feature manages access to, and the display of, internal sketches. Use internal sketches when you want to associate the sketch with only one feature. Sketches that you create independently using the Sketch command are external sketches, and are visible and accessible from anywhere within a part. Use an external sketch to keep the sketch visible or to use in more than one feature. Differences between internal and external sketches •
Internal sketches are visible in the graphics window only when you edit the parent feature.
•
External sketches are created in the current work layer. You can hide external sketches using the Part Navigator. Use Layer Settings for more advanced control over visibility of sketches.
•
You can access an internal sketch only through the parent feature. That is, you cannot open an internal sketch directly from the Sketcher environment.
•
You cannot use an internal sketch with any feature other than its parent unless you externalize the sketch. Once you make a sketch external, the former parent has no control over the sketch.
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Sketch Task Environment
Making internal sketches external To externalize an internal sketch, right–click the owning feature in the Part Navigator and choose Make Sketch External. NX places the sketch before its former owner in Timestamp order. To reverse this operation, identify the child feature by highlighting or the Dependencies group, right-click the child feature, and choose Make Sketch Internal. Make Sketch Internal does not appear if the sketch has more than one child feature.
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Sketch Task Environment
Sketch curves Create sketch curves using the Sketch Curve toolbar. Icon
Name
Function
Key
Creates a series of connected lines or arcs. Profile
The end of the last curve becomes the beginning of the next curve.
Line
Creates lines.
Arc
Creates a arc through three points or by center and end points.
Z
A
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Circle
Creates a circle through three points or center and diameter.
Derived Lines
Creates new lines from existing lines: parallel to a line, the midline of parallel lines, or the bisector of lines at angle.
Quick Trim
Trims a curve to closest intersection or to a selected boundary.
Quick Extend
Extends a curve to a nearby curve or to a selected boundary.
Make Corner
Extends or trims two curves to make a corner.
Fillet
Creates a fillet between two or three curves.
F
Rectangle Enables three methods to create rectangles.
R
T
Dynamically creates and edits splines. Studio Spline
Introduced in Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies. Fully discussed in Mechanical Free Form Modeling and Industrial Design with NX.
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Sketch Task Environment
Inferred Constraints As you create curves, the Sketcher can assign some geometric constraints. You can control which constraints are assigned by adding Inferred Constraints to the Sketch Constraints toolbar. When you preview a constraint, click the middle mouse button to lock the constraint. Constraints are discussed in more detail later. If you need to create a curve without a constraint that would normally be inferred, hold the Alt key while you place the curve.
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Sketch Task Environment
Help lines Help lines indicate the alignment to control points of curves, including line endpoints and midpoints, arc endpoints, and arc and circle center points. Two types of help lines are displayed during the creation of curves: •
A dotted help line shows the alignment with recently-created or recently highlighted objects.
•
A dashed help line is part of the preview for an inferred constraint. As you create curves, dashed help lines are displayed for certain types of constraints, such as perpendicular and tangent.
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Sketch Task Environment
Short list Sketcher maintains a memory of five objects called the short list to check for: •
Inferred constraints.
•
Help lines.
Curves are added to the list as you: •
Create them.
•
Pass your cursor over a curve.
Additional notes about the short list:
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•
Lines snap normally along their length to short listed curves, which includes lines, arcs, ellipses, conics, and splines.
•
Lines, arcs, and circles snap tangentially along their length to the short listed curves, including lines, arcs, ellipses, conics, and splines.
•
To lock an inferred constraint click the middle mouse button. To unlock a locked constraint, click the middle mouse button again.
•
The short list is structured from top to bottom. When curves are created or passed over with the cursor, they are placed on top of the short list. When the list is full, the curve at the bottom is removed and a new curve is added at the top.
•
Sketcher clears the short list when you leave a curve option.
•
When Sketcher infers a constraint between an object on the short list and the curve currently being created, the short list object is highlighted and you see a preview of the constraint.
•
As you preview when you create a curve, all enabled constraint types (for example, Perpendicular and Collinear) are checked against the top object on the list. When a constraint condition is found, the constraint is previewed and the short list object is highlighted. If there are no valid constraints, the tests are repeated for the second object on the list, and so on until the bottom of the list is reached.
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Sketch Task Environment
Profile The Profile option lets you create a series of connected lines and/or arcs in string mode; that is, the end of the last curve becomes the beginning of the next curve. Here is a pipe vise profile that you can easily create with a series of mouse clicks using the Profile option.
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Sketch Task Environment
Stopping string mode Sometimes you need to create one or more curves that do not start at the previous end point. To do this, you need to break the current string of curves and begin a new string. When the Sketcher is not currently showing you an inferred constraint preview, you can stop string mode by clicking the middle mouse button. When you click the middle mouse button when an inferred constraint preview is displayed, the click locks the constraint. Press the Esc key while you are previewing a line or arc to cancel the preview and end the current string. If you press Esc again before starting a new curve string, you will exit from the Profile option.
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Sketch Task Environment
Using a mouse gesture to create an arc in string mode While you are creating a profile string you can transition from the default line creation to create a single arc by clicking and dragging. To change the type of curve to create persistently, click the Line or Arc button. When you transition from a line to an arc or from one arc to another arc, the quadrant zone symbol is displayed.
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The quadrants that contain the curve and its opposite vertex, (1) and (2) in the preceding illustration, are tangent quadrants. If you move your cursor out from one of the tangent quadrants, the arc extends in a tangent direction to the line or arc at its endpoint. If active in Inferred Constraints, you create a Tangent and a Coincident constraint. Quadrants (3) and (4) are perpendicular quadrants. Control the direction of the arc by placing the cursor inside of one of the quadrants and then moving the cursor out of the quadrant in either a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. If you move your cursor out from one of the perpendicular quadrants, the arc extends in a direction perpendicular to the line or arc at its endpoint. If active in Inferred Constraints, you create a Coincident constraint and a Point on Curve constraint between the arc center and the previous line. If you change your mind about which quadrant to sketch from, move the cursor back into the quadrant of your choice before you click to place the second point of the arc. ©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
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Sketch Task Environment
Object Type options in Profile Object Type Draws lines. This is the default mode when you initially choose the Profile option. Line
XY-coordinates are used for the first line you draw. Length and angle parameters are used for the second and subsequent lines. Creates a two point arc when you string from line to arc.
Arc
Creates a three point arc when the first object you create in string mode is an arc.
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Sketch Task Environment
Input Mode Input Mode Coordinate Mode
Lets you specify curve creation using X and Y coordinate values. Double-click the button to set and lock Coordinate Mode. Lets you specify a curve object’s parameters. Lines use Length and Angle parameters. Arcs use Radius and Sweep Angle parameters.
Parameter Mode Circles use a Diameter parameter. Fillets use a Radius parameter. Double-click the button to set and lock Parameter Mode.
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Sketch Task Environment
Create lines parallel or perpendicular to other lines 1. Define the line’s start point by entering parameters or click a location. 2. Ensure that parallel and perpendicular constraints are selected on the Inferred Constraints dialog box. 3. Pass your cursor over the target line for the constraint, then move your cursor until you see the appropriate constraint. A line can snap tangent to all types of curves or edges, including lines, arcs, ellipses, conics and splines, if the Tangent constraint is on in Inferred Constraints.
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Sketch Task Environment
Create lines tangent to curves 1. Define the line’s start point by entering parameters or click a location. 2. Ensure that tangent constraints are selected on the Inferred Constraints dialog box. 3. Pass your cursor over the target curve for the constraint, then move your cursor until you see the appropriate constraint. A line can snap tangent to all types of curves or edges, including lines, arcs, ellipses, conics and splines.
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Sketch Task Environment
Create lines at angles 1. Lock a parallel, perpendicular, or collinear constraint to the original line. After locking, the Length and Relative Angle input boxes appear. 2. In the dynamic input box, specify a relative angle and press Tab or Enter, Length Relative Angle
23.855 45.0
The new direction displays with a second, dashed help line. The angle is measured with respect to the previewed constraint line.
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Positive angles are measured counterclockwise. Negative angles are measured clockwise.
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Sketch Task Environment
Points You can create and constrain points as members of a sketch. From the menu bar, while a sketch is active, choose Insert→Point. If you use points frequently, you can display the Point button Sketch Curve toolbar. You can also create an Associative Point is not a member of the active sketch.
on the
that references an object that
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Sketch Task Environment
Snap Point options on the Selection Bar
Icon
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Name
Description
Enable Snap Point
Enables the snap point options so that snapping to points on objects occurs.
End Point
Select end points of lines, arcs, conics, splines, and all edge types.
Mid Point
Select mid points of lines, open arcs, and all edge types.
Control Point
Select a control point of a geometric object.
Intersection Point
Select a point at the intersection of two curves with one pick.
Arc Center
Select an arc center point.
Quadrant Point
Select one of four quadrant points of a circle.
Existing Point
Select an existing point.
Tangent Point
Select a tangent point on circles, conics, and solid edges.
Two-curve Intersection
Select the intersection point of two objects that do not fit within the selection ball by making two separate picks. 2
Point on Curve
Select a point on a curve.
1
1. Control points include existing points, end points of conics, center points of circles, end points and knot points of splines, and end points and mid points of lines and open arcs. 2. Two Curve Intersection supports the following objects: line, circle, conic, spline, and solid edge.
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Sketch Task Environment
Icon
Name
Description
Point on Surface
Select a point on a surface.
Point Constructor
Open the Point dialog box.
If none of the enabled point types lies inside the selection ball, you can click to create a point at the cursor location. Some snap point options are unavailable for certain functions.
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Sketch Task Environment
Constraints recognized by snap point The following constraints work in conjunction with the snap point options. That is, NX recognizes these constraints only if an applicable snap point option is selected. Coincident
Point on Curve
Midpoint
Point on String
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Sketch Task Environment
Inferred Constraints You can control which constraint settings NX automatically infers during curve construction by setting one or more of the following Inferred Constraints dialog box options. Geometric constraints Horizontal
Collinear
Vertical
Concentric
Tangent
Equal Length
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Derived Line only Parallel
Equal Radius
Perpendicular
Dimensional constraints
You can use this option to create an inferred dimensional constraint when you enter values in the dynamic input boxes for Profile, Line, Arc, Circle or Rectangle.
Inferred constraints behave like normally applied geometric constraints and can be seen and deleted using the Show/Remove Constraints dialog or the Delete option. You can temporarily disable all of the inferred constraints during curve construction by pressing and holding the Alt key on Windows or the Ctrl+Alt keys on UNIX.
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Sketch Task Environment
The Snap Angle option The Snap Angle option in the Sketch Preferences dialog box lets you specify the value of the default snap angle tolerance for vertical, horizontal, parallel, and perpendicular lines. The default snap angle is 3 degrees. The maximum value you can specify is 20 degrees. If you do not want lines to automatically snap to the horizontal or vertical directions, set the snap angle to zero degrees.
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Sketch Task Environment
Activity In the Sketch Task Environment section, do the following activity: •
Profile
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Sketch Task Environment
Sketch curve functions The Sketch Curve toolbar has several options you can use to modify curves: •
Quick Trim
•
Quick Extend
•
Make Corner
•
Fillet
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Sketch Task Environment
Quick Trim To access the Quick Trim command, do one of the following: •
On the Sketch Curve toolbar, click Quick Trim
•
Choose Edit→Quick Trim.
.
4 You can: •
Trim multiple curves with a left mouse press-and-drag operation.
•
Preview which portion of a curve will trim by passing the cursor over the curve. Trimming a curve that has no intersection deletes the curve.
Quick Trim constraints When the Create Inferred Constraints option is active, the Sketcher infers appropriate constraints after a trim operation. Constraint
Trim Operation
Concentric
An arc in the middle.
Coincident
Intersecting lines to an intersection point.
Point on Curve
A curve to a boundary curve.
Collinear
A line in the middle
Equal Radius
An arc in the middle.
Tangent
A curve at the tangent point of a boundary curve.
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Sketch Task Environment
Quick Trim example Use the Boundary Curve group in the Quick Trim dialog box to specify one or more bounding curves. In the example shown, both the arc on the left and the spline on the right were selected as boundary curves. With the cursor on the top line, (between the two boundary curves), the center section is previewed as the portion to be removed.
4 When a curve is trimmed, appropriate constraints are automatically created. In the previous example, two Point on Curve constraints and one Collinear constraint are added. If one of the boundary curves is later trimmed to the line, the Point on Curve constraint would change to Coincident.
If you trim an arc to a line that is tangent, the tangency constraint is retained.
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Quick Extend To access the Quick Extend command, do one of the following: •
On the Sketch Curve toolbar, click Quick Extend
•
Choose Edit→Quick Extend.
.
4
You can: •
Extend multiple curves by dragging the mouse over the target curves.
•
Preview which portion of a curve will extend by passing the cursor over the curve.
Use the Boundary Curve group in the Quick Trim dialog box to specify one or more bounding curves. Quick Extend constraints Sketcher infers appropriate constraints after an extend operation. Constraint
Extend Operation
Coincident
A curve to the endpoint of another curve.
Point on Curve
A curve to a boundary curve.
Tangent
A curve to a tangent point of a boundary curve.
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Sketch Task Environment
Make Corner To access the Make Corner command, do one of the following: •
On the Sketch Curve toolbar, click Make Corner
•
Choose Edit→Make Corner.
.
If Create Inferred Constraints is active, NX creates a coincident constraint at the intersection. The Make Corner command works with:
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•
Lines
•
Arcs
•
Open conics
•
Open splines — trimming only
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Sketch Task Environment
Fillet To access the Fillet command, do one of the following: •
On the Sketch Curve toolbar, click Fillet
•
Choose Insert→Fillet.
.
You can: •
Trim all input curves or leave them untrimmed.
•
Delete the third curve of a three-curve fillet.
•
Specify a value for the fillet radius, or preview the fillet and determine its size and location by moving the cursor.
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Sketch Task Environment
Constraints basics Constraints lets you precisely control the objects in a sketch. There are two types of constraints: •
Geometric constraints
•
Dimensional constraints
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Sketch Task Environment
Degrees of freedom In Sketcher, a curve’s location and shape are mathematically determined by analyzing the constraints (rules) placed on the sketch curves. The degree-of-freedom arrow provides visual feedback about the constraint status of a sketch curve. Each sketch curve type has different degree-of-freedom arrows when initially created. Curve
Degrees of Freedom Description Points have two degrees of freedoms.
Lines have four degrees of freedom: two at each endpoint.
4 Circles have three degrees of freedom: two at the center and one for the radius.
Arcs have five degrees of freedom: two at the center, one for the radius, and two for the start and end angle.
Other curve types, such as conics and splines, can have even more degrees of freedom. Please see the online Help for details.
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Sketch Task Environment
Degree-of-freedom arrows Degree-of-freedom (DOF) arrows mark points on a sketch that are free to move. These arrows assist you in constraining a sketch by showing you the directions you need to constrain for each point. When you constrain a point, NX removes the DOF arrow. When all of the arrows are gone, the sketch is fully constrained. There are three types of degrees-of-freedom: positional, rotational, and radius. Note that constraining a sketch is optional. You can still use an underconstrained sketch to define a feature. Constrain a sketch when you need greater control of the design. Also, applying one constraint can remove several DOF arrows.
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1 2 3
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This point is free to move in the X direction. This point is free to move in the Y direction. This point is free to move in both the X and Y directions.
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Sketch Task Environment
Geometric constraints A geometric constraint establishes a geometric characteristic of a sketch object or the type of relationship between two or more objects. You can: •
Define a line as being horizontal.
•
Require that two lines be parallel or perpendicular.
•
Require that several arcs have the same radius.
Unlike dimensional constraints, geometric constraints have no editable numeric values; a constant angle constraint, for instance, simply dictates that the line stay at the angle it is at when the constraint is applied. , select the objects, To create geometric constraints: click Constraints and choose the desired constraint from the dialog bar. Only icons for constraints that apply to the selected geometry are displayed. 1. On the Sketch Constraints toolbar, click Constraints 2. Select the objects. 3. Click the desired constraint on the dialog bar. Only icons for constraints that apply to the selected geometry are displayed.
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Sketch Task Environment
You may also choose a constraint from the shortcut menu after selecting the geometry.
4
To assign multiple constraints at one time, press the Ctrl key while selecting the objects. The dialog bar for the constraints remains active after you choose the first constraint. Use the middle mouse button or the Esc key to deselect the objects.
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Sketch Task Environment
Types of Geometric Constraints Coincident
Constrains two or more points as having the same location.
Collinear
Constrains two or more linear objects as lying on or passing through the same theoretical straight line.
Concentric
Constrains two or more arcs as having the same center.
Constant Angle
Constrains a line so as to remain in its current orientation without input of an angular value.
Constant Length
Constrains a line so as to remain at its current length without input of a length value.
Equal Length
Constrains two or more lines as being the same length.
Equal Radius
Constrains two or more arcs as having the same radius value.
Fixed
Constrains unchangeable characteristics for geometry, depending on the type of geometry selected. You can apply a Fixed constraint to an individual sketch point or to an entire object.
Horizontal
Constrains a line as being parallel to the FCS X-axis.
Midpoint
Constrains the location of a point to be equidistant from both ends of the curve. Select the curve anywhere other than at its end points.
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Parallel
Constrains two or more linear objects as being parallel to each other.
Perpendicular
Constrains two linear objects as being perpendicular to each other.
Point on Curve
Constrains the location of a point as lying on the path or projection of a curve.
Point on String
Constrains the location of a point as lying on an extracted string.
Scale, Non–Uniform
Scales a spline in the horizontal direction while keeping the original dimensions in the vertical direction during modification.
Scale, Uniform
Scales a spline proportionally in both the horizontal and vertical when the horizontal length changes.
Slope of Curve
Constrains a spline, selected at a defining point, and another object as being tangent to each other at the selected point.
Tangent
Constrains two objects as being tangent to each other.
Vertical
Constrains a line as being parallel to the FCS Y-axis.
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Sketch Task Environment
Displaying constraint symbols Constraint symbols are displayed when a sketch is active. Show All Constraints displays the symbols for all constraints in the active sketch. Fixed Fully Fixed
Constant Angle
Collinear
Concentric 3
Horizontal
Tangent 3
Vertical
Equal Radius
Parallel
Coincident
Perpendicular
Point on Curve 3
Equal Length
Midpoint of Curve 3
Constant Length
Point on String
Mirror
Scale, Uniform
Slope of Curve 4
Scale, Non-Uniform 4
Associative Trim 4
Offset
4 3
If the sketch view is zoomed out, some symbols may not be displayed. Zoom in to see them, or clear the Dynamic Constraint Display sketch preference.
3. Indicates constraints that are always displayed, regardless of the state of the Show All Constraints option. 4. Applies only to splines.
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Sketch Task Environment
Show or remove constraints The Show/Remove Constraints dialog box displays the geometric constraints that are associated with selected sketch geometry. You can also remove specified constraints, or list information about all geometric constraints. Controls which constraints are listed in the Show Constraints list window.
4
List Constraints for
Selected Object — Lets you select only one object at a time. Selecting a different object automatically deselects the previously selected object. The list window shows the constraints related to the selected object. This is the default setting. Selected Objects — Lets you select multiple objects by selecting them one by one, or at once using the rectangle selection method. Selecting additional objects does not deselect the previously selected objects. The list window lists the constraints related to all selected objects. This is the default setting when objects are already selected before you enter this dialog box. All in Active Sketch — Shows all the constraints in the active sketch.
Constraint Type
Filters the type(s) of constraints that are displayed in the list box.
Include or Exclude
Determines whether the specified Constraint Type is the only type displayed in the list box (Include is the default) or the only type not displayed (Exclude). Lets you control the display of constraints in the list window. Options are:
Show Constraints
Explicit — Displays all constraints created explicitly or implicitly by the user, including all non-inferred coincident constraints, but excluding all inferred coincident constraints created by the system during curve creation. Inferred — Displays all inferred coincident constraints that are automatically created by the system during curve creation. Both — Displays both explicit and inferred types of constraints.
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Sketch Task Environment
Show Constraints list window — Lists the geometric constraints of the selected sketch geometry. The list is subject to the Explicit, Inferred or Both setting. Those constraints that are inferred, coincident geometric constraints, (created automatically by the system during curve creation) are appended with an "I" symbol in parenthesis, as in (I). Remove Highlighted
Lets you remove one or more constraints by selecting them in the constraints list window and then choosing this option.
Remove Listed
Removes all of the listed constraints displayed in the Show Constraints list window.
Information
Displays information about all geometric constraints in the active sketch in the Information window. This option is useful if you want to save or print the constraint information.
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Sketch Task Environment
Dimensional constraints To choose the dimension type, on the Sketch Constraints toolbar, use the Dimension list, or choose Insert→Dimension. After you choose a dimension type, the Dimensions dialog bar is displayed.
On the dialog bar, click Sketch Dimensions Dialog access options in the dialog box.
if you need to
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Sketch Task Environment
Dimension types Inferred
Allows Sketcher to intelligently infer a dimension type, based on the cursor position and the object(s) selected.
Horizontal
Creates a distance constraint parallel to the XC axis between two points.
Vertical
Creates a distance constraint parallel to the YC axis between two points. Creates a distance constraint between two points.
4
Parallel
Perpendicular
Creates a perpendicular distance constraint from a line to a point.
Diameter
Creates a diameter constraint for an arc or circle.
Radius
Creates a radius constraint for an arc or circle.
Angular
Dimensions an angle.
Perimeter
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The parallel dimension is the shortest distance between the two points.
Constrains the collective lengths of selected curves of a sketch profile to a desired value. The curves allowed for selection with the Perimeter constraint are lines and arcs.
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Sketch Task Environment
Create inferred dimensions 1. Select one or more sketch curves to dimension. 2. Drag the dimension until it is the correct type; for example, horizontal or parallel. 3. Place the dimension by clicking. 4. Drag the dimension to the desired location. An expression is created for each dimension. The name (1) and value (2) of the expression appear in the dynamic input window after the dimension is placed. Type a new name or value, and press Enter.
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Sketch Task Environment
Edit dimensions To edit the value or the name: 1. Double-click the dimension. 2. Edit the value or the name in the dynamic input box. 3. Press Enter. To edit the position, drag the dimension.
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Edits using the Dimensions dialog box Name Value Position Text placement Leader side Text height
Type a new name in the text entry field. Type a new value in the text entry field or use the slider. Drag the dimension to new position. Select a different option from the option menu. Select a different option from the option menu. Type a new text size in the text entry field.
The name and value of a dimension may also be edited by using the Expressions dialog box. As dimensions are edited, the constraints are evaluated and the geometry is modified.
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Sketch Task Environment
Retain Dimensions When you exit after editing a sketch, the dimensions are normally hidden. You can retain the dimensions by selecting the Retain Dimensions check box in the Sketch Preferences dialog box.
4 You can retain dimensions only for the active sketch after you finish editing it. You may have a mixture of sketches with and without retained dimensions. Use this setting when you need to display dimensions for a sketch that is not active. For example, use it to see expression names as you edit or create other sketches or features. You can print of plot retained dimensions.
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Sketch Task Environment
Attach Dimension The Attach Dimension command detaches a dimension from the geometry it references and attaches it to other geometry that you specify. You can: •
Retain the value of the expression and resize the target geometry to match it.
•
Measure the target geometry and assign that value to the expression.
Attaching a dimension
1. Right–click the dimension and choose Attach Dimension, or choose Tools→Constraints→Attach Dimension and select the dimension.
4
2. Click the middle mouse button to alternate between the default, Object 2, and Object 1. 3. In the Settings group, set the Expression Mode to Remove Expression, Measure Geometry or Keep Expression, Adjust Geometry. 4. Select the new geometry.
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Sketch Task Environment
Convert To/From Reference Curves and dimensional constraints within a sketch may be converted to and from reference status. NX ignores reference curves in downstream operations like Extrude or Revolve. Reference dimensions update associatively, but do not control the curves they measure. To convert objects, do one of the following:
4
•
Select them in the graphics window and choose Convert To/From Reference from the shortcut menu.
•
On the Sketch Constraints toolbar, click Convert To/From Reference and use the dialog box.
