nx6 inter midi ate design.pdf

Intermediate NX Design andAssemblies

Student GuideJuly 2008

MT10056 -S – NX 6

Publication Numbermt10056_s NX 6

Proprietary and restricted rights notice

This software and related documentation are proprietary to Siemens ProductLifecycle Management Software Inc.

© 2008 Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. All RightsReserved.

All trademarks belong to their respective holders.

2 Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies mt10056_s NX 6

Contents

Course overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Course objectives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Prerequisites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14How to use this manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Lesson format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Activity format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Learning tips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Common symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Classroom system information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Layer standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Implementing a layer standard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Roles, Toolbars, and Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Procedure – Choosing a role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Customize the interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Procedure – Adding a command to a menu or toolbar . . . . . . . . . . 19Set the role for this course . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19Student responsibilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Constrain sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-1

Auto Constrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2Auto Constrain options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-3Use Auto Constrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Sketcher Project Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5Project curves to a sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6Edit projected curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7

Activities: Auto Constrain and Project sketch objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-8Add Existing Curves to a Sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9Activities: Add and constrain curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-10Perimeter constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-11Activities: Perimeter constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-12Summary: Sketch constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-13

Additional Sketcher techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-1

Sketch positioning techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2Activities: Position and move a sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3Edit Defining String . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4

Edit String options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5Activity: Edit defining string . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-6

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies 3

Contents

Sketcher Animate Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7Animate Dimension options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8Activity: Animate dimension . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-9Offset Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10

Offset Curve options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11Create Sketcher Offset Curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Activities: Capture design intent with offset curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-13Summary: Additional sketcher techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-14

Basic freeform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-1

Studio Spline overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2Activities: Create a spline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-3Sketch On Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Sketch On Path options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5Variational Sweep overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7Variational Sweep options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-9Internal sketches . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-10

Externalizing a sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-11Activities: Create a V-Sweep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-12Summary: Basic freeform . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-13

Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-1

The Expressions dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2Expression list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-3Listed expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5Expression Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6Expression operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7

Activities: Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-9Conditional expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10Activities: Create conditional expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-11Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12

Distance options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-13Angle Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-14Measures and measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-16Measurements during parameter entry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-18

Activities: Apply measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-19Summary: Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-20

Duplicating features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-1

Mirror Feature overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2Mirror Feature dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-3Procedure – Mirror Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-4

Activities: Create and edit mirror features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-5Copy/Paste Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6Paste options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-7


Contents

Paste Feature settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-8Considerations when using the Copy/Paste Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-9Activities: Copy a sketch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-10Instance Geometry overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11

Instance Geometry types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-12Instance Geometry Along Path type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-13Activities: Geometry Instance – Along Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-14Pattern Face overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15

Pattern Face types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-16Pattern Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-17

Activities: Create a pattern using faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-18Summary: Duplicating features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-19

Assembly functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-1

Assembly Navigator shortcut menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2Dragging components in the Assembly Navigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4Activities: Use the Assembly Navigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-5Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-6

System attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-7User-Defined attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-8Object Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-9Part Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-10Attribute options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-11

Specify columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-12Assembly Navigator properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13

Assembly Navigator columns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-14Component Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-16

Assembly properties page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-17Attributes properties page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-18Parameters properties page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-19Weight properties page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-20Part File properties page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-21General properties page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-22

Check Clearances overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23Activities: Assembly user interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-24Summary: Assembly functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-25

Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-1

Reference Set overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2Reference Set usage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-3Default Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4

Reference Sets and Customer Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-5User defined Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-8

Add new Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10Reference Set information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12


Contents

Activities: Verify the contents of a Reference Set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-13Replace Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14

Replace Reference Sets using the Assembly Navigator . . . . . . . . 7-15Replace Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-16Replace Reference Sets in context of an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-17

Activities: Replace Reference Sets in an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-18Edit Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19Remove and Rename Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20Load Options and Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21

Reference Set Load Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-22Apply to All Assembly Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-23From Search Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24

Activities: Load Options and Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-25Summary: Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-26

Top-down assembly modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-1

Top-down design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2Create New Component overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-3

Create New Component options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-4Verify the creation of a new component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-5

Considerations of selecting data during component creation . . . . . . . . . . 8-6Design in context of an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-7Selection Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8Activities: Top-down assembly modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9Summary: Top-Down assembly modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-10

Interpart geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-1

WAVE Geometry Linker overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2Geometry types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-3WAVE Geometry Linker options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-4Create Interpart Link . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-5

Activities: Design in context of an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-6Localized interpart modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-7Part in process modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-8Mold/die applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-9Activities: In process interpart geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-10Edit links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-11

WAVE Geometry Linker edit options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-12Activities: Edit links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-14Mirror Assembly overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15

Mirror an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-17Activities: Mirror Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-19Promote Body overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-20Activities: Promotions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-22Assembly Cut overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-23


Contents

Assembly Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-24Activities: Assembly Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-25Summary: Interpart geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-26

Interpart references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-1

General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2Types of interpart references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3Overriding expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4Interpart reference options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-6Edit Interpart References options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-7Activities: Create Interpart References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-8Partial loading issues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-9Load Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10Tips and recommended practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11Summary: Interpart references . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-12

Face operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-1

Offset Face overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2Offset Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-3

Activities: Offset a face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-4Offset Region overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5

Offset Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-6Activities: Offset region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-7Draft overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8

Draft types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-9Draw Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-11Applying Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-12

Activities: Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-13Summary: Face operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-14

Variable Radius and Blend Overflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-1

Variable radius blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2Create a variable blend . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-5Variable blend tips and techniques . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-6

Activities: Edge options — variable radius blends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-8Resolve blended edge overflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-9

Allowed Overflow Resolution examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-10Explicit Overflow Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-11

Activities: Allowed Blend Overflow Resolutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-12Summary: Variable Radius and Blend Overflow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-13

Remember assembly constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-1

Remember Assembly Constraints overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2Place components with remembered constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-3

Activities: Remember constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-4


Contents

Summary: Remember Assembly Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-5

Component Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-1

Create Component Array overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2Create Component Array options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-3Linear & Circular Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-4

Edit a component array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5Activities: Create a circular component array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-6Feature-based component arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-7

Component Arrays and Assembly Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-8Feature-based array associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-9

Activities: Create component arrays from feature instances . . . . . . . . 14-10Summary: Component Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-11

Family of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-1

Capabilities and general concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-2Part Family terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-3Add part family members to an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-4Family Member Criteria . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-5Obtain information on family members . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-7Activities: Family of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-8Summary: Family of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-9

Revise and replace components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-1

File Versioning/Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2Revise a component and assembly using Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-3Additional Assembly Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-5Activities: Revise components using Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-6Close assembly component parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-7Close Part options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-8Reopen component parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-9Reopen Part options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-10Replace components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-11

The Unique Identifier (UID) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-12Replace Component using Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-14Replace components using Reopen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-15Activities: Replace components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-16Summary: Revise and replace components . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-17

Deform Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-1

Deform Part overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-2Define Deformable Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-3

Definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-4Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-5Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-6


Contents

Expression Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-7References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-8Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-9

Deform a component in an assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-10Edit a deformed component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-11Activities: Deform Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-12Summary: Deform Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-13

Extract and Delete Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-1

Extract overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-2Extract options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-3Extracted geometry uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-4Edit extracted features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-5Activities: Extract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-6Delete Face overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-7

Delete Face uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-8Delete Face dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-9Delete Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-10

Activities: Delete Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-11Summary: Extract and Delete Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-12

Assembly Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-1

General concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-2Assembly Arrangement characteristics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-3The Assembly Arrangements dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-4The Properties dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-6Create Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-7Arrangements notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-8

Arrangement specific drawing views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-9Activities: Assembly Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-10Summary: Assembly Arrangements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19-11

Additional projects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-1

Project 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-2Project 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-3Project 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-4Project 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-5Project 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-6Project 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-7Project 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-8Project 8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-9Project 9 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-10Project 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-11Project 11 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-12Project 12 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-13


Contents

Project 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-14Project 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-15Project 15 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . A-16

System Topics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-1

System Topics overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-2Customer Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-3

Customer Defaults levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4Setting Customer Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6Customer Defaults environment variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-7USER, GROUP, and SITE directories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-8Managing your changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-9Updating to a new release of NX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-10

Interpart Modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11File Versioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-12

Regular Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-13File Versioning example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-14

Expression operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-1

Expression Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-2Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3Precedence and associativity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-4Legacy unit conversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-5Built-in functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6

Positional Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-1

Override Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2Positional Override uses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-3Positional Override options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-4

Activities: Positional Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-5Summary: Positional Override . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-6

Define a family of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-1

Part Families dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2Part Families options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-3

The part family spreadsheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5Part Family menu options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-6

Activities: Define a family of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-8Summary: Define a family of parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-9

Custom Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-1

User-Defined Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-2Create a User Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-3Activity: Create a User Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-5Edit a User Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-7


Contents

Create a Group Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-8Activity: Create a Role Palette with a Group Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-10Protected Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-13

Assembly Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-1

Assembly Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-2Assembly Constraint types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-3Create a Touch Align constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-4Create a Concentric constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-6Create a Distance constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-7Create a Fix constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-8Create a Parallel constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-9Create a Perpendicular constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-10Create an Angle constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-11Create a Center constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-12Create a Bond constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-13Create a Fit constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-14

Legacy mating conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-1

Mating Constraint types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-2Selecting objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-2Mate constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-3Align constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-4Angle constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-5Parallel constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-6Perpendicular constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-7Center constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-8

Create a Center constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-9Distance constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-10Tangent constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-10Mating Conditions dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-11

Define mating constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-13Degree of freedom indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-13Vary Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-14List Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-15

Tree listing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-16Suppress/Unsuppress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-16Mating constraint shortcut menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-17Mating condition shortcut menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-18

Reposition Component . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-19Transform types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-20Transform options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-21Collision options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-22Repositioning components using drag handles . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-23

Alternate Mating Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-24


Contents

Procedure – Define Alternates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-24Define Alternates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-25

Activities: Alternate mating conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-26

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Index-1


Course overview

Intended audience

This course is for designers, engineers, and CAD/CAM managers who need tocreate parametric solid models that capture design intent.

Course objectivesAfter you successfully complete this course, you should be able to:

• Create interpart references

• Copy/paste a feature

• Create reference sets

• Manage assembly arrangements

• Create sketch offset curves

• Create draft

• Create a variable blend

• Create component arrays

• Define a revision identifier

• Apply top down assemblymodeling

• Create expressions withmeasurements

• Apply the load options

• Design “in context”

• Use the WAVE geometry linker

• Create an offset face

• Create a basic free form shape

• Define remembered assemblyconstraints

• Understand componentreplacement methods


Course overview

PrerequisitesEssentials for NX Designers course

Basic understanding of parametric modeling, and the Master Model Concept.

Working knowledge of the following:

• NX interface

• Part file saving conventions

• Sketching and constraining techniques.

• Swept features with optional Offset

• WCS & Absolute coordinate systems

• Layer control

• Simple blends

How to use this manualThe following guidelines describe how you can get the most benefit from youruse of the course guide and the accompanying HTML activities.

Lesson format

The general format for lesson content is:

• Instructor presentation

• One or more activities

• Project

Projects allow you to test your new skills without detailed instruction.

Consult your instructor for additional information.

• Summary


Course overview

Activity format

Activities have the following format:

1. This is an example of a step. Numbered steps specify the actions youwill perform.

Action bullets detail how to complete the step.

Always read the Cue and Status information while working throughactivities and as you perform your regular duties.

As you gain skills you may need only to read the step text to completethe 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.

Common symbols

The student manual uses special symbols as shown below.

Design Intent – Information about the task and what must beaccomplished.

Tip — Useful information or advice.

Note— Contains useful information that supplements or emphasizesthe main points.

Example— Shows a possible way that the current topic of discussioncould be used.

Caution— Contains important reminders or information about a task.

Warning— Contains information essential to your success.


Course overview

Classroom system informationYour instructor will provide the following items for working in theclassroom:

Student login:

User name:

Password:

Work directory:

Parts directory:

Instructor:

Layer standards

Parts used in this course were created using layer categories the same as orvery similar to those found in the Model template parts.

Layers provide an advanced alternative to display management (Show andHide) to organize data.

Layer categories in the Model template parts

Layers Category Description1–10 Solids Solid bodies11–20 Sheets Sheet bodies21–40 Sketches All external sketches41–60 Curves Non-sketch curves61–80 Datums Planes, axes, coordinate systems81–255 No category assigned


Course overview

Implementing a layer standardYou may implement or enforce layer standards using some of the methodsbelow:

• Create NX Open programs to create a standard part organization andverify it upon release.

• Use a macro to create layer categories: Tools→Macro→Playback.

• Your administrator can enforce company standards by providing suitabletemplates.

In this course you may use a layer organization method you anticipateusing in your work.

Roles, Toolbars, and MenusThis course was designed to use the Essentials with Full Menus role.

Roles

NX has many advanced capabilities, but while learning you may want to usea smaller set of tools.

As you progress you may want to use more functions.

Roles tailor your interface by hiding tools you are unlikely to use in a givenrole.

The role you choose affects the number of buttons that appear on toolbars,and the number of shortcut menu items you will see.


Course overview

Procedure – Choosing a role

To activate a role:

1. Open the Roles palette on the Resource bar.

2. Click the role you want.

3. Acknowledge the warning message.

Customize the interfaceNX provides customization tools to fine tune your interface.

You can:

• Change the size of buttons on toolbars• Display text below icons on toolbars• Remove tools you never use• Drag tools to a different location

Some menu items are hidden by default. We say these items are “below thefold.” You can set menus to always display all choices on the Options pageof the Customize dialog box.

Toolbars

You can choose which buttons are displayed using Add and Remove buttonsunder Toolbar Options on any toolbar.


Course overview

Procedure – Adding a command to a menu or toolbar

1. Right-click in the toolbar area.2. Choose Customize (last choice at the bottom of the list)3. On the Commands page, select a menu or toolbar in the left window.4. Drag a command from the right window to a toolbar or menu.

Set the role for this courseStep 1: Set the Essentials with Full Menus role.

On the NX Resource bar, click the Roles tab .

Expand the System Defaults area of the palette.

Choose Essentials with Full Menus.

Choose OK to acknowledge the warning message.

Step 2: Use Add or Remove Buttons to add some commonly used buttonsthat are not in the Essentials with Full Menus role.

Create a new part (any name will do; you will not save it) andStart→Modeling.

On the Utility toolbar addWork Layer and Layer Settings.

Choose Start→Assemblies.

On the Assemblies toolbar add Create New Component andWAVE Geometry Linker.

Close the part without saving.

The options you just activated will stay in effect throughout theclass unless you change them, change role settings, or switch loginidentities.

From time to time your instructor may suggest other toolbar buttonsto activate.


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!


1Lesson

1 Constrain sketches

Purpose

This lesson describes creating and modifying sketch constraints.

Objectives

Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:

• Project curves to a sketch.

• Auto create and display constraints.

• Add existing curves to a sketch.

• Constrain the perimeter of a sketch.

• Use constraints to create relationships.

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies 1-1

1

Constrain sketches

Auto ConstrainThe Auto Constrain command creates specific multiple geometric constrainttypes to selected sketch objects. The selected geometry is analyzed based onthe command settings and the constraints are applied to your sketch.

This can be especially useful when you add geometry to the active sketch,particularly if that geometry was imported from a different CAD system.You can also use this to apply a single constraint type to multiple sketchobjects, for example apply a tangent constraint to multiple fillets and theiradjacent curves.

Where do I find it?

Task environment Sketcher

Toolbar Sketch Tools→Auto ConstrainMenu Tools→Constraints →Auto Constrain

1-2 Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies mt10056_s NX 6

1

Constrain sketches

Auto Constrain options

Curves toConstrain

Select the sketch curves you need to apply the constraintson.

Constraints toApply

Lists the available geometric constraints you can applyto the selected curves.

Set All and ClearAll

May be used to turn all of the constraint types on or off.

Apply RemoteConstraints

Permits automatic constraints to be created betweencurves that do not actually touch.

Currently, tangency between curves that would betangent if they were extended is supported.

DistanceTolerance

This is used to close gaps between shared point constrainttypes, such as coincident and concentric.

Angle Tolerance Used when horizontal, vertical, parallel, andperpendicular auto create options are selected.


1

Constrain sketches

Use Auto Constrain

1. On the Sketch Tools toolbar, click Auto Constrain .

2. Optional: Click either Set All or Clear All before selecting the remainingdialog box options.

3. From the Constraints to Apply list, select the constraint types you wantapplied to your sketch.

4. In the Settings group, enter the correct Distance and Angel Tolerancevalues.

5. Select the sketch curves you want the constraints applied to.

6. Click OK.


1

Constrain sketches

Sketcher Project CurveThe Project Curve command creates curves, strings of curves, or points byprojecting external objects onto a sketch along the normal of the sketch plane.

You can project a curve associatively or non-associatively onto a sketch. Ifyou use the default associative projection method, your projected curves willhave a fixed constraint.

Objects available for projection include:

• Basic curves.

• Edges from either selected faces or selected edges.

• Curves from other sketches.

• Points.

Where do I find it?

Task Environment Sketcher

Toolbar Sketch Tools→Project CurveMenu Insert→Recipe Curve→Project Curve


1

Constrain sketches

Project curves to a sketch

1. On the Sketch Tools toolbar, click Project Curve .

2. Set the Associative option.

3. From the Output Curve Type list, select one of the three options.

• Original

• Spline segment

• Single spline

4. Optional: Use the Curve Rule option to set your selection criterion.

5. Select the objects you want to project onto the sketch plane.

In the following example, the Curve Rule is set to Tangent Edgesand one of the target edges was selected.

6. Click OK.


1

Constrain sketches

Edit projected curves

The Edit Curve command edits non-associative projected curves.

If you select an associative projected curve, you will use the Project Curvecreation options.

Use the following guidelines when editing an associative projected curve.

• You can add or remove curves from the sketch.

• Clear the Associative check box to remove associative characteristics.Once you remove associativity, you cannot add it back again.

• You can not change the Output Type of a projected object during editing.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Sketch Tools→Edit CurveMenu Edit→Curve→AllShortcut Menu Right-click over a sketch curve and choose Edit


1

Constrain sketches

Activities: Auto Constrain and Project sketch objectsIn the Constrain Sketches section, do the activities:

• Project curves to a sketch

• Auto create constraints


1

Constrain sketches

Add Existing Curves to a SketchThe Add Existing Curves command adds existing curves and points, as wellas conic curves such as ellipses, parabolas and hyperbolas, to your activesketch.

An example of when you would use this command could be that youhave a general idea of what a cross sectional profile looks like, but do notquite understand how form, fit, and function of the part will drive thedesign intent. As the design matures and you recognize the intent, youmay then create a sketch and add already swept curve geometry to it.

Use the following considerations when adding existing curves to a sketch:

• You can add existing and extracted curves to a sketch, these curves shouldbe coplanar with your sketch.

• You can not add associative existing curves to a sketch, use the ProjectCurve command instead.

• Only Coincident constraints are automatically applied to the added sketchcurves.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Sketch Tools→Add Existing CurvesMenu Insert→Curve→Existing Curves


1

Constrain sketches

Activities: Add and constrain curvesIn the Constrain sketches section, do the activity:

• Add and constrain curves


1

Constrain sketches

Perimeter constraintThe Perimeter constraint constrains the collective lengths of selected curvesof a sketch profile to a desired value. The curves allowed for selection withthe Perimeter constraint are lines and arcs.

Perimeter constraints are stored as expressions prepended by the key wordPerimeter_. The value of the expression is the sum of the current lengths ofthe selected curves. You can edit the Perimeter expression by modifying itsvalue the same as any other expression.

Perimeter constraints are not displayed in the graphics window. Youcannot convert a Perimeter constraint to a reference object.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Sketch Tools→Inferred Dimensions→PerimeterMenu Insert→Dimensions→Perimeter


1

Constrain sketches

Activities: Perimeter constraintsIn the Constrain sketches section, do the activity:

• Constrain the perimeter of a sketch

• Control the heat transfer in a cooling pipe.


1

Constrain sketches

Summary: Sketch constraintsSketch constraints allow you to capture and maintain design intent evenafter design changes occur. Through dimensions and constraints, you canadapt your solid models to the design intent of the final product.

In this lesson you:

• Projected curves to a sketch.

• Auto created and displayed constraints.

• Added existing curves to a sketch.

• Constrained the perimeter of a sketch.

• Used constraints to create relationships.


2

Lesson

2 Additional Sketcher techniques

Purpose

This lesson will introduce you to additional techniques you can use tomanipulate and evaluate your sketch.

Objectives


• Position your sketch with positioning dimensions.

• Edit sketch curves using Edit Defining String.

• Animate your sketch for movement visualization.

• Create and edit offset sketch curves.


2

Additional Sketcher techniques

Sketch positioning techniquesYou can locate your sketch in their plane using datum axes, datum planes,objects belonging to other sketches, non-sketch curves, or solid edges.

Positioning methods are used in sketcher to support sketches used with eitherUser Defined Features or the Copy/Paste command.

There are two methods you can use to position your sketch.

• Sketch constraints or dimensions.

• Positioning dimensions.

If you need to reference objects outside of the sketch, you may notcombine the use of sketch dimensional or geometric constraints withpositioning dimensions.

If you try create a positioning dimension on a sketch that is constrained tooutside objects, you will receive the following error message

If a sketch contains Positioning dimensions and you are adding dimensions orconstraints you will not be able to select any geometry outside of the sketch.No error message will display.

To view existing positioning dimensions, choose Tools→PositioningDimensions.


2


Activities: Position and move a sketchIn the Additional sketcher techniques section, do the activities:

• Use Positioning Dimensions

• (Optional) Move sketches


2


Edit Defining StringThe Edit Defining String command lets you add or remove objects from astring of objects defining a section string or guide string that has been used tocreate a solid feature.

Sketches are often used to define profiles and/or paths for swept features.Sketch profiles are referred to as section strings and the paths are calledguide strings.

Sketch objects that define another feature of the solid model cannot simply bedeleted due to the parent/child dependency relationship.

If you are working within the context of an assembly make sure thepart that contains the sketch is the displayed part.

In the following example the section string (1) defines the opening ofthe duct and the guide string (2) defines the path the section stringwill travel.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Sketch Tools→Edit Defining StringMenu Edit→Edit Defining String


2


Edit String options

Option Description

String TypeSection and Guide, are for instances where sketches are usedboth as a section string for one feature and as a guide stringfor another feature.

Filter Restricts selection to a particular type of object.ReferencingFeature Displays a list of features associated with the active sketch.


2


Activity: Edit defining stringIn the Additional Sketcher techniques section, do the activity:

• Edit Defining String in a sketch


2


Sketcher Animate DimensionThe Animate Dimension command dynamically displays the effects of varyinga given dimension over a specified range. Any geometry affected by theselected dimension is also animated.

Unlike Drag, Animate Dimension does not change the sketch dimensionvalue. When the animation is finished, the sketch returns to its originalstate.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Sketch Tools→Animate DimensionMenu Tools→Constraints→Animate Dimension


2


Animate Dimension optionsOptionsDimensions list box Lists the dimensions that can be animated.Value The value of the currently selected dimension.Lower Limit The smallest value that the dimension will be during the

animation.Upper Limit The largest value that the dimension will be during the

animation.Steps/Cycle The number of times that the dimension value changes

(equal size increments) when it moves from the upper limitto the lower limit (or vice versa).