•
Over a curve (or several selected curves) right-click and hold, and choose from the radial menu. Create reference dimensions by choosing Create Reference Dimension on the Dimensions dialog bar.
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Evaluating and updating sketches The Delay Evaluation command prevents geometry changes as one or more dimensions are modified. This option does not delay evaluation when you drag curves, or when you use Quick Trim or Quick Extend.
on the Sketcher toolbar or, from the menu bar, choose Click Tools→Delay Sketch Evaluation. The Evaluate Sketch command causes NX to evaluate the current sketch when Delay Evaluation is active.
4
on the Sketcher toolbar or, from the menu bar, choose Click Tools→Evaluate Sketch. The Update Model command forces the model to update without leaving the sketch function. The model is updated automatically when you exit from the sketch task environment. on the Sketcher toolbar or, from the menu bar, choose Click Tools→Update Model.
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Sketch Task Environment
Creating inferred constraints The Create Inferred Constraints option lets you make all inferred constraints active or inactive as you create and/or edit sketch geometry. Create Inferred Constraints is active by default. The button is available, but by default not displayed, on the Sketch Constraints toolbar. When you drag a sketch object you can make use of inferred constraints, such as horizontal or vertical. If the Create Inferred Constraints option is inactive, Sketcher still shows temporary help lines and uses constraints and snapping to place geometry, but it does not store the constraints.
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If the Create Inferred Constraintsoption is active, Sketcher creates and stores constraints selected in the dialog box. You control which constraints are inferred during the creation of curves using the Inferred Constraints
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Sketch Task Environment
Deleting or suppressing sketches Since sketches are features, you delete or suppress them by choosing Edit→Delete or Edit→Feature→Suppress. You can also delete or suppress sketches from the Part Navigator.
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Activities In the Sketch Task Environment section, do the following activities: •
Constrain a profile
•
Sketch and constrain a gasket
•
Constraint conditions
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Summary This lesson introduced the concept of creating a sketch. Sketches may be used to define a base feature, guide paths, and additional associative features to the base feature. A sketch parametrically controls curves. It is defined on a sketch plane which is fixed or associative to a datum plane or face of a model. Constraints are applied to sketch objects in order to capture the design intent. The number of constraints you choose to apply is determined by your design intent. In this lesson you: •
Created sketches on datum planes, solid faces, and a Datum CSYS.
•
Created freehand curves in a sketch.
•
Created and edited dimensional constraints.
•
Created inferred and explicit geometric constraints.
•
Converted sketch curves and dimensions to reference status.
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Lesson
5
Datum features Purpose This lesson introduces the Datum Plane and Datum Axis features. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create a datum plane.
•
Create a datum axis.
•
Use datum features to position other features.
•
Create a datum CSYS.
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Datum features
Datum Planes A datum plane is a planar reference feature. Use datum planes as aids to create other features, such as swept bodies and features at angles to the faces of target solids. Datum planes can be relative or fixed. Relative datum planes reference curves, faces, edges, points, and other datums. You can create relative datum planes across multiple bodies. Fixed datum planes do not reference other geometry. Use any of the relative datum plane methods to create fixed datum planes by clearing the Associative check box in the Datum Plane dialog box. You can also create fixed datum planes based on the WCS and absolute coordinate system, or by using coefficients in an equation.
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Datum plane types Select a plane type from the Type option list, or, click one of the frequently used plane type method buttons located below the option list.
You can right-click the sizing handles, direction arrows, and points to choose many of the following options. When you edit a datum plane, you can change its type, defining objects, and associative status. Inferred At Distance At Angle Bisector Tangent to Face at Point, Line or Face
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Determine the best plane type to use based on objects you select. Create a datum plane parallel to a planar face or another datum plane at a distance you specify. Create a datum plane using a specified angle. Create a datum mid way between two selected planar faces or datum planes using the bisected angle. Create a datum plane tangent to a non-planar surface, and optionally a second selected object.
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Datum features
Datum plane options Alternate Solution Reverse Plane Normal Associative
Cycle through the possible different solutions for the plane, when an alternate solution to the previewed datum plane is available. Reverse the direction of the plane normal.
1
Clear this check box to create a fixed datum plane. If you later edit a non-associative datum plane, it appears in the Type list as Fixed. 2
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1. Other ways to reverse the direction: Right-click the normal direction arrowhead and choose Reverse Direction. Double-click the normal direction arrowhead. 2. In the Part Navigator, an associative datum plane has the name Datum Plane, while a non-associative datum plane has the name Fixed Datum Plane.
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Applications for datum planes •
To define a sketch plane.
•
To serve as the planar placement face for the creation of features with predefined shapes, such as holes.
•
As a target edge for positioning features such as holes.
•
For the mirror plane when using the Mirror Body and Mirror Featue commands.
•
To define the start or end limits when creating extruded and revolved features.
•
To trim a body.
•
To define positioning constraints in assemblies.
•
To help define a relative datum axis.
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Datum features
Create datum planes The following examples describe methods of creating common datum plane types.
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Datum features
At Distance 1. On the Feature Operation toolbar, click Datum Plane Insert→Datum/Point→Datum Plane.
2. In the Type group, click the At Distance
, or choose
button.
3. Select a planar face, datum plane, or plane. 4. Do one of the following: •
Click OK to accept a default value of 0 (zero).
•
Type an offset value, press Enter, and click OK.
•
Select the handle, drag the datum plane to the desired location and click OK.
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Inferred is the most commonly used datum plane type. Other frequently used types are listed here.
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Datum features
At Angle 1. Click Datum Plane
.
2. In the Type group, expand the list and select At Angle. 3. Select a planar face, datum plane, or plane, to use as a reference for measuring the angle. 4. Select a linear curve, edge, or datum axis, that defines the angle’s axis of rotation. 5. Specify an angle using the dynamic input box or the drag handle. 6. Click OK.
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Bisector 1. Click Datum Plane
.
2. In the Type group, expand the list and select Bisector. 3. Select a planar face. 4. Select a second planar face. The faces do not need to be parallel. 5. Click OK.
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Datum features
Tangent to Face at Point, Line or Face 1. Click Datum Plane
.
2. In the Type group, expand the list and select Tangent to Face at Point, Line or Face. 3. (Optional) Specify a subtype; for example, Angle to Plane. 4. Select the required geometry for the subtype you chose.
5. (Optional) If it is available, click Alternate Solution tangent datum plane is previewed.
until the correct
6. Click OK.
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Datum features
Curves and Points, Three Points 1. Click Datum Plane
.
2. In the Type group, expand the list and select Curves and Points. 3. In the Curves and Points Subtype group, expand the list and select Three Points. 4. Set the snap point options as desired. 5. Select three points. 6. Click OK.
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Datum features
Activity In the Datum features section, do the following activity: •
Relative datum planes
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Datum features
Datum Axis Use datum axes as a reference when you create other objects, such as datum planes, revolved features, and circular arrays. Datum axes can be either relative or fixed. A relative datum axis is associative to one or more other objects. A fixed datum axis is fixed in the position in which it was created. Fixed datum axes are non-associative. You can create a fixed datum axis using the XC, YC, and ZC axes of the WCS, or by clearing the Associative option when using one of the relative axis types.
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Datum features
Datum axis types Select an axis type from the Type option list or click one of the frequently used axis type method buttons located below the option list.
When you edit a datum axis, you can change its type, defining objects, and associative status. You can right-click the handles and axis arrowheads to choose many of the options shown below.
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Inferred
Determine the best datum axis type to use based on objects you select.
Point and Direction
Create a datum axis from a point in a specified direction.
Two Points
Create a datum axis by defining two points through which the axis passes. Create a datum axis tangent, normal, or binormal to a point on a curve or edge, or perpendicular or parallel to another object. Create a datum axis at the intersection of two planar faces, datum planes, or planes. Create a datum axis on a linear curve or edge, or the axis of a cylindrical or conical face or torus.
On Curve Vector
Intersection Curve/Face Axis
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Datum features
Datum axis options Reverse Direction Associative
Cycle through the possible directions for the axis normal. Clear this check box to create a fixed datum axis. 3
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3. In the
Part Navigator, Fixed Datum Axis.
an associative datum plane has the name
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Datum Axis,
while a non-associative datum plane has the name
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Datum features
Applications for datum axes •
Define an axis of rotation for revolved features.
•
Define an axis of rotation for circular arrays.
•
Define a relative datum plane.
•
Provide a directional reference.
•
Use as a target for feature positioning dimensions.
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Create datum axes The following examples describe the creation of common datum axis types.
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Datum features
Two Points 1. On the Feature Operation toolbar, click Datum Axis Insert→Datum/Point→Datum Axis.
2. In the Type group, click Two Points
or choose
.
3. Set the snap point options as desired. 4. Select two different point locations. 5. Click OK.
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Intersection 1. Click Datum Axis
.
2. In the Type group, expand the list and select Intersection. 3. Select the planar faces, datum planes, or planes. 4. Click OK.
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Datum features
Curve/Face Axis 1. Click Datum Axis
.
2. In the Type group, from the option list, select Curve/Face Axis. 3. Select the linear curve or edge, or the axis of a cylindrical or conical face or torus. 4. Click OK.
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Datum features
Datum CSYS A datum CSYS contains a set of reference objects: •
A coordinate system
•
Three datum planes
•
Three datum axes
•
An origin point
On the Feature Operation toolbar, click Insert→Datum/Point→Datum CSYS.
, or from the Menu Bar, choose
The datum CSYS appears as a single feature in the Part Navigator but its objects can be selected individually to support the creation of other features, to constrain sketches, and to position components in an assembly.
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Datum features
Activities In the Datum features section, do the following activities: •
Cylindrical faces and datum planes
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Datum features
Summary Datums are reference features that are used as construction tools to assist in the creation of solid features and sketches in locations and orientations where planar placement faces do not exist. In this lesson you: •
Created associative datum planes and datum axes.
•
Used datum features to create and position form features.
•
Edited datum planes to see how associative features are affected.
•
Used datum axes and planes to define more datum axes and planes.
•
Created an associative datum CSYS.
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Lesson
6
Swept features Purpose Identify and create three types of swept features that use a section string to define a solid or sheet body. Objectives •
Create an Extrude feature.
•
Create a Revolve feature.
•
Create a Sweep Along Guide feature.
•
Understand and use Boolean options.
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Swept features
Types of swept features You create swept features by extruding, revolving, or sweeping a section string. The section string may be composed of explicit curves, sketch curves, edges, or faces. Extrude — Sweep a section string (1) in a linear direction for a specified distance.
Revolve — Rotate a section string (1) around a specified axis (2).
Sweep Along Guide — Sweep a section string (1) along a guide string (2).
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Swept bodies are associative with both the section string and the guide string.
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Swept features
Extrude Use the Extrude command to create a body by sweeping a 2D or 3D section of curves, edges, faces, sketches or curve features a linear distance in a specified direction.
6 The example shows a section of curves (1) extruded (2) with threads added to the final solid body (3).
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Extrude options Boolean options: • • •
Unite Subtract Intersect
Trim using: • • •
Faces Datum planes Solid bodies
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Swept features
To size an extrude or revolve: • • •
Use drag handles (1). Specify values in dynamic input boxes (2). Specify values in dialog boxes (3).
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Create constant offsets from the base section. For extrude only, specify draft. Use Selection Intent to modify the section when multiple possibilities exist.
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Swept features
Boolean operations Boolean operations let you combine previously existing solid and/or sheet bodies. You can apply the following Boolean operations to existing bodies: •
— Combine the volume of two or more solid tool bodies into Unite a single target body. The target body and tool body must overlap or share faces so that the result is a valid solid body.
•
Subtract target body.
— Remove the volume of one or more tool bodies from a
The target body must be a solid body. The tool bodies are normally solid bodies.
•
— Create a body containing the shared volume or area Intersect between a target body and one or more tool bodies. You can intersect solids with solids, sheets with sheets, and a sheet with a solid. You cannot intersect a solid with a sheet.
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You can edit the Boolean option after you complete the feature. Target and tool Each Boolean option prompts you to identify a target solid (the body you begin with) and one or more tool solids. The target body is modified by the tools, and the tool bodies become part of the target body at the end of the operation. You have the option to save unmodified copies of the target and tool bodies. Boolean error reporting If an error occurs during a Boolean operation, the operation is terminated and an error message displays the cause of the Boolean error.
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Swept features
Body types When you create an Extrude or Revolve feature, you get either a sheet body or a solid body. Solid bodies You get a solid body when you are using: • • •
A closed section, with the Body Type option set to Solid. A revolved open section, with the total angle 360°. An open section with an offset.
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Swept features
Sheet bodies You get sheet bodies when you are using: • •
A closed section, with the Body Type option set to Sheet. An open section, no offset. For revolve, the total angle must be less than 360°.
You can edit the body type. The result must be a valid body.
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Swept features
Revolve Use the Revolve command to create a feature by revolving section curves sketches, faces, or edges of a face about a given axis through a nonzero angle. The Revolve feature requires: •
A section (1)
•
A location and direction for the rotation axis (2)
•
Start (3) and end (4) angles You can also revolve a sketch by right-clicking it in the graphics window and choosing Revolve from the shortcut menu.
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If the section crosses the axis of revolution you may get unexpected results. The Revolve command uses the offset and Boolean options described in the Extrude section.
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Swept features
Sweep Along Guide Use the Sweep along Guide command to create a feature by extruding an open or closed boundary sketch, curve, edge or face along a guide (a path) formed by one or a series of curves, edges or faces. The Sweep along Guide feature requires: •
A section (1)
•
A path (2)
6 You are allowed to select only one section string and only one guide string. If you have a 3D smooth guide string, or if you want to control the interpolation, scale, or orientation, use Insert→ Sweep→ Swept instead. A unique and useful property of the Sweep Along Guide command is that you can sweep a section along a guide string that contains sharp corners.
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Swept features
Activities In the Swept features and Boolean operations section, do the following activities: •
Extrude a sketch
•
Sweep along an open guide string
•
Add a revolved feature
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Swept features
Summary Use swept features to define solid or sheet bodies using a section. A section can be a sketch, or a collection of curves and face edges. In this lesson you: •
Extruded a sketch.
•
Created various revolved features.
•
Revolved a feature with a Boolean Unite.
•
Swept sections along open and closed guide strings.
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Lesson
7
Part structure Purpose This lesson presents part creation methods, design intent, and physical properties. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Access the Part Navigator.
•
Playback model construction.
•
Suppress and unsuppress features.
•
Measure the distance between objects.
•
Assign a material and calculate mass properties.
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Part structure
Part Navigator The Part Navigator displays your part in a detailed, graphical tree. Use the Part Navigator to understand and update the part’s basic structure. You can select and edit the parameters of items in the tree. You can rearrange how the part is organized. You can view features, views, drawings, user expressions, measurements, reference sets, cameras, and unused items in the tree. To access the Part Navigator, click the
tab on the Resource Bar.
If the Resource is Bar is not visible, choose View→Show Resource Bar to show it. Main panel Use the main panel to see an overall graphical representation of your part’s structure, to edit the parameters of items, or to rearrange the feature history. You can: •
Double-click nodes to edit the corresponding feature.
•
Select features by their nodes during dialog box interactions.
•
Right-click nodes for shortcut options.
•
Select or clear red check boxes to control the visibility of bodies.
•
Select or clear green check boxes to control the suppression status of features.
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Part structure
Dependencies panel Use the Dependencies panel to view the parent-child relationships of the feature geometry selected in the main panel.
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Part structure
Details panel Use the Details panel to view, and in some cases edit, the parameters belonging to the feature selected in the main panel.
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Preview panel Use the Preview panel to see preview images of selected items in the main panel. The selected item must be one that has an available preview object, such as a saved design view, a drawing view, or a materials library texture.
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Timestamp order Use Timestamp Order to display a linear listing of all features in the work part as nodes in the order of their creation time stamp. When Timestamp Order is inactive, the main panel is in the design view. When Timestamp Order is active, the main panel does not include all of the nodes available in the design view, for example, body nodes, the Reference Sets node, and the Unused Features node.
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Part Navigator shortcut menu Right-click a feature node in the Part Navigator to display a feature specific shortcut menu. The options available depend on the type of feature you select. Many options require the Modeling application to be active. •
Display Dimensions — Display the feature’s parameter values until you refresh the display.
•
Show Parents and Hide Parents — Display or hide parent curves, sketches, or datums.
•
Make Current Feature — Insert new features immediately after the current feature.
•
Select Whole Branch — Select the feature and all nodes with earlier timestamps.
•
Filter — Simplify the display tree by hiding features by type or timestamp order. To turn off a filter, place the cursor in the Part Navigator away from a feature node, right-click and select the Apply Filter option in the shortcut menu to make it inactive.
•
Edit Parameters — Edit the feature’s parameters, the same as Edit→Feature→Parameters.
•
Edit with Rollback — Roll the model back to its state just before the feature was created, and then open the feature’s creation dialog box.
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Edit with Rollback is shown in bold type in the shortcut menu. In any shortcut menu, the option in bold type is the default double-click action. •
Edit Positioning — Edit the feature’s positioning dimensions, the same as Edit→Feature→Edit Positioning.
•
Suppress and Unsuppress — Temporarily remove and restore a feature display from the part history. A suppressed feature still affects some editing operations.
•
Reorder Before and Reorder After — Change the timestamp of features.
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Part structure
Creation order is important to permit use of a feature as a parent, and in the Replace Feature command. You can also drag nodes to valid locations. •
Group — Group features into a special collection called a Feature Set.
•
Replace — Replace a feature’s definition by another feature.
•
Make Sketch Internal and Make Sketch External — Internalize or externalize a sketch that is a parent of the selected feature.
•
Edit Sketch — Edit the parent sketch of the selected feature. This option appears only when the feature has a parent sketch.
•
Copy — Place a copy of a feature on a clipboard. This advanced option is covered in Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies.
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•
Delete — Delete the selected feature, the same as Edit→Delete.
•
Hide Body and Show — Hide or show the body containing the selected feature.
•
Rename — Append a user-defined name to the feature.
•
Object Dependency Browser — Explore the parent and child relationships of features.
•
Information — Display information about the selected feature in the Information window.
•
Properties — Open the properties dialog box for the selected feature. General properties include the feature name. Attributes you assign appear in a column of the Part Navigator. See the online Help for details.
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Part structure
Feature playback Use the Playback command to investigate a model. Choose Edit→Feature→Playback. Playback temporarily hides body features. It allows you to step through the construction of the model, one feature at a time. Playback does not suppress reference features or sketches. Playback provides an option to edit features during the update. Notice that the Edit During Update dialog box has several editing options. This dialog box appears when you update a model, if an error or warning event occurs and if one or both of the modeling preferences, Interrupt Update on Error and Interrupt Update on Warning, are selected.
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Part structure
Reorder features As you create features, NX assigns a time stamp to each one. When you modify a body, the update follows the order of the feature time stamps. A body can differ depending on the order in which features are applied. You can reorder the feature history in the following ways: •
Choose Edit→Feature→Reorder.
•
Over feature nodes in the Part Navigator, use the shortcut menu.
•
In the Part Navigator, drag and drop feature nodes. The example part consists of two extrusions, a blend, and a shell. You can edit the part topology by moving the shell feature in the history tree.
The shell feature is initially after the first extrude.
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The shell feature is after the blend.
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Part structure
Information The Information menu offers a number of options to obtain information about the model. Information→Feature Choose Information→Feature to open the Feature Browser dialog box. Use this dialog box to identify parent/child relationships between a selected feature and the other features in the model. You can display expressions that control the feature in the graphics window by selecting Display Dimensions. Click OK or Apply to display the Information window with the geometric data and associated expressions. Feature information may also be accessed by selecting the feature in the Part Navigator and choosing Information from the shortcut menu, or by selecting the feature in the graphics window and choosing Properties from the shortcut menu. Information→Object This is used to display information about selected objects in an Information window. Any type of geometric object may be selected including curves, edges, faces, and bodies. The Information window displays information such as name, layer, color, object type, and geometric properties (length, diameter, start and end coordinates, etc.). Information→Expression→List All This lists all expressions in the part in the Information window. From the Information window, you can print the listing or save it as a text file.
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Information→Expression→List All by Reference This is used to identify expressions that reference other expressions and the features that they define. You can use the Edit→Find option on the Information window menu bar to search for a specific expression.
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Referenced expressions If an expression defines a feature directly, the feature name is listed with it in the Expressions dialog box. Any expression can be referenced by the formula of other expressions. You can identify all referencing expressions by using List References in the shortcut menu. To use this option: 1. Choose Tools→Expression. 2. If necessary, change the Listed Expressions filter to list the expression. 3. Over the expression, right-click and choose List References in the shortcut menu.
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An Information window lists the features and other expressions that reference the selected expression. Expressions are discussed a later lesson.
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Distance Use the Distance command to obtain the minimum distance between any two objects such as points, curves, planes, bodies, edges, faces, or components. Choose Analysis→Distance or click Distance on the Analysis toolbar. After you select two objects, a temporary ruler and measurement result are displayed in the graphics window. Specify units for distance measurements in Analysis→Units.
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In the Results Display group, select Show Information Window to display result details in the Information window.
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Mass properties Calculate mass properties data by choosing Analysis→Mass Properties and selecting a solid body. The units for the results are determined by the setting in Analysis→Units.
Assign a density to a solid body by choosing Edit→Feature→Solid Density or by choosing Tools→Material Properties. Create a new material or select a material from the existing library.
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Part structure
Delayed updates As you add features to your model, it may take noticeably longer to update. You can delay updates until after edits are made. From the main menu, choose Tools→Update→Delayed after Edit, or, on the Edit Feature toolbar, click
.
•
If Delayed Update after Edit is inactive, the part is updated after the completion of each edit operation. This is the default setting.
•
If Delayed Update after Edit is active, feature updates are delayed while edits are made.
When Delayed Update after Edit is active and edits are made, Update Model is available. Choose Tools→Update→Update Model, or, on the Edit Feature toolbar, click . The model is updated automatically when the part is saved.
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Part structure
Activity In the Part structure section, do the following activity: •
Part structure
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Part structure
Summary In this lesson, you queried a model to determine the creation method and design intent. These skills are important to review parts created by other users. In this lesson you: •
Accessed the Part Navigator.
•
Identified expressions.
•
Reviewed the model construction using Playback, Suppress, and Unsuppress.
•
Measured a distance.
•
Calculated mass properties.
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Lesson
8
Using sketches Purpose This lesson explains additional sketch editing methods. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Drag sketch objects
•
Work with inferred constraints
•
Reorder sketches
•
Create an alternate solution
•
Reattach sketches
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Using sketches
Drag sketch objects A sketch does not have to be fully constrained; you may omit constraints that add no value to maintain your design intent. Dragging allows you to move under constrained geometry in the unconstrained directions. To drag a single curve or point move the cursor over it, click, and drag. For multiple objects first select curves or end points and then click and drag all selected objects. Objects that share sketch points with the object being dragged remain connected to the object and stretch to accommodate the movement. If an object has no freedom to move, you cannot drag it. In the example shown, L6 (1) is being dragged while L4 and L5 (2) stretch. L6 is constrained so it maintains its angular and length relationship.
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Drag multiple curves You can drag multiple sketch curves. In the example below, the two lines L4 and L6 (1) are selected to drag causing L5 and the upper horizontal line (2) to stretch.
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Drag a point You can drag a single sketch point. In the example shown, the sketch point V1 is being dragged. The lines that share the sketch point stretch. Their angle and length are modified.
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Using sketches
Drag to assist constraining You can drag curves to approximate the correct location before you constrain them. This is useful when constraining curves at their original location distorts the sketch, making it difficult to continue. Undesired Results
Distortion caused by the act of constraining.
Desired Results
Desired results when entire profile dragged from quadrant to quadrant.
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Create an alternate solution The Alternate Solution command lets you display alternate constraint solutions and select a result. Select a dimension or a curve as Object 1.
The example below shows how the geometry changes when you click Alternate Solution and select a dimension. The change is immediate. Simply click the dimension again to restore the previous solution.
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Create an alternate solution for tangent circles If you select a curve, Object 2 becomes active. You may then select a curve tangent to Object 1.
The example below shows how the geometry changes when you click Alternate Solution and select a dimension. Select the large circle (1) first and the small circle () second.
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Create an alternate solution for a line tangent to an arc Select the curves in any order.
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Using sketches
Activity In the Using sketches section, do the following activity: •
Alternate Solution
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Using sketches
Reattach sketches Place sketches on a planar face, a datum plane, or a path. The Sketch on Path option is discussed in Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies. The target plane, face, or path must have an earlier time stamp than the sketch. Sketches appear in the list of features presented when you reorder a feature. A sketch can be anywhere after its reference geometry. Use the Reattach command to: •
Move an existing sketch to a different plane, face, or path.
•
Switch a Sketch in Place to a Sketch on Path and vice versa.
•
Change the location of a Sketch on Path along the path to which it is attached.
•
Specify a new horizontal or vertical reference.
Reattaching a sketch 1. Open the sketch and, on the Sketcher toolbar, click Reattach
.
2. Select the target datum plane or face. 3. (Optional) Select a horizontal or vertical reference. 4. Click OK to complete reattaching the sketch.
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Using sketches
Sketch timestamp and dependencies The sketch plane and horizontal or vertical reference must have a timestamp earlier than the sketch. If you want to assign a new plane or direction reference using an object that has a later timestamp than the sketch, you can reorder the sketch or the reference object. 1. In the Part Navigator, right-click the column headings and, if necessary, select Timestamp Order.
2. Drag the object to reorder it to the timestamp you require.
If you attempt to create a circular relationship or position an object at an invalid timestamp, your edit will be rejected.
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Using sketches
Activities In the Using sketches section, do the following activities: •
Reattach a sketch
•
Reorder a sketch
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Using sketches
Mirror sketch curves The Mirror Curve command lets you make a mirrored copy of sketch geometry through an existing sketch line. Sketcher: •
Applies mirror geometric constraints to all the geometry associated with the Mirror operation.
•
Converts the mirror line to a reference line.
To mirror sketch curves: 1. On the Sketch Operations toolbar, click Mirror Curve
.
2. Select the mirror centerline. 3. Click the middle mouse button to advance to the next step and select the target geometry. 4. Click OK.
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Using sketches
Activity In the Using sketches section, do the following activity: •
Mirror sketch objects
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Summary You can drag sketch curves to other locations. Use alternate solution when more than one configuration can apply. Reattaching a sketch offers you design flexibility. In this lesson you: •
Dragged sketch curves.
•
Applied alternate solutions to obtain appropriate profiles.
•
Reattached sketches.
•
Reordered sketches.
•
Mirrored sketch curves.
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Lesson
9
Trim Body Purpose The purpose of this lesson is to learn to use the Trim Body command. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Use the Trim Body command to define the shape of a solid body.
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Trim Body
Trim a body The Trim Body command lets you trim one or more target bodies using a face, datum plane, or other geometry. 1. On the Feature Operation toolbar, click Trim Body
.
2. Select one or more target bodies to trim. 3. From the Tool Option list, select Face or Plane or New Plane. 4. Select an object with which to trim the target. A vector points in the trimming direction. If the sheet does not cut through a target body completely, the following message is displayed:
If the sheet does not cut the target body at all, this message is displayed:
If a message appears, correct the problem before you continue. 5. (Optional) Click Reverse Direction
to reverse the trimming direction.
6. Click Apply or OK to create the trim body feature. The Trim Body command retains all parametric information. You must select at least one target body, even when there is only one possible target.
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You can select a single face, multiple faces from the same solid body, or a datum plane to trim the target bodies.
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Trim Body
Activity In the Trim body section, do the following activity: •
Trim body
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Trim Body
Summary The Trim Body function removes part of a solid body. In this lesson you: •
Defined a solid body’s contour using the Trim Body function.
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Lesson
10 Swept feature options Purpose This lesson introduces draft, offsets, and applications of selection intent to swept profiles. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Apply Selection Intent to sections with intersecting curves and multiple loops.
•
Create an extruded feature with offsets.
•
Create an extruded feature with draft.
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Swept feature options
Selection Intent The Selection Bar has rules you can use when you select curves.
Use these rules to help you to select curves or edges: •
In fewer steps than selecting them individually.
•
When only part of some curves is needed.
•
When a rule can determine which branch to take at multi-curve intersections.
•
When future model development or edits may change the number of curves in the profile.
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Swept feature options
Curve rule options Single Curve
Individually select one or more curves or edges with no rule. Select a chain of curves or edges that share endpoints.
Connected Curves
No rule is applied if the chained curves are non-associative. This rule does not grow or shrink the chain if curves are added or no longer form a single chain after an edit to the model. Select a tangent chain of curves or edges. No rule is applied if the chained curves are non-associative.
Tangent Curves
This rule does not attempt to grow or shrink the chain if curves are added or no longer form a single chain after an edit to the model. Non-associative curves that are no longer tangent after an edit are not discarded. Collect all edges of the face containing the edge you select.
Face Edges
If you already selected an edge using another rule, you can select an adjoining face to define a collection with the Add All of Face rule. When you select an edge, the cursor location determines which face is selected.
Sheet Edges
Collect all edges of the sheet body you select.
Feature Curves
Collect all output curves from curve features, such as sketches or any other curve features. Use the default intent method for the type of object you select.
Infer
For example, with Extrude the default is Feature Curves if you select a curve, and Single if you select an edge.
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Swept feature options
Curve collection modifiers Stop at Intersection
Specify that auto chaining stops on intersection points of wireframe.
Follow Fillet
Automatically follow and leave fillets or circular curves during section building.
Chain within Feature
Limit the chaining to collect curves only from the parent feature of the selected curve.
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Swept feature options
Extrude with offset The Offset options lets you specify up to two offsets to the profile for extruded and revolved sections. You can assign unique values for both offsets. You can: •
Type values for the offsets in the Start and End input boxes in the dialog box.
•
Type values in dynamic input boxes in the graphics window.
•
Drag the offset handles.
Options None
Create no offset.
Single-Sided
Add a single end offset to the extrude.
Two-Sided
Add an offset with duplicate start and end values, measured from opposite sides of the section. The value for both start and end is determined by the last one you specify.
Symmetric
Add an offset with duplicate start and end values.
Start
Start the offset at the value you specify, measured from the section.
End
End the offset at the value you specify, measured from the section.
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Two sided offset examples The start and end offset values may be positive or negative. The positive direction is shown by the End Offset drag handle.
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Start Offset Zero, End Offset Positive
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Start Offset Zero, End Offset Negative
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Start Offset Negative, End Offset Positive
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Single-sided offset examples The single-sided examples are based on offsets to the section shown.
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Offset value too large If the end value becomes so large that a self-intersecting body is created, the preview disappears.
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Smaller positive offset In this example the offset is small enough to support a preview. The offset body is valid.
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Negative offset In this example the offset is negative, and small enough to support a preview. The offset body is valid.
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Swept feature options
Extrude with draft Use the Draft option to add a slope to one or more sides of the extrude feature, in one or two directions from the section. You can apply a draft only when the extruded section is planar. Option None From Start Limit From Section
From Section-Asymmetric Angle From Section-Symmetric Angle
Description No draft is created. Maintain the original size of the extruded section at the start limit. Maintain the original size of the extruded section at the section plane. Split the side faces into two sides at the section plane. You can control the draft angle separately on each side of the section. 1 Front Angle and Back Angle options appear; one pair with the Single option, and one pair for each set of tangent curves for the Multipleoption. Split side faces at the section plane, and use the same draft angle on both sides. 1
Maintain the original size of the extruded section, and split the side faces of the extrude feature at the From Section-Matched section plane. Ends Match the size of the shape at the end limit to that of the start limit, and vary the draft angle to maintain the matched shape at the end limit. 1 Single — Specify a single draft angle for all faces of the extrude feature. Angle Option Multiple — Specify unique draft angles to each tangent chain of faces of the extrude feature. Angle Specify a value for a draft angle. Examine the name and value for each draft angle. List
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The list appears when the Angle Option is set to Multiple.
1. Available only when the extrude extends from both sides of the section.
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Positive and negative draft angles If you look at the body with your eye positioned with respect to the draft vector as shown, positive draft angles (1) enable you to see the draft feature faces, and negative draft angles (2) hide the draft feature faces.
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Draft and the extrude direction This illustrates that draft is measured with respect to the extrude direction, and that the extrude direction need not be perpendicular to a planar section.
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Draft examples Draft examples are based on this extruded section.
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Draft with offset In this example, the draft option is From Section-Asymmetric Angle. The front angle value is set to 5° and the back angle value is set to 0°. The offset option is Two Sided. The start offset (1) is –0.2 and the end offset (2) is 0.2.
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DesignLogic parameter entry options Parameter entry options let you define your model parametrically as you specify feature values. To access the options, click
next to input boxes.
You may specify a value based on a: •
Measurement.
•
Formula.
•
Math or knowledge-based function.
•
Reference to an existing value.
•
Conversion of the above to a constant.
•
Recently used value that you want to use again
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Reference existing parameters 1. From the parameter entry options list, select Reference. The Parameter Selection dialog box appears. Initially, the list is empty. 2. Select an existing feature. The list is populated with the feature’s parameters and their descriptions. 3. Select a parameter (1). 4. Click OK (2). The parameter name now appears in the input box (3).
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Activities In the Swept feature options section, do the following activities: •
Extrude with offsets
•
Extrude using Selection Intent
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Swept feature options
Summary Selection Intent allows you to quickly specify sections by applying rules to complex set of curves. Offset provides an easy way to thicken simple sections or alter sections for revolved and extrude features. Extrude with draft simplifies your feature tree by combining draft features with extrude. DesignLogic speeds parametric modeling. In this lesson you: •
Applied selection intent to sections.
•
Extruded with offsets.
•
Extruded with draft.
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Lesson
11 Hole features Purpose This lesson introduces the hole feature, one of several features that can be constrained by positioning. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create hole features.
•
Position hole features.
•
Edit the parameters and position of hole features.
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Hole features
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Features with predefined shapes There are several features with a predefined form, each having different individual behavior and rules. In previous releases, these features were grouped together as Form Features. Features with predefined shapes include: • • • • • •
Holes Slots Bosses Pads Pockets Grooves
You can create these features by choosing Insert→Design Feature, or by adding them to the Feature toolbar.
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Placement Face All features with predefined shapes require a placement face. For all but the groove feature, the placement face must be planar. For a groove feature, the placement face must be cylindrical or conical. The planar placement face defines the X-Y plane of a local or feature coordinate system for the feature being created. Features are created normal to the placement face, and they maintain an internal definition of horizontal (along their local X-axis), and vertical (along their local Y-axis). You can specify a datum plane as the planar placement face. In the following example, the datum plane is used as the placement face for a hole.
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Hole features
11 Hole Use the Hole command to create simple, counterbored, and countersunk holes in a solid body. Holes features support automated feature identification in the Holemaking application. The remaining features with predefined shapes can be replaced by a swept sketch, or in some cases, by extruding edges. Use sketches instead of these features to greatly reduce the amount of information you need to learn in order to be productive.
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Hole Types
1. Diameter Simple
2. Depth 3. Tip Angle
1. C-Bore Diameter Counterbore 2. C-Bore Depth 3. Hole Depth
1. C-Sink Diameter Countersink 2. C-Sink Angle 3. Hole Depth
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Hole options Option
Description
Placement Face
Specify a planar face or datum plane.
Target Solid
Thru Face Filter Reverse Side Reattach
Available if you select a fixed datum plane for the placement face and more than one solid is present in the part. Specify that the hole goes completely through the target solid. 1 2 Depth and Tip Angle become unavailable. Optional. Any, Face, Datum Plane Available if you select a datum plane for the Placement Face. Not available when there is a Thru Face. Available only in edit mode. Change hole location and orientation.
1. If the hole intersects the through face more than once, the hole continues to the last intersection. If this is undesirable, you can split the face to limit the number of solutions. 2. If the through face does not completely intersect the hole, it is extended to include adjacent faces.
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Create a hole 1. From the menu bar, choose Insert→Design Feature→Hole, or on the Feature Operation toolbar, click Hole. 2. Select the Type: Simple, Counterbore, or Countersink. 3. Select a planar placement face. 4. (Optional) If the placement face is a datum plane, if it is necessary to flip the preview body to intersect the target body, click Reverse Side. 5. (Optional) Select a target for Thru Face. 6. Type the required parameter values. 7. Click OK or Apply. 8. (Optional) Use Positioning to constrain the location of the hole.
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Positioning Positioning provides dimensional constraints to locate features with predefined shapes relative to existing curves, solid geometry, datum planes, and datum axes. Positioning is optional, but it is recommended to achieve associativity. Only the dimension types that apply to the feature being creating are displayed. The types of curves that are selectable may be limited, based on the type of positioning dimension being defined. The illustration below shows the Positioning dialog box configuration for a Hole feature. An advanced form feature, User Defined, can be based on a sketch. In that situation, use positioning to locate the sketch, so that positioning is available to locate the user defined feature.
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Positioning terminology •
Fully Specified — The feature is uniquely located by the positioning dimensions specified.
•
Underspecified — The feature position is not completely constrained.
•
Overspecified — The feature has had more positioning constraints applied to it than are necessary.
•
Target Solid — The solid body that a Boolean operation acts upon. It is the solid body that the hole, slot, pocket or groove will subtract from, or a boss or pad will unite with.
•
Target edge — An edge on the target solid that is selected for positioning purposes.
•
Tool solid — The solid representation of the feature being defined by the current operation. In the body that will be subtracted from or united with the target solid to define a hole, slot, pocket, pad, boss, or groove .
•
Tool edge — An edge on the tool solid that is selected for positioning purposes.
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Positioning Constraints All measurements are taken between two points or objects. The first point or object is on the target solid. The second is on the tool solid. Constraint Horizontal Vertical Parallel
Specifies the shortest distance between two points.
Perpendicular
Specifies the shortest distance between a linear edge, datum plane, or axis, and a point.
Parallel at a Distance Angular Point onto Point Point onto Line Line onto Line
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Description Specifies the distance between two points, measured along a selected Horizontal Reference. Specifies the distance between two points, measured perpendicular to the Horizontal Reference.
Often used with holes Specifies that linear edges must be parallel and at a given distance. Typically used for slot, pocket or pad. Creates a positioning constraint between linear edges at a given angle Specifies the distance between two points is zero. Used to align arc centers of cylindrical or conical features. Specifies that the distance between an edge, datum plane, or axis and a point is zero. Same as the Parallel at a Distance option, with the distance set to zero.
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Edit hole features 1. Right-click the hole in the Part Navigator or in the graphics window. 2. Select Edit Parameters. 3. From the Edit Parameters dialog box, chose one of the following options: •
Feature Dialog
•
Reattach
•
Change Type
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Edit a hole position 1. Right-click the hole in the Part Navigator or in the graphics window. 2. Select Edit Positioning. 3. From the Edit Positioning dialog box, chose one of the following options:
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Add Dimension
•
Edit Dimension Value
•
Delete Dimension
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Feature Dialog The Feature Dialog option displays the Edit Parameters dialog box, configured for the hole type you are editing.
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Reattach Use Reattach to change the location or orientation of the feature by redefining feature references. The Reattach dialog box presents only those options that apply to the feature being edited. The illustration shows the display or a typical hole positioned by Point onto Point. 3
3. Recall that the Parallel dimension type is defined as the shortest distance between two points. The Point onto Point type is a special case of the Parallel type where the distance is zero.
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Reattach Selection Steps Selection Steps Specify Target Placement Face
Description Select a new attachment face for the feature being edited.
Specify Reference Direction Redefine Positioning Dimensions Specify First Thru Face
Select a new reference direction for the feature being edited. Select a positioning dimension and redefine its target and/or tool geometry.
Specify Second Thru Face
Redefine the second through/trim face of the feature being edited.
Specify Tool Placement Face
Redefine the tool face of a user defined feature.
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Redefine the first through/trim face of the feature being edited.
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Reattach Options Other Options Filter List window Direction Reference Reverse Direction
Limit the types of objects that are selectable. Display the positioning dimensions and their types for the feature being edited. Change between Horizontal and Vertical. Reverse the feature’s reference direction.
Reverse Side
Reverse the feature’s normal direction when it is attached to a datum plane.
Specify Origin
Quickly relocate the reattached feature by moving it to a specified origin.
Delete Positioning Dimension
Delete a selected positioning dimension.
You can only reattach a hole to or dimension it to features with later timestamps.
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Change Type For hole features you can: •
Change the hole from one type to another: Simple, Counterbore, or Countersink.
•
Use the Thru Hole option to change a blind hole to a through hole, or vice versa.
•
Use the Sheet Metal Hole option to change a non-sheet metal hole to a sheet metal hole, or vice versa. Change type also applies to Slot features.
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Add positioning dimensions to holes 1. When you add a positioning dimension to a hole you are prompted to select the tool edge. If the hole has no internal edges, you must click Identify Solid Face.
2. Select the face of the hole (1). 3. If the hole has an internal edge, select it (2).
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Activities In the Hole features section, do the following activities: •
Create holes
•
Edit holes
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Hole features
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Summary In this lesson you were introduced to Hole features, one of several features with predefined shapes. This lesson you:
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•
Identified placement and through faces.
•
Created hole features.
•
Applied positioning dimensions .
•
Edited parameters and positioning dimensions.
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Lesson
12 Expressions
12
Purpose This lesson describes various aspects of the expression functionality. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Cut, Copy, and Paste functions in Expressions
•
Create Conditional Expressions
•
Suppress a feature by an expression
•
Reference Measurements of geometric properties via expressions
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Expressions
Overview You can easily create many types of intelligent expressions based on measurements and inter-part references.
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Expression names are not case sensitive, with the following exceptions: • •
Expression names are case sensitive if their dimensionality is set to Constant. Expression names are case sensitive if they were created before NX 3.
When expression names are case sensitive, they must be referenced exactly when used in other expressions.
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Expressions
The Expressions dialog box
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1 Expression Name
Alphanumeric characters and underscores. Must begin with a letter.
2 Less/More Options 3 Formula 4 Dimensionality
Choose from Constant, Length, Area, Volume, Mass, and many others
5 Units
Units appropriate to the dimensionality will be available in a list
6 Additional functions
Functions, Measurements, Create Interpart Reference, Edit Interpart Reference, Open Referenced Parts, Delete
7,8 Accept/Reject Edit 9 Spreadsheet Edit 10 Import Expressions from File 11 Export Expressions to File 12 Expression list List contains columns for Name (followed by usage in the part), Formula, Value, Units, and Comment 13 Listed Expressions Choose from User Defined, Named, Filter by Name, Filter by Value, Filter by Formula, Unused Expressions, Object Parameters, Measurements, and All 14 Expression Filter Not active unless Listed Expressions is in a filtered setting
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Expressions
The system will handle unit conversions automatically if, for example, you specify inches in a metric part Press F1 for help on expressions any time you are using the Expressions dialog box.
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Expressions
Expression list The Listed Expressions list displays when More Options has been selected. The listing contains several columns: Name
This lists the expression names currently available with the Listed Expressions settings. The name is followed by the name of the associated object or feature and the parameter option with which the expression is associated. For example, you might see: p2 (EXTRUDED(1) End Distance) p8_u (POINT(6) Point on surface along u)
Formula
The formula is a constant value or mathematical expression which appears to the right of the equal sign in the simple equation format name=formula. NX provides tools to help you specify function names, names or formulas of existing expressions, or measurements of geometry.
Value
This is the numeric value of the formula.
Units This column displays the Units selected after the dimensionality of the expression was specified, if they exist. The system remembers units and converts values when it is appropriate to do so.
Comment
Optional additional information a designer may need to include can be stored in comments.
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Expressions
You may control the order of the listed expressions by clicking the name at the top of the column. For example, you may sort by name (the default), by name in reverse order, by formula, and so on.
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Expressions
Listed expressions The Listed Expressions list defines which expressions are listed in the Expressions dialog box when More Options has been selected.
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User Defined
Lists only expressions you created via the dialog box
Named
Lists only user defined expressions and expressions you have renamed
Filter by Name Lists expressions with names that match the filter
Filter by Value
Lists expressions with values that match the filter
Filter by Formula
Lists expressions with formulas that match the filter
Unused Expressions
Lists expressions that are not referenced by any feature or other expression This is useful for part cleanup.
Object Parameters
Lists expressions associated with a selected feature
Measurements
Shows all measurement expressions in the part file
All
Lists all expressions in the part
You must select a feature in the graphic window or Part Navigator.
Filters you enter are saved during your session. They can be reused as needed via the list, even in other parts.
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User-defined expressions User-defined expressions are any expression that you create yourself with the Expressions Editor.
12
For example, you could create an expression named width with a formula string of 5.0. You could then use this expression to define the dimensions of a feature by entering width in the appropriate parameter entry field. Cut, Copy, and Paste The expressions dialog box supports cut, copy and paste using right-click commands. The window supports the standard windows editing keys such as arrows, home, and end. Additionally, when you are entering a formula, you may right-click over a row in the list window and choose Enter Name or Enter Formula. The name or formula is inserted at the cursor position in the Formula field.
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Expressions
Expression operators Operators may be classified into arithmetic, conditional, and relational/Boolean.
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Additional operators are provided in Appendix C. Insert Function Use Insert Function insert into a formula.
to locate any standard or user defined function to
Built-in functions include the following examples, and many more listed in Appendix C: Name abs arcsin sin pi
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Description Absolute Value, abs(x)=|x| Returns the inverse sine of a given number in degrees Sine, sin(x) is the sine of x, x must be in degrees. The function pi() takes no arguments and returns the value of pi.
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Expressions
in parameter The Function button replaces the arrow symbol entry options when a formula was used for a particular value. The value shown cannot be edited directly.
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You can click the button to choose to edit the formula in the Expression dialog box, convert it to a Measure, or make the value constant. You have two choices for changing a formula to a constant value. You may select a recently used value or Make Constant to keep the present value of the formula.
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Conditional expressions One way to develop design intent relationships between certain elements of your model is to use conditional expressions. Conditional expressions are created by using the if (then) else structure that uses the following syntax: single_variable = if (this condition is true) (then this) else (this) width = if (length>=8) (3) else (2) Alternative syntax is shown below without some of the parentheses. width = if (length>=8) 3 else 2 This means: If the length is greater than or equal to 8, the width shall be 3. If the length is less than 8, the width shall be 2. Syntax and the command portions of the statement must be lower case.
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Expressions
Suppression by Expression Using this option, you can create an expression to suppress a feature or group of features.
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This function is not available if Delayed Update on Edit is active.
If a child feature has its own suppress expression, its suppression status will be controlled by that instead of by its parent’s suppress status. Child features that do not have their own suppress expressions are automatically suppressed when their parents suppress.
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Function Create for Each Create Shared
Description Creates a suppression expression for each feature selected. Creates a single expression that controls the suppression of all features selected.
Delete for Each
Allows you to delete the selected feature’s suppression expression. The list box displays all features which contain a suppression expression.
Delete Shared
Allows you to delete the selected features’ shared suppression expression. The list box displays all features which contain a shared suppression expression. If you select a feature, the list box highlights the other features which share that same expression.
Candidate Features Show Expressions
Lists the features that can be selected for a suppress by expression operation. Allows you to generate a report that lists features which contain a suppression expression.
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Expressions
Suppress by Expression Procedure
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•
Select an option.
•
Select one or more features in the list window in the Suppress by Expression dialog box.
•
Click Apply to create the expression.
•
Click Show Expressions to show the Suppression Status Controlled by an Expression listing.
The system generates the new expressions and updates the feature selection list. If the expression value is 0 the feature is suppressed. With an expression value of 1 the feature is unsuppressed.
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Expressions
Activity In the Expressions section, do the activity: •
Create conditional expressions
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Expressions
Measurements Use the measurement options to capture values for use in expression formulas.