Display Dimensions Optional: Displays the original sketch dimensions duringthe animation.


2


Activity: Animate dimensionIn the Additional Sketcher techniques section, do the activity:

• Animate sketch dimensions


2


Offset CurveThe Offset Curve command creates curves at a constant distance fromexisting curves and edges.

An Offset geometric constraint is added to each sketch curve that is offset.

Sketcher identifies the base and offset chains with graphics window symbols,and optionally creates an offset dimension between the base and chain. Youcan choose to leave the chain ends free, or fix them to the inputs with anEnd constraint.

1 2 3 4

Base curves Offset preview Base chainconstraint symbol

End constraintsymbol

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Sketch Tools→Offset CurveMenu Insert→Curve from Curves→Offset Curve


2


Offset Curve options

Curves to Offset Select the objects you want to offset.

Distance Determines the offset distance from the selected objects.

ReverseDirection

Reverses the positive offset direction.

CreateDimension

Creates a sketch dimension between the base and offsetcurves.

Symmetric Offset Creates an offset on both sides of the base chain.

Number ofCopies

Allows you to construct multiple sets of offset curves.Each set is offset by the specified distance from theprevious set.

Cap Options –Extension Cap

Closes the offset chain by extending curves in theirnatural direction to a physical intersection point.

Cap Options –Arc Cap

Constructs a fillet tangent to the endpoint of each offsetcurve. The radius of the arc is equal to the offset distance.

In the following example the parent curve (1) wasoffset using the Arc Cap option. If you createdmultiple copies of the offset the radius of the offsetcurve arc (2) would increase incrementally by theoffset distance.

Chain Continuityand EndConstraints

Lets you define the manner in which open ends of theoffset chain are shown.

Convert InputCurves toReference

Converts the selected base chain curves to referencegeometry. The input curves must reside in the activesketch.

Tolerance Determines the accuracy of the offset curve if the inputcurve is a spline or conic.


2


Create Sketcher Offset Curves

1. On the Sketch Tools toolbar, click Offset Curve .

2. Select the curve(s) or edge(s) to offset.

A temporary vector displays the positive direction of the offset.

3. To reverse the offset direction, click Reverse Direction .

4. In the Offset group, define the offset parameters.

5. In the Chain Continuity and End Constraints group, define the cornerand end display parameters.

6. In the Settings group, define the input curve display options and curvestolerance parameters.

7. Click OK.


2


Activities: Capture design intent with offset curveIn the Additional Sketcher techniques section, do the activity:

• Capture design intent with offset curves


2


Summary: Additional sketcher techniquesPositioning sketches using dimensions or constraints or a combination of bothcan help you maintain design intent when related features change.

The Edit Defining String feature in NX provides the ability to apply sketchchanges to swept features. The Animate Dimension function dynamicallydisplays the effect of varying a given dimension over a specified range.

The Offset Curve option associatively offsets existing sketch curves.

In this lesson you:

• Located sketches using positioning dimensions.

• Edited the defining string of a swept feature.

• Animated sketch dimensions.

• Created and edited offset sketch curves.


3

Lesson

3 Basic freeform

Purpose

Most designers need more control than they can achieve while only usinganalytic shapes. Spline Curves and sheet bodies take design beyond analyticgeometry so you can freely construct any form you require, thus the term“freeform.”

Objectives

In this introductory lesson you will learn how to:

• Create splines using two basic methods

• Create a sketch on path

• Create V-Sweep bodies


3

Basic freeform

Studio Spline overviewA spline is a standard curve in most CAD systems. Unlike lines and coniccurves, the spline can be adjusted to virtually any shape in two or threedimensions.

A splines flexible nature and variety of data interpretation methods makesplines the foundation of freeform modeling.

Studio Splines interactively create associative or non associative splines.

Studio splines were developed for the aesthetic designer who needs to watch acurve develop as the definition progresses. You can modify Studio Splines bydragging either defining points or poles.

Spline creation methods

These are the basic methods you can use to create splines:

By Poles — the spline gravitates towards each data point (pole) butpasses through only the two endpoints.

This method lends it self well to aesthetic designs.

Through Points — the spline passes through a set of data points.

This method is well suited when there are a small amountof precise data points through which a curve must pass.

Where do I find it?

Application Modeling

Toolbar Curve→SplineMenu Insert→Curve→Studio Spline


3

Basic freeform

Activities: Create a splineIn the Basic Freeform section, do the activity:

• Create a spline


3

Basic freeform

Sketch On PathThe Sketch On Path option is one of the two types of sketches you can create,the other is On Plane.

Sketch On Path creates a datum plane perpendicular to a string of curvesor edges and a sketch with origin and orientation related to both the pathand the datum.

Create a Sketch On Path when you are building an input profile for featureslike Variational Sweep.

In the following example, an existing sketch path (1) supplies theorientation for the Sketch On Path (2) resulting in a Variational Sweep(3).


3

Basic freeform

Sketch On Path options

Path

Select PathSelects the target path. A path can contain multiple,tangent-continuous segments.

Valid input types are curves and edges of sheets or solidbodies.

On Path-Plane LocationLocation Specifies how you want to define the location of the

sketch plane along the path.

The location of the sketch on its path is defined by apair of expressions, one for arclength and one for thepercentage.

• % Arc Length

• Arc Length

• Through PointArc Length Specifies the current location based on a percentage value

for % Arc Length or a numeric value for Arc Length.Specify Point For the Through Point method, gives you access to the

Point dialog box.

On Path-Plane OrientationOrientation Specifies the direction of the sketch plane:

The datum axes are automatically calculated by faceproperties adjacent to the path.

• Normal to the Path

• Normal to Vector

• Parallel to Vector

• Through Axis

Reverse PlaneNormal

Reverses the sketch plane normal.


3

Basic freeform

On Path-Sketch OrientationMethod • Automatic determines the orientation based on the

owning type of geometry you select.

– Select Horizontal Reference defines thehorizontal reference for your sketch.

• Relative to Face orients the sketch to a face, eitherinferred or explicitly selected. The path location youselect determines the direction of the sketch planenormal

– Select Face for Orienting Sketch lets youselect an existing face to orient your sketch. Youcan select multiple tangent contiguous faces.

• Use Curve Parameters orients the sketch using curveparameters, even if the path is an edge, or is part of afeature that lies on a face.

ReverseDirection

Reverses the direction of the Horizontal Reference.


3

Basic freeform

Variational Sweep overviewVariational Sweep is a freeform feature in which the majority of design intentis captured by at least one sketch.

• The sketch contains a point at its origin, which always remains on thepath. This point may be used by geometric or dimensional constrainson sketch curves.

• Additional sketches, curves, or edges may be used to define rails for thesweep.

• To define a rail, create Intersect Curves in the sketch (Sketch Toolstoolbar) and select a curve or edge string as the rail.

• V-sweep can create simple geometrically controlled variations.

In the above picture the distance measured radially across the upperplane of the shape is constant. The outside rail controls angle and extentof the outer face.


3

Basic freeform

• V-sweep can create complex variation using expressions.

In the above picture the distance measured radially across the upperplane of the shape increased geometrically, controlled by an expression.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Feature→Variational SweepMenu Insert→Sweep→Variational Sweep


3

Basic freeform

Variational Sweep optionsSectionSelect Curve

– Opens the Sketcher for you to create an internalsketch. The Sketcher opens with the Sketch on Path typealready specified, and you are prompted to specify the sketchplane for the path. Selection Intent is available.

On exiting the Sketcher, your sketch is automatically selectedas the sketch on path to use for the sweep. However, youhave the option of deselecting any of the curves to form thedesired section.

– Lets you specify a master Section from a sketchcreated with the Sketch on Path option.

Selection Intent is available when you construct the section.

You can select only curves or edges from the sketch on path(you cannot select curves or edges from a “sketch in place”).They do not have to be connected, but they must be a partof the same sketch on path.

LimitsStart and End Specifies the start and end of the sweep as:

• A percentage of the path arc length.

• A location along the path measured in units.

• A point, either on or off the path. If the point is off thepath, NX uses the point and an implied plane to calculatea point on the path.

The target path can be closed or open. If you specify limitsbeyond the end of an open path in either direction, NXextends the path as necessary to create the sweep.

Note that NX sets the value field to % Arc Length, ArcLength, or Specify Points options depending on yourselection in Type list. For % Arc Length and Arc Length, thestandard expression options are available.


3

Basic freeform

Internal sketchesYou have a choice to make about how you create section curves.

If you want to sweep a sketch more than once, you can create a sketch.

If you want to use the sketch for only one body, you can create an internalsketch “on-the-fly”, from within the dialog box for the sweep feature you arecreating.

Creating a sketch in this manner embeds it in the feature you were creating.

An internal sketch will not be visible in the Part Navigator.

You can always edit an internal sketch. First edit the parent feature and then

click Sketch Section in the feature dialog box.


3

Basic freeform

Externalizing a sketch

If you later decide that you want to use an internal sketch in more than onefeature, you can:

• Locate the parent feature in the Part Navigator.

• Right-click and choose Make Sketch External

The sketch will then appear in the navigator like any other feature.


3

Basic freeform

Activities: Create a V-SweepIn the Basic Freeform section, do the activity:

• Create a V-Sweep with Sketch on Patch


3

Basic freeform

Summary: Basic freeformIn this lesson you:

• Created a studio spline through a set of specified points.

• Created a Sketch on Path designed to define a three dimensional shape.

• Created a freeform body, a variational sweep.

• Discovered embedded sketches.


4

Lesson

4 Expressions

Purpose

You can easily create many types of intelligent expressions based onmeasurements and inter-part references.

This lesson describes various aspects of the expression functionality.

Objectives


• Create comments in Expressions

• Create Conditional Expressions

• Reference Measurements of geometric properties via expressions


4

Expressions

The Expressions dialog box

1 Listed Expressions Choose from User Defined, Named, Filter by Name, Filterby Value, Filter by Formula, Unused Expressions, ObjectParameters, Measurements, and All

2 Expression list List contains columns for Name (followed by usage in thepart), Formula, Value, Units, and Comment

3 Expression Filter Not active unless Listed Expressions is in a filtered setting4 Units Units appropriate to the dimensionality will be available

in a list5 Additional functions Functions, Measurements, Create Interpart Reference, Edit

Interpart Reference, Open Referenced Parts, Requirements,Refresh Values from External Spreadsheet, Delete

Press F1 for help on expressions any time you are using the Expressionsdialog box.


4

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 withthe Listed Expressions settings. The name is followedby the name of the associated object or feature and theparameter 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 mathematicalexpression which appears to the right of the equal signin the simple equation format name=formula. NX providestools to help you specify function names, names orformulas of existing expressions, or measurements ofgeometry.

Value This is the numeric value of the formula.

Units This column displays the Units selected after thedimensionality of the expression was specified, if theyexist. The system remembers units and converts valueswhen it is appropriate to do so.

Comment Optional additional information a designer may need toinclude can be stored in comments.

Checks This column displays the Check Name of a userrequirement.


4

Expressions

You may control the order of the listed expressions by clicking the name atthe top of the column. For example, you may sort by name (the default), byname in reverse order, by formula, and so on.


4

Expressions

Listed expressions

The Listed Expressions list defines which expressions are listed in theExpressions dialog box when More Options has been selected.

User Defined Lists only expressions you created via the dialog box.

Named Lists only user defined expressions and expressions youhave 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.

UnusedExpressions

Lists expressions that are not referenced by any featureor other expression.

This is useful for part cleanup.

ObjectParameters

Lists expressions associated with a selected feature.

You must select a feature in the graphic windowor Part Navigator.

Measurements Shows all measurement expressions that were created asstand-alone measurements.

All Lists all expressions in the part.

Filters you enter are saved during your session. They can be reused asneeded via the list, even in other parts.


4

Expressions

Expression Comments

Comments can be entered in two ways. One method is to double-click over thecomment column beside a particular expression in the list. This activates theComment dialog box:

Anything appearing after the double forward slashes is ignored by the formulainterpreter and is displayed in the comments column of the list window.

length = 2*width //comment text


4

Expressions

Expression operators

Operators may be classified into arithmetic, conditional, andrelational/Boolean.

Insert Function

Use Insert Function to locate any standard or user defined function toinsert into a formula.

Built-in functions include the following examples:

Name Descriptionabs Absolute Value, abs(x)=|x|arcsin Returns the inverse sine of a given

number in degreessin Sine, sin(x) is the sine of x, x must

be in degrees.pi The function pi() takes no

arguments and returns the valueof pi.

Additional operators are provided in the Appendix.

The system will handle unit conversions automatically if, for example,you specify inches in a metric part


4

Expressions

The Function button replaces the arrow symbol in parameterentry options when a formula was used for a particular value. Thevalue shown cannot be edited directly.

You can click the button to choose to edit the formula in the Expressiondialog box, convert it to a Measure, or make the value constant.

You have two choices for changing a formula to a constant value. Youmay select a recently used value or Make Constant to keep the presentvalue of the formula.


4

Expressions

Activities: ExpressionsIn the Expressions section, do the activities:

• Work with expressions

• Dimensionality in expressions


4

Expressions

Conditional expressionsExpressions can be used to define a variable based on specific conditions. Thiskind of expression is created by using the if-else statement.

Consider the following:

Example

Name FormulaLgth 12.5Wdth if ( Lgth > 10 ) ( 5 ) else ( 3 )

The Expression for Wdth is defined depending on the following statement:

• If Lgth is greater than 10, Wdth is equal to 5.

• If Lgth is less than or equal to 10, Wdth is equal to 3.

Expressions can also use Boolean operations such as AND or OR.

Consider the following:

ExampleName FormulaLgth 12.5

Wdth if ( Lgth > 0 && Lgth < 10 ) ( 3 ) else( 5 )

Here, the Expression for Wdth is defined depending on the followingstatement:

• If Lgth is greater than 0 AND less than 10, the value for Wdth is 3.

• Otherwise the value of Wdth is 5.

Syntax and the command portions of the statement must be lower case.


4

Expressions

Activities: Create conditional expressionsIn the Expressions section, do the activity:

• Create conditional expressions


4

Expressions

MeasurementsUse the measurement options to capture values for use in expressionformulas.

When you obtain a measurement an expression is created and inserted at thecursor position of the expression formula you are editing.

Measure Distance - based on the minimum distance between twoobjects, a point and an object, or two points.

Measure Length - based on the length of one or more curves oredges.

Measure Angle - based on the angle between two lines, planarfaces, linear edges, datums, or a combination ofthese objects.

Measure Bodies - measures the surface area, volume, mass,weight, and radius of gyration of one or moresolid bodies.

Measure Area - based on the area of one or more faces.


4

Expressions

Distance options

Distance(the default) returns the three dimensional distancebetween two selected objects.

Projected Distance returns the distance as seen in a plane normalto a vector. The vector constructor appears.

Screen Distance is not available for the purpose of creating anassociative measurement.

Length provides the same interaction as Measure Length.Radius returns the distance from the center of the arc to the pickpoint on the arc.

Points on Curves returns the distance between two selected pointsanywhere along a curve or string of curves.


4

Expressions

Angle Options

By 3 Points allows you to select three associative points.

By Objects (the default) allows you to select two curves, two planarobjects, or a line and a planar object.

By Screen Points is not available for the purpose of creating anassociative measurement.Object (the default) allows you to select objects as listed above.

Use Feature when you want to determine the direction of a featuresuch as a cylinder. When you select the feature, the systemindicates the direction with an arrow(s). is the default for measuredistance.

Vector allows you to specify a direction.3D Angle (the default) gives the angle in three dimensional space.

Angle in WCS XY Plane projects the selected angle to the WCSXY plane.

True Angle gives the true angle in three dimensional space.Inner Angle (the default) measures the angle inside the lines ofthe angle

Outer (Major) Angle measures the angle outside the lines of theangle


4

Expressions

Measurements use the Analysis functions. They are documentedunder NX Essentials→Gateway to NX→Gateway Quick CommandReference→Gateway Menus→Analysis.

If you want to save several stand alone measurements at onetime, consider using the Analysis function because it offers Apply(Ctrl+Middle Mouse Button) to measure and continue.


4

Expressions

Measures and measurements

When you use the Expressions dialog box to create a measurement you maythink of it as a stand alone measurement. Stand alone measurements can befiltered in the Expression dialog box.

For every stand alone measurement expression the system creates a Measurefeature so that the objects selected for the measurement may be editedwithout 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 namecolumn will show the type and timestamp of the measure feature, i.e.;distance; angle; and so on.


4

Expressions

Measure features can be seen in the Part Navigator under the Measures node.

When you highlight a measure feature in the Part Navigator the associatedmeasurement expressions and their values are listed in the Details window,and the Measure is highlighted in the graphics window.


4

Expressions

Measurements during parameter entry

You may create embedded measurements by clicking Parameter EntryOptions to the right of any parameter entry window.

Measurements constructed in this manner do not need a Measure feature tomanage them; they are attached to the feature you were creating when youspecified the measurement. The appearance of embedded measurements inthe Expressions dialog box reflects this difference.


4

Expressions

Activities: Apply measurementsIn the Expressions section, do the activity:

• Apply measurements


4

Expressions

Summary: ExpressionsYou can create comments when entering a formula by using double forwardslashes "//" after the formula and before the comment.

Conditional Expressions allow you to develop design rule relationshipsbetween certain elements of your model.

You may use Measurements to create a feature parameter based on somegeometric property.

In this lesson you:

• Created and edited expressions.

• Created comments in expressions.

• Created conditional expressions.

• Created measurement expressions.


5

Lesson

5 Duplicating features

Purpose

This lesson describes various methods to create duplicate features.

Objectives


• Mirror Features

• Copy and Paste Features

• Create Instance Geometry Along Path

• Pattern faces


5

Duplicating features

Mirror Feature overviewUse the Mirror Feature command to create symmetrical models by mirroringselected features through a datum plane or planar face.

Mirror Feature lets you mirror features within a body or you can Add AllFeatures in Body. Output from this operation is named Mirror Feature andyou can redefine the mirror plane and redefine the features in it.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar

Feature Operation→Mirror Feature

Feature Operation→Modeling Associative Copy stackMenu Insert→Associative Copy→Mirror Feature


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Mirror Feature dialog box

Feature Lets you select the features in the part that you wish tomirror.

To specify a feature to be mirrored, select it in the RelatedFeatures listing or select it from the graphics area.

Mirror Plane Lets you specify the planar face or datum plane throughwhich to mirror the selected features.

Related Features Displays the names of features thatexist in the part.

Add DependentFeatures

Allows you automatically selectthe dependent features of anotherfeature.

Add All Featuresin Body

When selected, it specifies that allfeatures in the body will be includedin the mirror feature. At leastone feature from the body must beselected for this to take effect.


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Procedure – Mirror Feature

1. Select Mirror Feature.

2. If desired, select Add Dependent Features or Add All Features in Body.

3. Select the features to mirror.

4. Click Select Plane.

5. Select the plane to mirror through.

6. Click OK.


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Activities: Create and edit mirror featuresIn the Duplicate features section, do the activity:

• Create and edit mirror features


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Copy/Paste FeatureThe Copy, Copy Feature and Paste functions let you copy features and pastethem within the same part, or from one part file to another. When you pastea feature, you can define how the new feature should be associated to itsoriginal feature.

Copy or Copy Feature

You can copy one or more features by selecting them from the graphics windowor the Part Navigator and then choosing Edit→Copy or Edit→Copy Featureon the menu bar, or Copy on the Standard toolbar. If you copy another set ofone or more features, they replace whatever was previously copied.

If no features are selected, choosing Copy Feature displays a dialog boxwith a list of all features that you can select for the copy operation, alist of features that are currently selected, and the Add DependentFeatures check box.

Paste

Once you have copied one or more features you can paste them usingEdit→Paste, which opens the Paste Feature dialog box.


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Paste optionsReferences The list window shows all the external references for the

feature you are pasting. Each unresolved reference hasa (-) in front of it. As you resolve a reference (e.g., byselecting placement faces, etc., on the part where you arepasting the feature), the symbol changes to (+).

If the Parents option is Copy Original Curves,the references for the external curves are markedas resolved. (There may be other unresolvedreferences.)

If the feature has no external references, the PasteFeature dialog box appears without the list windowand Reverse Direction option.

You do not always have to resolve all of thereferences before you can paste the feature. Forexample, if you copied a sweep feature with 10curves, the unresolved references include 10 curves.But if you only supply 5 curves before choosing OK,the system may succeed in creating the sweep.

ReverseDirection

Lets you reverse the vector if you select geometrythat has a direction vector.

Next Lets you advance to the next reference in the listwindow.


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Paste Feature settings

Expressions

The Expressions options define how the expressions in the pasted featureshould be related to the original expressions:

Function DescriptionCreate New Creates new expressions for the

pasted feature that are not associatedto the expressions of the originalfeature.

Link to Original Creates new expressions for thepasted feature that are linked to theoriginal feature (i.e. p10=p4).

Reuse Original The expressions of the originalfeature are used.

If the copy is to a different partfile then Reuse Original andLink to Original both createinterpart expressions.

Parents

The Parents options specify how parent curves of pasted features should bedefined:

Function DescriptionPrompt for New The system prompts you for new

curves that will replace the originalcurves in the pasted feature.

Copy OriginalCurves

Creates a copy of the parent curvesfor the pasted feature.

Reuse Original The parent curves of the originalfeatures are also the parent curves ofthe pasted feature within the samepart.


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Considerations when using the Copy/Paste FeatureBefore using the Copy/Paste feature across part files you should evaluate thedownstream impacts.

In general there are no issues to consider when the use of the Copy/Pastefeature is in a single part file. However, when the feature is applied acrosspart files with associativity, the result is the creation of Interpart References.This adds complexity to the design environment so caution should be usedbefore selecting this option.


5


Activities: Copy a sketchIn the Duplicate features section, do the activity:

• Copy a sketch


5


Instance Geometry overviewUse the Instance Geometry command to create associative andnon-associative copies of objects. You can create copies of bodies, faces, edges,curves, points, sketches, datum planes, and datum axes. You can create thecopies in mirror, linear, circular and irregular patterns, as well as along atangent continuous section.

When you edit an instance geometry feature, you can change its type,defining objects, and associative status.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar

Feature Operation→Instance Geometry

Feature Operation→Modeling Associative Copy stackMenu Insert→Associative Copy→Instance Geometry


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Instance Geometry types

Types are the methods you use to create instance geometry. The availableinstance methods from the Type option list are:

From/To Creates instance geometry by copying objects from onepoint or CSYS location to another point or CSYS location.

Mirror Creates instance geometry by copying objects across aplane.

Translate Creates instance geometry by copying objects in aspecified direction.

Rotate Creates instance geometry by rotating copies of objectsaround a specified point. You can add an offset distancebetween the rotated copies.

Along Path(covered in thiscourse)

Creates instance geometry by copying objects along thepath of a curve or edge. You can add an offset rotationangle to each instance.


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Instance Geometry Along Path type

SelectObject

Lets you select objects to copy as instances of geometry.

Select Path Lets you select a tangent continuous set of curves oredges to define a path along which the copies of instancedgeometry are created.

Distance Options Fill Path Length— The copies of instanced geometryare equally distributed along the total length of thepath.

Arc Length— The copies of instanced geometry aredistributed along the path according to a parameter ofarc length or percent of arc length.