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When you obtain a measurement an expression is created and inserted at the cursor position of the expression formula you are editing. Measure Distance
- Uses the Analysis Distance function to measure the minimum distance between any two objects such as points, curves, planes, bodies, edges, and/or faces
Measure Length
- Uses the Analysis Arc Length function to measure the arc length of a curve or line. You can use selection intent and section building to measure the length of a set of curves between intersection points
Measure Angle
- Uses the Analysis Angle function to display angle measurements between two curves, between two planar objects, or between a line and a planar object.
Measure Bodies
- Uses the Analysis Measure Bodies function create multiple expressions for volume, mass, radius of gyration, centroid x, centroid y, centroid z, and surface area of solid bodies. - Uses the Analysis Measure Faces function to create two expressions for area and perimeter values of body faces.
Measure Area
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Distance options Distance(the default) returns the three dimensional distance between two selected objects. Projected Distance returns the distance as seen in a plane normal to a vector. The vector constructor appears. Screen Distance is not available for the purpose of creating an associative measurement. Length provides the same interaction as Measure Length. Radius returns the distance from the center of the arc to the pick point on the arc.
Between Sets returns the distance between selected components.
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Expressions
Angle Options By 3 Points allows you to select three associative points. By Objects (the default) allows you to select two curves, two planar objects, or a line and a planar object.
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By Screen Points is not available for the purpose of creating an associative measurement. Object (the default) allows you to select objects as listed above. Use Feature when you want to determine the direction of a feature such as a cylinder. When you select the feature, the system indicates the direction with an arrow(s). is the default for measure distance. Vector constructor allows you to specify a direction. 3D Angle (the default) gives the true angle in three dimensional space. Angle in WCS XY Plane projects the selected angle to the WCS XY plane. Inner Angle (the default) measures the angle inside the lines of the angle Outer (Major) Angle measures the angle outside the lines of the angle Measurements use the Analysis functions. They are documented under Gateway→Gateway Menu & dialog box Reference→Analysis. If you want to save several stand alone measurements at one time, consider using the Analysis function because it offers Apply (Ctrl+MB2) to measure and continue. The analysis dialog box offers additional options to save the measure feature or create the line.
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Expressions
Measures and measurements When you use the Expressions dialog box to create a measurement you may think of it as a stand alone measurement. Stand alone measurements can be filtered in the Expression dialog box. For every stand alone measurement expression the system creates a Measure feature so that the objects selected for the measurement may be edited without having to recreate the measurement.
The Expressions dialog box lists the value and units of each measurement, but note that the formula column will always read (Measure). The name column will show the type and timestamp of the measure feature, i.e.; distance; angle; and so on.
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Expressions
Measure features can be seen in the Part Navigator under the Measures node.
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When you highlight a measure feature in the Part Navigator the associated measurement expressions and their values are listed in the Details window, and the Measure is highlighted in the graphics window.
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Expressions
Measurements during parameter entry You may create embedded measurements by clicking Parameter Entry Options to the right of any parameter entry window.
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Measurements constructed in this manner do not need a Measure feature to manage them; they are attached to the feature you were creating when you specified the measurement. The appearance of embedded measurements in the Expressions dialog box reflects this difference.
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Expressions
Activity In the Expressions section, do the activity: •
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Apply measurements
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Expressions
Summary You can create comments when entering a formula by using double forward slashes "//" after the formula and before the comment.
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When an expression is renamed, it is changed in every occurrence where used. Also, all expression names must be unique. Conditional Expressions allow you to develop design rule relationships between certain elements of your model. Suppression by Expression is a tool that may be used to suppress individual or groups of features based on the value of a single expression. You may use Measurements to create a feature parameter based on some geometric property. In this lesson you: •
Created and edited expressions.
•
Suppressed a feature using an expression.
•
Created conditional expressions.
•
Created measurement expressions.
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Lesson
13 Face operations 13
Purpose This lesson describes various face options you may use to modify existing solid bodies and features. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create a Shell feature
•
Create an Offset Face feature
•
Create Draft features
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Face operations
Shell Use the Shell command to hollow a solid body, or to create a shell around it. You can assign individual thicknesses to faces and remove individual faces.
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Face operations
Create a shell 1. On the Feature Operation toolbar, click Shell
.
2. Choose the type of shell you want to create: •
•
in the Face to Remove Faces, Then Shell — Click Select Face Pierce group to specify one or more faces to remove from the target solid.
Shell All Faces — Click Select Body to select the body to shell.
in the Body to Shell group
3. In the Thickness group, type a distance value in the Thickness input box. 4. (Optional) In the Thickness group, click Reverse Direction
.
5. (Optional) Assign different thicknesses to different faces in the solid. 6. (Optional) Set or change the Approximate Offset Faces, Tangent Edges, and Tolerance options in the Settings group. 7. Click OK or Apply to create the shell.
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Face operations
Assign different thicknesses 1. Click Select Face in the Alternate Thicknesses group and select the faces for the first face set. 2. Type a thickness value in the Thickness n box. You can also drag the thickness handle or type a value in its dynamic input box.
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Thickness n refers to Thickness 1, Thickness 2, Thickness 3, and so on. If the direction is wrong, click Reverse Direction set. 3. Click Add New Set set.
for the face
to complete the current face set and begin a new
You can also complete the set by clicking the middle mouse button. 4. Repeat this sequence for each set of faces that require a unique wall thickness.
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Face operations
Shell options You can right-click the section, preview, axis vector, or handles to quickly access many of the following options. Option Remove Faces, Then Shell Shell All Faces Select Face
Description Remove some faces of the body before shelling is done. Shell all faces of the body. Select one or more faces from a body you are going to shell. 1 The first face selected sets the body to shell.
Select Body
Thickness (Thickness group) Reverse Direction
Select Face
Select the body you want to shell.
2
3
Specify a thickness for the shell walls. Drag the thickness handle, or type a value in the dynamic input box or in the dialog box. Change the direction of the thickness. You can also right-click the thickness direction cone head and choose Reverse Direction, or double-click the direction cone head. Select faces for a thickness set with a unique thickness value for all faces in the set. 2 Complete the set by clicking Add New Set or by clicking the middle mouse button.
Thickness n (Alternate Thickness group)
You can add as many face sets as the model allows. Specify an independent thickness value for the currently selected thickness set in the List. You can drag the face set handle, or type a value in the dynamic input box or dialog box. The Thickness n label changes to match the currently selected Thickness set; Thickness 1, Thickness 2, etc.
1. Appears only when the Type is Remove Faces, Then Shell. 2. Selection Intent for faces is available. 3. Appears only when the Type is Shell All Faces.
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Face operations
Option Add New Set
List
Description Complete the current face set. You can also complete the current face set by clicking the middle mouse button. Thickness sets appear in the list box with their name, value, and expression information. To select a thickness set, click its dynamic input box in the graphics window or click its entry in the List.
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Delete a thickness set in the list box. You can also delete a thickness set by right-clicking it in the list box and choosing Delete or by right-clicking its handle and choosing Delete. Approximate Offset Faces Require NX to repair self-intersections caused by offsetting surfaces in the body, by approximating the face within the specified Tolerance.
Tangent Edges
Tolerance
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Use this option for complicated surfaces that would fail due to self-intersections during shell creation. Extend Shelf Face at Tangent Edge — Allow the creation of edge faces along smooth boundary edges. Extend Tangent Face — Prevent the creation of edge faces along smooth boundary edges. Enter a new tolerance value here to override the modeling distance tolerance for the shell operation.
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Face operations
Selection Intent face rules When a feature requires a collection of faces, Face Rule options are available. The list displays the face selection rules that are applicable to the feature you are creating. Rule
Description
Single Face
Single-select one or more faces as a simple list of objects without intent. Specify a region of faces.
Region Faces
Select a single seed face, and then specify the boundary faces.
Tangent Faces
Select a single face that acts as the seed of a collection of smoothly connected faces.
Tangent Region Faces
Select a seed face and then, optionally, one or more boundary faces.
Body Faces
Collect all faces of the body containing the single face you select
Adjacent Faces
Collect all faces that are immediately adjacent to the single face you select.
Feature Faces
Collect all faces produced by the feature responsible for the face you select.
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Face operations
Activities In the Shell section, do the following activities: •
Shell with alternate thickness
•
Reorder features
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Face operations
Offset Face You can use this option to offset one or more faces of a body along the face normals. The Offset Face feature can be reached through Insert→Offset/Scale→Offset Face. To offset faces, you must: • • •
Select the objects. Type the Offset value. Click OK.
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The offset distance can be positive or negative, providing the topology of the body does not change. A positive offset distance is measured along a face normal pointing away from the solid.
After you select the desired faces or body and click OK, the faces are moved and the body is updated.
You cannot instance an offset feature.
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Face operations
Activity In the Face operations section, do the activity: •
Offset a face
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Face operations
Draft Draft lets you change faces to have an angle relative to a vector called the draw direction. Draft is used for: •
Applying slope to vertical faces on a pattern, a part, a mold, or a die, so the part will release when the mold or die opens.
•
Applying a draft angle to faces or edges, relative to a specified vector.
•
Applying a draft angle to individual features of a body.
•
Applying a variable bevel or taper to faces.
You need to specify at least the following inputs for the draft operation: •
Faces to draft
•
Draw direction
•
Stationary objects
•
Draft angle
When you provide sufficient input, draft optionally shows a preview of the result on the screen. Within one draft feature, you can have multiple draft angles. Select faces for any one draft angle, and then begin a new set of faces with another angle by choosing Add New Set. You can also use Selection Bar options to select faces or edges required for draft. For example, you can select all tangent faces. The angle between the tangent to the edge and the draft draw direction must be greater than the draft angle.
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Face operations
Draft types You can create the following four types of draft using the Draft operator. From Plane
If the draft operation requires that a planar cross section through the part be maintained throughout the face rotation, then use the From Plane type. This is the default draft type selected when you the open the Draft dialog box for the first time.
From Edges
If the draft operation requires that edges be maintained throughout the face rotation, then use the From Edges type.
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Face operations
Tangent to Faces
If the draft operation requires that the face selected to be drafted maintain tangency with an adjacent drafted face, then use the Tangent to Faces type.
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To Parting Edges
If the draft operation requires that a planar cross section through the part be maintained throughout the face rotation, and that a ledge be created as necessary at parting edges, then use the To Parting Edges type.
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Face operations
Draft dialog box The Draft dialog box is shown in the figure below.
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Face operations
Draw Direction Regardless of the draft type selected, you must always specify a draw direction. If you are modeling a mold or die, it is the direction in which the molded part must move to be separated from your model of the mold or die. The draft angle is positive if the normal of the face to be drafted has a component vector along the draw direction.
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Positive Draft
Negative Draft
Draft selection inputs Depending on the draft type you selected, some input is inferred, and you may need to explicitly specify additional input as required. Stationary Plane Faces to Draft Stationary Edges Variable Angle Point Tangent Faces to Draft Parting Edges Add New Set
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Appears in From Plane and To Parting Edges Appears in From Plane Appears in From Edges Appears in From Edges Appears in Tangent to Faces Appears in To Parting Edges Is enabled after one complete selection has been made
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Face operations
Activities In the Face Operations section, do the activities: •
Draft
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Face operations
Summary The Shell feature allows you to create a cavity inside the solid or a shell around the solid based upon a specified thickness. Offset Face allows the user to move a face, multiple faces, or all faces in a body. The Draft functionality allows the user to change the orientation of one or more faces of a solid body. In this lesson you: •
Created a Shell feature.
•
Created an Offset feature.
•
Created Draft features.
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Lesson
14 Associative copies Purpose This lesson is an introduction to the Instance Feature and Mirror Body commands.
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Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create a rectangular array.
•
Create a circular array.
•
Mirror a body.
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Associative copies
Instance Feature Use the Instance Feature command to duplicate the shape of existing features. Use instance arrays to: •
Create patterns of features, such as bolt hole circles.
•
Edit all members of an instanced feature array in one step.
The following instance array types are available:
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Rectangular Array
Create a linear array of instances from one or more selected features.
Circular Array
Create a circular array of instances from one or more selected features.
Pattern Face
Not covered in this class — You can also choose Insert→Direct Modeling→Pattern Face. See the online Help for more information.
, or, from the On the Feature Operation toolbar, click Instance Feature menu bar, choose Insert→Associative Copy→Instance Feature.
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Associative copies
Caveats Instanced features with a Boolean must intersect the parent solid body. You cannot create instances of the following objects: • • • • • • • • • •
Shells Blends Chamfers Offset sheets Datums Trimmed sheet bodies Instance sets Draft features Free form features Trimmed features
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Associative copies
Array methods You can create three types of rectangular and circular instance arrays: Create an instance array with full validation of all geometry. General
Instanced geometry can cross an edge of the face. Instances can cross over from one face to another.
Simple
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Create an instance array faster, by eliminating excessive data validation and optimizing operations. Create an instance array by the fastest method. This method does the least amount of validation.
Identical
Each instance is an exact copy of the original. Use this method when you have a great many instances, and you are sure they are all exactly the same.
When you use Simple and Identical, you should make sure that all new geometry lies on the same face as the original feature. If the new geometry touches or crosses the edges on the target body or any other instance, use Analysis→Examine Geometry to validate the geometry. 1. In the Examine Geometry dialog box, click Set All. 2. Select the geometry. 3. Click Examine Geometry. If the array geometry fails a geometry check, click Undo and try a General array.
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Associative copies
Rectangular instance array Use the Rectangular instance option to create a linear array of instances from one or more selected features. Rectangular instance arrays can be either two-dimensional in XC and YC (several rows of features) or one-dimensional in XC or YC (one row of features). Rectangular instance arrays are generated parallel to the XC and/or YC axes based on the number and offset distance you enter. Change the orientation of the WCS (the XC and YC directions) by using Format→ WCS options or WCS Dynamics
.
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Associative copies
Parameters for Rectangular instance array After you select the desired features to instance, the following options appear: General / Simple / Identical
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Number Along XC
Total number of instances parallel to the XC axis, including the original feature.
XC Offset
Spacing for the instances along the XC axis.
Number Along YC
Total number of instances parallel to the YC axis, including the original feature.
YC Offset
Spacing for the instances along the YC axis.
The number of instances for both the XC and YC directions must be a whole number greater than zero. The offset values can be either positive or negative.
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Create a rectangular array 1. In the Instance dialog box, click Rectangular Array. 2. Select the features you want to instance. 3. In the Enter Parameters dialog box, specify the method: General, Simple, or Identical. 4. Type the Number Along XC, XC Offset, Number Along YC, and the YC Offset. 5. Click OK to display a preview 6. Click Yes to create the instance array, or No to return to the Enter Parameters dialog box.
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Associative copies
Rectangular array example (1) Hole selected for instance. Number Along XC = 3 XC Offset = .75 Number Along YC = 4 YC Offset = 1
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Associative copies
Circular instance array Use the circular instance array option to create circular array of instances from one or more selected features. You specify: •
The array method.
•
The rotation axis about which the instances are generated.
•
The total number of instances in the array, including the original feature.
•
The angle between the instances.
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Parameters for Circular instance array After you select the desired features to instance, the following options appear: General / Simple / Identical Number
Total number of instances created in the circular array, including the existing feature you are instancing.
Angle
The angle between the instances.
The number of instances must be a whole number greater than zero. The angle can be either positive or negative.
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Associative copies
Create a circular array 1. In the Instance dialog box, click Circular Array. 2. Select the features you want to instance. 3. In the Enter Parameters dialog box, specify the array method: General, Simple, or Identical. 4. In the Number input box, type the total number of instances in the array. 5. In the Angle input box, type the angle between instances. 6. Click OK.
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7. Choose Point & Direction or Datum Axis to establish the rotation axis. •
Point & Direction — Use the Vector dialog box to specify a direction and the Point dialog box to specify a reference point. The selected features are rotated about the reference point in a plane normal to the vector direction.
•
Datum Axis — Select an existing datum axis. The circular array is associated to the datum axis.
The radius of the array is the distance from the rotation axis to the feature origin of the first feature you select. This radius value appears in the Edit dialog box. A highlighted representation of the array is displayed. 8. Click Yes to create the instance array, or No to return to Enter Parameters.
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Circular array example (1) Hole selected for instance. (2) Reference Point (Arc Center) (3) Vector Direction (+ZC) Number = 8 Angle = 45
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Activities In the Associative copies section, do the following activities: •
Rectangular instance array
•
Circular instance array
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Associative copies
Mirror Body Use the Mirror Body command to mirror an entire body through a datum plane. You can use this, for example, to form the other hand of a left hand or right hand part. You can timestamp the mirrored body. After you do so, any modification you make to the original body is not reflected in the mirrored body. This is the default mode. When you mirror a body, the mirror feature creates a new body that is associative to the original body. The mirrored body has no features of its own. (1) Original body.
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(2) Mirror datum (3) Mirrored copy.
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Associative copies
Create a mirror body 1. From the menu bar, choose Insert→Associative Copy→Mirror Body.
2. In the Mirror Body dialog box, click Select Body to mirror.
3. Click Select Plane
and select a body
and select a datum plane.
4. (Optional) Clear the Fix at Current Timestamp check box if you want the mirrored body to reflect subsequent features added to the parent body.
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5. Click OK or Apply to create the mirrored body. Edit a Mirror Body feature 1. Right-click on the mirrored body in the graphics window or in the Part Navigator. 2. Select Edit with Rollback from the shortcut menu 3. From the Mirror Body dialog box, edit the parent body, timestamp setting, or the mirror plane.
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Associative copies
Mirror Body options Available only during edit. Work Part — Select a parent body from the work part. Parent Part
Other Part — Select a parent body from another part. The mirrored body then becomes a WAVE linked body. WAVE linking is an Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies topic.
Select Body Lets you select a body in a part to mirror.
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Reverse Direction
Available only during edit. Available only if you are mirroring a sheet body. Reverses the surface normal of the mirrored body.
Select Plane Select a datum plane through which to mirror a body.
Replacement Assistant
WAVE Information
Available only during edit and only if you select geometry to replace the existing geometry. Lets you select geometry to replace existing geometry. This group is available only during edit and only when the mirrored body is a WAVE linked body. WAVE linking is an Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies topic. Parent Part displays the name of the parent part. Object displays the name of the parent object. Status displays the status of the WAVE link. Select this option to fix the feature timestamp of the mirrored body.
Fix at Current Timestamp
When this option is active, only changes made to the original body prior to the timestamp are reflected in the mirrored body. Changes made to the original body after the timestamp are not reflected in the mirrored body. When this option is not selected, the mirrored body dynamically changes its location in history. Changes made to the original body are always reflected in the mirror body.
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Activity In the Associative copies section, do the following activity: •
Mirror Body
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Associative copies
Summary Instance Feature and Mirror Body duplicate existing features, eliminating repetitive efforts in the creation of models. In this lesson you: •
Created a rectangular instance array.
•
Created a circular instance array.
•
Mirrored a body.
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Lesson
15 Edge operations Purpose This lesson introduces the Edge Blend and Chamfer commands. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create edge blends.
•
Create chamfers.
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Edge operations
Edge operations overview Edge operations are available to provide additional definition to the edges of a model. These operations include Edge Blend and Chamfer. They are available in the Feature Operation toolbar or by choosing Insert→Detail Feature.
You can create edge blends and chamfers by first selecting the edge(s) and choosing Blend or Chamfer from the shortcut menu.
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Edge operations
Edge Blend Use the Edge Blend command to smooth selected edges that are shared by at least two faces. The Edge Blend command operates like a ball that rolls along an edge, maintaining contact with the faces that meet the edge. The blending ball rolls on the inside of faces to round the edges, removing material (1), and the outside of faces to fillet the edges, adding material (2).
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Edge operations
The Edge Blend dialog box After you click Edge Blend a dialog box is displayed and you are prompted to select a set of edges. You can type the radius in the Radius n box. Radius n refers to Radius 1, Radius 2, Radius 3, and so on. Use a Curve Rule to collect related edges or to speed up selection.
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The preview As you select edges, the preview is updated. If the preview fails, it means the blend will probably also fail. You should see a warning window explaining the problem. Adjust the radius by dragging one of the radius drag handles (1) or by typing the value in the dynamic input field (2).
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Add New Set A single blend feature may consist of one or more sets of edges. Each set may have a different radius value. Click Add New Set in the dialog box (or click the middle mouse button once) to select another set of edges.
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Edge operations
Resolve blended edge overflow Blend overflow occurs when tangent edges of a blend encounter other edges on the solid. Resolution
Description
Roll Over Smooth Edges
Allow the blend to extend onto a smoothly connected (tangent) face that it encounters.
Roll on Edges (Smooth or Sharp)
Allow the blend to forego tangency with one of the defining faces, and roll onto any edge, whether smooth or sharp.
Maintain Blend and Move Sharp Edges
Allow the blend to maintain tangency with the defining faces, and moves any encountered edges to the blend face.
Select Edge to Force Roll on
Select an edge on which you want to force the software to apply the Roll On Edges (Smooth or Sharp) option.
Select Edge to Prohibit Roll on
Select an edge on which you want to prevent the software from applying the Roll On Edges (Smooth or Sharp) option.
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Edge operations
Explicit Overflow Resolutions For this edge blend, an encountered edge (1) is selected with Select Edge to Prohibit Roll on, to not have the Roll On Edges (Smooth or Sharp) option applied to it. The edge of the other cylinder is not prohibited and is processed by the Roll On Edges (Smooth or Sharp) option.
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Activities In the Edge operations section, do the following activities: •
Edge blends
•
Blend Options
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Edge operations
Variable radius blends You can create a variable radius blend by specifying a radius at multiple points along selected edges. Procedure To create a variable radius blend: •
Click Edge Blend.
•
Select the desired edges to blend.
•
From the Various Blend Points area, choose a point definition option.
•
Indicate point locations and radii where you want the radius to vary.
•
Modify the point location as necessary by dragging, % Arc Length, or Arc Length.
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The Edge Blend dialog box maintains a list of points, associated values, and expressions. •
Click OK when you have the shape you want.
Creating variable radius points While you are creating or editing an edge blend and after you have specified its edge sets, you can add some variable radius points to the sets. This has the effect of varying the blend’s radius along its edge. The Selection Bar Snap Points can help you specify points.
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You can change the position of a point to any other position along the edge it is on by: dragging the point handle.
entering the desired value in the % Arc Length or Arc Length dynamic input window. entering the desired value on the full dialog box. You can toggle between % Arc Length (the default) and Arc Length by right-clicking over a variable point handle.
You can delete a point by right-clicking over it in the graphics window then choosing Remove.
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Edge operations
Once you have selected all desired edges (1) and selected all desired point locations for varying radii (2) , click OK and the blend is created.
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Editing variable radius blends You can edit features in general from Edit→Feature→Edit Parameters or the Part Navigator.
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Tips and techniques •
If you do not give enough information to create the blend, the system infers information for you depending on other selected geometry:
•
If you do not give a point and radius to a selected edge, the system uses the default radius to create the blend for that edge.
•
If you are editing an existing edge blend and you are not using Edit with Rollback, the Enable Preview option is not available.
The following are some rules you should follow to produce the desired blends: •
To produce a linearly varying blend (3), you must define a different radius at each end of an edge (1,2).
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If you must perform an operation that will blend away entire faces (1), blend only one edge at a time.
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If you select an open loop set of edges and supply radii only to the two open endpoints, the blend will vary continuously from endpoint to endpoint. In the example below, three edges on the top face of the block are blended. A radius of 0.1 is assigned at end point (1) and a radius of 0.4 is assigned at end point (2).
The result is shown below in both a TOP and ISO view.
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You can create a variable radius blend with the radii value of zero at one of the selected vertices (1,2).
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Edge operations
Activity In the Variable Radius Edge Blends section, do the activity: •
Creating a variable radius blend
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Edge operations
Chamfer The Chamfer command bevels the edges of a solid body using chamfer dimensions that you define. Material is added or subtracted depending on the topology of the solid body. In example (1) material is removed, and in example (2) material is added.
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Create Chamfers 1. On the Feature Operation toolbar, click Chamfer Insert→Detail Feature→Chamfer.
, or choose
2. Select one or more edges. 3. In the Offsets group, specify an option from the Cross Section list; Symmetric, Asymmetric, or Offset and Angle. 4. In the dialog box, type offset values that correspond to the cross section option. 5. (Optional) In the Settings group, specify an option from the Offset Method list, Offset Edges along Faces, or Offset Faces and Trim. 6. (Optional) In the Settings group, select Chamfer All Instances, if the chamfered edge is, or may be, instanced.
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7. (Optional) In the Preview group, select Preview to preview results, or clear it to show only the drag handles. 8. (Optional) Use drag handles or dynamic input boxes to modify offsets. 9. (Optional) In the Offset group, click Reverse Direction to flip the chamfer. 10. Click OK or click the middle mouse button to create the chamfer.
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Chamfer options You can change the Cross Section option or click Reverse Direction in the dialog box, or, you can use the shortcut menu over a drag handle. Edge Select Edge
Select one or more edges from the same body, using a Curve Rule.
Offsets Symmetric — Create a simple chamfer, using an single, positive offset from a selected edge along both of its faces. Cross Section
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Distance Distance 1 Distance 2 Angle
Reverse Direction
Asymmetric Create a chamfer using two positive values for the edge offsets. Offset and Angle — Create a chamfer whose offsets are determined by one positive offset value and a positive angle. Type a distance value for the offset when the Cross Section is Offset and Angle or Symmetric. You can also drag the distance handle to specify the value. Type distance values when the Cross Section is Asymmetric, or drag the handles. Type an angle value for the angle when the Cross Section is Offset and Angle. You can also drag the angle handle to specify the angle. Move the offsets or the offset and angle from one side of the chamfer edge to the other. Not available when the cross section is symmetric.
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Activity In the Edge operations section, do the following activity: •
Chamfers
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Edge operations
Summary The Edge Blend and Chamfer operations are available to provide additional definition to the edges of a model. All of the blended edges or chamfered edges created in a single operation are considered to be one feature. In this lesson you: •
Blended a single edge.
•
Blended edges using a Selection Intent rule.
•
Chamfered edges using different input options.
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Lesson
16 Introduction to Assemblies Purpose This lesson introduces the Assemblies application. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Set load options for an assembly.
•
Work with the Assembly Navigator.
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Introduction to Assemblies
Definitions and descriptions This section introduces terms that are used to describe assemblies.
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Introduction to Assemblies
Assembly An assembly is a part which contains component objects. Component objects are pointers to standalone parts or subassemblies. In this illustration, the toy laser gun is an assembly consisting of many components.
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Subassembly A subassembly is an assembly used as a component within a higher level assembly. This illustration shows the subassembly of the integrated circuit board for the toy laser gun.
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Component objects A component object links the assembly that contains it to another part file. A component object can point to a part that is also an assembly; that is, a subassembly with its own component objects. 1 2 3 4
Top level assembly. Subassembly. This is a component part that is referenced by a higher level assembly. Standalone Parts. These are component parts that are referenced by an assembly and are not themselves assemblies. A Component Object.
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Component parts A component part is a part which is referenced by a component object within an assembly. Geometry stored in a component part is seen, but not copied, in the assembly. The term “standalone part” refers to a part that it not itself an assembly.
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Introduction to assembly load options When an assembly part is opened, or loaded, using File→Open, its component parts must be found and loaded. Load Options establish how the component parts are loaded. Access the Assembly Load Options dialog box by choosing File→Options→Assembly Load Options or by clicking Options in the Open Part File dialog box.
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Part Versions group The Part Versions group contains the Load list, with options to control how to find component parts. •
As Saved — Look for each component part in the same directory it was in when the assembly was last saved.
•
From Folder — Look for each component in the same directory as the assembly part.
•
From Search Folders — Look for each component in directories specified in a user-defined list.
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Load states NX parts can be fully loaded, partially loaded, or unloaded when an assembly is opened. •
Fully loaded — All part data is loaded into memory.
•
Partially loaded — Only the data required to display the part is loaded into memory. The part will not update after certain changes that would affect it if it was fully loaded, for example, with changes to interpart expression. Any operations that need to load the feature data from components will do so automatically, but can only do so if the component part has not been modified since the first portion of it was loaded.
•
Unloaded — The component part is not loaded into memory with the assembly.
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Scope group The Scope group in the Assembly Load Options dialog box allows you to control the assembly configuration and the load state of parts: •
Load — Control which components are opened: –
All Components — Load all components.
–
Structure Only — Load your assembly part, but no components.
–
As Saved — Load the same components that were open when the assembly was last saved.
–
Reevaluate Last Component Group — Load your assembly with the component group used when the assembly was last saved. Component groups are advanced functionality to let you conditionally apply actions to all or part of the assembly structure.
–
•
Use Partial Loading — When selected, partially load components to open, unless the Load Interpart Data requires them to be fully loaded.
•
Load Interpart Data — Find and load parents of interpart data, even if the parts would be left unloaded by other rules.
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Specify Component Group — Select from a list of available component groups.
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Load Behavior The Load Behavior group controls optional actions that NX can take if there are problems with the requested load configuration: •
Allow Substutiton — Enable the assembly to be loaded with a component that has the wrong internal identifier (but the correct name), even though it is a completely different part. You receive a warning if this happens.
•
Generate Missing Part Family Members — When NX determines that a part family member is missing during the load:
•
–
If Generate Missing Part Family Members is selected, NX checks for newer versions of the current part family template. If it finds a newer version of the template, the newest version is used to generate the missing members.
–
If Generate Missing Part Family Members is clear, NX uses the current part family template to generate the missing members.
Cancel Load on Failure — NX cancels the entire load operation if it cannot find one or more component part files.
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Reference Sets Use this area to specify a list of reference sets to be looked for, in order, when an assembly is loaded. The first reference set found from the top of the list reading downwards is the one that is loaded. Think of a reference set as a subset of part geometry that you can load in place of the entire part. In this class, the only reference set you will need to use is the Model reference set. The model reference set is meant to contain only a body that you wish to place on a drawing.
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Saved Load Options You may save the current load options settings as your default settings. Otherwise, any changes you make in the Assembly Load Options dialog box apply only to your current NX session. The Saved Load Options group contains options to control saved settings: •
Save as Default — Save the current load options as your defaults in the load_options.def file in your current directory.
•
Restore Default — Reset the load options to the values defined in the load_options.def file in your current directory, if it exists, or to the system defaults.
•
Save to File — Save the current load options settings to a load option definition file whose name and location you define in the Save Load Options File dialog box.
•
Open from File — Open the Restore Load Options File dialog box, from which you can select a custom load option definitions file.
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The Assembly Navigator The Assembly Navigator provides: •
A graphical display of the assembly structure of the displayed part.
•
Methods to manage components.
View the Assembly Navigator by clicking the Assembly Navigator on the Resource Bar.
tab
If necessary, you may drag the Resource Bar wider to see more information.
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Node display Each component of an assembly is displayed as a node in the assembly tree structure. Selecting a node is the same as selecting the corresponding component in the graphics window. Each node consists of a check box, an icon, the part name, and additional columns. If the part is an assembly or subassembly, an expand/collapse box will also be present.
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Icons and check boxes This assembly or subassembly is the work part, or a component of the work part. This assembly or subassembly is not the work part, and not a component of the work part. This assembly or subassembly is not loaded. This standalone part is either the work part, or a component of the work part. This standalone part is not the work part, and not a component of the work part. This standalone part is not loaded. This indicates a collapsed subassembly. Click to expand the display. This indicates an expanded subassembly. Click to collapse the display. The part is closed.
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Click to load it. Components will load according to assembly load options. The part is hidden, and at least partially loaded. Click to show it. The part is visible, and at least partially loaded. Click to hide it.
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The Assemblies application Start the Assemblies application like any other application, from the Start list on the Standard toolbar. The Assemblies application can be active at the same time as other applications such as Modeling or Drafting. The Assemblies application name in the Start list has a check box beside it when it is active. When the Assemblies application is active, you see additional toolbars, and there are additional options in some menus.
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Activities In the Introduction to Assemblies section, do the following activities: •
Assembly Load Options
•
Assembly Navigator
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Select components in the Assembly Navigator In any Assemblies function that requires you to select components, you may also select the appropriate node in the Assembly Navigator. To select multiple components in the Assembly Navigator, select the first component and then: •
Hold the Shift key and click to select a range of nodes.
•
Hold the Ctrl key and click to toggle selection of individual nodes.
You can also hold the Shift-key and click components in the graphics window to deselect them.
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Identify components If you select a visible non-work part in the Assembly Navigator, the part is highlighted. If you hold the cursor over the node of component that is not visible (e.g., hidden, on another layer, or unloaded), the bounding box of that component is temporarily shown in the graphics window. Temporary bounding box display is controlled by the Preselect Invisible Nodes property of the Assembly Navigator. To access Assembly Navigator properties, hold the cursor away from all nodes, right-click, and select Properties.
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Component selection Once a component has been selected, you can use the shortcut menu over it in the graphics window to select an available action. The options in the component shortcut menu vary depending on the active applications. Selectable components appear in the QuickPick window. Use the Components filter in the QuickPick dialog box to show only components.
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Design in context You design in context when you edit component geometry while a higher level assembly is displayed. The advantage is that you can see and, when necessary, select objects from other components.
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The Displayed Part NX allows multiple parts to be open at the same time. These parts may have been loaded: •
Explicitly — Loaded using the Open options on the Assembly Navigator, or the File→Open command.
•
Implicitly — Loaded as a result of being used by some other loaded assembly.
The part currently displayed in the graphics window is called the displayed part. You can make edits in parallel to several parts by switching the displayed part back and forth among those parts. Loaded parts do not have to belong to the same assembly. There are several ways to change the displayed part: •
Select a component from the graphics window and use the shortcut menu.
•
On the Assemblies toolbar, click Make Displayed Part
•
From the main menu, choose Window→More to open the Change Window dialog box.
•
Choose Window and select a part from the list.
•
In the Assembly Navigator, open the shortcut menu over the node for a part, and select Make Displayed Part.
•
From the main menu, choose Assemblies→Context Control→Set Displayed Part.
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Use the Change Window dialog box The Change Window dialog box lists all partially and fully loaded parts except the displayed part.
Select a part by:
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•
Selecting from the list of loaded parts.
•
Selecting geometry in the graphics window.
•
Selecting the node in the Assembly Navigator.
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Introduction to Assemblies
Enter a portion of the part name in the Search Text input box to help find the part in the list.
Click the Options button to specify search methods.
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The work part The part in which you create and edit geometry, and to which components are added, is called the work part. The work part and the displayed part need not be the same. When the displayed part is an assembly, you can change the work part to any of the components within that assembly, except for unloaded parts and parts of different units. You can add or edit geometry, features, and components within the work part. You can reference geometry outside of the work part in many modeling operations. For example, you can use control points on geometry outside of the work part to position a feature within the work part. When you open a part with File→Open it is both the displayed and the work part. If the displayed part is not the work part, the work part is, by default, emphasized by retaining its normal colors while other components change to a single color. Work part emphasis and the non-work part color are controlled in the Assembly Preferences dialog box. Methods to change the work part are:
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•
Double-click the component in the graphics window.
•
Select the component in the graphics window and use the shortcut menu.
•
In the Assemblies toolbar, click Make Work Part
•
Use the Assembly Navigator shortcut menu.
•
From the main menu, choose Assemblies→Context Control→Set Work Part.
•
Double-click the node in the Assembly Navigator.
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Associativity Geometric changes made at any level within an assembly result in the update of associated data at all other levels of affected assemblies. An edit to an individual component part causes all assembly drawings that use that part to be updated appropriately.
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Assembly Navigator shortcut menu If you position the cursor over a node in the Assembly Navigator that represents a component and right-click, the shortcut menu shows component related options. The options in the Assembly Navigator shortcut menu vary depending on the status of the component and whether the Assemblies and Modeling applications are active.
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Pack and Unpack The Pack option replaces multiple occurrences in the Assembly Navigator display with a single node. Multiple occurrences are components representing the same part, and having the same parent. Use the Unpack option to reverse the Pack option and show all occurrences.
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Make Work Part The Make Work Part command sets the part in which to create new geometry or edit existing geometry. When a component is the work part, the reference set is by default changed to Entire Part. This can result in the display of additional geometry.
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Make Displayed Part The Make Displayed Part command switches the display between currently loaded parts. The displayed part is always the top node in the Assembly Navigator.
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Display Parent The Display Parent command switches the displayed part from a component or an assembly to a loaded parent assembly. The Maintain option in the Assembly Preferences dialog box determines the behavior when you make a parent the displayed part. If Maintain is selected, the component remains the work part. If Maintain is clear, the parent becomes both the displayed part and work part.
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Activity In the Introduction to Assemblies section, do the following activity: •
Additional work with the Assembly Navigator
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Save the work part After you edit it, save the work part to keep the modifications. Use File→Save or File→Save Work Part Only.
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File→Save •
If the work part is a standalone part, only that part is saved.
•
If the work part is an assembly or subassembly, all modified component parts below it are also saved. File→Save does not save higher level parts and assemblies if they are modified. File→Save All saves all modified parts in the session regardless of which part is the work part, even parts that do not belong to the displayed assembly. Open parts for which you do not have write privileges will not be saved. You will get a warning about parts that cannot be saved due to permissions.
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File→Save Work Part Only Save Work Part Only saves only the work part, even if it is an assembly or subassembly with modified components.
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Summary An assembly is a part which contains component objects. It is a collection of pointers to piece parts and/or subassemblies. Assemblies provides the ability to design in context. In this lesson you: •
Set Assembly Load Options.
•
Worked with the Assembly Navigator.
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Lesson
17 Adding and constraining components
Purpose This lesson demonstrates adding components to an assembly and the associativity that may be designed between components with constraints. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Add components to an assembly.
•
Move components.
•
Define constraints.
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Adding and constraining components
General assembly concepts There are two approaches to creating an assembly structure. •
Top-down modeling — Create component parts at the assembly level.
•
Bottom-up modeling — Create individual models in isolation, then later add them to assemblies.
You are not limited to one approach to building the assembly. For example, you can initially work in a top-down fashion, then switch back and forth between bottom-up and top-down modeling.
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The Assemblies toolbar Button
Description
Find Component Search for a component. Show Only
Show just the selected component; hide all others.
Add Component
Insert an existing component into your assembly.
Create New Component
Create a new component and insert it into your assembly.
Create New Parent
Create a new parent for your current displayed part.
Substitute Component
Substitute a component in the assembly.
Mate one component to another. Mate Component This command is obsolete. It is replaced by Assembly Constraints. Assembly Define component positions using positioning Constraints constraints. Reposition one or more selected components. Reposition This command is obsolete. It is replaced by Move Component Component. Move selected components within their Move Component degrees-of-freedom in an assembly. Replace Reference Set
Define or change a reference set for the assembly.
Exploded Views
Open the Exploded Views toolbar to create or edit exploded views.
Assembly Sequences
View or modify the sequence in which an assembly was created.
Make Work Part Change the work part to the selected part. Make Displayed Change the displayed part to the selected part. Part Declare expressions and geometric objects as a Product Interface part’s preferred interfaces when other assembly parts need a reference. Check selected components against each other and Check Clearances other visible components for possible interferences.
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Adding and constraining components
Use the bottom-up construction method 1. Create new parts using File→ New. 2. Create the desired geometry. 3. Change the work part to the assembly part file. 4. Position the new part in the assembly: From the main menu choose Assemblies→ Components→ Add Existing. or On the Assemblies toolbar, click Add Component
.
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Add components 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Add Component
.
2. If you want to see a preview of the component, do both of the following: •
Choose Preferences→Assemblies and select the Preview Component on Add check box.
•
In the Add Component dialog box, select the Preview check box.
3. In the Add Component dialog box, while Select Part is active, select one or more parts that you want to add. You can select a part from several places, including: •
The graphics window.
•
The Loaded Parts or Recent Parts list boxes in the Add Component dialog box.
•
The Assembly Navigator.
•
, and browse to the The Part Name dialog box — Click Open directory that has the part that you want to add.
4. (Optional) Under Duplicates, in the Quantity box, type a number of instances to create. The default is 1.
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5. Specify the Positioning method that is to be applied after you choose OK or Apply in step 11: •
Absolute Origin — Place the added components at absolute 0,0,0.
•
Select Origin — Place the added components at a selected point.
•
By Constraints— Place the added components after you define their assembly constraints with other components.
•
Move — Place the added components after you define how they should be positioned.
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7. (Optional) Under Replication, specify Multiple Add to define what NX should do after you add the selected components. The Multiple Add options provide shortcuts for common operations with newly-added components: •
None
•
Repeat after Add — Immediately add another instance of each newly-added component.
•
Array after Add — Create an array of your newly-added components.
8. (Optional) Under Settings, specify a Name if you want your added part to have a different component name than the original part name. (Not available if you select multiple parts.) 9. (Optional) Specify the Reference Set for your added components. 10. (Optional) Choose a Layer Option to define the layer where the components should be located. If your Layer Option is As Specified, type the layer number in the Layer box. 11. Choose OK or Apply to add the selected components.
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Activity In the Adding and constraining components section, do the following activity: •
Create an assembly
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Move Component
to move selected From the Assemblies toolbar, click Move Component components within their degrees-of-freedom in an assembly. You can also move components on different assembly levels at the same time. The available options for Type are:
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•
Dynamic
•
By Constraints
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Assembly Constraints Overview Use assembly constraints to position components in an assembly. You specify constraint relationships between two components in the assembly. For example, you can specify that a cylindrical face on one component is to be coaxial with a conical face on another component. Use combinations of constraints to completely specify a component’s position in the assembly. NX calculates a position for the components which satisfies the constraints you specify. To make the Assembly Constraints dialog box available, choose Preferences→Assemblies, and from the Interaction list, choose Positioning Constraints.
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Constraint types Type Touch Align
Concentric Distance
Description Constrain two components so they touch or align with each other. Touch Align is the most common constraint. Constrain circular or elliptical edges of two components so the centers are coincident and the planes of the edges are coplanar. Specify the minimum 3D distance between two objects.
Fix
Fix a component at its current position.
Parallel
Define the direction vectors of two objects as parallel to each other.
Perpendicular Angle Center Bond
Fit
Define the direction vectors of two objects as perpendicular to each other. Define an angle dimension between two objects. Center one or two objects between a pair of objects, or center a pair of objects along another object. “Weld” components together so they move as a rigid body. Bring together two cylindrical faces with equal radii. This constraint is useful for locating pins or bolts in holes. If the radii later become non-equal, the constraint is invalid.
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Create a Touch Align constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Touch Align. 3. Check the Settings and modify them as you require: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Apply to Used — Apply the constraint in the currently used arrangement.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are retained after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box. If the check box is cleared, constraints are temporary; they remain in effect only while the dialog box is open. You can use temporary constraints to move components without leaving the Assembly Constraints interaction.
4. Set Orientation to one of the following: •
Prefer Touch — Use a touch constraint when touch and align solutions are both possible. (Touch constraints are more common than align constraints in most models.) The Prefer Touch option uses an align constraint if a touch constraint would over-constrain the assembly.
•
Touch — Constrain objects so their surface normals are in opposite directions.
•
Align — Constrain objects so their surface normals are in the same direction.
•
Infer Center/Axis — Specify that, when you select a cylindrical or conical face, NX uses the face’s center or axis instead of the face itself for the constraint.
5. Click Select Two Objects (if necessary), and select two objects for the constraint. You can use the Point Constructor ©UGS Corp., All Rights Reserved
to help you select objects.
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6. If two solutions are possible, you can click Reverse Last Constraint to flip between the possible solutions. 7. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Create a Concentric constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Concentric. 3. Check the Settings and modify them as you require: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Click Select Two Objects curves for the constraint.
(if necessary), and select two circular
If the Accept Tolerant Curves assembly preference check box is selected, you can also select elliptical or near-circular curves that are within the modeling distance tolerance. 5. If two solutions are possible, click Reverse Last Constraint between the possible solutions.
to flip
6. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Adding and constraining components
Create a Distance constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Distance. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Click Select Two Objects the distance constraint.
(if necessary), and select two objects for
5. If two solutions are possible, you can click Reverse Last Constraint to flip between the possible solutions. If more than two solutions are possible, you can click Cycle Last
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Constraint
to cycle through the possible solutions.
6. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Create a Fix constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Fix. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Click Select Object to fix.
(if necessary), and select the object you want
5. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Create a Parallel constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Parallel. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Click Select Two Objects you want to be parallel.
(if necessary), and select two objects that
5. If two solutions are possible, you can click Reverse Last Constraint to flip between the possible solutions. 6. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Create a Perpendicular constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Perpendicular. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Click Select Two Objects you want to be perpendicular.
(if necessary), and select two objects that
5. If two solutions are possible, you can click Reverse Last Constraint to flip between the possible solutions.
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6. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Create an Angle constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Angle. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Specify the angle’s Subtype: •
3D Angle measures the angle constraint between two objects without a defined axis of rotation.
•
Orient Angle measures the angle constraint between two objects, using a selected axis of rotation.
5. Select the objects for the angle constraint as follows:
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•
If Subtype is 3D Angle, the Select Two Objects Select two objects for the angle constraint.
•
option If Subtype is Orient Angle, the Select Three Objects appears. Select an axis as the first object, and then select two objects for the angle constraint.
option appears.
6. If two solutions are possible, click Reverse Last Constraint between the possible solutions.
to flip
7. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Create a Center constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Center. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Specify the Subtype: •
1 to 2 — Center the first selected object between the next two selected objects.
•
2 to 1 — Center two selected objects along the third selected object.
•
2 to 2 — Center two selected objects between two other selected objects.
5. If Subtype is 1 to 2 or 2 to 1, set Axial Geometry to define what happens if you select a cylindrical face or circular edge: •
Use Geometry — Use selected cylindrical faces for the constraint.
•
Infer Center/Axis — Use the center or axis of the object.
(if necessary), and select the appropriate 6. Click Select Objects number of objects as defined by the Subtype. You can use the Point Constructor
to help you select objects.
7. If two solutions are possible, click Reverse Last Constraint between the possible solutions.
to flip
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Adding and constraining components
Create a Bond constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Bond. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
4. Click Select Objects to bond.
(if necessary), and select two or more objects
5. Click Create Constraint when you are ready to create the constraint. 6. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Create a Fit constraint 1. On the Assemblies toolbar, click Assembly Constraints
.
2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Fit. 3. Check the Settings and modify them if you do not want to use their defaults: •
Arrangements — Specify whether you want the constraint to be applied to other assembly arrangements: –
Use Component Properties — Obey the Arrangements setting on the Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.
•
Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve the constraints and move the components as you create each constraint.
•
Associative — Specify that constraints are persistent after you close the Assembly Constraints dialog box.
(if necessary), and select two pieces of 4. Click Select Two Objects geometry that are the same size. The objects are fitted together. 5. If two solutions are possible, you can click Reverse Last Constraint to flip between the possible solutions.
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6. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.
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Activity In the Adding and constraining components section, do the following activity: •
Constrain and move components
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Summary You can add existing parts to another part to create an assembly. When an assembly is displayed, the work part is the part in which you edit and create geometry and components. Assembly constraints provide a method to establish rules to govern the relative placement of component parts. In this lesson you: •
Added components to an assembly.
•
Moved components.
•
Defined constraints.
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Lesson
18 Reference Sets Purpose Reference sets allow you to limit the amount of component part information displayed in an assembly. Reference sets will also allow you to show alternate representations or simplified versions of the model. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create reference sets in components.
•
Replace reference sets for individual components in an assembly.
•
Define default reference sets in Load Options.
•
Edit reference sets.
•
Observe the creation of automatic reference sets by the system.
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Reference Sets
General concepts concerning Reference Sets A reference set is a named "subset" or "group" of data that is defined in a component part (a piece part or subassembly). Reference sets can be used at the next level assembly to control what is displayed from the component part. Below, illustration 1 depicts a component part. Illustration 2 shows a reference set that may be defined within the component part.