Location Appears when Distance Option is set to Arc Length.

The options are Arc Length or % Arc Length.

Arc Length /%Arc Length

Appears when Distance Option is set to Arc Length.

Type a value for the arc length / percent of arc length inthis box, or you can drag the arc length handle located onthe path to dynamically size the arc length parameter.

Angle Optional. Adds an incremental rotation to each copy ofthe instance geometry using the angle value you specifyhere.

Number ofCopies

Lets you specify the number of copies (instances) of theselected geometry to create.


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Activities: Geometry Instance – Along PathIn the Duplicate features section, do the activity:

• Geometry Instance – Along Path


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Pattern Face overviewUse the Pattern Face command to associatively create rectangular, circular,or mirror patterns of a face or set of faces.

Pattern Face is a unique Instance Array because it:

• Results in a single feature, instead of an instance feature and instancedcopies.

• Allows the user to select part geometry (instead of features).

• Allows the user to specify associative direction vectors, instead of usingthe WCS.

In the example, a rectangular pattern is created using Pattern Face.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar

Feature Operation→Instance Feature→Pattern Face

Synchronous Modeling→Reuse Face stack

Menu

Insert→Associative Copy→Instance Feature→PatternFace

Insert→Synchronous Modeling→Reuse→Pattern Face


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Pattern Face types

Rectangular Pattern copies faces to create a linear pattern.

Circular Pattern copies faces to create a circular pattern.

Mirror copies faces to create a mirrored pattern through a plane.


5


Pattern Face

1. Choose Insert®Associative Copy®Instance Feature®Pattern Face .

2. Select the required pattern from the Type list.

3. Select a face or set of faces to create a pattern.

4. Specify the direction vector or mirror plane.

5. (Optional) Under Pattern Properties, specify the required values.

6. Click OK or Apply to create the pattern feature.


5


Activities: Create a pattern using facesIn the Duplicate features section, do the activity:

• Create a pattern using faces


5


Summary: Duplicating featuresDuplicating features reduces the time you use to create multiple occurrencesof features.

Mirror Feature allows you to mirror selected features about a datum plane orplanar face.

The copy/paste feature allows the duplication of features within or acrosspart files.

Instance Geometry Along Path allows features to be duplicated in non-linearor non-circular patterns.

In this lesson you:

• Created a Mirror Feature.

• Copied and Pasted Features.

• Created Instance Geometry Along Path.

• Patterned faces.


6

Lesson

6 Assembly functions

Purpose

This lesson introduces Assembly Navigator, attributes, and clearancefunctionality.

Objectives


• Use the menu options in the Assembly Navigator.

• Rearrange components in the Assembly Navigator.

• Create Object and Part Attributes.

• Check clearances of components within an assembly.


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Assembly functions

Assembly Navigator shortcut menuThe Assembly Navigator gives you a graphical display of the assemblystructure of the displayed part, and provides a quick and easy method ofmanipulating components in an assembly. Some of these methods will bediscussed in this lesson.

If you position the cursor over a node in the tree that represents a componentand right-click, a shortcut menu will appear. The options that appear on themenu are determined by the type of component that is selected.

Hide / Show Only Hide or show components and subassemblies. (Hidinga subassembly causes it and all its components to beremoved from the graphics display. Showing a componentrestores it to the graphics display.)

Cut, Copy, Paste,and Delete

These commands allow you to cut, copy, paste, and deletecomponents within the Assembly Navigator.

ReplaceReference Set

Replaces the display of a component in the graphicsscreen with one of its reference sets.

Reference sets are discussed in the next lesson.


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Assembly functions

Open Opens various components within the assembly structure.

Close Closes the selected component (the Part option) or theentire assembly (the Assembly option). If the part hasbeen modified, the Part (Modified) option will be active toalert you that you might wish to first save the file. Onceyou have closed the component part, you can later reopenit using the Open option.

If you selected multiple components, Part closes only thecomponents that are not modified, while Part (Modified)closes all of them.

Properties Displays properties for selected components.


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Assembly functions

Dragging components in the Assembly NavigatorIn the Assembly Navigator, you can drag a component into anothersubassembly. If the component is dragged to a piece part, the piece part willturn into a subassembly. Only loaded components can be dragged.

This technique will not work under the following conditions:

• The target is not loaded.

• The dragged component already has an instance of the target as its child,which would create a cyclic assembly structure.

You can choose to receive a warning message after you have draggedcomponents. This can be selected using Preferences→Assemblies→Warn onDrag and Drop.


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Assembly functions

Activities: Use the Assembly NavigatorIn the Assembly functions section, do the activity:

• Use the Assembly Navigator


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Assembly functions

AttributesAttributes are numerical, time, string or reference character strings that maybe associated to an object within a part file or to the file itself.

Attributes are used to associate non-graphical information to a CAD designand display them in the following:

• Part Navigator

• Assembly Navigator

• Drawing annotation

• Parts List

• Graphics area

Attribute types

There are several categories of attributes.

• System attributes

• User-Defined attributes

• Database attributes (Teamcenter only)


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Assembly functions

System attributes

System attributes are globally recognized characteristics, such as color, font,width, layer, name, and group name. All System attributes, except name, areassigned using various options that are not associated with the Attributesdialog boxes.


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Assembly functions

User-Defined attributes

User-Defined attributes are used to assign specific information, meaningfulin your particular application, to objects or parts. This category of attribute isdivided into two types:

Object Attribute Information related to objects.

Part Attribute Information related to the entire part.

Attribute inheritance

Since an assembly references each component part rather than copying it,attributes assigned to component parts are "inherited" by each use of thatcomponent in the assembly.

Component Part Attributes are of particular interest when creating a partslist. You can also assign a different attribute for the component or to eachuse of the component geometry in the assembly, if you want. These wouldbe Object Attributes on the Component Object in the assembly. This isessentially what happens if you change the color of a component at theassembly level. The Component Object has a different color attribute thanthe Solid Body color attribute in the component part file.

The following rules govern attribute inheritance:

• If an Object Attribute has been defined on the Component Object, thevalue of that attribute is used.

• Otherwise, if the component is represented by a reference set that hasthat attribute defined, the value of that attribute is used.

• Otherwise, if the attribute is defined as a Part Attribute of the componentpart, that value is used.

• Otherwise, the value is undefined and does not appear.

When a component inherits attributes from its component part, youcannot delete these attributes at the assembly level. You can onlydelete inherited attributes on the component part.


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Assembly functions

Object Attributes

Object Attributes may be applied to anything that is not a part file such aslines, splines, edges, datums, faces or bodies, and features. In the context ofan assembly, Object Attributes may be applied to component objects if theyare selected from the graphics area or the Assembly Navigator.

It is important to remember that components are objects within an assemblyfile. You should consider them to be the pointers to the component part files,not the actual part files. Therefore anything we discuss regarding ObjectAttributes would also apply to component objects in an assembly.

Object Attributes can be created using one of the processes below.

• In the graphics window, right-click an object and choose Properties toopen the Properties dialog box for the selected object.

• In the Part Navigator, right-click a feature and choose Properties to openthe Properties dialog box for the selected feature.

• In the Assembly Navigator, right-click a component and chooseProperties to open the Properties dialog box for the selected component.

Object Attributes are defined using the Attributes page from the specificProperties dialog box.


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Assembly functions

Part Attributes

Part Attributes are stored in the Part File instead of on some object in the file.When creating Part Attributes, it is important to remember that by default,they are created on the Displayed Part.

Part Attributes can be created using one of the processes below:

• In the Assembly Navigator, right-click the displayed part node and chooseProperties to open the Properties dialog box for the selected component.

• From the main menu bar, choose File→Properties.

Part Attributes are defined using the Attributes page from Displayed PartProperties dialog box.


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Assembly functions

Attribute options

Attributes page options

CutCuts one or more selected attributesand stores them on the clipboard.

CopyCopies the selected attributes.

PastePastes attributes from the clipboardto the attribute list box.

DeleteDeletes the selected attributes.

Title

Value

Lets you enter the title and value fora new attribute, thereby creating it.

The title may not exceed 50alphanumeric characters. A space isnot a valid character.

Type Lists you created the following typesof Object Attributes:

• Integer (for integer values)

• Real (for real number values)

• Time (for date and time)

• Null (for attribute titles with novalue)

• String (for text strings)

• Reference (for expression and textstrings)

Apply to Component Part (Available only if all selected objectsare in the work part.)

Restricts edits to the work part onlywhen this option is selected.

When this option is deselected, editsare made in the assembly (displayed)part.


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Assembly functions

Specify columnsTo customize the columns in the Assembly Navigator, right-click anywherein the column headers and:

• Choose Columns and select or clear the desired columns to display.

or

• Choose Columns→Configure and use the Columns page from theAssembly Navigator Properties dialog box to select or clear the desiredcolumns to display.


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Assembly functions

Assembly Navigator propertiesColumns list – The list of possible columns that may appear in the AssemblyNavigator. The columns that are currently visible are checked. The positionof the columns in the Assembly Navigator may be modified by clicking MoveUp or Move Down or by dragging the Name of the column in the list.

The first column in the Assembly Navigator must be one that identifies thecomponent, such as Part Name, Component Name, or Descriptive Part Name.The system will not allow you to move any other choices to the top of the list.


6

Assembly functions

Assembly Navigator columns

Some of the more common columns that can appear in the AssemblyNavigator are described in the following table.

Column Description

Descriptive Part Name Displays the descriptive part name of the part.Component Name Displays the component name of the part. This

column will be blank for the displayed part.Part Name Displays the file name of the part.

Read Only Displays the current read status of the loadedparts:= Read & Write= Read Only= Partially Loaded= Read only (Part Family Member)

Modified Tells if a part has been modified in the currentsession:= Modified

blank = UnmodifiedPosition Displays the mating or variable position of the

parts:= Unconstrained= Partially Constrained= Fully Constrained= Fixed

Count Displays the number of components in theassembly or subassembly, including the assemblyor subassembly itself.

Out of Date Tells whether a part is out of date:= Out of date

blank = Up to date


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Assembly functions

Column DescriptionReference Set Displays the name of the current reference set.

This column will be blank for the displayed part.Units Indicates whether part is inch or metric.Layer Displays the current layer of the component.

"Original" indicates that the original layers of thecomponent file are being used.

Shape Indicates whether a part has been deformed.Arrangement Specifies the active arrangement for the displayed

part. For each component in the assembly,this column specifies the component’s usedarrangement.

This column is blank for all components that haveonly one arrangement defined. This emphasizesthe components where you can choose a differentarrangement.

Position Control Specifies the highest-level parent (in the displayedassembly) that controls the selected component’sposition.

This column is blank if the component is unloadedor if the highest-level controlling parent is theimmediate parent.

Suppression Control Specifies the highest-level parent (in the displayedassembly) that controls the selected component’ssuppression state.

This column is blank if the component is unloadedor if the highest-level controlling parent is theimmediate parent.

Alerts Shows messages and warnings that areappropriate for your component.

Attributes can also be specified to create unique column headers.

See the Online Help for the other Assembly Navigator columns.


6

Assembly functions

Component PropertiesThe Component Properties dialog box provides:

• Status information about the selected component(s).

• The ability to modify many of the component properties (such as blank,layer, suppress, attributes, and the component name).

The Component Properties dialog box may be accessed in several ways:

• Right-click to select the component from the Assembly Navigator andchoose Properties.

• Right-click to select the component from the graphics area and chooseProperties.


6

Assembly functions

Assembly properties page

The Assembly page lists the Load Status, and has options to Hide, change theLayering method, or open the Information window.

Any modifications to Color, Translucency and/or Partial Shading performed atthe Assembly level are indicated. Removing any of those toggles would causethe component object to use the Color, Translucency and/or Partial Shadingattributes from the component part file.


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Assembly functions

Attributes properties page

The Attributes page provides the Title and Value of each existing attribute, abutton that lets you Delete the highlighted attribute, and text fields that letyou create new or edit existing attributes.

When editing attributes, you can only edit or delete part attributes if thecomponent is the displayed part.

Creating attributes while the assembly is the displayed part willgenerate assembly level component object attributes.


6

Assembly functions

Parameters properties page

The Parameters page shows the Component Name, Assembly Arrangements,the Active Arrangement, and the Part Family options Update andInformation.

The part family Information option is also available fromAssemblies®Reports®Family Report.


6

Assembly functions

Weight properties page

The Weight page shows information about the component’s weight (if loaded)and options as to when to update the Weight data (On Save or Now).


6

Assembly functions

Part File properties page

The Part File page shows information about the component’s part file (ifloaded) as shown below. If the Assembly Constraints of any component havebeen Remembered they will be listed at the bottom of this page.

Remembered Assembly Constraints are modified and deleted fromthis dialog box.


6

Assembly functions

General properties page

The General Property Page is another opportunity to change the ComponentName of the part. On this page the names can be indexed, specifically located,or deleted. Access to the information window is also available.


6

Assembly functions

Check Clearances overviewUse the Check Clearances command to check the clearances betweencomponents in the displayed assembly. The status column lists touching orhard interference with the selected components.

Where do I find it?

Application Assemblies

Toolbar Assemblies→Check ClearancesMenu Assemblies→Components→Check Clearances


6

Assembly functions

Activities: Assembly user interfaceIn the Assembly functions section, do the activity:

• Assembly user interface


6

Assembly functions

Summary: Assembly functionsThe Assembly Navigator provides a graphical display of an assembly whichallows you to quickly and easily select components and manipulate theassembly.

Attributes may be assigned to objects or parts to associate non-graphicalinformation to a CAD design.

In this lesson you:

• Used the shortcut menu and menu bar to perform operations oncomponents in the assembly.

• Created Object and Part Attributes.

• Checked clearances between components within an assembly.


7

Lesson

7 Reference Sets

Purpose

Reference sets allow you to limit the amount of component part informationdisplayed in an assembly. Reference sets will also allow you to show alternaterepresentations or simplified versions of the model.

Objectives


• Add reference sets in components.

• Replace reference sets for individual components in an assembly.

• Define default reference sets in Assembly Load Options.

• Edit reference sets.

• Observe the creation of automatic reference sets by the system.

• Define and use Search Folders in Assembly Load Options.


7

Reference Sets

Reference Set overviewA reference set is a named subset of data that you can define in a componentof an assembly.

You can use reference sets in the next assembly level above the partcontaining them to control what is displayed from the component part.

Below, illustration 1 depicts a component part. Illustration 2 shows areference set that may be defined within the component part.

Reference sets can contain the following data:

• Name.

• Geometric objects, datums, coordinate systems, and component objects.

• Attributes (non-geometric information used for a parts list).


7

Reference Sets

Reference Set usageYou can define a reference set in a component part of an assembly.

There are two primary reasons for using reference sets:

• Exclude or filter unwanted objects in a component part so that they donot appear in the assembly.

• Represent a component part in the assembly with alternative or simplergeometry than the complete solid body.

You can use reference sets to control the amount of data that is loaded fromeach component and viewed in the context of an assembly.

A well-managed reference set strategy can lead to:

• Faster load times.

• Reduced memory usage.

• Less cluttered graphics displays.


7

Reference Sets

Default Reference SetsEvery 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 geometryand/or Component Objects in a part. Displaying the Entire Part is a quick wayto access all model geometry and Component Objects in a component part.

Empty

The Empty (1) reference set is used as a place holder in an assembly when thepart geometry need not be seen. The Model (2) reference set contains only thesolid geometry of the component part.

When a component is replaced with its Empty reference set, anyassociative drafting objects in the assembly will be retained accordingto the Retain Annotations setting in Preferences→Drafting. When thegeometry reappears by replacing reference sets, the drafting objectswill return to their active state.

When an assembly is opened using As Saved, a component representedby an Empty reference set will remain unloaded.


7

Reference Sets

Reference Sets and Customer Defaults

The Customer Defaults Reference Set page allows you to specify uniquenames and the content types that are added to the reference set of an assemblyautomatically. This page is found by choosing File→Utilities→CustomerDefaults→Assemblies→Site Standards→Reference Sets.

Model Reference Set

The basic concept behind the model reference set is to collect the objects thatyou want to use for visualizing or doing mass analysis.

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 additionallicensing. Please consult the Help files for more information.

The customer defaults page allows you to specify whether component objectsare added to the model reference set of an assembly automatically. Thedefault is to add them automatically. This will only take place if there isgeometry created in the assembly file that would cause the automatic "Model"and "Lightweight" reference sets to be created.

Sheet bodies are added two different ways, according to a default Contentssetting.

• If the setting is Sheets and Solids, the current default, sheet bodies arealways added to the model reference set.

• If the setting is Solids Priority, then sheets are added only if there areno solid bodies in the reference set. Under this setting the assumptionis that sheets are there only to help define the solid or to constructadditional solids.

You may also specify additional reference set names that will berecognized as model reference sets during Teamcenter Visualizationtranslation.

Additional reference set names also permit the use of equivalentreference set names specified under the MODEL category. For example,if a vendor uses Solid as the MODEL reference set name, but yourcompany uses Body, NX will still recognize both names as MODELreference sets.


7

Reference Sets

The default name for the model reference set is MODEL, but your companycan specify a different reference set name.

BODY is one example used as a company standard for the model referenceset name.


7

Reference Sets

Lightweight Reference Set

A lightweight reference set is one that contains a facetted representation ofeach body in the model reference set.

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.

When a name is defined for the Lightweight Reference Set in the customerdefaults, NX automatically creates a faceted body and includes it in thisReference Set as solid bodies are created.

LITE is one example used as a company standard for the lightweightreference set name.

Simplified Reference Set

The Simplified Reference Set is maintained automatically if you define aname for the Simplified Reference Set Name customer default.

ENVELOPE is one example used as a company standard for the simplifiedreference set name.

Once you have defined the simplified reference set, any wrap assembly orlinked exteriors that you create are automatically added to this reference set.


7

Reference Sets

User defined Reference Sets

Assembly Constraint Reference Sets

If you want to access the datums used by your assembly for constraints, areference set that contains the solid body and those datums necessary fordefining Assembly 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 givencenterline. You would not normally want to see the centerline in assemblies,but you might need it for a dimension in a drawing.

Representation of components with simplified geometry

You may want to create one or more reference sets that contain basicrepresentations of components. Large or complex parts can affect assemblyperformance. For example, if your assembly contains a sheet metal door withhundreds of louvers, using a reference set that represents the door withoutthe louvers may improve performance.


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Reference Sets

The illustration shows reference sets consisting of only a simplifiedsolid and the guide string of a tube.

Using these SIMPLE reference sets in the assembly will let the componentload faster, use less system memory, and allow for quicker graphic updates,yet still display selectable geometry for the component.


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Reference Sets

Add new Reference Sets

Add

There are two situations in which you can add a new reference set:

• In any work part.

• From an assembly during creation of a new component (Top-Down). Thereference set will exist in the new component.

Reference Sets may be added and edited by choosing Format→ReferenceSets from the menu bar.

After choosing Add the Reference Set Name box is active for you to type aunique name and Select Objects is active for you to define the objects toinclude 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 namesto uppercase characters.

We recommend that you use common names for reference sets to makeit easier to assist those using the component as a master model. Usingautomated reference set creation makes standardization easy.


7

Reference Sets

Add New Components Automatically

If Add New Components Automatically is selected from the Reference SetProperties dialog box, any new components added to the assembly are alsoadded to the reference set.

This option has no effect on the current content of the reference set.It only affects new components.


7

Reference Sets

Reference Set informationYou can obtain information about reference sets that reside in the work partby choosing Information→Assemblies→Reference Set from the main menubar or by clicking Information from the Reference Sets dialog box.

When you request information on a reference set using theInformation→Assemblies→Reference Set method, the system will:

• 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 clicking Information fromthe Reference Sets dialog box, the system will:

• Provide a listing of relevant data in the Information window.


7

Reference Sets

Activities: Verify the contents of a Reference SetIn the Reference Sets section, do the activity:

• Verify the contents of a Reference Set


7

Reference Sets

Replace Reference SetsWhile working in context of an assembly, you may often need to change thedisplay of various components to show different reference sets.

The action of changing the currently displayed reference set of componentsin an assembly is termed replacing reference sets.


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Reference Sets

Replace Reference Sets using the Assembly Navigator

The shortcut menu in the Assembly Navigator is a convenient way to replacereference sets.

When you select the Replace Reference Set option on a component node inthe Assembly Navigator, a menu of existing reference sets in that componentappears with the one currently displayed in the assembly insensitive.

Choosing a reference set from the list changes the display of that componentas it appears in the assembly.

Although you perform this action on a component node in the AssemblyNavigator, you are actually changing the reference set name that isstored with the component object in its parent assembly.


7

Reference Sets

Replace Reference Sets

1. Optionally, set the top selection priority to Components .

2. From the Assembly Navigator (or) graphics window, select thecomponent(s).

3. Right-click a component 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 selectedcomponents.


7

Reference Sets

Replace Reference Sets in context of an assembly

If you are creating the reference set in context of the assembly and thenimmediately want to use the new reference set click the Set as Currentbutton in the same dialog box.

An Assembly Preferences default (Display as Entire Part) causes theEntire Part reference set to be used when you make a component thework part.

This behavior is initially controlled by the Customer Defaultssetting Display using ’Entire Part’ Reference Set found on theAssemblies®General®Work Part page. This can be modified in thecurrent NX session by changing the Display as Entire Part check boxfrom the Assemblies Preferences dialog box.

Once you have set the assemblies preference, this information is storedin your profile and overrides the customer default.


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Reference Sets

Activities: Replace Reference Sets in an assemblyIn the Reference Sets section, do the activity:

• Replace Reference Sets in an assembly


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Reference Sets

Edit Reference SetsChanging the contents of a reference set can be accomplished from theReference Sets dialog box. If you highlight an existing Reference Set, youcan:

• Add objects by selecting them from the graphics area.

• Remove objects by deselecting them (shift+click) from the graphics area.

Use Information→Assemblies→Reference Set to visually verify thecontents of a reference set as well as receive an information windowdisplaying contents.


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Reference Sets

Remove and Rename Reference SetsThere are options to remove and rename existing reference sets available inthe Reference Sets dialog box. (Format→Reference Sets)

The process of removing a reference set does not delete any geometry. Itmerely eliminates the "group" associated with the geometry.

If you remove a reference set that is used in an assembly, when youopen or return to the assembly, it will show the Entire Part (defaultcondition).

Rename Reference Sets

Renaming a reference set allows you to change its name without having todelete and recreate the set.

To rename a reference set, from the Reference Set dialog box, highlight anexisting reference set, in the Reference Set Name box type in the new name,and press Enter.

If you rename a reference set that is used in a loaded assembly,the system will automatically change the name referenced by thecomponent object in the assembly. If the assembly is not loaded whenthe reference set is renamed, when you open the assembly, it will showthe entire part (default condition).


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Reference Sets

Load Options and Reference SetsIt is possible to replace reference sets as you open an assembly. This is usefulif you are working with a large assembly and do not know what reference setswere displayed when it was last saved.

You can specify a load options file which allows you to recall specific settingswithout having to remember how you set them up. You can specify file nameand location: load_options.def is the default name.

When an assembly is opened, the system will try to load the first referenceset in the list from each component. If a component does not contain thisreference 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 setthat can be loaded.

As Saved, Entire Part, Empty, Use Model, and Use Lightweight aredefault entries in the list. They can be moved up or down but cannotbe removed from the list.