A reference set may contain the following data: •
Name, Origin, and Orientation
•
Geometric Objects, Datums, Coordinate Systems, Component Objects
•
Attributes (non-geometric information used for a parts list)
Reference Set usage After a reference set is defined in a component part it can be used in an assembly. There are two primary reasons for using reference sets.
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•
Exclude, or "filter" unwanted objects in a component part so that they do not appear in the assembly.
•
Represent a component part in the assembly with alternative or simpler geometry than the complete solid body.
Reference sets let you control the amount of data that is loaded from each component and viewed in the context of an assembly. A well-managed reference set strategy can lead to:
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•
Faster load times
•
Reduced memory usage
•
Less cluttered graphics displays
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Reference Sets
Default Reference Sets Every part may contain five system managed reference sets: •
"Entire Part"
•
"Empty"
•
Model
•
Lightweight
•
Simplified
Entire Part Entire Part is the default Reference Set and refers to all model geometry and/or Component Objects in a part. Displaying the Entire Part is a quick way to access all model geometry and Component Objects in a component part.
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Empty The "Empty" (1) reference set is used as a place holder in an assembly when the part geometry need not be seen. The Model (2) reference set contains only the solid geometry of the component part.
When a component is replaced with its Empty reference set, any associative drafting objects in the assembly will be retained according to the Retain Annotations setting in Preferences→Drafting. When the geometry reappears by replacing reference sets, the drafting objects will return to their active state. When an assembly is opened using As Saved, a component represented by an empty reference set will remain unloaded.
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The Model Reference Set By default NX provides the Model Reference Set. The basic concept behind the model reference set is to collect the objects that you want to use for visualizing or doing mass analysis. The Model Reference Set contains actual model geometry, including: • •
Solids Sheets
Whenever a solid or sheet is created, it is automatically added to the part’s model reference set under the following conditions: • •
Solid bodies always get added. Sheet bodies are added two different ways, according to a default setting, File→Utilities→Customer Defaults→Assemblies→Site Standards→Reference Sets→Contents. If the setting is Sheets and Solids, the current default, sheet bodies are always added to the model reference set. If the setting is Solids Priority, then sheets are added only if there are no solid bodies in the reference set. Under this setting the assumption is that sheets created after the first solid are there only to help modify the solid or to construct additional solids.
•
Construction and reference geometry, such as curves or datums, are ignored.
The system uses the model reference set in several ways, including: • • • • •
Weight or mass calculation Bounding box size (for spatial filtering) True shape data (for spatial filtering more accurate than bounding boxes) Lightweight reference set Teamcenter Visualization translation files (.jt files) The above applications are advanced topics and may require additional licensing. Please consult the Help files for more information.
Your company can specify a reference set name for the model reference set.
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Reference Sets
To simulate a company standard for this class we customized the model reference set name to be BODY. The default name for the model reference set is MODEL.
The Model Reference Set Name is set under the Assemblies Site Standards section of Customer Defaults.
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The same page allows you to specify whether component objects are added to the model reference set of an assembly automatically. The default is to add them automatically. This will only take place if there is geometry created in the assembly file that would cause the automatic "Model" and "Lightweight" reference sets to be created. You may also specify additional reference set names that will be recognized as model reference sets during Teamcenter Visualization translation.
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The Lightweight Reference Set A lightweight reference set is one that contains a facetted representation of each body in the model reference set. The system creates the lightweight reference set automatically when included objects are created if a name for it is defined in customer defaults:
To simulate a company standard for this class we customized the lightweight reference set name to be LITE. The lightweight reference set has several advantages: • • • •
Retrieval is faster. Less system memory is used. Attribute information is still available. Dimensions to the assembly are associative.
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Reference Sets
The simplified Reference Set The simplified reference set is maintained automatically if you define a name for the Simplified Reference Set Name customer default, such as ENVELOPE. To simulate a company standard for this class we customized the simplified reference set name to be ENVELOPE.
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Once you have defined the simplified reference set, any wrap assembly or linked exteriors that you create are automatically added to this reference set.
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User defined Reference Sets Mate Reference Sets If you want to access the datums used by your assembly for mating, a reference set that contains the solid body and those datums necessary for defining Mating Constraints may be useful. Drafting Reference Sets Some parts use reference geometry that needs to be dimensioned in drawings, but is not needed otherwise. You can put such geometry into a reference set, such as DRAFTING, to be used in drafting non-master files. For example, the part below was designed as a cable around a given centerline. You would not normally want to see the centerline in assemblies, but you might need it for a dimension in a drawing.
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Representation of components with simplified geometry You may want to create one or more reference sets that contain basic representations of components. Large or complex parts can affect assembly performance. For example, if your assembly contains a sheet metal door with hundreds of louvers, using a reference set that represents the door without the louvers may improve performance. The illustration shows reference sets consisting of only a simplified solid and the guide string of a tube.
Using these SIMPLE reference sets in the assembly will let the component load faster, use less system memory, and allow for quicker graphic updates, yet still display selectable geometry for the component.
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Create Reference Sets There are two situations in which you can create a reference set: •
In any work part.
•
From an assembly during creation of a new component. (Top-Down). The reference set will exist in the new component.
Automatic Reference Sets Once you have defined customer default names for the model, lightweight, and simplified automatic reference sets, the system automatically adds objects that you create to the appropriate reference set. You can, however, modify a model, lightweight, or simplified reference set by adding or removing objects, as described below in "Editing a Reference Set". You cannot modify the Entire Part or Empty reference sets.
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Reference Sets
Reference Sets may be created and edited by choosing Format→Reference Sets from the menu bar.
After choosing Create (1) you will be prompted to enter a name for the reference set and select the objects to include in the reference set. The following rules apply to reference set names: •
Must be 30 characters or less.
•
They are not case sensitive. The system automatically converts all names to uppercase characters. We recommend that you use common names for reference sets to make it easier to assist those using the component as a master model. Using automated reference set creation makes standardization easy.
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Origin and orientation You can define a reference set coordinate system and origin in the Create Reference Set dialog box.
If Create Reference Set CSYS is toggled to No, the reference set will use the Absolute orientation and origin by default. If Create Reference Set CSYS is toggled to Yes, you will be prompted to specify an orientation and an origin point. The orientation and origin of the reference set will not affect the location of the components in existing assemblies. Creating reference set origin and orientation is primarily done by companies who need to specify a “rigged position,” otherwise this feature is not recommended as “Best Practice.” Variable positioning or arrangements (discussed later) are easier, more powerful, and more visible to the user. Add Components Automatically If Add Components Automatically is selected, any new components added to the assembly are also added to the reference set. All existing components are selected automatically and will be added to the reference set unless you explicitly deselect the components that you do not want.
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Reference Sets
Reference Set information You can obtain information about reference sets that reside in the work part by choosing Information→Assemblies→Reference Set from the main menu bar or by selecting Information from the Format→Reference Sets dialog box.
When you request information on a reference set using the Information→Assemblies→Reference Set method, the system will:
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•
Highlight the members of the set in the graphics window.
•
Display the origin and orientation in the graphics window.
•
Provide a listing of relevant data in the Information window.
When you request information on a reference set by selecting Information from the Format→Reference Sets dialog box, the system will: •
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Provide a listing of relevant data in the Information window.
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Activity In the Reference Sets section, do the activity: •
Verify the contents of a Reference Set
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Replacing Reference Sets While working in context of an assembly, you may often need to change the display of various components to show different reference sets. The action of changing the currently displayed reference set of components in an assembly is termed replacing reference sets.
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Reference Sets
Replace Reference Sets using the Assembly Navigator The right-click shortcut menu in the Assembly Navigator is a convenient way to replace reference sets. When you select the Replace Reference Set option on a component node in the Assembly Navigator, a menu of existing reference sets in that component appears with the one currently displayed in the assembly insensitive. Choosing a reference set from the list changes the display of that component as it appears in the assembly. Although you perform this action on a component node in the Assembly Navigator, you are actually changing the reference set name that is stored with the component object in its parent assembly. Procedure •
Optionally, set the top selection priority to Components.
•
From the Assembly Navigator (or) graphics window, select the Component(s).
•
With the cursor over a selected component, right-click and choose Replace Reference Set. With multiple components selected, it may be necessary to use the "Selection" option to select the desired Reference Set for all selected components.
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Reference Sets
Replace Reference Sets in context of an assembly If you are creating the reference set in context of the assembly and then immediately want to use the new reference set click the Set as Current button in the same dialog box.
An Assembly Preferences default (Display as Entire Part) causes the Entire Part reference set to be used when you make a component the work part. This behavior is initially controlled by the Customer Defaults setting Assemblies, General, Work Part, Display using ’Entire Part’ Reference Set. This can be modified in the current NX session by changing Display as Entire Part check box from the Assemblies Preferences dialog box. Once you have set the assemblies preference, this information is stored in your profile and overrides the customer default.
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Activity In the Reference Sets section, do the activity: •
Replace Reference Sets in an assembly
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Reference Sets
Edit Reference Sets There are options to delete, rename and change the contents of existing reference sets available in the Reference Sets dialog box. (Format→Reference Sets) Function Delete (1)
Description Allows you to delete the highlighted reference set.
Rename (2)
Allows you to rename the highlighted reference set.
Add Objects (3)
Allows you to add objects to the highlighted reference set.
Remove Objects (4)
Allows you to remove objects from the highlighted reference set.
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Use Information→Assemblies→Reference Set to visually verify the contents of a reference set as well as receive an information window displaying contents.
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Delete and Rename Reference Sets The process of deleting a reference set does not delete any geometry. It merely eliminates the "group" associated with the geometry. If the reference set you are deleting is being used in a loaded assembly, the confirmation message will tell you that it is in use.
If you delete a reference set that is used in an assembly, when you open or return to the assembly, it will show the entire part (default condition). Rename Reference Sets Renaming a reference set allows you to change its name without having to delete and recreate the set. If you rename a reference set that is used in a loaded assembly, the system will automatically change the name referenced by the component object in the assembly. If the assembly is not loaded when the reference set is renamed, when you open the assembly, it will show the entire part (default condition).
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Load Options and Reference Sets It is possible to replace reference sets as you open an assembly. This is useful if you are working with a large assembly and do not know what reference sets were displayed when it was last saved. When an assembly is opened, the system will try to load the first reference set in the list from each component. If a component does not contain this reference set, the system will try to load the next reference set in the list. The system will continue to look down the list until it finds a reference set that can be loaded. As Saved, Entire Part, and Empty are default entries in the list. They can be moved up or down but cannot be removed from the list. Procedure •
Choose File→Options→Assembly Load Options.
•
From the Assembly Load Options dialog box, expand the Reference Sets group.
•
In the Add Reference Set box, type the user defined reference set name and click Add.
•
From the Reference Sets lists, select the desired reference set and use or Move down the Move up of the reference sets.
•
buttons to change the hierarchy
Click OK.
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Apply to All Levels If Apply to All Levels is inactive reference set defaults will not be applied to subassembly components. The subassembly components will use the reference set that the subassembly reference set was displaying when it was last saved. For instance, with Apply to All Levels inactive and lightweight reference sets preferred, parts that were displaying entire parts or model reference sets will be opened still displaying entire parts or model reference sets. If you prefer to have the reference set defaults applied to the entire assembly then select Apply to All Levels to make it active. If Apply to All Levels is active all components of subassemblies will be loaded using the specified reference set(s) regardless of how subassembly reference sets were saved.
Load Options files You can specify a load options file name and location: load_options.def is the default name. This allows you to recall specific settings without having to remember how you set them up.
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Reference Sets
From Search Folders The Add Folder to Search Browse button allows you to add or remove search folders. Options are also available to change the order of the directory list.
1 2 3 4 5 6
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– List of current search directories (three dots includes subdirectories). – Type new directory to add to list. – Adds entered directory to list. – Removes selected directory from list. – Moves highlighted directory up in list. – Moves highlighted directory down in list.
In the example listing above, the system first looks for each component in the user’s home directory and subdirectories (D:/users/smith...), then a common project directory and subdirectories (D:/project_x/common...), and finally, the release directory (D:/project_x/release). The order of the directories can dramatically affect the time it takes to open an assembly. If possible, you should include smaller directories with the most components first and larger directories with fewer components last.
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Activity In the Reference Sets section, do the activity: •
Load Options and Reference Sets
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Summary Reference sets are used to limit the amount of information referenced by the component object in an assembly or subassembly. They allow you to create different displays of the same assembly or component to simplify the assembly or provide alternate configurations. In this lesson you: •
Created reference sets.
•
Replaced reference sets.
•
Defined a hierarchy of reference sets to be loaded using Load Options.
•
Edited Reference Sets by deleting one that was not needed.
•
Observed the automatic creation of model and lightweight reference sets during file save.
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19 Top-down assembly modeling Purpose One method of assembly modeling is to build the component part files in context of the assembly. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create a new component using the Top-Down method
•
Design a component in context
•
Build associativity across parts in the assembly using the WAVE Geometry Linker
•
Edit Linked Geometry
•
Edit the Timestamp for a link
•
Mirror an assembly
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Top-down assembly modeling
Top-down design Top-down
is the process of assembly modeling in which you create a new component part while working in context of the assembly. Since the definition of a component part is dictated by its function within the assembly, you first create the geometry in the assembly. Then, when you want to work with this geometry as a component, you push the geometry into its own part file leaving only a pointer (the component object) in the assembly.
Design in context is the process in which you define geometry in one part while referencing geometry in some other part. Design in context is accomplished while the uncompleted component is the work part and is displayed in the context of the assembly. Procedure There are two basic methods to create a component top-down. Move Geometry method •
Create geometry in the assembly (sketch, sheet, solid, etc.)
•
Create a new component and add the geometry to it.
Empty Part method •
Create an "empty" component object in the assembly.
•
Make the "empty" component the Work Part.
•
Create the geometry in this component part.
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Create a new component The process to add a new component to the work part is started by: •
Choosing Assemblies→Components→Create New in the main menu bar. (or)
•
Clicking Create New Component from the Assemblies toolbar.
You may select geometry to add to the new component part (Move Geometry Method). If no geometry is to be moved you can immediately click OK (Empty Part Method). The units of the new part will be the same as the parent.
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After a part file name is designated for the new component, you can specify information in the Create New Component dialog box .
Component name
The name of the component object. The default name for the component is the name of the part file.
Reference Set Name
The name of a reference set to be created with the new component. If none is specified, no reference set is created. However, Automatic reference sets will be created as discussed in an earlier lesson. All geometry selected will be added to the reference set.
Layer options
This defines what layer any added geometry will be placed. The choices are Work, Original or As Specified.
Component Origin
Determines the absolute origin and orientation of the new component part. If not defined, then the absolute origin and orientation of the assembly part is used.
Copy Defining Objects
If cleared, selected geometry that depends on defining objects that were not selected will be left out of the new component. If this option is toggled on, all selected geometry and defining objects are copied to the new component.
Delete Originals
If selected, the selected geometry is copied to the component part. If it is cleared, the geometry is moved to the component part.
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Verify the creation of a new component Since the graphics display does not necessarily change, it may not be obvious that a new component was created. There are a few ways to verify the creation of a new component: Assembly Navigator
Find and select the new component node with Mouse Button 1 to highlight the geometry that belongs to it.
Assemblies→ Reports→ List Components
Find the new component from a list of components.
Assemblies→ Context Control→ Set Work Part
Change the work part to the new component.
Status line
Read the statement: “Component XYZ was created.”
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Activity In the Top-down assembly modeling section, do the activity: •
Top-down assembly modeling
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Top-down assembly modeling
Considerations of selecting data during component creation Adding data to a new component can be thought of in terms of moving or copying the data into the new part. If Delete Original is selected, data is moved; otherwise it is copied. •
All geometry, whether moved or copied, will have the same color and show/hide-status as the original. The occurrences of that geometry created in the assembly will "look" identical to the originals.
•
If you attempt to "move" an object, and some other object which you are not moving depends on that object, then the selected object will in fact be "copied". If you select a sketch (which has been extruded) to be moved to a component, but you do not select the associated extruded body, the sketch will be copied. If you select a line which is part of a sketch to be moved to the component, but you do not select the sketch, the line will be copied.
•
If you copy only a sketch and the sketch has a swept solid associated with it, the copied sketch will not be associated to the solid. If the sketch is attached to a face, the body it is attached to will be copied.
•
If you move a solid that was created from a sketch, the sketch is copied.
•
Any expressions that the sketch uses are copied into the new part. Any expressions that are not required by the sketch are not copied.
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Design in context of an assembly Designing in Context is the process by which you define geometry in one part by referencing geometry in another part. When designing in the context of an assembly, the component part in which you are adding the geometry must be the work part and the assembly must be the displayed part. Creation or editing of geometry will take place in the work part, yet geometry in other components will be selectable. It is important to remember that when a component is added to an assembly, the geometry is not being copied into the assembly but rather it is being referenced by the assembly. Changes made to the component part will immediately be reflected in the assembly. If multiple occurrences of the same component exist in an assembly, they will all update because they are referencing the same component part. Select geometry outside the work part When working in the context of an assembly many functions allow you to select geometry from components other than the work part. This is useful when specifying a location with the Point Constructor dialog box or checking a clearance using Information→Object or Analysis→Distance. In the example below, a block is created in the current work part by defining diagonal points (1) relative to geometry in non-work parts, eliminating the need to calculate and enter numerical values for the edge lengths.
The size and position of the block in the example above are not associative. Associativity between components can be attained through the use of the WAVE Geometry Linker, Interpart Expressions, and Mating Conditions, which are covered later in the course.
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Sketch in context Sketching in context is the ability to create and edit sketches in a component part while the assembly is displayed.
When working with sketches in context of an assembly existing objects belonging to the sketch can be selected in any occurrence of the work part.
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Introduction to interpart modeling The WAVE Geometry Linker provides a means to associatively link geometry from another component part in an assembly into the Work Part. By "associative" we mean that modifying the parent geometry will cause the linked geometry in other parts to update. This function is accessed by choosing Insert→Associative Copy→WAVE Geometry Linker or by displaying the WAVE Geometry Linker button on the assemblies toolbar.
Associative
Allows you to create non-associative geometry in the Work Part. The geometry is automatically created as a Broken Link. The WAVE Geometry Linker is on by default. Some sites have chosen to disable it via the customer default Assemblies, General, Interpart Modeling, Allow Interpart Modeling. This default controls Interpart Expressions as well.
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Hide Original
Lets you hide the original geometry so that the linked geometry in the Work Part will be easier to select while the assembly is displayed.
Fix at Current Timestamp
Lets you specify where the linked feature is placed in the feature list. When cleared, any new features later added to the original geometry will be reflected in the linked geometry. When selected, any new features will not affect the linked geometry.
Considerations when interpart modeling Before using the WAVE Geometry Linker, the user should evaluate the downstream impacts. Do not use the WAVE Geometry Linker just because you can. This is a very powerful tool that adds another level of complication to the assembly.
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Top-down assembly modeling
Geometry types Several different types of geometry can be selected. •
Composite Curve
•
Points
•
Datum
•
Face
•
Region of Faces
•
Body
•
Mirror Body
•
Routing Object When selecting the geometry to copy, you also need to consider how permanent the geometry will be. If you copy as little geometry as possible to do the job, performance will be improved but updates will be less robust when the parent geometry is altered. For example, if you copy individual sketch curves to another part, the link may not update correctly if one of the curves is deleted. However, if you link an entire sketch, curves may be removed or added to it and the link will still update.
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Activity In the Top-down assembly modeling section, do the activity: •
Design in context of an assembly
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Localized interpart modeling Localized interpart modeling is the ability to relate the geometry of interacting parts in an assembly. This has two distinct advantages in assembly modeling: •
Reduces the cost of design changes.
•
Maintains design integrity.
This reduces cost since changes made to a single part can be automatically propagated to other related component parts in the assembly. Design integrity is maintained because the parts will always have correct geometric and positional relationships. A gasket (1) is derived from a parent face (2) in a housing. If the size or shape of the parent face changes in the housing, the gasket will change accordingly (3) in the assembly (4).
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Interpart modeling applications Interpart modeling can be applied to different areas including tooling and manufacturing engineering. •
Part in process modeling
•
Mold/Die Core/Cavity design
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Part in process modeling Part in process modeling allows you to validate and illustrate a manufacturing process plan. A cast part (1) is used to derive a machined part (2). A linked solid is created in the machining part from the casting. Then, features unique to the machining are added to it.
The above method is primarily used by companies who design their own cast parts and tooling. It is usually much easier to add features that remove material from a properly constructed casting model than to add draft and machining material to a purely functional design. The finished machined part (1) is designed first and subsequently the cast part is defined by adding material using offset and simplify features (2).
The above method is primarily used by companies who design pattern tooling based on a “finished” part design. Much extra work and communication is needed to design a casting that provides just enough stock material, an acceptable parting, and sufficient draft for the casting process without interfering with the fit and function of the part.
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Mold/die applications Interpart modeling can be applied to create an associative mold or die from a finished piece part. A solid body (1) can be linked from one part into another (2) where features can be applied to define the cavity in the mold or die (3).
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Activities In the Top-down assembly modeling section, do the activities: •
WAVE Geometry Linker - Mirror Body
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Edit links Links may be edited by choosing Edit→Feature→Edit Parameters and selecting a linked feature.
While this dialog box is displayed you can select new parent geometry for the link being edited. The new parent geometry must be the same type as the old geometry (curve, datum, solid body, etc.). Part
Parent Part controls if the parent geometry selection is from the Work Part or an Other Part.
Mapping
Opens the Replacement Assistant dialog box to help you edit the source of the linked or extracted feature.
WAVE Information
Shows the name of the part where the parent geometry is located, the geometry type, and the link Status.
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Top-down assembly modeling
Associative
Lets you break the association between the linked feature and its parent. This means that the linked feature will no longer update if its parent changes. You can later define a new parent by selecting geometry with the cursor.
Fix at Current Timestamp
Lets you specify the timestamp at which the linked feature is placed. If this option is selected one of the parent part features may be selected from the list to specify a new timestamp location for the linked feature being edited. If this option is cleared, all features in the parent part will be reflected in the linked feature.
Make Position Independent
Lets you change the link to a PILO (Position Independent Linked Object), which does not require a context assembly for its existence. If this option is selected you cannot deselect this option to convert a position-independent link to a position-dependent link.
Broken Links A link may become broken for several reasons: •
The parent geometry is deleted.
•
The path from the linked geometry to its parent part is broken. This can occur if the component containing the parent geometry is removed or substituted.
•
If you deliberately break the link.
Broken links can be repaired with the WAVE Geometry Linker dialog box.
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Deleting parent geometry To prevent unintentional deletion of the parents of linked geometry, a message will warn you if a delete operation would cause interpart links to break. When parts containing linked geometry are loaded this warning applies to operations using Edit→Delete, the Delete button, and right-click shortcut menus on the graphics screen or in the Model Navigation Tool.
The Information option provides details about the links that will be broken in an Information window.
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Activities In the Top-down assembly modeling section, do the activities: •
Edit a link
•
Edit the timestamp of a link
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Mirrored Assemblies The Mirrored Assemblies function utilizes a wizard interface to facilitate the development of: •
Symmetric parts that need to be repositioned to serve the same purpose on both sides of an assembly.
•
Asymmetric parts whose mirrored application generate new parts.
1) – Same part, mirrored position. 2) – New part, mirrored geometry. With the Mirror Assembly functions, you only need to create one side of your assembly. You can then create a mirrored version to form the other side of your assembly. The assembly is mirrored with respect to a plane. You can use an existing plane, or create one as you are defining the mirrored assembly. Components may be the same on both sides of the plane — only the location mirrored, or , the components can have their geometry mirrored. You can specify components to be excluded from the mirrored assembly. You can also reposition components so they appear in a different location in the mirrored assembly. Components must be children of the work assembly to be selectable for the mirrored assembly.
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Procedure The steps to mirroring an assembly, as outlined in the wizard are: 1. Click Mirror Assembly. If you selected components before clicking Mirror Assembly, the wizard will open on the Select Plane page (step 4). 2. Click the Next button. 3. Select the components that you want to mirror and click Next. 4. For the mirror plane, select an existing plane (or) click the Create Datum Plane button to create a plane. 5. Click Next when you have selected the mirror plane. 6. Specify the Mirror Type for the desired component(s). •
Assign Reposition Operation, which is the default type, adds an instance placed on the other side of the mirror plane for each component.