7

Reference Sets

Reference Set Load Options

1. Choose File→Options→Assembly Load Options.

2. From the Assembly Load Options dialog box, expand the ReferenceSets group.

3. In the Add Reference Set box, type the user defined reference set nameand click Add.

4. From the Reference Sets lists, select the desired reference set and usethe Move up or Move down buttons to change the hierarchy ofthe reference sets.

5. Click OK.


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Reference Sets

Apply to All Assembly Levels

If Apply to All Assembly Levels is cleared, reference set defaults will not beapplied to subassembly components. The subassembly components will usethe reference set that the subassembly reference set was displaying whenit was last saved.

For instance, with Apply to All Assembly Levels cleared and lightweightreference sets preferred, parts that were displaying entire parts or modelreference sets will be opened still displaying entire parts or model referencesets.

If you prefer to have the reference set defaults applied to the entire assemblythen select the Apply to All Assembly Levels option.

If Apply to All Assembly Levels is selected, all components of subassemblieswill be loaded using the specified reference set(s) regardless of howsubassembly reference sets were saved.


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Reference Sets

From Search Folders

The Add Folder to Search Browse button allows you to add or remove searchfolders. Options are also available to change the order of the directory list.

1 – List of current search directories (three dots includes subdirectories).2 – Type new directory to add to list.3 – Adds entered directory to list.4 – Removes selected directory from list.5 – Moves highlighted directory up in list.6 – Moves highlighted directory down in list.

In the example listing above, the system first looks for each componentin the user’s home directory and subdirectories (D:/users/smith...), thena 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 toopen an assembly. If possible, you should include smaller directorieswith the most components first and larger directories with fewercomponents last.


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Reference Sets

Activities: Load Options and Reference SetsIn the Reference Sets section, do the activity:

• Load Options and Reference Sets


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Reference Sets

Summary: Reference SetsReference sets are used to limit the amount of information referenced bythe component object in an assembly or subassembly. They allow you tocreate different displays of the same assembly or component to simplify theassembly or provide alternate configurations.

In this lesson you:

• Added reference sets.

• Replaced reference sets.

• Defined a hierarchy of reference sets to be loaded using Assembly LoadOptions.

• Edited Reference Sets by removing one that was not needed.

• Observed the automatic creation of model and lightweight reference setsduring file save.

• Defined and used Search Folders in Assembly Load Options.


8

Lesson

8 Top-down assembly modeling

Purpose

One method of assembly modeling is to build the component part files incontext of the assembly.

Objectives


• Create a new component using the Top-Down method

• Design a component in context


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Top-down assembly modeling

Top-down designTop-down is the process of assembly modeling in which you create

a new component part while working in context of theassembly.

Since the definition of a component part is dictated byits function within the assembly, you first create thegeometry in the assembly. Then, when you want towork with this geometry as a component, you push thegeometry into its own part file leaving only a pointer (thecomponent object) in the assembly.

Design in context is the process in which you define geometry in one partwhile referencing geometry in some other part.

Design in context is accomplished while the uncompletedcomponent is the work part and is displayed in thecontext of the assembly.

Top-down methods

There are two basic methods to create a component top-down.

Move Geometry

• Create geometry in the assembly (sketch, sheet, solid, etc.)

• Create a new component and add the geometry to it.

Empty Part

• 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 New Component overviewUse the Create New Component command to create a new component partfile and a reference to that component in the assembly work part.

You may select geometry to add to the new component part (Move Geometrymethod). If no geometry is to be moved you can immediately click OK (EmptyPart method).

The units of the new part will be the same as the parent.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Assemblies→Create New ComponentMenu Assemblies→Components→Create New Component


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Create New Component options

After a part file name is designated for the new component, you can specifyinformation in the Create New Component dialog box.

Add DefiningObjects

If cleared, selected geometry that depends on definingobjects that were not selected will be left out of the newcomponent. If this option is selected, all selected geometryand defining objects are copied to the new component.

ComponentName

The name of the component object. The default name forthe component is the name of the part file.

Reference Set The name of a reference set to be created with the newcomponent. However, Automatic reference sets will becreated as defined. If the Other option is selected, theuser may define a unique reference set name.

All geometry selected will be added to the referenceset.

Layer Option This defines what layer any added geometry will beplaced. The choices are Work, Original or As Specified.

ComponentOrigin

Determines the absolute origin and orientation of the newcomponent part. The choices are Absolute andWCS.

Delete OriginalObjects

If selected, the selected geometry is moved to thecomponent part. If it is cleared, the geometry is copied tothe 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 obviousthat a new component was created.

There are a few ways to verify the creation of a new component:

AssemblyNavigator

Find and select the new component node to highlight thegeometry that belongs to it.

Assemblies→Reports→ ListComponents

Find the new component from a list of components.

Assemblies→ContextControl→ SetWork Part

Change the work part to the new component.

Status line Read the statement: “Component XYZ was created.”


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Considerations of selecting data during component creationAdding data to a new component can be thought of in terms of moving orcopying the data into the new part. If Delete Original Objects is selected,data is moved; otherwise it is copied.

• All geometry, whether moved or copied, will have the same color andshow/hide-status as the original. The occurrences of that geometrycreated in the assembly will "look" identical to the originals.

• If you attempt to "move" an object, and some other object which you arenot moving depends on that object, then the selected object will in factbe "copied".

If you select a sketch (which has been extruded) to be moved to acomponent, but you do not select the associated extruded body, thesketch will be copied.

If you select a line which is part of a sketch to be moved to thecomponent, 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 withit, the copied sketch will not be associated to the solid. If the sketch isattached 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. Anyexpressions that are not required by the sketch are not copied.


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Design in context of an assemblyDesigning in Context is the process by which you define geometry in one partby referencing geometry in another part.

When designing in the context of an assembly:

• The component part is the work part and the assembly is the displayedpart.

• New or existing geometry is created/modified in the work part.

• Geometry from other components is selectable.

• Changes to the component part are immediately seen within the assembly.

Select geometry outside the work part

When working in the context of an assembly many functions allow you toselect geometry from components other than the work part. This is usefulwhen specifying a location with the Point dialog box or checking a clearanceusing Information→Object or Analysis→Measure Distance.

Shown below, a rectangular sketch is created in the current workpart by defining diagonal points (1) relative to geometry in non-workparts and then extruded, eliminating the need to calculate and enternumerical values for the edge lengths.

The size and position of the sketch rectangle in the example above isnot associative. Associativity between components can be attainedthrough the use of the WAVE Geometry Linker, Interpart References,and Assembly Constraints.


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Selection ScopeYou can control interpart selection with the Selection Bar Select Scope optionto select geometry from assembly components other than the work part.

The Selection Bar Select Scope options are:

Entire Assembly Use this option to select geometry from any componentin the assembly.

Within Work Partand Components

Use this option to limit the selection of geometry tothe current work part and its components, if it is asubassembly.

Within Work PartOnly

Use this option to limit the selection of geometry to thecurrent work part.


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Activities: Top-down assembly modelingIn the Top-down assembly modeling section, do the activity:

• Top-down assembly modeling


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Summary: Top-Down assembly modelingTop-Down Assembly Modeling allows you to build new components in relationto other components within the same assembly.

In this lesson you:

• Created new components using the Top-Down method.

• Designed in Context of the assembly.


9

Lesson

9 Interpart geometry

Purpose

One method of assembly modeling is to build the component part files incontext of the assembly.

Objectives


• Build associativity across parts in the assembly using the WAVEGeometry Linker

• Edit Linked Geometry

• Edit the Timestamp for a link

• Mirror an assembly

• Promote solid bodies

• Cut assembly components


9

Interpart geometry

WAVE Geometry Linker overviewTheWAVE Geometry Linker provides a means to associatively link geometryfrom another component part in an assembly into the Work Part. By"associative" we mean that modifying the parent geometry will cause thelinked geometry in other parts to update.

The WAVE Geometry Linker creates linked objects in the Work Part (i.e.Linked Curve, Linked Sketch). Linked bodies are added to the ModelReference Set in the Work Part.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Assemblies→WAVE Geometry LinkerMenu Insert→Associative Copy→WAVE Geometry Linker

Considerations when interpart modeling

Before using the WAVE Geometry Linker, you should:

• Evaluate the downstream impacts.

• Avoid creating links just because you can.

• Determine if the design needs the added level of complexity in theassembly.

• Understand that linked objects are added to the Model Reference Set,so Weight Management will be affected during the calculated weightof that part.


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Interpart geometry

Geometry types

Several different types of geometry can be selected.

• Composite Curve (explicit curves & non-sketch curves)

• Point

• Datum

• Sketch

• Face

• Region of Faces

• Body

• Mirror Body

• Routing Object

When selecting the geometry to copy, you also need to consider howpermanent the geometry will be. If you copy as little geometry aspossible to do the job, performance will be improved but updates will beless robust when the parent geometry is altered.

For example, if you copy individual sketch curves to another part, thelink 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 andthe link will still update.


9

Interpart geometry

WAVE Geometry Linker options

Associative When selected, this allows you to create associativegeometry in the Work Part.

When cleared, this allows you to create non-associativegeometry in the Work Part. The geometry is automaticallycreated as a Broken Link.

The WAVE Geometry Linker is on by default. Somesites have chosen to disable it via the customerdefault Assemblies, General, Interpart Modeling,Allow Interpart Modeling. This default controlsInterpart Expressions as well.

Hide Original Lets you hide the original geometry so that the linkedgeometry in the Work Part will be easier to select whilethe assembly is displayed.

Fix at CurrentTimestamp

Lets you specify where the linked feature is placed in thefeature list. When cleared, any new features later addedto the original geometry will be reflected in the linkedgeometry. When selected, any new features will not affectthe linked geometry.


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Interpart geometry

Create Interpart Link

When designing in context, many common Modeling commands allow you todirectly select geometry from other parts in the assembly.

When you select geometry from a part other than the work part using theSelection Bar Selection Scope options, you can choose whether or not tocreate an interpart link.

To create a permanent associative link, activate the Create Interpart Linkbutton before selecting the geometry.

If this button is inactive, this indicates that the creation of anassociative link is not an option for the specific command or theparticular selection option of that command.

Do not activate this button if you want to select geometry from otherparts in the assembly without creating a permanent link.


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Interpart geometry

Activities: Design in context of an assemblyIn the Interpart geometry section, do the activities:

• Design in context of an assembly

• Automatic creation of WAVE links


9

Interpart geometry

Localized interpart modelingLocalized interpart modeling is the ability to relate the geometry ofinteracting parts in an assembly. This has two distinct advantages inassembly modeling:

• Reduces the cost of design changes.

• Maintains design integrity.

This reduces cost since changes made to a single part can be automaticallypropagated to other related component parts in the assembly. Designintegrity is maintained because the parts will always have correct geometricand positional relationships.

A gasket (1) is derived from a parent face (2) in a housing. If the size orshape of the parent face changes in the housing, the gasket will changeaccordingly (3) in the assembly (4).


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Interpart geometry

Part in process modelingInterpart modeling can be applied to different areas including tooling andmanufacturing engineering.

Part in process modeling allows you to validate and illustrate a manufacturingprocess plan.

A cast part (1) is used to derive a machined part (2). A linked solid iscreated in the machining part from the casting. Then, features unique to themachining are added to it.

The above method is primarily used by companies who design their owncast parts and tooling. It is usually much easier to add features that removematerial from a properly constructed casting model than to add draft andmachining material to a purely functional design.

The finished machined part (1) is designed first and subsequently the castpart is defined by adding material using offset and delete face features (2).

The above method is primarily used by companies who design pattern toolingbased on a “finished” part design. Much extra work and communicationis needed to design a casting that provides just enough stock material,an acceptable parting, and sufficient draft for the casting process withoutinterfering with the fit and function of the part.


9

Interpart geometry

Mold/die applicationsInterpart modeling can be applied to create an associative mold or die froma finished piece part.

A solid body (1) can be linked from one part into another (2) wherefeatures can be applied to define the cavity in the mold or die (3).


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Interpart geometry

Activities: In process interpart geometryIn the Interpart geometry section, do the activities:

• In process parts

• WAVE Geometry Linker - Mirror Body


9

Interpart geometry

Edit links

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. Thiscan occur if the component containing the parent geometry is removedor replaced.

• If you deliberately break the link.

Broken links can be repaired with theWAVE Geometry Linker dialog box.

Deleting parent geometry

To prevent unintentional deletion of the parents of linked geometry, amessage will warn you if a delete operation would cause interpart links tobreak. When parts containing linked geometry are loaded this warningapplies to operations using Edit→Delete, the Delete button, and shortcutmenus on the graphics screen or in the Part Navigator.

The Information option provides details about the links that will be brokenin an Information window.


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Interpart geometry

WAVE Geometry Linker edit options

Links may be edited by choosing Edit→Feature→Edit Parameters andselecting a linked feature.

While this dialog box is displayed you can select new parent geometry for thelink being edited. The new parent geometry must be the same type as the oldgeometry (curve, datum, solid body, etc.).

Part Parent Part controls if the parent geometry selection isfrom the Work Part or an Other Part.

Mapping Opens the Replacement Assistant dialog box to help youedit the source of the linked or extracted feature.

WAVEInformation

Shows the name of the part where the parent geometry islocated, the geometry type, and the link Status.

Associative Lets you break the association between the linked featureand its parent. This means that the linked feature will nolonger update if its parent changes. You can later define anew parent by selecting geometry with the cursor.


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Interpart geometry


Lets you specify the timestamp at which the linkedfeature is placed. If this option is selected one of theparent part features may be selected from the list tospecify a new timestamp location for the linked featurebeing edited. If this option is cleared, all features in theparent part will be reflected in the linked feature.

Make PositionIndependent

Lets you change the link to a PILO (Position IndependentLinked Object), which does not require a context assemblyfor its existence. If this option is selected you cannotdeselect this option to convert a position-independent linkto a position-dependent link.


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Interpart geometry

Activities: Edit linksIn the Interpart geometry section, do the activities:

• Edit a link

• Edit the timestamp of a link


9

Interpart geometry

Mirror Assembly overviewThe Mirrored Assemblies function utilizes a wizard interface to facilitate thedevelopment of:

• Symmetric parts or sub-assemblies that need to be repositioned to servethe same purpose on both sides of an assembly.

• Asymmetric parts or sub-assemblies whose mirrored application generatenew parts.

1) – Same part, mirrored position.

2) – New part, mirrored geometry.

With the Mirror Assembly functions, you only need to create one side of yourassembly. You can then create a mirrored version to form the other side ofyour assembly.

The assembly is mirrored with respect to a plane. You can use an existingplane, or create one as you are defining the mirrored assembly.

Components may be the same on both sides of the plane — only the locationmirrored, or , the components can have their geometry mirrored.

You can specify components to be excluded from the mirrored assembly. Youcan also reposition components so they appear in a different location in themirrored assembly.

Components must be children of the work assembly to be selectablefor the mirrored assembly.


9

Interpart geometry

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Assemblies→Mirror AssemblyMenu Assemblies→Components→Mirror Assembly


9

Interpart geometry

Mirror an assembly

The steps to mirroring an assembly, as outlined in the wizard are:

1. If a unique mirrored assembly part is preferred, use Create Parent tocreate a new assembly.

2. Click Mirror Assembly.

If you selected components before clicking Mirror Assembly, thewizard will open on the Select Plane page (step 4).

3. Click the Next button.

4. Select the components that you want to mirror and click Next.

5. For the mirror plane, select an existing plane (or) click the Create DatumPlane button to create a plane.

6. Click Next when you have selected the mirror plane.

7. Specify the Mirror Type for the desired component(s).

• Assign Reposition Operation, which is the default type, addsan instance placed on the other side of the mirror plane for eachcomponent.

• Assign Mirror Geometry Operation creates an opposite-side versionof a component.

• Reuse Assembly reuses a subassembly during a mirror assemblyoperation, rather than creating a new subassembly.

• Assign Exclude Component Operation excludes a component fromthe mirror operation.

This option is useful when you selected a parent in step 3,thereby automatically selecting all its children, but you do notwant to mirror all the children.

8. When you are finished, click Next.

The system performs a preview of the mirror operation.

9. On the Mirror Review page, you can make corrections before finishingthe operation.

10. When you have finished making corrections, determine if you havemirrored geometry.


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Interpart geometry

• If none of your components are using the Mirror Geometry type, theFinish button is available. Click this button to create the parts anddismiss the wizard.

• If any of your components use the Mirror Geometry type, you mustspecify the naming policy that you want to use for these opposite-sideparts. Click the Next button to go to the Naming Policy page.

11. On the Naming Policy page, you can name the new opposite-side parts byapplying a prefix or suffix to the name used by their source parts. Or, ifyou are in NX Manager, you can let the system automatically assign partnumbers to the new parts.

12. When you have finished specifying the naming policy and the directory forthe parts click Next to go to the Name New Part Files page.

13. On the Name New Part Files page, you can review the names that havebeen applied to your new opposite-side parts.

If you wish to change a name, double-click it in the panel. TheRename Part File dialog box appears, where you can specify the newname. If you specify a name that is being used by another part inyour assembly, you will receive an error message.

14. When you have finished naming the new parts, click Finish to completethe mirror operation.

15. Save your parts if you wish to keep them.


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Interpart geometry

Activities: Mirror AssemblyIn the Interpart geometry section, do the activity:

• Mirror Assembly


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Interpart geometry

Promote Body overviewUse the Promote Body command to promote a body from a loaded assemblycomponent to the level of the assembly.

The promoted body replaces the solid body being pointed to by the componentobject. So, the weight of the assembly should not be affected by the promotion.

Once you have promoted a body, you can:

• Maintain associativity between the promoted body and the original body.

• Add features to it such as holes, blends, or offsets.

• Perform Boolean operations between it and other bodies.

Since the promoted body is associated to the base body, any subsequentalterations to the base body are reflected in the promoted body. Thereverse, however, is not true - changes made to a promoted body do notaffect the base body.

Allow Promote Body must be selected from the Customer Defaultsbefore this command can be used.

Promotions should be used for changes that are to be viewed only atthe assembly level. The weldment shown below is an example of wherepromotions would be used.


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Interpart geometry

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Feature Operation→Promote BodyMenu Insert→Associative Copy→Promote Body


9

Interpart geometry

Activities: PromotionsIn the Interpart geometry section, do the activity:

• Promotions


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Interpart geometry

Assembly Cut overviewUse the Assembly Cut command to subtract one or more tools from oneor more bodies at the assembly level part. This allows you to change themodel in the assembly but not change the master model. When you use theAssembly Cut function associativity is maintained between the original bodyand the assembly cut feature.

Below, Assembly Cut was used to remove a quarter of the existingassembly, revealing detail within the assembly.

When you create this section by using the Assembly Cut feature, youcreate an associative feature that you can suppress and unsuppress.The feature can be at the assembly level, leaving the component partunchanged.

You can find out whether any of the Boolean features failed (forexample, because their tool and target bodies did not intersect) byselecting the Assembly Cut feature and choosing Information→Feature.If none of the selected tool and target bodies intersect, you receive amessage, but an Assembly Cut feature is still created.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Feature Operation→Assembly CutMenu Insert→Combine Bodies→Assembly Cut


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Interpart geometry

Assembly Cut

1. Open the assembly.

2. Make sure you are in the Modeling application and have taken anAssemblies license.

3. Choose Insert→Combine Bodies→Assembly Cut.

4. Click the Target Body button if it is not already selected.

5. Set the Filter to help you select the bodies that you want.

6. Select one or more target bodies. The cut will be made through thesebodies.

7. Click the middle mouse button. The Tool Body button becomes active.

8. Select one or more solid bodies for the tool.

The tool bodies must be solid bodies. The operation fails if youselect a sheet body as a tool.

9. Select Hide Tools if you want the tool bodies to be hidden after the cutis made.

10. Click Show Result if you want to preview the assembly cut.

11. Click OK or Apply.

12. If you want additional information, select the Assembly Cut feature andchoose Information→Feature.


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Interpart geometry

Activities: Assembly CutIn the Interpart geometry section, do the activity:

• Assembly Cut


9

Interpart geometry

Summary: Interpart geometryInterpart modeling methods allow you to relate geometry in an assembly.

In this lesson you:

• Created components using interpart modeling.

• Built associativity across component parts in an assembly using GeometryLinker.

• Edited the timestamp for a link.

• Edited linked geometry.

• Mirrored an assembly.

• Promoted component bodies of an assembly.

• Used Assembly Cut to remove interferences between components.


10

Lesson

10 Interpart references

Purpose

Interpart References enable components to share parameters.

Objectives


• Create and apply referencing interpart references.

• Understand and recognize overriding interpart references.


10

Interpart references

General conceptsInterpart References (IPRs) allow the user to establish relationships betweenexpressions of separate part files. A change to an expression in one part filemay change an expression in a different part file, thus altering the geometryof that part.

IPRs may be created between any two part files, not necessarilybetween 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 toolthat adds another level of complication to the assembly.

Please pay particular attention to the Tips and Recommended Practicesnear 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 referencesInterpart References can be created in two basic forms, referencing oroverriding.

Referencing expressions

Referencing expressions are used to reference an expression from one part toan expression in another part. This means that the value of one expressionwill depend on the value of an expression in another part.

Referencing expressions create the link on the right side of the equalsign in the expression.

There are two ways that referencing expressions can be used. The drivingexpression can be created in the assembly and be referenced by the componentparts below it.

The alternative is to have one component reference an expression in anothercomponent directly.


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Overriding expressionsOverriding expressions are those that are created in an assembly and theinterpart link is created in the Name box. The interpart link is on the left sideof the equal sign in the expression when viewed outside of the Expressionsdialog box.

Although they reside in the assembly, they assign a value to an expression ina component part. The expression in the component part will take on thisvalue when the component is opened with the assembly.

Create overriding expressions in the Name box or by selecting the Usefor expression name check box.

In the example below, the hole_dia expression in the block part is beingoverridden by the expression in the assembly which sets it equal to the pindiameter.

The expression being overridden will appear as locked.

This means that it can only be edited from the expression in the assemblywhich is overriding it. The link can be found by listing the references forthe locked expression.


10


To list references, use the 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 tooverride the value of an expression in one of its components.


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Interpart reference optionsInterpart references are best created and edited in the Expression dialogbox. The lower portion of the dialog box while using “more options” containsinterpart 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 simplyentering the expression in the Formula entry box using the correctsyntax, i.e. x=part_name::expression_name. If your filename includeshyphens (-) then the part name alone should have quotes placed aroundit, i.e. x="123-4567-890"::length


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Edit Interpart References optionsThe Edit Interpart References dialog box is activated upon selection ofEdit Interpart References and selecting the part containing the referencedexpression.

Function DescriptionChange ReferencedPart

Allows you to change all expressions that refer tothe part selected so that they refer to a new part.

Delete Reference Allows you to break the relationship with aselected part and replaces the formula of theexpression with the current value.

Delete All References Similar to Delete Reference except it will deleteALL interpart references in the current work part.

When changing references, the expressions must exist in both parts. Ifthis is not the case, the system will display a message that it will assignthe missing expressions their current numeric values.


10


Activities: Create Interpart ReferencesIn the Interpart References section, do the activity:

• Create Interpart References


10


Partial loading issuesPartially loading components in an assembly conserves system memory bynot loading all data associated with the file.

When using interpart references, it is possible to edit the expressionsreferenced by a partially loaded component. The geometry in that part willnot update to reflect the changes until the part has been fully loaded.

The Load Interpart Data option from Assembly Load Options dialogbox can be used to ensure all referenced components are fully loadedwhen partial loading is used.

Resolving interpart expression references

When a part containing an IPR is loaded, the system looks for the name ofthe expression in the referenced part. If the correct name is found, the systemhas 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 referencingan expression in an assembly file.

dia=ipr_block_assm::ipr_dia

Attempting to delete the expression "ipr_dia" within the assembly partfile would result in an error message stating that the expression is inuse, and the references would be listed.

If you perform a "Save As" on a part, any loaded part which references it willrename the expression so the link is preserved, now referencing the new partcreated by the Save As operation. If the other parts are not loaded at the timethe Save As was performed, their expressions can be changed later by usingEdit Interpart References in the Expressions dialog box.


10


Load PartsThe Load Parts dialog box is activated upon selection of Open ReferencedParts. It provides the following options:

Function DescriptionParts→All Modified Lists only those unloaded or partially loaded

parts whose expressions have been modified.Parts→All Referenced Lists all unloaded or partially loaded parts with

expressions referenced by the work part.Load All Parts in List Allows you to fully load all parts listed.

The Open→Component Fully option in the Assembly Navigator canalso be used to fully load and update interpart references.


10


Tips and recommended practices• Before using interpart references, you should evaluate their downstreamimpacts.

• IPRs are powerful tools but do complicate your assemblies and addcomplexity to your assemblies that others may not understand so onlyuse then when necessary.

• In general, IPRs should be used when the parts have a physical constraintand are used in the same assembly.

Although you can use IPRs with parts not assembled together, it isnot recommended.

• Consider setting up company-wide standards on how and when IPR’sare to be used.

It may be a good idea to have a naming convention such as a prefixon the expression name such as "ipr_dia" so it is readily identifiableas being referenced.

• You should not use overriding expression references on the samecomponent from different assemblies. This would cause the component tobe updated each time it was loaded by the different assemblies.

For this reason, overriding expression should not be used forstandard parts such as a bolt or screw.

• In general, it is a good practice to edit IPR’s only when all of the referencedparts are fully loaded, therefore changes can be immediately understood.

If a part fails to load because of an IPR edit, you should close all otherparts then open only the part causing the problem. The part shouldload and allow you to investigate which expressions are responsible.You can then delete the offending links.


10


Summary: Interpart referencesInterpart references allow you to link the expressions between parts.Whenever a change occurs to an expression in one part file, the relatedexpression 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.


11Lesson

11 Face operations

Purpose

This lesson describes various face options you may use to modify existingsolid bodies and features.

Objectives


• Create an Offset Face feature

• Create an Offset Region feature

• Create Draft features


11

Face operations

Offset Face overviewUse the Offset Face command to offset one or more faces of a body alongthe face normals.

The offset distance can be positive or negative, providing the topology of thebody does not change. A positive offset distance is measured along a facenormal pointing away from the solid.

After you select the desired faces or body and click OK, the faces aremoved and the body is updated.

You cannot instance an offset feature.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Feature Operation→Offset FaceMenu Insert→Offset/Scale→Offset Face


11

Face operations

Offset Face

To offset faces, you must:

1. Select the face or faces to offset.2. Specify the value by which to offset the selected face, or faces, in the

Offset box.3. (Optional) Click Reverse Direction to reverse the displayed offsetdirection.

4. Click OK or Apply to create the offset face feature.


11

Face operations

Activities: Offset a faceIn the Face operations section, do the activity:

• Offset a face


11

Face operations

Offset Region overviewOffset Region quickly modifies existing faces of a model regardless of featurehistory.

You can:

• Offset a set of faces or a whole body in a single step.

• Regenerate adjacent blends.

Possible uses for this command include mold and casting design, such as thecasting of unparameterized parts, using faces.

After you select the desired faces or body and click OK, the faces aremoved and the body is updated.

Although the Offset Region command is similar in concept to the Offset Facecommand, it has several advantages. You have Face Finder options whenyou use Offset Region, and the command supports automatic reblendingof adjacent faces.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Synchronous Modeling®Offset RegionMenu Insert®Synchronous Modeling®Offset Region


11

Face operations

Offset Region

To offset a region of faces, you must:

1. On the Synchronous Modeling toolbar, click Offset Region , or chooseInsert®Synchronous Modeling®Offset Region.

In the Offset Region dialog box. Select Face is active.

2. Select one or more faces to offset.

3. (Optional) In the Face Finder group, select any of the available Settingsoptions. Depending on the option selected, any recognized faces areselected.

4. If necessary, in the Offset group, click Reverse Direction to reversethe offset direction.

5. In the Offset group, enter the required value in the Distance box, or dragthe arrow till the required distance.

6. Click OK or Apply to offset the selected face(s). Adjacent faces, if any,are automatically adjusted.


11

Face operations

Activities: Offset regionIn the Face operations section, do the activity:

• Offset region


11

Face operations

Draft overviewUse the Draft command to change faces to have an angle relative to a vectorcalled the draw direction.

Draft is used for:

• Applying slope to vertical faces on a pattern, a part, a mold, or a die, sothe 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 theresult on the screen.

Within one draft feature, you can have multiple draft angles. Selectfaces 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 fordraft. For example, you can select all tangent faces.

The angle between the tangent to the edge and the draft draw directionmust be greater than the draft angle.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Feature Operation→DraftMenu Insert→Detail Feature→Draft


11

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 sectionthrough the part be maintained throughout the facerotation, then use the From Plane type. This is thedefault draft type selected when you the open the Draftdialog box for the first time.

From Edges If the draft operation requires that edges be maintainedthroughout the face rotation, then use the From Edgestype.

This is the only draft type that can have varyingdraft angles within a face using Variable DraftPoints.


11

Face operations

Tangent to Faces If the draft operation requires that the face selected to bedrafted maintain tangency with an adjacent drafted face,then use the Tangent to Faces type.

To Parting Edges If the draft operation requires that a planar cross sectionthrough the part be maintained throughout the facerotation, and that a ledge be created as necessary atparting edges, then use the To Parting Edges type.


11

Face operations

Draw Direction

Regardless of the draft type selected, you must always specify a drawdirection.

If you are modeling a mold or die, it is the direction in which the mold or diemust move to be separated from your model of the molded part.

The draft angle is positive if the normal of the face to be drafted has acomponent vector along the draw direction.

Positive Draft Negative Draft


11

Face operations

Applying Draft

1. From the type list, select the draft type.

2. Specify the draw direction.

3. Specify the stationary geometry.

4. Specify the faces to draft.

5. Specify a draft angle.

6. Click OK or Apply to create the draft feature.


11

Face operations

Activities: DraftIn the Face Operations section, do the activities:

• Draft

• Draft to parting edges

• Create a windshield fluid reservoir


11

Face operations

Summary: Face operationsOffset Face and Offset Region 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 ormore faces of a solid body.

In this lesson you:

• Created various Offset features.

• Created Draft features.


12

Lesson

12 Variable Radius and BlendOverflow

Purpose

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce you to the variable radius blendfunctionality and explore the overflow options.

Objectives


• Create and edit a variable radius blend.

• Use the overflow options to control blend intersections.


12

Variable Radius and Blend Overflow

Variable radius blendsYou can create a variable radius blend by specifying a radius at multiplepoints along selected edges.

Creating variable radius points

While you are creating or editing an edge blend and after you have specifiedits edge sets, you can add some variable radius points to the sets. This hasthe effect of varying the blend’s radius along its edge.

The Selection bar Snap Points can help you specify points.


12


You can change the position of a point to any other position along the edge itis on by:

Dragging the point handle.

Entering the desired value in the % Arc Length or Arc Length on-screeninput box.

Entering the desired value on the full dialog box.

You can choose between % Arc Length (the default) and Arc Length byright-clicking a variable point handle.

To delete a point, right-click the point in the graphics window and chooseRemove. The point may also be selected and deleted in the Variable RadiusPoints list from the Edge Blend dialog box.


12


Once you have selected all desired edges (1) and selected all desired pointlocations for varying radii (2) , click OK and the blend is created.


12


Create a variable blend

To create a variable radius blend:

1. Click Edge Blend.

2. Select the desired edges to blend.

3. From the Various Blend Points area, choose a point definition option.

4. Indicate point locations and radii where you want the radius to vary.

5. Modify the point location as necessary by dragging, % Arc Length, orArc Length.

The Edge Blend dialog box maintains a list of points, associatedvalues, and expressions.

6. Click OK when you have the shape you want.


12


Variable blend tips and techniques

• If you do not give enough information to create the blend, the systeminfers information for you depending on other selected geometry.

• If you do not give a point and radius to a selected edge, the system usesthe default radius to create the blend for that edge.

• If you are editing an existing edge blend and you are not using Edit withRollback, 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 radiusat each end of an edge (1,2).

If you must perform an operation that will blend away entire faces (1), blendonly one edge at a time.


12


If you select an open loop set of edges and supply radii only to the two openendpoints, 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 assignedat end point (2).

The result is shown below in both a TOP and ISO view.

You can create a variable radius blend with the radii value of zero at oneof the selected vertices (1,2).


12


Activities: Edge options — variable radius blendsIn the Variable Radius and Blend Overflow section, do the activity:

• Create a variable radius blend


12


Resolve blended edge overflowBlend overflow occurs when tangent edges of a blend encounter other edgeson the solid.

Resolution Description

Roll Over Smooth EdgesAllow the blend to extend onto asmoothly connected (tangent) facethat it encounters.

Roll on Edges (Smooth or Sharp)

Allow the blend to forego tangencywith one of the defining faces, androll onto any edge, whether smooth orsharp.

Maintain Blend and Move SharpEdges

Allow the blend to maintain tangencywith the defining faces, and movesany encountered edges to the blendface.

Select Edge to Force Roll onSelect an edge on which you want toforce the software to apply the RollOn Edges (Smooth or Sharp) option.

Select Edge to Prohibit Roll on

Select an edge on which you want toprevent the software from applyingthe Roll On Edges (Smooth or Sharp)option.


12


Allowed Overflow Resolution examples

Roll Over Smooth Edges Roll on Edges (Smooth orSharp)

Maintain Blend Over SharpEdges

A blend that overflows theedge of an existing blend (1)produces a smooth, sharededge where the blends meet(2).

A blend that encountersan existing edge, foregoestangency and leaves theexisting edge unchanged (1).

A blend that encountersexisting sharp edges,maintains tangency andmoves the existing edges (1).


12


Explicit Overflow Resolutions

For this edge blend, an encountered edge (1) is selected with Select Edge toProhibit Roll on, to not have the Roll On Edges (Smooth or Sharp) optionapplied to it. The edge of the other cylinder is not prohibited and is processedby the Roll On Edges (Smooth or Sharp) option.


12


Activities: Allowed Blend Overflow ResolutionsIn the Variable Radius and Blend Overflow section, do the following activity:

• Allowed Blend Overflow Resolutions


12


Summary: Variable Radius and Blend OverflowNX Variable radius blend options allow specific design solutions when youneed to create unique edge shapes. You can create a variable radius blend byspecifying radii at multiple points along selected edges.

The overflow options allow further control of edge blend intersections withother blends and edges.

In this lesson you:

• Created and edited a Variable Radius blend.

• Use the overflow options to control blend intersections.


13

Lesson

13 Remember assembly constraints

Purpose

Once a component is constrained in an assembly, the assembly constraintsmay be saved with the component part. This ability to “remember” theassembly constraints reduces the interaction required to establish assemblyconstraints when the component is added again in the future.

Objectives


• Save assembly constraints in a component part

• Place a component with “learned” assembly constraints in an assembly


13

Remember assembly constraints

Remember Assembly Constraints overviewUse the Remember Assembly Constraints command to save the assemblyconstraints for a selected component with the component part. This allows"learned" constraints when the component is added to an assembly in thefuture.

Save constraints with the component part

After a component is constrained in an assembly, the constraints may be

saved with the component part using Remember Assembly Constraints .

Recording the constraints will modify the component part. To usethese remembered constraints in future sessions, the component partmust be saved.

Only assembly constraints which have one piece of geometry eachon the first object and second objects can be remembered. In otherwords, more complex Center constraints (Center_1_2, Center_2_1, andCenter_2_2) will not be remembered.

Delete remembered constraints

Remembered constraints can be deleted from a component using the Part Filepage of the Component Properties dialog box.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Assemblies→Remember Assembly Constraints

MenuAssemblies→Components→Remember AssemblyConstraints


13


Place components with remembered constraints

Once the constraints have been saved with a component, they will berecognized as the default constraints the next time the component is addedto an assembly.

When adding an existing part as a component in an assembly using the ByConstraints position option, a Redefine Constraints dialog box will appear.

A Second object for each of the remembered constraints may then be selected.


13


Activities: Remember constraintsIn the Remember Assembly Constraints section, do the activity:

• Remember constraints


13


Summary: Remember Assembly ConstraintsThe Remember Assembly Constraints function allows you to save assemblyconstraints with a component part. These constraints are recorded andcan be used as the defaults when the same part is added to an assembly asa component in the future.

In this lesson you:

• Saved constraints with a constrained component in an assembly.

• Placed a component in an assembly using the default rememberedconstraints.


14

Lesson

14 Component Arrays

Purpose

Time and effort can be saved by applying component arrays and feature basedcomponent arrays. The feature based arrays capitalize on the parametric andassociative characteristics already present in assembly models.

Objectives


• Create a Circular Component array

• Apply the From Instance Feature function

• Edit a circular array


14

Component Arrays

Create Component Array overviewYou can use the Create Component Array function to create and edit linearand circular arrays of components in an assembly based on a templatecomponent.

Using component arrays lets you:

• Quickly create patterns of components.

• Add similar components in one step.

• Automatically create a number of similar components whose assemblyconstraints are the same using Feature Instance Sets.

A component array can also be defined as the component is added to theassembly using the Multiple Add→Array after Add option.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Assemblies→Create Component ArrayMenu Assemblies→Components→Create Array


14

Component Arrays

Create Component Array options

The Create Component Array dialog box allows you to define the type andname of the array to create.

Linear A linear or rectangular array of components where youdefine the number of components, the spacing betweenthem, and a direction reference.

Circular A circular array of components where you define thenumber of components, the angle between them, and anaxis.

From InstanceFeature

An option that provides a means to quickly generatea pattern of components with corresponding assemblyconstraints based on an instance array in a componentpart.


14

Component Arrays

Linear & Circular Arrays

Linear and Circular Arrays are very similar to feature instancing, except thata linear master component array is not defined by the WCS.

Linear and Circular Array components create:

• New components that are offset from the original component.

• Expressions that control the number of components and the array offsets.

• Associativity to the master component’s position to provide updates frompossible changes.

You cannot delete a Master Component without first deleting the array.

If you attempt to delete the last component in a From Instance Featurearray you will get an update failure. You can delete the array fromthe resulting dialog box.


14

Component Arrays

Edit a component arrayComponent Arrays can be edited by choosing Assemblies→Edit ComponentArrays.

The Edit Array Parameters option can be used to:

• Change the number of components.

• Change the array offsets.

• Redefine the direction reference.

The number of components and spacing values are stored asexpressions. They can also be edited from the expression editor bychoosing Tools→Expression.

Delete an Array

There are two options available for deleting a component array.

Delete Array Deletes the selected component array parameters, but allof the arrayed components are retained.

Delete All Deletes the selected component array parameters and thearray’s components. The original template componentcannot be deleted unless the component array has beendeleted first.


14

Component Arrays

Activities: Create a circular component arrayIn the Component Arrays section, do the activity:

• Create a circular component array


14

Component Arrays

Feature-based component arraysIn many cases it is necessary to associate an array of components to acorresponding array of features in another component of the assembly (i.e.bolts associated to a hole pattern), which can be accomplished by using theFrom 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 changesmade to the original component are reflected in the occurrences of thecomponent.

The template component defines certain properties for any newly generatedoccurrences within the array which include:

• component part

• color

• layer

• name


14

Component Arrays

Component Arrays and Assembly Constraints

The From Instance Feature option will generate assembly constraints for thenew occurrences based on those of the template component.

When working with the assembly constraints for From Instance Featurearrays, you will:

• Apply at least one assembly constraint to an object belonging to aninstanced feature.

This constraint is how NX knows to use the Instance Array to definethe Component Array.

• Create the assembly constraints to the template component beforecreating the array.

• Define the assembly constraints to the original feature that was instancedin the component part, if possible.


14

Component Arrays

Feature-based array associativity

If the number of features in an instance set is changed, the components in thearray associated to those features will also change (added or deleted).

Furthermore, if a feature in an instance set is removed entirely as a resultof a modeling change, the corresponding component in the array will alsobe removed.

As shown below, a modeling change causes a hole to be removed (3). Ifthe deleted component was the "template" (1), the system assigns a newtemplate (2) from the remaining components in the array.


14

Component Arrays

Activities: Create component arrays from feature instancesIn the Component Arrays section, do the activity:

• Create component arrays from feature instances


14

Component Arrays

Summary: Component ArraysComponent arrays take advantage of existing parametric data and can savetime in adding component part files to an assembly.

In this lesson you:

• Created a circular component array.

• Applied the From Instance Feature function.

• Edited a circular array.


15

Lesson

15 Family of parts

Purpose

Part Families provide a method to quickly define a family of similar partsbased on a single template part. In this lesson you will learn how to add apart family member to an assembly.

Objectives


• Create Family Member parts from a template part

• Add a Part Family member to an assembly


15

Family of parts

Capabilities and general conceptsPart Families provide you with a fast way to generate a family of similarparts using a spreadsheet. Each family member is based on a single templatepart, which can be a piece part or an assembly.

Common uses

The most common use for Part Families is to aid in the creation of a library ofstandard parts, such as bolts or washers.


15

Family of parts

Part Family terminologyThere are some terms that are specific to the Family of Parts functions, asexplained below.

Template part A NX part file constructed to include all of the optionsrequired for the family of parts. This is the part file thatcontains the Part Family Spreadsheet.

Family table The table defined using the Part Family Spreadsheet. Itcontains the variables that may be modified in order todefine the individual Family Members.

Family member A read-only part file created from, and associated with,a template part and it’s family table.

Part Family The template part, family table, and family member parts.


15

Family of parts

Add part family members to an assemblyWhen you select a part family template part to add as a component to anassembly, the Choose Family Member dialog box is displayed.

The Matching Members list (3) shows you any family members that meet thecriteria established (2) based on the values of Family Attributes (1).

You use this dialog box to select which member of the part family to add tothe assembly, in one of several ways:

• If you know the name of the family member you wish to use, select thename from the Matching Members list.

• Enter the name in the Part Name text box.

• Use the other options on to define criteria based on the values of FamilyAttributes.


15

Family of parts

Family Member CriteriaThis section lets you narrow down the list of available family members byspecifying acceptable values of family attributes.

If a bolt part family has several members, they are all initially listed in theMatching Members list.

When you select a family attribute, its name is placed in the Criteria text boxand all its possible values are listed in the Valid Values list.

In the example shown, when the Body_Length Family Attribute isselected (1), it’s name is inserted in the Criteria text box (2), and it’spossible values are listed in the Valid Values list (3).

You can also enter an expression in the Criteria text box to specify arange of values, or relate it to another expression (e.g. length>.75 &&length<1.5). In addition, an Interpart Expression may be used in thecriteria box to help establish your criterion (eg. Bolt_dia==plate_1::p3).

When you select a value from the Valid Values list or enter the value inthe Criteria text box, the other values will move to the Invalid Values list,the expression you created moves into the Family Attributes list, and theMatching Members list changes to show only those family members thatmeet the criteria.


15

Family of parts

Whatever method of selection you use, your design intent is saved with thecomponent. This can be useful for design iterations that may require the useof a different family member.

If you wish to add the template part itself, click the Choose Templatebutton.


15

Family of parts

Obtain information on family membersOnce a family member has been added to an assembly there are differentways to obtain information about it.

Family Of Parts Report

Choosing Assemblies→Reports→Family Report will display a listing ofcomponents with applicable part family information.

If there are unloaded family templates you will be prompted to openthem.

The report indicates selection criteria for each component.


15

Family of parts

Activities: Family of partsIn the Family of parts section, do the activity:

• Add a standard part to an assembly


15

Family of parts

Summary: Family of partsPart families allow you to quickly generate a family of similar parts based ona single template part. You utilized Part Families to define standard parts.

In this lesson you:

• Created Family Member parts from a template part.

• Added a Part Family member to an assembly.


16

Lesson

16 Revise and replace components

Purpose

After creating an assembly, you may have to revise or replace an existingcomponent or change the name of the component part. In this lesson you willinvestigate the different methods to revise components and the assembliesthat use them.

Objectives


• Revise a component and an assembly using Save As.

• Replace components in an existing assembly.


16

Revise and replace components

File Versioning/Revisions

Track revisions by part number

The most common method to track revisions to a component after it has beenreleased is to reflect the revision in the part name.

When revising, the user would save the part with the same base name, butmodify the revision identifier. This method is very efficient because you caneasily 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 olderrevision 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 alwaysget the latest version of the file.

Disadvantages

• If file versioning rules are enabled, two versions of the component partcannot be open at the same time.

• Associated information could be lost if components are substituted andfile versioning is not used.


16


Revise a component and assembly using Save AsWhen revisions are incorporated into part names, an easy way to revise acomponent is to save the component with the new name while it is the workpart. This can be accomplished by choosing File®Save As.

Many companies, however, require that an assembly also be revised whenevera change is made to the form, fit, or function of one of its components soyou would also be required to save each of the assemblies in the tree thatreference the component.

When you perform a File→Save As on a component part in a native operatingsystem:

• A Session Where Used report is immediately displayed, listing any loadedassemblies 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 currentlybeing renamed.


16


If you click Cancel at any level of the assembly structure, you will get amessage after input for the last file has been specified:


16


Additional Assembly ReportsThere are other reporting tools available to help you understand how aparticular assembly has changed over time.

• List Components— Generates a list of all components in the work partand outputs it to the Information window.

• Update Report— This report indicates which components were updated(changed) as the assembly is opened.

An update report can automatically be generated every time anassembly is opened by choosing Preferences®Assemblies andtoggling the Display Update Report option to on.

• Where Used— This option will search directories and list the assembliesthat reference a specified part. This is useful to determine what impact apending design change may have on other assemblies.

In the Where Used Report dialog box, a Search Option can be chosento specify what directories to search for parts and whether to listonly next level assemblies or all assemblies.

A Where Used report may take considerable time to execute. It isrecommended that you search through as few directories and partsas possible.

• Session Where Used— This option will list only the loaded assembliesthat reference a specified part.

This report is automatically generated when you perform a File®Save Ason a component part while the assembly is loaded.


16


Activities: Revise components using Save AsIn the Revise and replace components section, do the activity:

• Revise components using Save As

ROLLER_ASSMMOUNTING_BRACKET ROLLER ROLLER_PIN

ROLLER_ASSM-AMOUNTING_BRACKET-A ROLLER-A ROLLER_PIN


16


Close assembly component partsThe 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 toclose and the lower section lets you specify how they will be closed.

If the component part you are closing (unloading) has been modified while itwas 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 themodifications you made to the part and the changes won’t be reflected in thepiece part file stored on disk.


16


Close Part options

1 – List all loadedcomponent parts or toplevel only.

2 – Close only partsselected or wholeassembly tree.