•
Assign Mirror Geometry Operation creates an opposite-side version of a component.
•
Reuse Assembly reuses a subassembly during a mirror assembly operation, rather than creating a new subassembly.
•
Assign Exclude Component Operation excludes a component from the mirror operation. This option is useful when you selected a parent in step 3, thereby automatically selecting all its children, but you do not want to mirror all the children.
7. When you are finished, click Next. The system performs a preview of the mirror operation.
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8. On the Mirror Review page, you can make corrections before finishing the operation.
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9. When you have finished making corrections, determine if you have mirrored geometry. •
If none of your components are using the Mirror Geometry type, the Finish button is available. Click this button to create the parts and dismiss the wizard.
•
If any of your components use the Mirror Geometry type, you must specify the naming policy that you want to use for these opposite-side parts. Click the Next button to go to the Naming Policy page.
10. On the Naming Policy page, you can name the new opposite-side parts by applying a prefix or suffix to the name used by their source parts. Or, if you are in NX Manager, you can let the system automatically assign part numbers to the new parts. 11. When you have finished specifying the naming policy and the directory for the parts click Next to go to the Name New Part Files page. 12. On the Name New Part Files page, you can review the names that have been applied to your new opposite-side parts. If you wish to change a name, double-click it in the panel. The Rename Part File dialog box appears, where you can specify the new name. If you specify a name that is being used by another part in your assembly, you will receive an error message. 13. When you have finished naming the new parts, click Finish to complete the mirror operation. 14. Save your parts if you wish to keep them.
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Activity In the Top-down assembly modeling section, do the activity: •
Mirror Assembly
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Summary Top-Down Assembly Modeling allows you to build new components in relation to other components within the same assembly. Interpart modeling methods allow you to relate geometry in an assembly. In this lesson you: •
Created new components using the Top-Down method.
•
Designed in Context of the assembly.
•
Created components using interpart modeling.
•
Built associativity across component parts in an assembly using Geometry Linker.
•
Edited the timestamp for a link.
•
Edited linked geometry.
•
Mirrored an assembly.
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Lesson
20 Interpart references Purpose Interpart Reference enable components to share parameters. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create and apply referencing interpart references
•
Understand and recognize overriding interpart references.
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Interpart references
General concepts Interpart References (IPRs) allow the user to establish relationships between expressions of separate part files. A change to an expression in one part file may change an expression in a different part file, thus altering the geometry of that part. IPRs may be created between any two part files, not necessarily between components of an assembly. Before using IPRs, the user should evaluate the downstream impacts. Do not use IPRs just because you can. They are a very powerful tool that adds another level of complication to the assembly. Please pay particular attention to the Tips and Recommended Practices near the end of this chapter. Your system administrator may choose to disable IPRs at the site, group, or user level.
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Types of interpart references Interpart References can be created in two basic forms, referencing or overriding. Referencing expressions Referencing expressions are used to reference an expression from one part to an expression in another part. This means that the value of one expression will depend on the value of an expression in another part. Referencing expressions create the link on the right side of the equal sign in the expression. There are two ways that referencing expressions can be used. The driving expression can be created in the assembly and be referenced by the component parts below it.
The alternative is to have one component reference an expression in another component directly.
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Interpart references
Overriding expressions Overriding expressions are those that are created in an assembly and the interpart link is created in the Name box. The interpart link is on the left side of the equal sign in the expression when viewed outside of the Expressions dialog box. Although they reside in the assembly, they assign a value to an expression in a component part. The expression in the component part will take on this value when the component is opened with the assembly. Create overriding expressions in the Name box or by selecting the Use for expression name check box. In the example below, the hole_dia expression in the block part is being overridden by the expression in the assembly which sets it equal to the pin diameter.
The expression being overridden will appear as locked.
This means that it can only be edited from the expression in the assembly which is overriding it. The link can be found by listing the references for the locked expression.
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To list references, use the right-click shortcut menu over a locked expression.
A report structured like this example is generated in the listing window:
Overriding expressions can only be created in an assembly and used to override the value of an expression in one of its components.
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Interpart references
Create interpart references Interpart references are best created and edited in the Expression dialog box. The lower portion of the dialog box while using “more options” contains interpart references, edit, and open buttons.
Create Interpart Reference Edit Interpart References Open Referenced Parts
When creating links, it is also possible to create a link by simply entering the expression in the Formula entry field using the correct syntax, i.e. x=part_name::expression_name. If your filename includes hyphens (-) then the part name alone should have quotes placed around it, i.e. x="123-4567-890"::length
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Interpart references
Edit Interpart References The Edit Interpart References dialog box is activated upon selection of Edit Inter–Part References and selecting the part containing the referenced expression.
Function Change Referenced Part Delete Reference
Description
Delete All References
Similar to Delete Reference except it will delete ALL interpart references in the current work part.
Allows you to change all expressions that refer to the part selected so that they refer to a new part. Allows you to break the relationship with a selected part and replaces the formula of the expression with the current value.
When changing references, the expressions must exist in both parts. If this is not the case, the system will display a message that it will assign the missing expressions their current numeric values.
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Interpart references
Activity In the Interpart References section, do the activity: •
Create Interpart References
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Interpart references
Partial loading issues Partially loading components in an assembly conserves system memory by not loading all data associated with the file. When using interpart references, it is possible to edit the expressions referenced by a partially loaded component. The geometry in that part will not update to reflect the changes until the part has been fully loaded. The Load Interpart Data option from Load Options dialog box can be used to ensure all referenced components are fully loaded when partial loading is used. Resolving interpart expression references When a part containing an IPR is loaded, the system looks for the name of the expression in the referenced part. If the correct name is found, the system has resolved the link. If it is impossible for the link to be resolved, the system will notify the user, delete the link, and assign the last known constant value. Here is an example of an expression in a component part file referencing an expression in an assembly file. dia=ipr_block_assm::ipr_dia Attempting to delete the expression "ipr_dia" within the assembly part file would result in an error message stating that the expression is in use, and the references would be listed. If you perform a "Save As" on a part, any loaded part which references it will rename the expression so the link is preserved, now referencing the new part created by the Save As operation. If the other parts are not loaded at the time the Save As was performed, their expressions can be changed later by using Edit Interpart References in the Expressions dialog box.
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Interpart references
Load Parts The Load Parts dialog box is activated upon selection of Open Referenced Parts. It provides the following options:
Function Parts→All Modified Parts→All Referenced Load All Parts in List
Description Lists only those unloaded or partially loaded parts whose expressions have been modified. Lists all unloaded or partially loaded parts with expressions referenced by the work part. Allows you to fully load all parts listed.
The Open→Component Fully option in the Assembly Navigator can also be used to fully load and update interpart references.
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Tips and recommended practices •
Before using interpart references, you should evaluate their downstream impacts.
•
IPRs are powerful tools but do complicate your assemblies and add complexity to your assemblies that others may not understand so only use then when necessary.
•
In general, IPRs should be used when the parts have a physical constraint and are used in the same assembly. Although you can use IPRs with parts not assembled together, it is not recommended.
•
Consider setting up company-wide standards on how and when IPR’s are to be used. It may be a good idea to have a naming convention such as a prefix on the expression name such as "ipr_dia" so it is readily identifiable as being referenced.
•
You should not use overriding expression references on the same component from different assemblies. This would cause the component to be updated each time it was loaded by the different assemblies. For this reason, overriding expression should not be used for standard parts such as a bolt or screw.
•
In general, it is a good practice to edit IPR’s only when all of the referenced parts are fully loaded, therefore changes can be immediately understood. If a part fails to load because of an IPR edit, you should close all other parts then open only the part causing the problem. The part should load and allow you to investigate which expressions are responsible. You can then delete the offending links.
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Interpart references
Summary Interpart references allow you to link the expressions between parts. Whenever a change occurs to an expression in one part file, the related expression in the other part file(s) will change accordingly. In this lesson you: •
Created and applied interpart references.
•
Reviewed tips and recommended practices for using interpart references.
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Lesson
21 Component Arrays Purpose Time and effort can be saved by applying component arrays and feature based component arrays. The feature based arrays capitalize on the parametric and associative characteristics already present in assembly models. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Create a Circular Component array
•
Apply the From Instance Feature function
•
Edit a circular array
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Component Arrays
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Component Arrays You can use the Component Arrays options to create and edit linear and circular arrays of components in an assembly based on a template component. Creating a component array A component array can be defined in one of two ways Multiple Add→Array
Is used as the component is added to the assembly.
Assemblies→ Components→ Create Array
Is used after the component has been added to the assembly.
The Create Component Array dialog box allows you to define the type and name of the array to create.
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Linear
A linear or rectangular array of components where you specify the number of components, the spacing between them, and a direction reference.
Circular
A circular array of components where you specify the number of components, the angle between them, and an axis.
From Instance Feature
An option that provides a means to quickly generate a pattern of components with corresponding mating conditions based on an instance array in a component part.
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Linear & Circular Arrays Linear and Circular Arrays are very similar to feature instancing, except that a linear master component array is not defined by the WCS. Each new component is offset from the original component. The number of components in the array and the offsets are controlled by expressions. You can fine tune an array component’s position by editing its expressions using Tools→ Expression. You can either mate the master component to other geometry, or leave it free standing. The master’s position updates according to any changes you make. You cannot delete a Master Component without first deleting the array.
If you attempt to delete the last component in a From Instance Feature array you will get an update failure. You can delete the array from the resulting dialog box.
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Component Arrays
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Editing a component array Component Arrays can be edited by choosing Assemblies→Edit Component Arrays.
The Edit Array Parameters option can be used to change the number of components, spacing, or direction reference for a linear or circular array. Other options are available to rename and delete arrays. The number of components and spacing values are stored as expressions. They can also be edited from the expression editor by choosing Tools→Expression.
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Component Arrays
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Activity In the Component Arrays section, do the activity: •
Create a circular component array
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Component Arrays
21
Feature-based component arrays In many cases it is necessary to associate an array of components to a corresponding array of features in another component of the assembly (i.e. bolts associated to a hole pattern), which can be accomplished by using the From Instance Feature option in the Create Component Array dialog box.
The template component Component arrays produce occurrences of a "template" component object. These occurrences are all associated to the template component. Any changes made to the original component are reflected in the occurrences of the component. The template component defines certain properties for any newly generated occurrences within the array which include:
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component part
•
color
•
layer
•
name
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Component Arrays and Mating Conditions When using the From Instance Feature option, mating constraints will be generated for the new occurrences based on those of the template component. At least one constraint must be applied to an object belonging to an instanced feature. That constraint is how NX knows to use the Instance Array to define the Component Array. Because the component array uses the mating constraints of the template component, you must assign mating constraints to the template before creating the From Instance Feature component array. It is a good practice to define mating constraints for the template component to the original feature that was instanced in the component part. Feature-based array associativity If the number of features in an instance set is changed, the components in the array associated to those features will also change (added or deleted). Furthermore, if a feature in an instance set is removed entirely as a result of a modeling change, the corresponding component in the array will also be removed. In the example below a modeling change causes a hole to be removed (3). If the deleted component was the "template" (1), the system assigns a new template (2) from the remaining components in the array.
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Component Arrays
21
Summary Component arrays take advantage of existing parametric data and can save time in adding component part files to an assembly. In this lesson you:
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Created a circular component array.
•
Applied the From Instance Feature function.
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Edited a circular array.
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Lesson
22 Revisions and substitutions
22
Purpose After creating an assembly, you may have to revise or substitute an existing component or change the name of the component part. In this lesson you will investigate the different methods to revise components and the assemblies that use them. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Revise a component and an assembly using Save Part As
•
Interrogate the modifications made to features of a part
•
Substitute components in an existing assembly
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File Versioning/Revisions There are many different ways to track revisions to a component after it has been released.
22
One of the most common methods is to reflect the revision in the part name. Track revisions by part number The most common way of keeping track of the legacy data for a part is to include a revision identifier in the part name. When revising, the user would save the part the same base name, but modify the revision identifier. This method is very efficient because you can easily identify the version of a loaded part from the name. There are several advantages to this method. Advantages •
Easy to create the change. Use "Save As" on the affected components.
•
No file protection problem because owner performs the "Save As".
•
The old and new parts can and should reside in the same directory.
•
The legacy information is accessed (if on line) by retrieving the older revision assembly or component part.
•
Easy to track revisions on the shop floor when looking at numbered parts.
•
File versioning rules can be implemented to enable the system to always get the latest version of the file.
Disadvantages
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If file versioning rules are enabled, two versions of the component part cannot be open at the same time.
•
Associated information could be lost if components are substituted and file versioning is not used.
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Revise a component and assembly using Save As When revisions are incorporated into part names, an easy way to revise a component is to save the component with the new name while it is the work part. This can be accomplished by choosing File→Save As. Many companies, however, require that an assembly also be revised whenever a change is made to the form, fit, or function of one of its components so you would also be required to save each of the assemblies in the tree that reference the component. When you perform a File→Save As on a component part in a native operating system: •
A Session Where Used report is immediately displayed, listing any loaded assemblies that reference the component.
•
A new name for the component is defined.
•
A new name for each of the listed assemblies is defined, as desired.
•
An information window is displayed with the new part names.
Watch the Cue line for a prompt specifying the name of the file currently being renamed.
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Revisions and substitutions
If you click Cancel at any level of the assembly structure, you will get a message after input for the last file has been specified:
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The Part Modifications dialog box The Part Modifications dialog box allows you to access information pertaining to modifications to components of an assembly. You can access it by choosing Information→Part→Modifications. The top portion of the dialog box lists the displayed assembly and its loaded components. The lower list displays the version and time/date information for the part highlighted in the upper list.
1 – Lists the displayed assembly and loaded components. 2 – Version numbers and date/time stamps for the highlighted part. 3 – Lists information for versions that meet criteria relative to the highlighted version number. 4 – Specify types of objects to provide information on. 5 – Specify object to highlight in graphics display.
Once the part, version selection criteria, and object types are specified, you can click OK or Apply to display the information.
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Revisions and substitutions
In the example below, feature object information is displayed for all versions of a part.
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The listing includes an object number for each feature, the version in which the feature was last modified, the version in which the feature was created, and the feature name. An object number can be entered or the Previous and Next buttons can be chosen from the dialog box to highlight the features in the graphics display. You can also review the differences between two components using the Model Compare function. To learn more about Model Compare, choose Help→Documentation→Getting Started→Working with Parts→NX Analysis→Model Compare.
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Additional Assembly Reports There are other reporting tools available to help you understand how a particular assembly has changed over time. •
List Components
•
Update Report
•
Where Used
•
Session Where Used
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Update Report This report indicates which components were updated (changed) as the assembly is opened. An update report can automatically be generated every time an assembly is opened by choosing Preferences→Assemblies and toggling the Display Update Report option to on. Where Used This option will search directories and list the assemblies that reference a specified part. This is useful to determine what impact a pending design change may have on other assemblies.
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In the Where Used Report dialog box, a Search Option can be chosen to specify what directories to search for parts and whether to list only next level assemblies or all assemblies.
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A Where Used report may take considerable time to execute. It is recommended that you search through as few directories and parts as possible. Session Where Used This option will list only the loaded assemblies that reference a specified part. This report is automatically generated when you perform a File→Save As on a component part while the assembly is loaded.
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Activity In the Revisions and substitutions section, do the activity: •
Revise components using “Save As” ROLLER_ASSM MOUNTING_BRACKET ROLLER
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ROLLER_ASSM-A MOUNTING_BRACKET-A
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ROLLER_PIN
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Revisions and substitutions
Partial Loading issues There are some issues relating to revisions which should be considered when using partial loading.
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Sharing components Assume you are working in a concurrent engineering environment and have a loaded assembly that contains a partially loaded component owned by another user. If that user modifies and saves that component part to disk, your loaded assembly will become out of date. Now, if you perform an operation in your assembly that requires that the shared part be fully loaded (i.e. making it the work part to interrogate a feature), the part will automatically be re-opened with the new version. If the component had been fully loaded, an error message would be received when an attempt is made to save the part stating that the part has changed on disk since it was first opened. Legacy parts When loading an assembly that was last saved in a prior release, the system will automatically convert fully loaded components to the current version and recognize them as being modified. Normally, when you save an assembly, the system will also save the fully loaded components that have been modified. Because the partially loaded components were not updated to the new version, they will not be saved.
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Close assembly component parts The File→Close→Selected Parts option lets you selectively close (unload) components in an assembly. The upper section of the dialog box lets you specify what component parts to close and the lower section lets you specify how they will be closed.
1 – List all loaded component parts or top level only. 2 – Close only parts selected or whole assembly tree. 3 – If on, you will not be warned if a selected part has been modified. 4 – Close all parts in the session.
If the component part you are closing (unloading) has been modified while it was the work part, you will be asked if you really want to close the part. If you agree to close (unload) the component part, you will lose the modifications you made to the part and the changes won’t be reflected in the piece part file stored on disk.
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Revisions and substitutions
Reopen component parts In a concurrent engineering environment, one designer may be working on a loaded assembly which references a component part that another designer is simultaneously modifying.
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The File→Close→Reopen Selected Parts option lets you selectively update loaded components with their counterparts on disk. It can be utilized in the following situation. Early in the morning, designer A starts working on an assembly that references comp3.
Later in the morning, while designer A is still working on the assembly, designer B revises comp3 and saves it using File→Save.
At lunchtime, designer A reopens comp3 while the assembly is still open using File→Close→Reopen Selected Parts.
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The top portion of the Reopen Part dialog box lets you specify what component will be reopened. The bottom portion of the dialog box lets you specify how the component will be reopened.
22 1 – List of loaded components that can be reopened. 2 – Specifies whether reopen should affect part or whole assembly. 3 – If on, you will not be warned if selected part has been modified before it is loaded from disk. 4 – Reopens all parts in session that have been changed on disk.
After you reopen the parts, an Information window will list the names of the parts, their status before they were reopened, and their status after they were reopened.
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Substitute components As you are going through design iterations and revising your assembly, it may be necessary to replace an existing component with a different part. In other words, you will want to change the pointer in the assembly so that it references another component part which is located at the same origin and orientation.
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A component substitution can destroy the relationship between the component and any associated data such as dimensions, mating conditions, and WAVE interpart references. There are some situations in which this can be avoided that will be discussed later. There are three different ways to substitute a component which will be discussed in this lesson. •
Assemblies→Components→Substitute Component.
•
Use the Open As toggle in the Reopen Part dialog box.
•
Use Open→Component As option in the Assembly Navigator pop-up menu.
The Unique Identifier (UID) When the system finds a component with the correct name, it performs a second check before loading it. There is an internal file identifier, referred to as a UID (Unique IDentifier), that ensures that the component that has been found is the genuine article, or at least a copy of it. A new UID is not assigned (and thus, associativity is maintained) in the following cases: •
When you copy or move the file in the operating system.
•
When you save the file into another directory using the same name.
•
When you perform a File→Save As, as with a seed part.
Allow Substitution When you open an assembly and the system finds a component that happens to have the same name but a different UID, the opening will fail unless Allow Substitution has been toggled on in the Load Options dialog box. The Allow Substitution option enables a component to be loaded into an assembly even though it has a different UID, or history. It could be a completely different part created by another user. 22-14
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If the new component has no common history (different UID) with the substituted component, data in the assembly will lose its associativity to the original component (mating constraints, WAVE interpart references, etc.).
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Revisions and substitutions
Substitute components using Substitute Components may be substituted using the Substitute Component option under Assemblies→Components.
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Remove and Add
Regardless of the of the history (UID) of the parts involved, this is a non-associative operation. Mating conditions and WAVE interpart references will be lost. All drafting objects will revert to their retain annotation state and all Manufacturing data associativity will be lost.
Maintain Mating
If the current part and the replacement part have the same UID, associativity can be preserved if this option is used. All mating conditions and WAVE interpart references will be maintained assuming the relevant geometry exists in both parts. All drafting objects will revert to their retain annotation state and all Manufacturing data associativity will be lost.
As the new component is substituted, you can assign a:
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Component Name
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Reference Set
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Layer Option
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Substitute components using Reopen A loaded component can also be replaced with another part by choosing File→Close→Reopen Selected Parts and using Open As.
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The component part to be replaced must be selected from the list. After choosing OK, the system will ask you to select the unloaded replacement part. If the replacement part has a common history with the original part (same UID), associativity is maintained. If the replacement part does not have a common history (different UID), associativity is lost. To Reopen a component with a part that has a different UID, Allow Substitution must be selected in the Load Options.
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Substitute using the Assembly Navigator An unloaded component can be replaced using Open→Component As in the pop-up menu of the Assembly Navigator.
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Activity In the Revisions and substitutions section, do the activity: •
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Substitute components
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Revisions and substitutions
Summary After creating an assembly, you may have to revise or substitute a component and change the name of the component part. In this lesson, you used different methods to revise components and the assemblies that use them. In this lesson you: •
Revised a component and an assembly using Save Part As.
•
Interrogated the modifications made to features of a part.
•
Substituted components in an existing assembly.
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Lesson
23 Master model 23
Purpose This lesson introduces the master model concept. Objectives Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Review an existing master model.
•
Edit a master model and update an associated non-master part.
•
Create a new master model.
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Master model
Assembly models An assembly is any NX part to which you add one or more component objects, which are special links to other parts. There is no duplication of geometry in an assembly part; component objects allow the assembly to display geometry that resides in parts they reference. A component object stores information about the piece part such as its location, attributes, origin, and orientation.
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You can assign attributes to component objects to change the display properties of the referenced geometry the assembly level, such as color or layer, without affecting the original part.
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Master model
Master model concept You apply the master model concept by creating an assembly, or non-master part, with exactly one component part. The component part is the master model. Edits to the master model are updated in the non-master part. The master model concept allows multiple design processes to access the same geometry during development. Benefits of this include: •
It promotes concurrent engineering. You can begin downstream applications such as drafting, manufacturing, and analysis during geometry construction.
•
The downstream users need not have write access to the geometry. This prevents accidental modifications.
Drafting
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Assembly
Master Model
Analysis
N/C
Each application uses a separate assembly part. When the master model is revised, the other applications automatically update with minimal or no associativity loss. You can maintain the design intent of the various design applications by restricting write permission on the master model.
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Master model
Master model example Manufacturing engineers have the need to design fixture devices, define machining operations, and designate cutter tools and save this data in their models. By creating a manufacturing "assembly" and adding a component to it, engineers can create application specific geometry or data separate parts that reference the same master model.
23
Benefits of the master model include: •
Avoiding the duplication of model geometry.
•
Supporting concurrent engineering, because data for various disciplines is separated. abcd1234_mfg.prt A non-master part owned by manufacturing engineer contains manufacturing data and a component object which references the master model part.
abcd1234.prt A part owned by the designer contains master model geometry.
The manufacturing engineer owns the assembly part but does not require write access to the master model.
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Master model
Activities In the Master model section, do the following activities: •
Explore a master model assembly
•
Create a non-master part
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Master model
Summary The master model approach offers many benefits. Master model parts may be write-protected and owned by one user or group yet the data can be shared with other users or groups. Downstream users can access the latest data and incorporate updates as the part is being developed.
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Lesson
24 Introduction to Drafting Purpose This lesson provides an introduction to the Drafting application. Objectives
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Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to: •
Open, create, and delete drawing sheets.
•
Add, edit, and remove views on drawing sheets.
•
Create utility symbols.
•
Create dimensions.
•
Create annotations.
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Introduction to Drafting
Drawings Use the Drafting application to create drawings of 3D parts. Some of the benefits of the Drafting application are:
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•
You can add views to a drawing sheet by indicating their location with the cursor.
•
When you add projected views, they are automatically aligned with the parent view.
•
When you update the model, you can update the views either automatically or manually.
•
Drafting annotation is placed directly on the drawing sheet.
•
Drafting annotation (dimensions, labels, and symbols with leaders) is associative to the geometry you select.