3 – If on, you will not bewarned if a selected parthas been modified.

4 – Close all parts in thesession.


16


Reopen component partsIn a concurrent engineering environment, one designer may be working on aloaded assembly which references a component part that another designer issimultaneously modifying.

The File→Close→Reopen Selected Parts option lets you selectively updatefully loaded components with their counterparts on disk. It can be utilized inthe following situation.

Early in the morning, designer A starts working on an assembly thatreferences 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 openusing File®Close®Reopen Selected Parts.


16


Reopen Part optionsThe top portion of the Reopen Part dialog box lets you specify what componentwill be reopened. The bottom portion of the dialog box lets you specify howthe component will be reopened.

After you reopen the parts, an Information window will list the names ofthe parts, their status before they were reopened, and their status afterthey were reopened.

1 – List of loadedcomponents that can bereopened.

2 – Specifies whetherreopen should affectpart or whole assembly.

3 – If on, you will notbe warned if selectedpart has been modifiedbefore it is loaded fromdisk.

4 – Reopens all parts insession that have beenchanged on disk.


16


Replace componentsAs you are going through design iterations and revising your assembly, itmay be necessary to replace an existing component with a different part. Inother words, you will want to change the pointer in the assembly so that itreferences another component part which is located at the same origin andorientation.

A component replacement can destroy the relationship between thecomponent and any associated data such as dimensions, assemblyconstraints, and WAVE interpart references. There are some situationsin which this can be avoided that will be discussed later.

There are several different ways to replace a component which will bediscussed in this lesson.

• Choose Assemblies→Components→Replace Component.

• Click Replace Component from the Assemblies toolbar.

• Use the Open As switch in the Reopen Part dialog box.

• Right-click on a component node in the Assembly Navigator and chooseReplace Component.


16


The Unique Identifier (UID)

When the system finds a component with the correct name, it performs asecond 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 thefollowing 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.


16


Allow Replacement

When you open an assembly and the system finds a component that happensto have the same name but a different UID, the opening will fail unless AllowReplacement has been selected in the Assembly Load Options dialog box.

The Allow Replacement option enables a component to be loaded into anassembly even though it has a different UID, or history. It could be acompletely different part created by another user.

If the new component has no common history (different UID) with thereplaced component, data in the assembly will lose its associativityto the original component (assembly constraints, WAVE interpartreferences, etc.).


16


Replace Component using ReplaceComponents may be replaced using Assemblies→Components→Replace

Component .

When replacing a component with the Maintain Relationships check boxselected:

• The current Component Properties are maintained.

• Associativity is preserved if the current part and the replacement parthave the same UID.

• All assembly constraints and WAVE interpart references will bemaintained assuming the relevant geometry exists in both parts.

If the Maintain Relationships check box is cleared, then the ComponentProperties can be changed.

Component Properties groupComponent Name The name of the replacement

component.Reference Set Specifies which reference set is used

for the replacement component.Layer Option Specified the work part layer where

the replaced component geometry willbe placed.


16


Replace components using ReopenA loaded component can also be replaced with another part by choosingFile→Close→Reopen Selected Parts and using Open As.

The component part to be replaced must be selected from the list. Afterclicking OK, the system will ask you to select the unloaded replacement part.

If the replacement part has a common history with the original part (sameUID), associativity is maintained.

If the replacement part does not have a common history (differentUID), associativity is lost.

To reopen a component with a part that has a different UID, AllowReplacement must be selected in the Assembly Load Options.


16


Activities: Replace componentsIn the Revise and replace components section, do the activity:

• Replace components


16


Summary: Revise and replace componentsAfter creating an assembly, you may have to revise or replace a componentand change the name of the component part. In this lesson, you used differentmethods to revise components and the assemblies that use them.

In this lesson you:

• Revised a component and an assembly using Save Part As.

• Replaced components in an existing assembly.


17

Lesson

17 Deform Part

Purpose

You can define a part as capable of assuming more than one shape when it isadded to an assembly. This functionality is especially useful for parts such assprings or hoses which often take on different shapes, sizes, and positions.

Objectives


• Define deformable parts

• Add deformable parts to an assembly

• Edit deformable parts in the assembly


17

Deform Part

Deform Part overviewIn order to use deformable (also known as flexible) components, two phasesmust be completed for each part:

DefineDeformable Part

Defines the shapes into which the component can bedeformed. You must have write access to the part file ordo a Save As operation to save it to a file that you canwrite to.

Deform Part Selects one of those shapes for a particular use. You musthave write access to the assembly where the deformationoccurs, but you do not need write permission to the partitself.

You can define a part as deformable either before or after adding it to anassembly.

The Shape column in the Assembly Navigator shows which components inyour assembly have been deformed, and which are capable of deformationbut have kept their default shape.

Deformed in displayed assembly

Undeformed component


17

Deform Part

Define Deformable PartsA part is defined as a Deformable part by choosingTools→Define Deformable Part.

Define Deformable Parts dialog box

The dialog box contains the following options or “pages” in the definitionof a deformable part:

• Definition

• Features

• Expressions

• References

• Summary (optional)


17

Deform Part

Definition

The Definition dialog box allows you to specify a name for the part and anoptional URL for a document to provide further instructions.


17

Deform Part

Features

The Features dialog box allows you to specify which features will bedeformable as the part is added to an assembly.


17

Deform Part

Expressions

The Expressions dialog box allows you to select expressions from the Featuresselected in the previous step to create input parameters in the deformablepart.

You may give the expressions meaningful names (including spaces) that willprompt you when deforming the part in an assembly.


17

Deform Part

Expression Rules

The Expression Rules options allow you to define what values are allowedfor the selected Input Expressions when you deform the component in anassembly:

None gives you an input window where you may enter anyvalue for the expression.

By WholeNumber Range

gives you a slider bar option with an upper and lowervalue limit.

By NumberRange

is similar to the above, but allows decimal values.

By Options allows you to input exact values that you expect to beused. End your input by choosing Done. (1) When youdeform the component in an assembly you must use oneof your predetermined values.


17

Deform Part

References

The References page displays the reference geometry for the Featuresselected. These references will have to be redefined when the part is deformedin an assembly. More meaningful descriptions may be added in the NewPrompt box for each of the References.


17

Deform Part

Summary

The Summary page displays how you have defined the deformable part.

View Details allows you to display the summary in an informationwindow, which could then be saved as a text file or printed.

If you need to include edits that you make later in the model, you mustdelete the deformable feature and recreate it.


17

Deform Part

Deform a component in an assemblyOnce a deformable component has been defined, it may be deformed as youadd it to an assembly.

If the deformation does not need any outside references, you can position orconstrain it in the assembly as you would any other component.

Deformations that have outside references cannot be constrained or moved.For example, the assembly position of a deformation that uses a guide orsection curve is based on the location of its reference curve in the assembly.If the component was previously constrained, a dialog box that says theassembly constraints will be removed is displayed.

The input parameter dialog box for the deformable component appears afterthe positioning dialog box.


17

Deform Part

Edit a deformed componentYou can edit components after adding them to an assembly, including makingthem deformable and deforming their shape.

1. Select a valid component to define a deformation.

2. To deform the part in the assembly, choose from:

• Assemblies→Components→Deform Part.

• The selected component’s shortcut menu in the graphics window.

• The Deform option on the component’s shortcut menu in the AssemblyNavigator.

3. In the Deform Component dialog box, select the assembly level in whichyou want to place the deformation.

4. If the shape that you want to use is not defined for that level, click New.

This takes you to an input parameter dialog box that was defined bythe Define Deformable Part process in the component part file.

5. Other options on the Deform Component dialog box let you editthe deformation parameters of the selected assembly level, delete adeformation, and get information about deformed shapes on the selectedassembly level.

Use the Shape column in the Assembly Navigator to check acomponent’s deformation status: whether it is currently deformed,whether it is capable of deformation but has kept its default shape,or whether it is not currently deformable.


17

Deform Part

Activities: Deform PartIn the Deform Part section, do the activities:

• Make a part deformable

• Make a part deformable using a guide string

• Add Deformable Parts to an assembly


17

Deform Part

Summary: Deform PartComponents may assume more than one shape when they are added toan assembly through the use of Deformable Parts. This functionality isespecially useful for parts such as springs or hoses which often take ondifferent shapes and/or sizes.

In this lesson you:

• Defined Deformable Parts.

• Added Deformable Parts to an Assembly.


18

Lesson

18 Extract and Delete Face

Purpose

This lesson will show how design intent may be captured by associativelycopying geometry within a part to help define a solid in an alternative shape.

A method to remove selected features from a solid body for various purposeswill also be discussed.

Objectives


• Extract an associative copy.

• Create a simplified version of a solid body for use in an assembly.

• Delete faces of a solid body to remove internal detail.


18

Extract and Delete Face

Extract overviewUse the Extract command to associatively copy faces, regions of faces, andbodies within a part. This command provides functionality that is similar tothe WAVE Geometry Linker, which copies geometry to other parts.

Extracted objects have no internal feature tree of their own, but are associatedto their parent. They will update if the parent changes. Any feature modelingfunction can be performed on an extracted body, thus creating a new branchin the feature structure of the part.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar

Feature Operation→Modeling Associative Copy stack

Feature Operation→Extract GeometryMenu Insert→Associative Copy→Extract


18


Extract options


The option lets you specify where the extracted featureis placed in the feature list. If selected, any new featurescreated after the extracted feature will not affect theextracted geometry. If cleared, any new features in theoriginal solid will appear before the Extract feature in thePart Navigator.

Hide Original The option allows you to hide the parent geometry tomake it easier to work with the extracted geometry.

The extracted geometry will be created as afeature and given unique names, depending on thegeometry type (Extracted Face, Extracted Bodyetc.).

Delete Holes Lets you create an extracted face without any holes thatare present in the original face.

It can be helpful to change the color and layer of the Extracted geometryto help with later identification.


18


Extracted geometry usesPreservegeometry forother uses

Faces can be extracted at a convenient timestamp andreferenced later for placement, positioning, or trimming.This “saves” the parent geometry before it is altered orremoved.

Simplified solids An entire solid body can be extracted within the partand simplified to remove detail. This simplified solid canbe added to a reference set for use in an assembly. Thiswould improve performance in working with the assembly.

For this lesson we will concentrate on simplifiedsolids.

In-processmodeling

Many designs must have material added and machinedfeatures removed for a casting process. To begin modelingpatterns or molds, a WAVE linked copy of the originalsolid is ideal, but Extract would work as well.


18


Edit extracted featuresExtract features may be edited to select different parent geometry or tochange the timestamp setting.

Editing the parameters of an extract body feature will bring up the followingdialog box.

This dialog box is similar to the dialog box used to edit linked featurescreated with the WAVE Geometry Linker.

Selecting new geometry in the graphics window will associate the extractedfeature with the new geometry and break the associativity with the oldparent geometry.

The Parent Part option will change the selection scope to let you select parentgeometry from the work part or from another part in an assembly. This canbe used to convert an extracted feature to a linked feature.


18


Activities: ExtractIn the Extract and Delete Face section, do the activity:

• Extract a region

• Extract a solid


18


Delete Face overviewUse the Delete Face command to remove detail from a solid by omitting faces(also known as simplifying). The system must be able to extend surroundingfaces to “heal the wound” where faces are removed.

Delete Face is commonly used in conjunction with extracted or linkedbodies so that an original solid is also maintained. It is not necessary,merely convenient, to modify an extracted body. Delete Face may beapplied to any body if it meets your needs.

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Synchronous Modeling→Delete FaceMenu Insert→Synchronous Modeling→Delete Face


18


Delete Face uses

Delete Face has the following uses:

AssemblyPerformance

Detail can be removed from an extracted solid in acomponent part to reduce the amount of data loaded inan assembly. The simplified solid can provide an accuraterepresentation without unnecessary detail.

Internal VolumeSolid

A solid representing the internal volume of a part can becreated by removing external faces and retaining internalfaces. This solid can be analyzed for volume and massproperties.

Core and PatternPreparation

Delete Face can often be used both to remove interiorfaces, for patterns, and to remove exterior faces, for cores.

In-Process Parts Faces can be removed from a machining solid to representthe part as-cast, or, as it would appear at various stagesin a manufacturing process.

RemoveProprietary Data

A solid can be modified to remove proprietary detailbefore it is exported to a supplier or sub-contractor. Themodified solid can be linked into another part. Thelinked part would have no "knowledge" of removed datain the original, but it can still be updated by the owningcompany if the parent body changes.

Finite ElementAnalysis

Details such as holes and blends can be removed for finiteelement analysis.


18


Delete Face dialog box

TypeType (Face or Hole) • Face — Lets you select one or more faces to

delete. Selection Intent options are available.

• Hole— Lets you select holes to delete.Hole to Delete (when the Hole type is selected.)Select Holes By Size Lets you select holes of a specified diameter. This

is especially useful if the model has multiple holesof varied diameters and you want to delete holesequal to or less than the specified diameter.

Hole Size <= When using the Select Holes By Size option, thislets you specify the maximum size threshold of theholes. This means that holes less than or equal tothe diameter size specified are selected.

PreviewShow Result Show Result computes the feature and shows

the result. When you click OK or Apply to createthe feature, the software reuses the Show Resultcomputation, making the creation process faster.

Undo Result If you are not satisfied with the result, click UndoResult to exit the result display and return to thedialog box for changes.


18


Delete Face

Delete Face with Type set to Face:

1. In the Modeling application, choose Insert®SynchronousModeling®Delete Face.

2. From the Type group, select Face.

3. Set the Selection Intent Face Rule as needed.

• Region Faces allows you to specify a Seed Face and Boundary Faces.

• Slot Faces and Boss or Pocket Faces options allow you to specifygeometry that meets these basic shapes. (This option can be usedregardless of how the part was modeled.

• Selection Intent using various Face Rules allows you to select differentgeometry types to create one Delete Face feature.

4. Select the desired face(s).

5. Use Show Result to see a preview.

6. Click Apply or OK. All the selected faces are deleted.

Delete Face with Type set to Hole:

1. In the Modeling application, choose Insert®SynchronousModeling®Delete Face.

2. From the Type group, select Hole.

3. Select the Select Holes By Size check box and type a value in the HoleSize <= input box.

4. From the graphics area, select one or more holes.

5. Use Show Result to see a preview.

6. Click Apply or OK to delete the hole.


18


Activities: Delete FaceIn the Extract and Delete Face section, do the activities:

• Delete faces of a solid

• Create the internal volume of a reservoir


18


Summary: Extract and Delete FaceAssociatively copying geometry within the same part is useful to help definenew features or show a solid in a different shape.

In this lesson you:

• Extracted an associative copy of a solid body.

• Used Delete Face to simplify a solid to remove internal detail.


19

Lesson

19 Assembly Arrangements

Purpose

The lesson introduces the concepts of using assembly arrangements to specifyalternative positions for one or more components in your part.

Objectives

On completion of this lesson you will be able to:

• Set the active and default arrangement.

• Suppress and unsuppress components within an arrangement.

• Use arrangement properties to ignore assembly constraints and properlyreposition a variation of your vise assembly.


19

Assembly Arrangements

General conceptsUse assembly arrangements to define alternative positions for one or morecomponents in your part.

Antenna down Antenna up

The part must be an assembly or subassembly. You cannot create anarrangement for a piece part.

The following terms are used with reference to Assembly Arrangements.

Active The arrangement that:

• Is in effect for the Displayed Part.• Controls the arrangements used by every subassemblybelow the Displayed Part.

• Is marked with a green check in the list on theAssembly Arrangements dialog box.

Default The arrangement that is:

• Used by external applications like TeamcenterEngineering that need positioning information aboutcomponents.

• Automatically designated until you change it.• Assigned within the Assembly Arrangements dialogbox.

Used An arrangement in subassemblies of the displayed partthat controls a subassembly. The used arrangement of asubassembly is:

• Determined by the arrangement of its parent.• Shown in the Arrangement column in the Assembly

Navigator (if the column is blank, only onearrangement is available).

• Marked with a green check in the list in the AssemblyArrangements dialog box.


19


Assembly Arrangement characteristicsAn assembly arrangement determines:

• The position and orientation of the immediate child components.

• The Variable Component Positioning of any subcomponents.

• The used assembly arrangement for each immediate child component.

• The arrangement specific suppression of components and sub-assemblies.

• The arrangement specific assembly constraints, both suppress andalternative constraints.

The system automatically creates the first assembly arrangement and setsit as both the active and default arrangements when you add or create thefirst component in a new part.

You can create as many additional arrangements as you need by copying andrenaming arrangements in the Assembly Arrangements dialog box.

There must be one active arrangement and one default arrangement (or onearrangement that is both active and default).


19


The Assembly Arrangements dialog box

Assembly Arrangements dialog box options

Use Sets the selected arrangement as the used arrangement.This sets the active arrangement if the dialog box hasbeen invoked on the displayed part.

The graphics window updates to this arrangement, anda green check appears beside it in the arrangementslist.

Set asDefault

Makes the selected arrangement the default. "(Default)"appears beside the arrangement’s name in the list.

NewArrangement

Creates a new arrangement and adds it to the list.

Copy Copies an existing arrangement, which you can thenmodify to create a new arrangement.

Delete Discards one or more selected arrangements.

Rename Changes the selected arrangement’s name. You can alsodo this from the list by clicking again on the highlightedname (not a double-click).

Properties Opens the Arrangement Properties dialog box for theselected arrangement.

Information Includes whether the selected arrangement is used byany other loaded assemblies, exploded views, interpartlinks, assembly cuts, promotions, or sequences. Multiplearrangements may be selected for the Informationfunction.


19


Right-click The right-click shortcut menu over the arrangementslist allow you to export the contents of the list to:

• a browser – the list is saved in HTML format andyour browser is opened

• a spreadsheet

Where do I find it?


Toolbar Assemblies→Edit ArrangementsMenu Assemblies→Components→Arrangements

ShortcutFrom the Assembly Navigator, right-click an assemblynode and choose Arrangements.


19


The Properties dialog box

Name – You can rename the selected arrangement.Ignore All Constraints – If this option is on, the position ofthe arranged components will not be resolved by assemblyconstraints.

Information – Is the same as Assembly Arrangements dialog box.


19


Create ArrangementsThe system creates your first arrangement when you add or create thefirst component in a new part, or when you load a pre-Unigraphics NX 2.0assembly part.

To create an additional arrangement:

1. In the Assembly Navigator, right-click on an assembly or subassemblyand choose Arrangements→Edit.

2. Select an arrangement in the list and click Copy.

This creates a new arrangement with a default name. You can renameit now or later.

3. Select an arrangement in the list and click Use.

4. Move the components into the positions you want them to have in the newarrangement, and save your parts when you are finished.

This saves the new arrangement along with your assembly.

Once you have more than one arrangement, you can switcharrangements by selecting the one that you want from the shortcutmenu in the Assembly Navigator.

You can create as many arrangements as you want.


19


Arrangements notes• You cannot delete the active or the default arrangement.

• Assembly arrangements control the positions of components. Indirectcontrol of geometry can occur if it depends on component positioning.

• Instances of the same subassembly can use different arrangements.

• Assembly constraints are solved in the active and used arrangements.

• WAVE links are also arrangement-specific.

The system remembers the arrangement of the lowest common ancestorwhen a WAVE link is created, and it positions the geometry accordingly.

• Variable positioning in an upper level assembly will override anysubcomponent positions specified by descendent part arrangements.

• If the Arrangements menu does not appear (e.g., in the AssemblyNavigator), there a few items to check.

– Make sure you are in Application→Assemblies.– Make sure you did not use the shortcut menu option on a piece part.The Arrangements menu option only appears for assemblies andsubassemblies.

• A component can have different suppression states in differentarrangements in the same assembly.

For example, you can suppress a component in Arrangement 1,while leaving it unsuppressed in all other arrangements. Usethe Suppression dialog box to specify any arrangement-specificsuppression states.

• If you depopulate an assembly (remove all components) all arrangementsare deleted when you remove the last component.

You can use arrangements to create drawings that show multiplepositions of an assembly. Dimensions created in each arrangement arefaithful to the position of the components in that arrangement.

Arrangements are not currently associated with any Teamcenterapplication.


19


Arrangement specific drawing views

Drawing views showing arrangements can be created if you:

1. Make the first arrangement active.

2. Click Base View and select a view for your drawing that shows the partorientation desired.

3. Expand the Arrangement group.

4. From the Arrangement group, select or verify an arrangement.

5. Select a view location in the graphics area.

6. Continue adding Base Views to display other arrangements until youhave as many as you need.

The drawing view shown has two views (showing differentarrangements) positioned directly on top of one another. One view usessolid lines and the other uses dashed lines.


19


Activities: Assembly ArrangementsIn the Assembly Arrangements section, do the activity:

• Arrangements in the vise assembly


19


Summary: Assembly ArrangementsArrangements provide powerful tools to design and illustrate mechanismsthat move by repositioning components either with basic positioning orwithin degrees of freedom.

In this lesson you:

• Created and displayed several arrangements.

• Used arrangements to vary the structure of the vise assembly.

• Used arrangement properties to ignore assembly constraints and properlyreposition a variation of your vise assembly.


A

Appendix

A Additional projects

This appendix contains additional projects for you to work on.

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies A-1

A

Additional projects

Project 1

A-2 Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies mt10056_s NX 6

A

Additional projects

Project 2


A

Additional projects

Project 3


A

Additional projects

Project 4


A

Additional projects

Project 5


A

Additional projects

Project 6


A

Additional projects

Project 7


A

Additional projects

Project 8


A

Additional projects

Project 9


A

Additional projects

Project 10


A

Additional projects

Project 11


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Additional projects

Project 12


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Additional projects

Project 13


A

Additional projects

Project 14


A

Additional projects

Project 15


BAppendix

B System Topics

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies B-1

B

System Topics

System Topics overviewThere are utilities and files which affect the interface and behavior of thesystem.

This appendix covers these topics which would normally be the responsibilityof a system administrator.

B-2 Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies mt10056_s NX 6

B

System Topics

Customer DefaultsCustomer defaults are accessed by choosing File→Utilities→CustomerDefaults.

When NX is first started (out-of-the-box) the defaults are set to User and avariable points to a user file which may or may not exist. This is an extractfrom the log file for a user named “nxuser” after logging in and starting NXfor the first time:

Processing customer default values fileC:/Documents and Settings/nxuser/Local Settings/Application Data/Unigraphics Solutions/NX6/nx6_user.dpv

User customizations fileC:/Documents and Settings/nxuser

/Local Settings/Application Data/Unigraphics Solutions/NX6/nx6_user.dpv does not exist

The fact that the file does not exist is of no concern because the path iswritable for the person logged in.

NX will create the file nx6_user.dpv when and if the user makes a change tothe defaults.

If the administrator wishes to prevent the user from changing the defaults,i.e., set them as User (Read Only), there are various ways to accomplish it:

• Create the file and customize it as you wish, and then make it read only.

• Define the file in a path to which the user cannot write. The file and thepath need not exist.

• Lock one or more defaults at a higher level, i.e. group or site level.


B

System Topics

Customer Defaults levels

Customer defaults can be controlled at three levels: Site, Group, and User.Site is the highest level, User is the lowest. Any or all of these levels may beavailable to you, based on how the customer default environment variablesare defined at your site. If none of the environment variables are defined, thelevel is Shipped (read-only).

System administrators or managers at a higher level can lock the settings ofcustomer defaults that they do not want anyone at the lower levels to change.The Group level can lock customer defaults at the User level, and the Sitelevel can lock defaults at the Group and User levels. You cannot lock defaultsat the User level.

When a lock is active not only is the text de-emphasized but value changeis prohibited. Even if the site (or a lower) DPV file is writable the value ofa locked default can not be changed until the lock icon has been toggled offfor the given default).


B

System Topics

For example, to lock out the ability to create promoted bodies, the managerclicks the lock beside promotions at the site or group level. The icon changescolor and the text is de-emphasized.

At the user level, that default is de-emphasized an a padlock is displayedbeside it.

The manager can use the Default Lock State option to set the global lockedstatus for all of the customer defaults on all defaults pages. This allowsstrategies like All are locked except...or All are unlocked except... instead ofrequiring the assertion of 5000+ individual locks.

Locks at the group level change color and the text is de-emphasized.

The user then sees all options for Site Standards de-emphasized andpadlocked. This prevents Site Standards from being changed at the user level.


B

System Topics

Setting Customer Defaults

Customer defaults have as-shipped default settings that are hard-coded.When you change defaults at any level (assuming you have write permissionand the levels are defined) a file is created to save the settings. By default thefile is called nx6_user.dpv, nx6_group.dpv, or nx6_site.dpv.

Only the defaults that are changed from the hard–coded settings are saved,thus the DPV files can be very small in size.

Customer defaults files are defined by environment settings. These aretypically set in ugii_env.dat on Windows systems; however, the administratormay prevent a user from spoofing these settings by creating a file namedugii_env.master in the UGII directory where NX is installed to define theseparticular environment settings. When this file exists any attempt to redefinethe environment variables will be ignored.

When you change defaults the changes are NOT effective immediately.They will be in effect the next time NX is started.


B

System Topics

Customer Defaults environment variables

To set up a User, Group, or Site level, you must define the appropriateenvironment variable with a directory. You must first create a directorynamed startup where you want to store the customer defaults file for thatlevel.

Level Variable Defaults File(in the startup directory)

User UGII_USER_DIR nx6_user.dpvGroup UGII_GROUP_DIR nx6_group.dpvSite UGII_SITE_DIR nx6_site.dpv

If you are already using the UGII_USER_DIR environment variable for otherpurposes, you can use the UGII_LOCAL_USER_DEFAULTS environmentvariable. When you define the environment variable, you must point it to the.dpv file you will use (instead of just the directory, as done with the otherenvironment variables).

If both of these environment variables are defined, the system usesthe UGII_LOCAL_USER_DEFAULTS environment variable to definethe customer defaults User level. NX is shipped with this variabledefined, so if you want to use a common user directory (i.e., the onedefined by UGII_USER_DIR), you must remove the definition forUGII_LOCAL_USER_DEFAULTS from your environment variablesfile.


B

System Topics

USER, GROUP, and SITE directories

There is a standard structure for customer site installation of menu files andshared libraries. This directory structure defines three subdirectories. Forthe purpose of this discussion only the startup folder need exist; however, youmight encounter the others if you have site customization.

startup Contains site-specific menu files, defaults files, and sharedlibraries of menu actions to be loaded automatically at NXstartup to customize Gateway.

application Contains site-specific files defining menus and sharedlibraries of menu actions for customizing NX or third-partyapplications, such as NX Open programs. Loading of eachshared library is deferred until you enter the application thatnames the library on the LIBRARIES statement in the menufile definition for the Application Button for the application.User Tool Definition files, GRIP programs, User Functionprograms that are referenced by menu file actions.

udo Contains the shared libraries defining methods forsite-specific User Defined Objects (another NX Open topic.)


B

System Topics

Managing your changes

The DPV files contain only the defaults that are changed from the hard–codedsettings.

You may review your changes at any time:

• Set the Defaults Level to the level you want to examine, Site, Group,or User.

• On the Customer Defaults dialog box, clickManage Current Settings.

Here is an example of standard classroom defaults at the group level:


B

System Topics

Updating to a new release of NX

To update to a new release, you need only define the DPV files you want touse at whatever levels your organization uses.

When you receive the new software use Import Defaults to validate your

previous settings against the new release.

Importing Customer Defaults values file: <full path specification of DPV

file.>

Total settings and locks imported: 10

Total settings rejected due to values not valid in this release: 0

Total settings rejected due to values being locked at the higher level: 0

Total settings already set to the same value and lock status: 0

Total settings not recognized in this release: 0


B

System Topics

Interpart ModelingInterpart Expressions and the Wave Geometry Linker can be disabled by thechanging setting Allow Associative Interpart Modeling on the Assemblies,General, Interpart Modeling page.

Promotion of Bodies feature can be enabled by changing the setting AllowPromote Body on the Assemblies, General, Interpart Modeling page.

Settings for Delay Interpart Update are also on this page.


B

System Topics

File VersioningWe recommend using Teamcenter Integration for NX for data management. Ifit is not available, the Assemblies Site Standards defaults offer an alternativeapproach.

Versioning rules will enable the system to load the latest version ofcomponents in any assembly based on a file naming scheme established atyour company. When the rules are defined in the customer defaults file, the"Load Latest" option must also be turned on in the load options.

File versioning is controlled from the Assemblies, Site Standards, Part NameVersions page of the customer defaults dialog.

To define the versioning rules, you must define the portion of the filenamethat is the core (never changes) and which portion is the revision.


B

System Topics

Regular Expressions

Version rules are defined using a modified form of "Regular Expressions". Itis beyond the scope of this class to teach regular expression formatting.

There are several "Special Characters" that may be used in the format of yourversion rules. They are listed below.

? = 0 or 1

* = 0 or more+ = 1 or more. = Any character| = Or (as in this OR that)( ) = Define a section[ ] = Define a set- = Range

The use of Sets is crucial to your ability to establish correct version rules. Afew examples are shown below.

[a-z0-9] = One lower case letter or number[a-z0-9]+ = One or more lower case letters or numbers in any

order[a-z]+[0-9]+ = One or more lower case letters followed by one or

more numbers[a-hj-np-z] = Any lower case letter except i and o[mejx] = Any one of these letters


B

System Topics

File Versioning example

In the following example, the part names consist of a core section of lowercase letters followed by an underscore and a revision section defined by arevision number. Below are three versions of the same part.

abc_1.prt

abc_2.prt

abc_3.prt

To define the rules that describe the above naming convention, the customerdefaults must be modified from the Assemblies, Site Standards, Part NameVersions page of the dialog. Here is an example of how it would need to be setup for a specific versioning scheme.

Full Part File Name Format:

You must specify the format of the part name in terms of regular expressionpattern matching. Each set of Parentheses represents a section.

Full Part File Name Format: ([a-z]+_)([0-9])

The first section is ([a-z]+_). The [a-z] is any lower case letter and the "+"means that one or more letters are allowed. The "_" means that the letterswill always be followed by an underscore character.

The next section ([0-9]) is any number and that there can be only one digit. (Ifyou wanted to allow more digits, you would follow it with a "+".)

Version Independent Section of the Part File Name:

This determines what portion of the file is the core portion of the file name(does not change). Based on the pairs of parentheses, you enter a backslashand the section number.

Version Independent Section of the Part File Name: /1

The first section is the core portion of the filename, it will never change.

Part File Name Match:

Specify which section of the file name must match and which section mayvary. This is a bit repetitive, but necessary.

Part File Name Match: /1([0-9])

The portion of the filename that must match is in the first section. Theportion that is allowed to vary may be any number.


B

System Topics

Version Section of Part File Name Match:

Which portion of the version section is actually the version. This is alsodetermined by sets of parenthesis in the revision section.

Version Section of Part File Name Match: /1

In the version section, the first set of parenthesis indicates version.

Version Type:

The versioning scheme being used. Available choices are; Military, Numeric,Reverse Numeric, Alphabetic, Reverse Alphabetic, Alphanumeric.

Version Type: Numeric

A number sequence starting with 1 and progressing to larger numbers.

In an Alphanumeric sort, versioning will sort letters before numbers.This is a different than most normal sort algorithms.

Quantifiers

Quantifiers can be specified to allow only a certain number of characters.Instead of using [0-9][0-9][0-9] to represent three digits, it can be written witha quantifier as [0-9]{3} The list of quantifiers is shown below.

{n,m}At least n and no more thanm

{n,} At least n{,m} May have 0, but no more

than m{m} Exactly m


C

Appendix

C Expression operators

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies C-1

C


Expression OverviewThe following information lists the various operators that may be used inexpressions.

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OperatorsThere are several types of operators that you may use in the expressionlanguage.

Arithmetic Operators Example+ Addition p2=p5+p3- Subtraction and Negative Sign p2=p5–p3* Multiplication p2=p5*p3/ Division p2=p5/p3% Modulus p2=p5%p3^ Exponential p2=p5^2= Assignment p2=p5

Relational and Boolean Operators> Greater Than< Less Than>= Greater Than or Equal<= Less Than or Equal== Equal!= Not Equal! Negate& or && Logical AND| or || Logical OR


C


Precedence and associativityIn the table below, operators in the same row have equal precedence whileoperators in the following rows have less precedence.

Precedence and associativityOperators Associativity

^ Right to Left– (change sign)* / % Left to Right+ –> < >= <=== !=&&||= Right to Left

When using operators with the same precedence in an equation withoutparameters, use left-to-right or the right-to-left rule from the table. Forexample:

X = 90 – 10 + 30 = 110 (not 50)

X = 90 – (10 + 30) = 50


C


Legacy unit conversionAlthough when dimensionality is specified and units are assigned thesystem handles conversions, legacy parts may have used functions for unitconversion. For legacy compatibility these functions are supported.

Functions for unit conversioncm cm(x) converts x from centimeters to the default units of the partft ft(x) converts x from feet to the default units of the partgrd grd(x) converts x from gradients to degreesin in(x) converts x from inches to the default units of the partkm km(x) converts x from kilometers to the default units of the partmc mc(x) converts x from microns to the default units of the partmin min(x) converts x from minutes to degrees.ml ml(x) converts x from mils to the default units of the partmm mm(x) converts x from millimeters to the default units of the partmtr mtr(x) converts x from meters to the default units of the partsec sec(x) converts x from seconds to degreesyd yd(x) converts x from yards to the default units of the part


C


Built-in functionsBuilt-in functions include math, string, and engineering functions.

Scientific Notation

You may optionally enter numbers in scientific notation. The value you entermust contain a positive or negative sign. For example, you can enter:

2e+5 which is the same as the value 200000

2e-5 which is the same as the value .00002

Below is a table of only some of the available built-in functions.

Built-in functionsabs Returns the absolute value of a given numberarccos Returns the inverse cosine of a given number in degreesarcsin Returns the inverse sine of a given number in degreesarctan Returns the inverse tangent of a given number in degrees

from –90 to +90arctan2 Returns the inverse tangent of a given delta x divided by a

given delta y in degrees from –180 to +180ASCII Returns the ASCII code of the first character in a given

string or zero if the string is emptyceiling Returns the smallest integer that is bigger than a given

numberChar Returns the ASCII character for a given integer in the

range 1 to 255charReplace Returns a new string from a given source string, character

to replace and the corresponding replacement characters.compareString Case sensitive compare of two stringscos Returns the cosine of a given number in degreesdateTimeString Returns the system date and time in the format “Fri Nov

21 09:56:12 2005/n”floor Returns the largest integer less than or equal to a given

numberformat Returns a formatted string, using C-style formatting

specificationgetenv Returns the string value of a given environment variable

stringhypcos Returns the hyperbolic cosine of a given numberhypsin Returns the hyperbolic sine of a given number


C


Built-in functionshyptan Returns the hyperbolic tangent of a given numberlog Returns the natural logarithm of a given numberlog10 Returns the logarithm base 10 of a given numberMakeNumber Returns the number or integer of a given numerical stringmax Returns the largest number from a given number and

additional numbersmin Returns the smallest number from a given number and

additional numbersmod Returns the remainder (modulus) when a given numerator

is divided by a given denominator (by integer division)NormalizeAngleNormalizes a given angle (degrees) to be between 0 and

360 degreespi() Returns piRadians Converts an angle in degrees into radiansreplaceString Replaces all occurrences of str1 with str2round Returns the integer nearest to a given number, returns the

even integer if the given number ends in .5sin Returns the sine of a given number in degreessqrt Returns the inverse square root of a given positive numberStringLower Returns a lowercase string from a given stringStringUpper Returns an uppercase string from a given stringStringValue Returns a string containing a textual representation of a

given valuesubString Returns a new string containing a subset of the elements

from the original listtan Returns the sine of a given numberug_ functions see the documentation for descriptions of dozens more

specialized math and engineering functions


D

Appendix

D Positional Override

Purpose

This appendix provides information and practice with variable assemblyconstraints.

Objectives

On completion of this lesson you will be able to:

• Use Positional Override in assemblies.

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies D-1

D

Positional Override

Override PositionA component’s position is normally defined in its first level assembly. In somecases the position of a subassembly component may need to be modified in ahigher level assembly.

You can use positional override to make a component have a different positionin a higher-level assembly than in its immediate parent. The component’snew position can be seen in all parent assemblies of the assembly in whichthe override is created.

If a subassembly component is selected from the Assembly Navigator, the

right–click shortcut menu will display Override Position .

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Positional Override

Positional Override uses

Positional Overrides are useful whenever you have a component that has adifferent configuration in its parent assemblies than it has when consideredin isolation. Some examples are:

• A clamp subassembly. When this subassembly is added to an assembly,one of its components must be overridden to a position where the clampcan grip the assembly geometry correctly.

• A piston engine case. The subassembly containing the piston andconnecting rod is constrained four separate times to a crankshaftcomponent, and each of the four instances requires different positions forthe pistons and crankshafts.

• Any subassembly that is constructed in one configuration, but whoseconfiguration is altered when it is installed in an assembly.

• Modelling any subassembly that must be articulated or moved as part ofits normal functioning. For example, a boom subassembly may need to bemodelled in both extended and retracted positions.


D

Positional Override

Positional Override options

Override Position lets you create an override of a subassembly component’sposition, in the higher level assembly.

Remove Position Override lets you delete an existing positional overridefor a selected component.

The Assembly Navigator’s Position column shows you whether the selectedcomponent has been overridden, whether the override is implicit (made byNX) or explicit (made by you), and the assembly constraint status of thecomponent.

A filled upward arrow (blue arrow) indicates an explicit override andthat the component has constraints.An open upward arrow (white arrow) indicates an implicit override andthat the component has constraints.An open circle indicates that the component has no active constraints(therefore, all six degrees of freedom and no overrides).


D

Positional Override

Activities: Positional OverrideIn the Positional Override section, do the activity:

• Activity - Define Positional Overrides


D

Positional Override

Summary: Positional OverridePositional Override provides powerful tools to design and illustratemechanisms that move within subassemblies.


E

Appendix

E Define a family of parts

Purpose

Part Families provide a method to quickly define a family of similar partsbased on a single template part. In this lesson you will create a part family togenerate a family of standard parts.

Objectives


• Demonstrate an understanding of the capabilities and concepts of PartFamilies.

• Define a Part Family for a standard part.

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies E-1

E

Define a family of parts

Part Families dialog boxThe Part Families dialog is accessed in the Modeling application by choosingTools→Part Families from the main menu bar.

You can use the areas in the upper portion of the Part Families dialog (1,2) tospecify the columns that will appear in the Part Family spreadsheet (3).

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Part Families options

Importable Part Family Template

If the option is toggled on, then the NXManager attributes DB_PART_NO andOS_PART_NAME will be added as the Chosen columns of the spreadsheet toidentify part family members instead of Part_Name. This behavior is useful ifthe part family templates migrate between native NX and NX Manager.

Exportable Part Family Template

In NX Manager the word Importable is replaced by Exportable. Otherwisethe option works the same as above.

Available Columns

The Available Columns list shows you the items available in the current partto be defined as columns in the family table spreadsheet. Only the items ofthe class shown on the option button are displayed.

Attribute Classes

You can select from six different attribute classes when defining the columnsin the part family spreadsheet. You can later change the values of theseattributes in the spreadsheet to define parts with different configurations.The available classes are:

• Attributes - You can use part attributes and their values for a family.

• Components - (For assembly template parts) You can replace a specifiedcomponent with a different component, or you can remove it altogether byleaving the spreadsheet entry blank.

• Expressions - You can supply values for expressions when the familymember is created. Only constant expressions can be used.

• Mirror - If you have a mirror body in your part, a part family membercan use the base body, by entering a value of No in the spreadsheet, orthe mirrored body, by entering a value of Yes.

• Density - This option presents a list of all the named solid bodies inthe part, allowing you to assign a density to each one. When the familymember is created, you can specify a density and it will be applied to allbodies with that name. Use Edit→Properties to assign a name to the body.

• Features - Features may be suppressed, by entering a value of No in thespreadsheet, or not suppressed, by entering a value of Yes.


E


Add Column

To add a column to the Chosen Columns list, select its name in the AvailableColumns list, then click Add Column.

Chosen Columns

The Chosen Columns list shows you the items that have been selected for thepart family. Each item in this list represents one column in the spreadsheet.

Remove Column

To remove a column from the Chosen Columns list, select its name fromthe list and click Remove Column.

Create

This option invokes the spreadsheet for a new family of parts after youspecify the columns.

Edit

This option invokes an existing spreadsheet for editing.

Delete

This option deletes the spreadsheet, which deletes the entire family of parts.

If the deleted part family has any member parts that have been created,they will revert to being ordinary NX part files.

Resume

After control has been transferred to NX to verify or create a part, you mustclick Resume to return control to the spreadsheet.

Cancel

This option cancels any edits made to the spreadsheet after the last save,and returns control to NX. Therefore, if you edit the spreadsheet, then useVerify to check the edits, you can click Cancel to leave the family table as itwas before the edits.

When migrating to a new version of NX, you must first update andsave all part families and members before adding the members to anassembly.


E


The part family spreadsheetClicking the Create button invokes the spreadsheet. While the spreadsheet isactive, NX is inactive.

The first column in the spreadsheet will have a header for Part_Name. Therows below it are for entering the part name of all the family members.

The other columns have headers corresponding to the properties you select.The second row is filled in with the values that exist in the template part forthe properties selected. The rest of the family can be defined by simply typingin the appropriate values in the spreadsheet.


E


Part Family menu options

When you are in the spreadsheet, there are several options available in thePart Family menu.

Verify Part

The family member whose row is selected is "theoretically" created andyou are given a message to let you know whether it is possible to create apart with the current configuration of attribute values. During this process,control is transferred back to NX. To continue, click Resume on the PartFamilies dialog to return to the spreadsheet.

Update Parts

This option works in two ways:

If no rows are selected in the spreadsheet

• The system searches for each member of the family, using the currentsearch rules.

• For each member it finds, it checks to see if that member is out of date withrespect to the current definition, which includes both geometry changes tothe template part and changes to the definition in the family table.

• If the member is out of date, the system will update (recreate and save)the member part. The updated member part will be saved over theexisting part if possible. If the member part was write protected, the newmember part is saved to the directory specified under File®Options®SaveOptions. An update report is also generated.

If any rows are selected in the spreadsheet

• The system searches for the selected members of the family, as above.However, it will not check to see if the member is out of date. It will simplycreate and save the new version and follow the same rules as above.

• This option is offered primarily to cope with changes that may not bedetected. An example would be attaching a name to a face. In this case,


E


the model is not modified and the system does not detect that the memberpart is out of date.

When you choose Update Parts, the family spreadsheet is saved in thetemplate part. The template part itself, however, is not saved. Werecommend that when you edit a template part or the spreadsheet,you update the associated family members as well, since you are notnotified that an update is needed when a family member part file issubsequently loaded.

Create Parts

The family member whose row is selected is actually created and saved as apart file. During the creation of the part, control is transferred back to NXand the Information window lets you know whether the part was successfullycreated and saved. To continue, click Resume on the Part Families dialog boxto return to the spreadsheet.

The directory where the parts are saved may be defined on the PartFamily dialog box in the Family Save Directory box; otherwise, they aresaved in the directory specified under File→Options→Save Options.

Save Family

This option saves the spreadsheet data and returns you to NX.

Save Family and Create Parts will save the family (spreadsheet) butthe template part file is not saved.

Cancel

Returns you to NX without saving any changes made to the spreadsheet.

Create Family Members

Once you have defined the family members, you can create the actual partfiles in one of two ways.

• Use the Create Parts in the family table (spreadsheet), or

• Choose a template part when adding a component to an assembly(Assemblies→Components→Add Component). The family member partfile is created, saved, and added to the assembly.


E


Activities: Define a family of partsIn the Define a family of parts section, do the activity:

• Activity - Create a family of standard parts (Excel)


E


Summary: Define a family of partsPart families allow you to quickly generate a family of similar parts based ona single template part. You utilized Part Families to define standard parts.

In this lesson you:

• Demonstrated an understanding of the capabilities and concepts of PartFamilies.

• Defined a Part Family for a standard part.

• Created Family Member parts from a template part.


F

Appendix

F Custom Roles

Roles provide a method to create a custom user interface based on a useror departments needs.

In this appendix, you will create user and group roles.

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies F-1

F

Custom Roles

User-Defined RolesBy default, when you begin an NX session you are presented with a core setof functionality but more specific Roles (sets of tools) can be accessed throughthe Resource bar.

These prepackaged roles are a starting point from which you can customizethe NX user interface and save as a personal user role.

As a user, there are two different repositories for user-defined roles:

• The User folder where you can store your individual roles that reflect yourpersonal user interface layouts with their specific menus, toolbars etc.

Because these are your personal roles, the .mtx files that define themreside in a user directory. In Windows, these roles reside in /Documentsand Settings/<yourname>/Local Settings/Application Data/UnigraphicsSolutions/NX6/Roles/

• A new palette which references roles in a directory.

You can use these palettes to store departmental/group specific roles andput permission restrictions on their respective directories.

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F

Custom Roles

Create a User RoleIt is important to customize the interface (toolbars, menus, etc.) theway you want it before you create a role.

1. On the Resource bar, click the Roles tab .

2. Right-click in the background of the Roles palette and choose New UserRole.

This displays the Role Properties dialog box.

3. Specify the role properties.

1. Name of the .mtx file asstored

2. Name of Role as referencedin your NX interface

3. Graphic for the Role icon;type in name or Browse

4. Description of the role.5. Application(s) referenced inRole

6. Toggles to structure Role;Current Only is usedto capture a customizedinterface

7. If selected, the settings for alldialog boxes in the selectedapplications are stored withthe Role.


F

Custom Roles

4. Click OK to create new ’User’ role.


F

Custom Roles

Activity: Create a User RoleIn this activity you will create a user role.

Step 1: Open roles_1.

The buttons and menu options you see here reflect the basefunctionality of Gateway when you start a new part.

Step 2: Select a Role.

Choose the Roles tab on the Resource bar and pin theRoles pane.

From the System Defaults folder, click the Advanced role.

In the Load Role message box, click OK.

Choose Tools→Customize and change your user interface(menus, options, toolbars) as desired.

Disregard the Roles tab in the Customize dialog box; youwill learn about its purpose later in the activity.

Step 3: Create a User role to store your customized user interface.

Right-click in the background of the Roles pane and chooseNew User Role.

The Role Properties dialog box is displayed.

Step 4: Define your User role properties.

In the Name box, type role_1_xxx, where xxx are your initials.