•
Associative view boundaries are calculated when the drawing sheet is updated.
•
Section views are fully associative to the model.
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Introduction to Drafting
Create new drawing sheets When you start the Drafting application, you will see either: •
An existing drawing sheet.
•
The Sheet dialog box if there are no drawing sheets in the part. To control the automatic appearance of the Sheet dialog box: 1. From the Menu Bar, choose Preferences→Drafting. 2. Click the General tab.
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3. In the Drawing Work Flow group, select Automatically Start Insert Sheet Command. To create a new drawing sheet: 1. From the Drawing Layout toolbar, choose New Sheet
.
2. In the Sheet dialog box, define the drawing sheet size, scale, name, units of measure and projection angle. 3. Choose OK. To create a new drawing sheet in a part that already contains drawing sheets, you can: •
On the Drawing Layout toolbar, click New Sheet.
•
From the menu bar, choose Insert→Sheet .
•
In the Drawing Navigator, right-click the Drawing node, and select Insert Sheet. The Drawing Navigator is a subset of the Part Navigator. The drawing node and every object under it are referred to as the Drawing Navigator in this lesson.
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Introduction to Drafting
Open a Drawing Sheet Do one of the following: •
In the Drawing Navigator, double click the sheet name.
•
In the Drawing Navigator, right-click the drawing sheet node and select Open.
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Edit a drawing sheet In NX, the term "drawing sheet" is used to define a collection of views. Think of each drawing as a separate page in the part. One part can contain many drawing sheets. To edit a drawing sheet, do one of the following: •
In the Drawing Navigator, right-click the drawing sheet and choose Edit Sheet.
•
Over the view border of a drawing sheet, right-click and choose Edit Sheet.
•
On the Drafting Edit toolbar, click Sheet
•
From the menu, choose Edit→Sheet.
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You can change the projection angle only if no projected views exist on the drawing sheet. You can edit the drawing sheet to a larger or smaller size. If you edit the drawing sheet to a size so small that a member view falls entirely outside the boundary of the drawing sheet, you will get an error message. If you need to edit the drawing sheet to a smaller size, but cannot due to the current position of the views, move the views closer to the drawing sheet’s origin at the lower left corner of the sheet.
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Introduction to Drafting
Delete a drawing sheet Do one of the following: •
Choose Edit→Delete Sheet.
•
Right-click the border of a drawing sheet, and select Delete.
•
In the Drawing Navigator, right-click the drawing node, and select Delete.
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Activities In the Introduction to Drafting section, do the following activities: •
Create new drawing sheets
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Introduction to Drafting
Monochrome display The Monochrome Display option displays a drawing sheet in a single color. You may specify the line and background colors. 1. Choose Preferences→Visualization. 2. Click the Color Settings tab. 3. In the Drawing Part Settings section, select the Monochrome Display check box. The default colors are black and gray. You can specify any color. In the Drawing Navigator, you can right-click the drawing node and choose Monochrome.
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Monochrome will be applied to all drawing sheets in the part. In the Visualization Preferences dialog box, on the Line page, you can use the Show Widths option to display of line widths and make the display closely resemble a plotter output.
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View Preferences Control the display of views by choosing Preferences→View. You can use the View Preferences dialog box to define the display of hidden lines, silhouettes, smooth edges, section view background lines, and more. On the General page, select the Centerlines check box to automatically create linear, cylindrical, and bolt circle centerlines when you add a view.
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Introduction to Drafting
Hidden Lines If you clear the Hidden Line check box, hidden line processing is not performed and all hidden lines in the view appear as solid lines. If you select the Hidden Line check box, the color, font, and width of the hidden lines are determined by the settings in the three lists below the check box.
The color, font, and width lists are not named or labeled. This configuration is common in the dialog boxes in Drafting. The color option is not applicable in monochrome mode.
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Widths are displayed only if Show Widths is selected in the Visualization Preferences dialog box.
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Introduction to Drafting
Edges Hidden By Edges The Edges Hidden By Edges option controls the display of edges which are hidden by other overlapping edges. If the check box is clear, edges hidden by other edges are erased from the view. This option is useful in two ways: •
When plotting, if the Edges Hidden by Edges check box is cleared, the plotter does not draw two curves on top of each other.
•
For parts which are not likely to have edges hidden by other edges, (for example, springs), you can increase hidden line performance by selecting Edges Hidden by Edges.
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Introduction to Drafting
Smooth Edges Smooth edges are those whose adjacent faces have the same surface tangent at the edge where they meet. On the Smooth Edges page, you can select the Smooth Edges option to use the color, font, and width settings to specify the appearance of smooth edges. You can use the End Gaps option to vary the edge intersection appearance.
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Virtual Intersections The Virtual Intersections option allows you to display imaginary intersection curves as required by the JIS standard (section 6.13) and the ISO 128-1982 standard (section 5.2.2). Use the Virtual Intersections option when you want to display curves in a member view to show where blended faces theoretically intersect. You can control the color, font, and width of virtual intersections when the Virtual Intersections option is selected.
24 The virtual intersection curves only display if the original surfaces joined or intersected before they were blended.
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Introduction to Drafting
Add a base view The first view you add to a drawing sheet is a base view. You can project other views from a base view. A drawing sheet can have more than one base view. There are several ways to add a base view. •
On the Drawing Layout toolbar, click Base View
•
Right-click the sheet border and select Add Base View.
•
In the Drawing Navigator, right-click a drawing sheet node and select Add Base View.
•
Choose Insert→View→Base View.
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.
To control the automatic appearance of the Base View dialog bar: 1. From the Menu Bar, choose Preferences→Drafting. 2. Click the General tab. 3. In the Drawing Work Flow group, select Automatically Start Base View Command. This will automatically open the Base View dialog bar when you enter drafting and there are no existing views on any of the drawing sheets.
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View creation options After you click Add Base View, the Base View dialog bar appears.
1 Part 2 View 3 Scale 4 Style
Add a view from a part that you specify. Select the base view type from a list. You can select NX defined or custom views.
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Select from a list of several preset scales, enter a custom scale, or define the scale by an expression. Open the View Style dialog box.
5 Orient View Tool
Orient a view. Choose from a list or set a custom orientation, such as perpendicular to a model face.
6 Move View
Move an existing view without stopping the interaction to place a base view.
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Introduction to Drafting
Add projected views Immediately after you place a base view on a drawing sheet, you can create a projected view by moving the cursor in the direction of the projection you want, and click to place the view. You can also create a projected view from an existing view. Right-click the view border, and select Add Projected View. To create a projected view, do one of the following:
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•
On the Drawing Layout toolbar, click Projected View.
•
Right-click the drawing sheet border and choose Add Projected View.
•
In the Drawing Navigator, right-click a view node and choose Add Projected View.
•
From the menu bar, choose Insert→View→Projected View. To control the automatic appearance of the Projected View dialog bar: 1. From the Menu Bar, choose Preferences→Drafting. 2. Click the General tab. 3. In the Drawing Work Flow group, select Automatically Start Projected View Command.
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Projection lines When you move the cursor while adding a projected view you see projection lines. You can place the view at any angle from the base view. You can: •
Place the view manually. The angle snaps to 45° increments.
•
Define a hinge line.
•
Select a planar face and project perpendicular to it.
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Preview As you move the cursor the preview style can be: •
Border
•
Wireframe
•
Hidden Wireframe
•
Shaded Image To select a preview option, right-click before you place the view, and select Preview Style.
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Project view options When you create a projected view the Projected View dialog bar is displayed.
1 Parent 2 Infer Hinge Line
Select a different base view to use as the parent view. Available when there is more than one base view present. Allow NX to infer an associative hinge line. Define a fixed, associative hinge line.
3 Hinge Line
The Inferred Vector button appears when you select Hinge Line.
4 Reverse Direction
Reverse the direction of the projected view. Open the View Style dialog box.
5 Style 6 Move View
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Move an existing view without stopping the interaction to place a base view.
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Introduction to Drafting
Edit existing views You can change the style of an existing view. You can: •
Double-click the view border.
•
Over the view border, right-click and select Style.
•
In the Drawing Navigator, double-click a drawing view node.
•
In the Drawing Navigator, right-click a drawing view node and select Style.
•
Choose Edit→Style.
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Dragging Views 1. (Optional) Select one or more views to move. 2. Hold the cursor over the border of a view (a selected view, if there are more than one) until it changes to drag mode
.
3. Drag the view as required. As you move a view relative to others, alignment lines appear. When you place a view with alignment lines visible it automatically snaps to an aligned position.
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Removing views from a drawing sheet Do one of the following: •
Right-click the view border, and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
•
Right-click the view to be removed in the Drawing Navigator, and select Delete from the shortcut menu.
•
Choose Delete
•
Choose Edit→Delete and select the view.
and select the view.
Once a view is removed from a drawing sheet, all drafting objects or view modifications associated to that view are deleted.
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Activity In the Introduction to drafting section, do the following activity: •
Add views to a drawing sheet
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Utility Symbols Use the Utility Symbols command to create various symbols such as centerlines, offset center points, target points, and intersection symbols using the Utility Symbols dialog box.
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Utility symbol options by group The options in the Utility Symbols dialog box change depending on the symbol type you select. The following lists all of the possible options, for your reference. Placement
Select Location
Determine the placement of a utility symbol based on the available Point Position Options. Specify Location Specify the location for a Target Point symbol. Select Object Select objects for the Intersection symbol. Method
Offset Distance Multiple Centerlines
Choose a method placement option. This option is available for the following symbol types: •
Full Bolt Circle
•
Partial Bolt Circle
•
Offset Center Point
•
Cylindrical Centerline
•
Partial Circular Centerline
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• Full Circular Centerline Set the offset distance for an Offset Center Point symbol. Create several centerlines by consecutive selections This option is available for Linear and Cylindrical Centerlines (Cylidrical Face option).
Views
The options in this group are available for the Automatic Centerline symbol. Select Views Select views from the graphics window in which to automatically create centerline symbols. Views in Sheet Select views from a list box in which to automatically create centerline symbols. Inherit Angle Use the angle of the hinge line for an auxiliary view’s from View centerlines. This option is only available for the Linear Centerline and Automatic Centerline symbol types.
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Symbol
Symbol Parameters
Inherit Angle from View Angle
Display Mode
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Control the appearance of a utility symbol by changing it’s parameters. Symbol parameter diagrams vary depending on the choice of utility symbol you choose to create. Use the angle of the hinge line for an auxiliary view’s centerlines. This option is available for the Linear Centerline and Automatic Centerline symbol types. Set the angle of the symbol. This option is available for Linear Centerline and Target Point symbols. To make this option available for a Linear Centerline, you must clear the Inherit Angle from View check box. Choose a display mode option. This option is available for the Offset Center Point symbol.
Defining objects
This group is available for the Block Centerline symbol. Select Objects Select two linear and parallel objects in the same view. Limiting objects
This group is available for the Block Centerline symbol. Select Objects Optional step. Select two objects to determine the extent of the Block Centerline. Settings
Inherit
Inherit drafting preferences from an existing drafting object. This option is unavailable for Automatic Centerline. Reset to Defaults Restore settings to their customer defaults or their initial software defaults during creation, and to their pre-edited values during editing. Cylindrical Set the centerline extension for cylindrical centerlines. Extension This option is available for Automatic Centerline.
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Create utility symbols 1. Select the type of utility symbol you want to create. 2. Set the parameters that control the display and placement of the utility symbol. 3. Select the object(s) from which the utility symbol is to be created.
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Delete utility symbols You can delete a utility symbol by selecting the symbol from the graphics window and, from the Standard toolbar, choosing Delete
.
The symbols can be selected at any position. When you delete a utility symbol, any associated objects such as dimensions are also deleted unless the Retain Annotation check box in Preferences→Drafting is selected.
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Create automatic centerlines on existing views 1. Choose Insert→Symbol→Utility Symbol.
2. Click the Automatic Centerline option
.
3. Enter the desired value in Cylindrical Extension. 4. Select the view(s) in which to create centerlines. 5. Click Apply.
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Create a linear centerline You can create linear centerlines through points or arcs. A linear centerline that passes through a single point or arc is called a simple centerline. To create multiple centerlines, select the Multiple Centerlines option. This option is a time saver since you do not have to click Apply after you select each centerline position. To create a linear centerline, define positions through collinear points. These points may be centers of arcs. A linear centerline is a straight line through these positions with a perpendicular line through each position. You can select up to 100 points to define a linear centerline, circular centerline or bolt circle.
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For more information, refer to the online Help.
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Activity In the Introduction to drafting section, do the following activity: •
Create a linear centerline
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Create a cylindrical centerline The Cylindrical Centerline option allows you to create cylindrical centerlines which conform with ANSI Y14.2 standards. Cylindrical centerlines are associative to the two points used to define them except for the screen position option. Use the Select Location list to define the desired points. You can define points for a cylindrical centerline with the Cylindrical Face option. This option allows you to choose the desired cylindrical or conical face, even if it is hidden inside the solid. To make cylindrical faces selectable when you apply cylindrical centerlines to section views, you must select the Background check box on the Section page in the View Preferences dialog box.
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You cannot select cylindrical faces on revolved and unfolded section views. With the Cylindrical Centerline option, the Multiple Centerlines check box is available only when you select Cylindrical Face in the Select Location list. The intended use is to create multiple cylindrical centerlines of the same length for holes . This feature is a time saver in that you only indicate end points for the first cylindrical face of your choice. Thereafter, you choose only the next cylindrical face. For more information, refer to the online Help.
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Dimensions To use the various dimensions types: •
Choose Insert→Dimension and then choose the desired dimension type.
•
Use the Dimensions toolbar. This toolbar offers a menu of the available dimension types.
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Annotation Preferences You can use the Annotation Preferences dialog box (Preferences→Annotation) to configure global settings that affect dimensions. The following pages in the Annotation Preferences dialog box apply to dimensions:
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•
Dimensions — Control the display of extension lines and arrows, orientation of text, precision and tolerance, chamfer dimensions, and narrow dimensions.
•
Line/Arrow — Control the style and size of leaders, arrows, and extension lines for both dimensions and other annotations. A preview area provides a rendition of the symbol with leaders and dimensions.
•
Lettering — Control the alignment, justification, size, and font of text.
•
Units — Control the desired unit of measure for dimensions and whether dimensions are created in single or dual dimension format.
•
Radial — Control the settings that are unique to diameter and radius dimensions.
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Dimension preferences and placement When you select a dimension type, the corresponding dimension dialog bar appears. The settings that you set on the dialog bar affect only dimensions you are currently creating.
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Tolerance Types
2
Primary Nominal Precision
3
Tolerance Values
4
Tolerance Precision
5
Annotation Editor
6
Dimension Style
7
Reset
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Select the tolerance type from a list. Select the primary nominal precision from 0-6 decimal places from a list. If the preferences format is fractional, then the list displays fractional precision values. Enter a tolerance value, or values, using dynamic input boxes. Set the primary tolerance precision from 0-6 decimal places. Display the full Text Editor dialog box where you can enter symbols and appended text. Open the Dimension Style dialog box. This dialog box is a subset of the Annotation Preferences dialog box, containing only the property pages that apply to dimensions. Use this option to affect settings as you create one or more dimensions. The global settings are restored when you exit from creating dimensions. Reset local preferences to previous current settings in the part and clear appended text.
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Annotation placement options
When you select a dimension type to create, the annotation placement options appears on the Selection Bar.
1 Leader Type
24 2 Leader Placement
Choose a leader type. This option is available for labels. Set the leader side with one of the following options: •
Inferred Leader Orientation — Automatically infer the leader side.
•
Leader from Left — Place the leader to the left side of the annotation.
Leader from Right — Place the leader to the right side of the annotation. Open the Create Leader dialog box. 3 Leader Tool Associate the entity origin so that it is always 4 Associative Origins aligned with another dimension. Change the alignment position method to one of the following options: •
5 Alignment Position
6 Origin tool
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•
Alignment Top-Left
•
Alignment Top-Center
•
Alignment Top-Right
•
Alignment Mid-Left
•
Alignment Mid-Center
•
Alignment Mid-Right
•
Alignment Bottom-Left
•
Alignment Bottom-Center
• Alignment Bottom-Right Open the Origin Tool dialog. box.
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Snap Point options
Snap point options appear on the Selection Bar while you are working with dimensions. These options act as a filter for selecting geometric points. You can either select or deselect any of these in order to limit your selection to specific types of points. Use the Two Pick Intersection button (at the right end of the toolbar) to select any two edges whose intersection you cannot fit inside the select ball. When you select it, all the other buttons are unavailable. You can press the Esc key at any time to release all selected objects.
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Placement cues for dimensions
As you create dimensions, you can align them with an existing dimension. Graphical cues appear when the origins of two dimensions are vertically or horizontally aligned.
If you want the new dimension associated with the existing dimension, make sure the Associate Origin with Helper Lines button
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Appended text You can append text to a dimension while you are creating it. If you want only one line of appended text, select the object(s) to dimension and, before you place the dimension, choose one of the appended text options in the shortcut menu. If the text is complex, use the Text Editor
.
To add appended text to a previously created dimension that does not already have appended text, do one of the following:
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•
Double-click the dimension, and open the Text Editor from the dialog bar.
•
Double-click the dimension, and use the Right (after), Left (before), Up (above), or Down (below) arrow key on the keyboard to get the appended text location you desire. Type the text and press Enter.
•
Double-click the dimension, and use the shortcut menu to choose either Appended Text (for a single line of text), or Text Editor (for complex text).
To edit existing appended text, do one of the following:
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•
Double-click the appended text.
•
Double-click the dimension and use the Right (after), Left (before), Up (above), or Down (below) arrow key on the keyboard to get the appended text location you desire.
•
Select the dimension, and open the shortcut menu over the appended text.
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Tolerances After you select an object to dimension, you can: •
In the Value group, set a tolerance type.
24 •
In the Tolerance group, set the desired tolerance value(s).
To add a tolerance later, select the dimension and use the methods shown above. Edit a tolerance
To edit a tolerance, use one of the following three methods: •
Over the tolerance, choose Edit from the shortcut menu.
•
Double-click the tolerance.
•
Double-click the dimension to access the dimension dialog bar.
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Text orientation and text arrow placement To set the text arrow placement or the text orientation as you create a dimension, open the shortcut menu before you place the text. To change the text orientation or text arrow placement option of an existing dimension, edit the dimension style. Moving a dimension
To change the origin of an existing dimension, simply drag it when no command is active.
The cursor will change to
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Editing an existing dimension There are two possible shortcut menus that can be displayed over an existing dimension. •
One shortcut menu appears over a dimension, when dimension creation is inactive.
•
The other menu appears when you double-click an existing dimension (to edit it) and then open the shortcut menu. When you edit a dimension the dimension dialog bar appears.
24 The cursor changes to indicate that you are in the editing mode. Changing the precision of a dimension
To change the precision of an existing dimension, double-click the dimension and do one of the following: •
Choose Nominal Precision from the shortcut menu.
•
From the Edit Dimension dialog bar, in the Value group, click the precision list.
•
On the keyboard, press the number key that corresponds to the desired precision.
Inheriting preferences from an existing dimension
After you create a dimension, you can edit its preference settings to match another dimension: 1. Double-click the dimension you want to change. 2. Over the dimension, right-click and select Inherit. 3. Select the dimension that has the desired preference settings.
Deleting dimensions
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Activity In the Introduction to drafting section, do the following activity: •
Create dimensions
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Text creation The text editor is used to create notes, labels, and GD&T symbols. To access the text editor: •
Choose Text
•
Choose Insert→Annotation.
from the Drafting Annotation toolbar.
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Entering text In the Text Input group, enter the desired text in the input box. As you compose text, you can use key combinations to insert common :
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Keys
Control Characters
CTRL+i
CTRL+b
CTRL+u
Purpose Italic text Begin/End 20° slant Bold text Begin/End Underlined text (between)
After you position text, it remains in the edit window for you to use again or edit for the next annotation. You can also create a note on a drawing sheet by dragging a text file (.txt) from an operating system window to the drawing sheet.
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Create leaders on notes and labels
1. Type the desired text. 2. Locate the cursor on the curve/edge/face where you want to place the arrowhead (with the cursor displayed as shown below).
24 3. Drag the cursor away from the selection point.
4. Click the location for the text.
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Activity In the Introduction to drafting section, do the following activity: •
Create notes and labels
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Text editor Use the Text Editor dialog box to create notes or labels containing text and symbols. You can include the following in a note or label: •
Drafting symbols including fractions and two line formats.
•
GD&T symbols that can be verified to comply with a standard: ISO 1101–1983, ANSI Y14.5M-1982, or ANSI Y14.5M-1994.
•
User-defined symbols
•
Relationships including expressions, object attributes, and part attributes.
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Text preview If the Preview option is enabled, formatted results appear in the editor preview window. You can use the formatting options in the dialog box to customize the appearance of the text. For example, you may want your name to appear as italic, underlined letters.
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Editing tools The Text Editor dialog box has options for text formatting. Some of the more common options are described below.
1 2 3 4 5 6
Set the font. Clear the display in the text entry and preview area. Set the text scale factor. Delete text attributes. Open (or close) the preview area. Add text attributes: Bold, Italic, Underline, Overline, Super Script, Subscript
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Editing notes You can edit text in a previously created note or label by selecting it from the drawing sheet and using the shortcut menu. You can also edit annotation objects by double-clicking the note or label. You can select multiple objects, but this reduces the number of options available on the shortcut menu.
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Helper lines Helper lines act as a guide to allow you to align notes, labels, dimensions, symbols, and views with other objects on the drawing sheet. Helper lines appear as a dashed line. To use helper lines, move the cursor over the object to which you want to align as you are placing the new annotation. The note highlights and helper lines appear.
Click to place the annotation at the desired location.
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Master Model Drawing Guidelines 1. Open the master model part. (File→Open) 2. Start the Assemblies application. (Start→Assemblies) 3. Create a new parent part. (Assemblies→Components→Create New Parent, xxxxx_dwg) You can also create a ’drawing’ file using a seed part and then add the master model as a component. (Assemblies→Components→Add Existing) 4. Start the Drafting application. (Start→Drafting)
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5. Adjust the sheet; name, units, size, and projection angle. (Edit→Sheet) 6. Add the drawing formats; title block, border, revision block, standard notes. 7. Set view display preferences; hidden line removal, section backgrounds, and threads. (Preferences→View) 8. Add the base view, typically the top or front view. (Insert→View→Base View and choose the view to add) 9. Add more views; projected, detail, section, isometric, and exploded. (Insert→View) 10. Adjust the view display; size, orientation, etc. (Edit→Style or Edit→View) 11. Clean up individual views with view dependent edits; erase object, edit entire object, and edit object segment. (Edit→View→View Dependent Edit) 12. Add utility symbols; centerlines, target symbols, and intersection symbols. (Insert→Symbol→Utility Symbol) 13. Add the dimensions. (Insert→Dimension) 14. Add the notes, labels, and GD&T symbols. (Insert→Annotation)
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Summary Use the Drafting application to create or edit drawing sheets. Views and dimensions on a drawing sheet are associative to the solid model and update when changes are made to the model. The Text Editor dialog box makes it easy to create, edit and delete notes and labels. The annotation bar and edit window provide access to work with notes and labels without opening the Text Editor dialog box. In this lesson you: •
Modified a drawing sheet.
•
Added views to a drawing sheet.
•
Created utility symbols.
•
Created dimensions.
•
Added annotation to a drawing sheet.
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Appendix
A Additional projects
This appendix contains Additional Projects for you to work on.
A
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Project 1
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Appendix
B Expression operators
The following information lists the various operators that may be used in expressions.
B
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NX Design for the Experienced CAD User — Student Guide
B-1
Expression operators
Operators There are several types of operators that you may use in the expression language. Arithmetic operators + * / %
Addition Subtraction and Negative Sign Multiplication Division
^
Modulus Exponential
=
Assignment
Example p2=p5+p3 p2=p5–p3 p2=p5*p3 p2=p5/p3 p2=p5%p3 p2=p5^2 p2=p5
Relational and Boolean operators > < >= < >=
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