This is the name of your role as it will appear in the Resource barRoles pane.

The name of the .mtx file (top of dialog) is system-assigned.The name of your role must be assigned by you.

Click Browse and navigate to the parts directory; that’s wherethe image files are.

Set the Files of type to JPEG Files.

Select a role_image_xx file and click OK.


F

Custom Roles

In the Description box, type the date <mmddyyyy> – <yourlast name, first name> – first user role. (Example: 07042008– Doe, John – first user role)

Your company may set description standards in placefor this data.

Select the Current Only check box.

Notice the Current Only option captures your current,customized user interface, by application.

Click OK.

Your user role is created.

Step 5: Close the part.


F

Custom Roles

Edit a User RoleAfter a user role is created, changes can be made by using the Editoption.

1. Make the toolbar changes that you want to incorporate.

2. On the Resource bar, click the Roles tab .

3. On the Roles palette, in the User group, right-click your role and chooseEdit.

This displays the Role Properties dialog box.

4. From the Toolbar Layout, Menus and Dialog Memory group, select theUse Current Session radio button.

5. Click OK to update ’User’ role with the changes.


F

Custom Roles

Create a Group RoleIt is important to customize the interface (toolbars, menus, etc.) beforeyou create a role. If you decide later you want additional customizationssaved with a specified role, you will have to recreate the role.

1. Create a folder to store group roles in a writable directory.

2. Choose Preferences→Palettes.

3. Click Open Directory as Role Palette .

4. Navigate to the directory you want the new Role palette to point to. Thiscreates a tab on the Resource bar.

5. Choose Tools→Customize and customize your interface however youwish.

6. In the Customize dialog box, click the Roles tab.

7. Click Create.

8. Navigate to your roles directory.

9. Type a File name for your role and click OK.

10. In the Role Properties dialog box, specify the role definition.

Name of roleImage for iconDescriptionApplication check boxes

11. Click OK to create the role.


F

Custom Roles

12. On the Resource bar, in your new palette, right-click and choose Refreshto see the icon of the new role.


F

Custom Roles

Activity: Create a Role Palette with a Group RoleIn this activity, you will create a role palette with a group role that couldbe shared with other users.

Step 1: Create a new folder for the group roles.

In a writable directory, create a folder named grp_role_xxx,where xxx is your initials.

The group-specific roles will be stored here. The group role palettewill point to this directory.

Step 2: Open roles_1.

Step 3: Customize the user interface.

This interface would be based on the design needs of the group.

Choose Tools→Customize and customize the user interface.

Step 4: Create your role.

In the Customize dialog box, select the Roles tab.

On this page, you can Load an existing user role (.mtx file), create anew role, and define keyboard accelerators associated with the role.

Click Create.

The New Role File dialog is displayed.

Step 5: Define your new role file.

Expand the Save in list and navigate to the writable directoryyou created.

In the File name box, type custom_role_1_xxx, where xxxare your initials, and click OK.

This will be the name of your custom .mtx file. In the first(user) role you created, this action was done internally byNX.

Step 6: Define the properties of the new role.

In the Role Properties dialog box, in the Name box, typecustom_1_xxx, where xxx are your initials.

This is the name of your role as it will appear in the Resource barRoles pane.

The Role Properties dialog is displayed.


F

Custom Roles

Click Browse and navigate to the parts directory where theimage files are located.

Set the Files of type to JPEG Files.

Select a role_image_xx file and click OK.

In the Description box, type in the date <mmddyyyy> – <ashort description of role>. (Example: 11032005 – custom UIfor xyz project)

In the Role Properties dialog box, select the Current Onlycheck box.

Click OK.

Your custom role is created and is now located in the writabledirectory you defined.

Close the Customize dialog box.

Step 7: Define your new Role palette

Choose Preference→Palettes.

Click Open Directory as Role Palette.

Browse to the writable directory where your custom .mtx fileresides.

Select your custom_role_1_xxx.mtx file and click OK.

If you do not see any entries, make sure Files of type isset to All Files (*.*)

If your directory is correct, OK the Open Directory as RolePalette dialog box.


F

Custom Roles

A new tab is added to the Resource bar and your custom role isdisplayed.

1. Directory you created to holdyour custom roles

2. Property name of yourcustom role

3. Role palette tab created

Close the Palettes dialog box.

Step 8: Close the part.


F

Custom Roles

Protected RolesThe power of Roles can be extended throughout your industry enterprise,on several levels, by having your company’s systems administrator create’protected’ roles for authorized workflows.

One Possible Scenario: — Adding System Default Roles

• Have the group leaders of various departmental processes/disciplescustomize the NX user interface to reflect the design needs of that group;e.g. assemblies, design review, drafting etc. (Activity procedure)

• The group leaders then create individual Roles for each of theprocesses/disciplines.

• The group leaders alert the NX Systems Administrator where theserole (.mtx) files are located and asks for them to be moved intothe /UGII/menus/roles directory within the NX release. This is apermissions-protected area.

• Once the .mtx files are moved into the /UGII/menus/roles directory, theywill be available as Roles in the System Defaults folder.


G

Appendix

G Assembly Constraints

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies G-1

G

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 becoaxial with a conical face on another component.

Use combinations of constraints to completely specify a component’s positionin the assembly.

NX calculates a position for the components which satisfies the constraintsyou specify.

To make the Assembly Constraints dialog box available, choosePreferences→Assemblies, and from the Interaction list, chooseAssembly Constraints.

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Assembly Constraint types

Type Description

Touch AlignConstrain two components so they touch or align witheach other.

Touch Align is the most common constraint.

ConcentricConstrain circular or elliptical edges of two componentsso the centers are coincident and the planes of the edgesare coplanar.

Distance 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 toeach other.

Perpendicular Define the direction vectors of two objects as perpendicularto each other.

Angle Define an angle dimension between two objects.

CenterCenter one or two objects between a pair of objects, orcenter a pair of objects along another object.

Bond “Weld” components together so they move as a rigid body.

Fit

Bring together two cylindrical faces with equal radii. Thisconstraint is useful for locating pins or bolts in holes.

If the radii later become non-equal, the constraint isinvalid.


G


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 beapplied to other assembly arrangements:

– Use Component Properties— Obey the Arrangements setting onthe Parameters page of the Component Properties dialog box.

• Apply to Used — Apply the constraint in the currently usedarrangement.

• Dynamic Positioning — Specify that you want NX to solve theconstraints and move the components as you create each constraint.

• Associative — Specify that constraints are retained after you closethe Assembly Constraints dialog box. If the check box is cleared,constraints are temporary; they remain in effect only while the dialogbox is open. You can use temporary constraints to move componentswithout leaving the Assembly Constraints interaction.

4. Set Orientation to one of the following:

• Prefer Touch—Use a touch constraint when touch and align solutionsare both possible. (Touch constraints are more common than alignconstraints in most models.)

The Prefer Touch option uses an align constraint if a touch constraintwould over-constrain the assembly.

• Touch— Constrain objects so their surface normals are in oppositedirections.

• Align— Constrain objects so their surface normals are in the samedirection.

• Infer Center/Axis — Specify that, when you select a cylindrical orconical face, NX uses the face’s center or axis instead of the face itselffor the constraint.

5. Click Select Two Objects (if necessary), and select two objects for theconstraint.

You can use the Point Constructor to help you select objects.


G


6. If two solutions are possible, you can click Reverse Last Constraint toflip between the possible solutions.

7. Click OK or Apply when you finish adding constraints.


G


Create a Concentric constraint


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 beapplied to other assembly arrangements.


• Associative— Specify that constraints are persistent after you closethe Assembly Constraints dialog box.

4. Click Select Two Objects (if necessary), and select two circularcurves for the constraint.

If the Accept Tolerant Curves assembly preference check box is selected,you can also select elliptical or near-circular curves that are within themodeling distance tolerance.

5. If two solutions are possible, click Reverse Last Constraint to flipbetween the possible solutions.



G


Create a Distance constraint


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 theirdefaults:




4. Click Select Two Objects (if necessary), and select two objects for thedistance constraint.


If more than two solutions are possible, you can click Cycle LastConstraint to cycle through the possible solutions.



G


Create a Fix constraint


2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Fix.





4. Click Select Object (if necessary), and select the object you wantto fix.



G


Create a Parallel constraint


2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Parallel.





4. Click Select Two Objects (if necessary), and select two objects thatyou want to be parallel.




G


Create a Perpendicular constraint


2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Perpendicular.





4. Click Select Two Objects (if necessary), and select two objects thatyou want to be perpendicular.




G


Create an Angle constraint


2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Angle.





4. Specify the Subtype:

• 3D Angle measures the angle constraint between two objects withouta 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:

• If Subtype is 3D Angle, the Select Two Objects option appears.Select two objects for the angle constraint.

• If Subtype is Orient Angle, the Select Three Objects optionappears. Select an axis as the first object, and then select two objectsfor the angle constraint.




G


Create a Center constraint


2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Center.





4. Specify the Subtype:

• 1 to 2— Center the first selected object between the next two selectedobjects.

• 2 to 1— Center two selected objects along the third selected object.

• 2 to 2 — Center two selected objects between two other selectedobjects.

5. If Subtype is 1 to 2 or 2 to 1, set Axial Geometry to define what happensif 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.

6. Click Select Objects (if necessary), and select the appropriatenumber of objects as defined by the Subtype.

You can use the Point Constructor to help you select objects.




G


Create a Bond constraint


2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Bond.





4. Click Select Objects (if necessary), and select two or more objectsto bond.

5. Click Create Constraint when you are ready to create the constraint.



G


Create a Fit constraint


2. In the Assembly Constraints dialog box, set Type to Fit.





4. Click Select Two Objects (if necessary), and select two pieces ofgeometry that are the same size.

The objects are fitted together.




H

Appendix

H Legacy mating conditions

By applying mating conditions to components in an assembly, you establishparametric, positional relationships between objects in the components.These relationships are termed mating constraints.

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies H-1

H

Legacy mating conditions

Mating Constraint typesA mating condition is made up of one or more mating constraints. Thereare eight types of constraints.

1 — Mate 4 — Parallel 7 — Distance2 — Align 5 — Perpendicular 8 — Tangent3 — Angle 6 — Center

To make the Mating Conditions dialog box available, choosePreferences→Assemblies, and from the Interaction list, choose MatingConditions.

Selecting objects

FROM / TO

When selecting objects to mate, the Cue line will be directing you toselect FROM and TO objects. The FROM object is part of the component thatis going to move to a new position. The TO object is part of the componentthat is remaining in its present location.

H-2 Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies mt10056_s NX 6

H


Mate constraintWhen applying the Mate constraint to components using planar faces anddatum planes, the objects will be oriented so that their normals are paralleland point in opposite directions. The components will not necessarily havephysical contact but will be coplanar. By definition, a face normal in a solidbody points away from the solid.

When mating non–planar faces (i.e. cylindrical to cylindrical, spherical tospherical) the radii must be the same; for conical to conical faces, the tapermust be the same.


H


Align constraintWhen you apply the Align constraint to components using planar objects(planar faces and datum planes), the objects will be oriented so that theirnormals are parallel and point in the same direction. The components willnot necessarily have physical contact but will be coplanar.

When aligning non-planar faces, i.e. cylindrical to cylindrical, spherical tospherical, or conical to conical, the radii and/or taper do not have to be thesame.

The Align constraint can also be used to position an edge or curve object ofa component with a planar object (planar face or datum plane) of anothercomponent. A vector will be determined from the edge or curve object andthe objects will be oriented so that the vector and the planar object lie on thesame plane (same behavior as with mate constraint).

Using the CSYS filter

The Align constraint allows existing coordinate systems to be used asFROM/TO selection objects. When using the CSYS option, select the FROMCSYS and then immediately select the TO CSYS. This constraint will removeall DOFs between the two components.


H


Angle constraintUse the Angle constraint when you need to control specific angles betweenobjects of components.

The example below illustrates an angle constraint that is being applied inconjunction with two other constraints. The two planar faces of the blocksmust always be coplanar by virtue of the Mate constraint. The pivot for theAngle constraint is determined by the Align constraint that is applied tothe two edges.


H


Parallel constraintUse the Parallel constraint when you need to establish parallelism betweenobjects of components. Objects that have surface normals associated to themwill be oriented parallel based on those normals.

When applying the Parallel constraint to position a planar object of acomponent (planar face or datum plane) with an edge or curve object ofanother component; a vector will be determined from the edge or curve object.The vector and the planar object’s normal will then become parallel.


H


Perpendicular constraintUse the Perpendicular constraint when you need to establish perpendicularitybetween objects of components. Objects that have surface normals associatedto them will be oriented perpendicular based on those normals.

When applying the Perpendicular constraint to position a planar object of acomponent, (planar faces and datum planes), with an edge or curve object ofanother component; a vector will be determined from the edge or curve object,that vector and the planar object’s normal will then become perpendicular.


H


Center constraintUse the Center constraint to center 1 or 2 objects of a component to 1 or 2objects of another component.

Center Objects 1 to 1



H



Create a Center constraint

1. Choose the Center constraint.

2. Set the Object filter.

3. Specify the number of objects to use (Center Objects 1 to 1, 1 to 2, 2to 1, or 2 to 2).

4. Select the objects as instructed in the Cue line.


H


Distance constraintUse the Distance constraint to define a distance between two geometricobjects. The sign (+/-) of the dimension controls which side of the object thesolution is on.

Tangent constraintUse the Tangent constraint to define a physical contact between two geometricobjects. There can be multiple solutions to a tangent constraint. To specifywhich solution is desired, a help point will be computed from the pick positionon the surface and used to find a unique solution to the tangent constraint.

The following are some examples of tangent constraints:

• Point on Surface.

• Line tangent to Surface.

• Plane tangent to Sphere.

• Plane tangent to Cylinder.


H


Mating Conditions dialog boxMating conditions are applied from the Mating Conditions dialog box and canbe accessed by clicking Mate Component on the Assemblies toolbar or bychoosing Assemblies→Components→Mate Component from the menu bar.

1 — Mating Conditions Tree Listing

2 — Mating Constraint Types

3 — Selection Steps

4 — Expression Value (for Angle and Distance constraints)


H


Preview

The Preview option becomes active after all the objects have been correctlyselected for a constraint. This option lets you preview the solution byactually moving the component based on the existing constraints. Additionalconstraints may still be applied. After previewing the constraint, click Applyor OK to accept the constraint or continue creating another constraint. Ifthe constraint is not correct, click Unpreview and use the Selection Steps todefine different FROM and TO faces.

OK, Apply, and Cancel

• OK— This should be selected only after all constraints have been applied.This will save the mating condition (and its constraints) and dismiss theMating Conditions dialog box.

• Apply — This will apply the constraint and the dialog box will remainopen.

• Cancel — This will dismiss the dialog box without saving any of theconstraints you added.


H


Define mating constraints

1. Select a Mating Type.

2. Select an object type from the Filter list (optional).

3. In the graphics window, select an object FROM component to be mated(component you are moving).

4. In the graphics window, select an object on the component to mate TO(component that will remain stationary).

5. Click Preview and then click Apply (the dialog box remains open to letyou add more constraints) or click OK to accept the constraint and dismissthe dialog box.

Degree of freedom indicators

Temporary arrows are displayed to indicate the remaining degrees of freedom.The Show Degrees of Freedom/Remove Degrees of Freedom options in theMating Condition shortcut menu may be used to turn on and off the displayof these arrows.

A Mate constraint applied to the faces shown below, constrains the smallblock in the direction normal to the faces. The small block is still free totranslate and rotate in the plane that the two shaded faces have in common.


H


Vary Constraints

The Vary Constraints option can be used to reposition the active component inthe Mating Conditions dialog box. Existing mating constraints will limit thefreedom of movement. This dialog box is similar to the Reposition Componentdialog box. A different component can be selected and repositioned by clickingSelect Component.


H


List Errors

If there are no degree of freedom indicators visible and the Preview option isunavailable, you may have tried to define an invalid mating constraint. Thiswill activate the List Errors button. Clicking it will present information aboutthe error. The constraint must be deleted and recreated.


H


Tree listingThe Mating Conditions Tree Listing list all of the assemblies matingconditions and constraints. Several options and viewing preferences maybe controlled from the Listing Tree.

1 — Mating Condition expanded to display constraint2 — Mating Constraint suppression toggle3 — Mating Condition4 — Mating Constraints5 — Mating Constraint shortcut menu

Suppress/Unsuppress

Mating Conditions or individual Mating Constraints may be suppressed orunsuppressed using the check box.

• A suppressed mating constraint is ignored during geometric edits.

• If a mating constraint is being unsuppressed, the mating condition mustbe solved again.


H


Mating constraint shortcut menu

The mating constraints shortcut menu is activated by using the shortcutmenu over a mating constraint.

• Alternate Solution – Produces any other solution that is applicable to theselected constraint.

• Convert To – Allows the constraint to be changed to another applicableconstraint, i.e. Mate to Distance.

• Delete – Removes the selected mating constraint.

• Rename – Allows the renaming of a mating constraint.


H


Mating condition shortcut menu

The mating condition shortcut menu is activated by using the shortcut menuover a mating condition.

Highlight/Unhighlight – will highlight or unhighlight the current condition.

• From – Highlights the FROM object for all constraints of the selectedcondition.

• To – Highlights the TO object for all constraints of the selected condition.

• With/Without Direction – Controls the display of the object normal ordirection vectors.

Show/Remove Degrees of Freedom – Controls the display of the remainingDegrees of Freedom (DOF).

Suppress/Unsuppress – Controls the suppression status of the selectedcondition. Can also be performed by using the suppression toggle in frontof the condition name.

• A suppressed mating condition is ignored during geometric edits.

• No error messages will be displayed for suppressed mating conditions.

• If you modify a component creating a failed constraint, that constraintmust be deleted before the mating condition can be unsuppressed.

Delete – Removes the selected mating condition.

Rename – Allows the renaming of a mating condition.

Remember Constraints – Mating constraints may be saved for a selectedmating condition within the assembly part. This allows “learned” orautomatic mating when the same component is added to the assembly again.


H


Reposition ComponentThe Reposition Component option may be used on a component that does nothave any mating conditions, has suppressed mating conditions, or is onlypartially constrained. If the component is partially constrained, its matingconstraints will be enforced within the reposition function.

To reposition a component click Reposition Component on the Assembliestoolbar or choose Assemblies→Components→Reposition Component fromthe menu bar.


H


Transform types

The Reposition Component dialog box includes the following transform types:

1 — Point to Point 5 — Reposition2 — Translate 6 — Rotate Between Axes3 — Rotate About a Point 7 — Rotating Between Points4 — Rotate About a line


H


Transform options

Move Objects or Move Handles Only

These radio buttons let you specify whether you want to move the componentalong with the drag handles or just the drag handles. The drag handles canbe repositioned to a specific orientation and used to drag the component alonga specific vector direction or about a specific axis.

Distance or Angle

The Distance input field (or Angle field if a rotation is being defined) lets youdefine a distance (or angle) for movement.

Snap Increment

Snap Increment allows snapping to “whole-multiple” distances when usingthe direction or rotation drag handles.

Vector Method

Provides options to define a vector when moving a component using one ofthe direction drag handles.

Snap Handles to WCS

Provides a means for moving the handles to the origin and orientation ofthe current WCS.

Motion Animation

This slider lets you specify how finely the motion is animated (from Fine toCoarse) during the motion that you have defined.


H


Collision options

Collision Action

Specifies what the system will do if a collision occurs.

• None — no action is taken.

• Highlight Collision— you can continue moving the components, and theareas that collided are highlighted.

• Stop Before Collision— the motion stops just before a collision occurs.The distance between the components when the motion stops dependson the setting of the Motion Animation slider. The closer the slider isto Fine, the shorter the distance.

Collision Checking Mode

Allows you to specify what types of objects will be checked for clearance whilerepositioning.


H


Repositioning components using drag handles

Components can be repositioned quickly and easily using drag handles.

When the Reposition Component dialog box is displayed, the graphics windowdisplays a set of handles.

There are several ways to reposition a component with the drag handles.

• To move the origin of the component to a specific point, select the origindrag handle (filled square) and then select a destination point. Thedestination points that can be selected are determined by the Snap Pointtoolbar.

• To drag the component to an arbitrary cursor location, select the origindrag handle (filled square) and drag to a new cursor location.

• To translate the component along an axis, select a translation drag handle(cone head) and drag the component.

• To rotate the component about an axis, select a rotation drag handle(filled circle) and drag the component.

• To orient the component to a saved coordinate system, select the origindrag handle (filled square) and then select the saved coordinate system.

The Move Handles Only option is used to first move the drag handles toa specific orientation before using them to move the component.


H


Alternate Mating ConditionsThere are cases in which you are required to substitute a part in an assemblythat is mated with many other components. If the replacement part is not aversion of the part you are replacing (different UID), you will lose all of themating constraints involving this part and would be forced to recreate them.

When you substitute using Alternate Mating Conditions, the new part willinherit the existing mating conditions regardless of the part history or thesubstitution method used (Reopen, Open Component As, or Substitute withthe Maintain Mating option)

Procedure – Define Alternates

To define Mating Alternates:

Step 1: Choose Assemblies→Components→Define Mating Alternates.

Step 2: Select the component to be replaced and click OK.

Step 3: Define names for each Mating Condition and click OK.

Step 4: In the new replacement part(s), use Edit→Properties to assignnames to the corresponding objects for each of the MatingConditions.

(or)

Step 4: Choose Assemblies→Components→Verify Mating Alternates.

Step 5: Select the component to be replaced and click OK.

Step 6: Using Choose Part File, select the new replacement part and clickOK.

Step 7: Select the corresponding objects for each Mating Condition andclick OK.

Step 8: Click Yes when all the Alternates have been fully defined.


H


Define Alternates

The Define Names dialog box allows you to identify the objects that are usedin the mating constraints of the component you will be replacing.

The dialog box lists the mating conditions of the part you are replacing andthe constraints of the selected condition. The system highlights the objectused for the selected constraint and prompts you to enter a name for it.

1 – List of matingconditions.

2 – Constraints ofhighlighted matingconditions.

3 – Enter name of object.

After a name is entered, you will continue to be prompted to enter names forobjects in the other constraints until all objects have been identified.


H


Activities: Alternate mating conditionsIn the Legacy mating conditions section, do the activity:

• Define and verify alternates


Index

AActivityCreating a Role Palette with a GroupRole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-10

Creating a User Role . . . . . . . . . . F-5AssembliesMirrored . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-5

Session where used . . . . . . . 16-5Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-5Where used . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-5

Assemblyconstraints

angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-11bond . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-13center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-12concentric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-6distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-7fit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-14fix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-8parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-9perpendicular . . . . . . . . . . . G-10touch align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-4types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-3

Constraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . G-2Assembly ConstraintsRemember AssemblyConstraints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13-2

Assembly Navigator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-2Assembly properties page . . . . . . 6-17Attributes properties page . . . . . 6-18Drag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-4General properties page . . . . . . . 6-22Parameters properties page . . . . 6-19Part File Property Page . . . . . . . 6-21Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-13Specifying Columns . . . . . . . . . . 6-12Weight properties page . . . . . . . . 6-20

B

BlendVariable radius . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-2

C

Check Clearances . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6-23ComponentReplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-11Component Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-2editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-5feature-based . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14-7Component partsClose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-7Reopen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-9Copy/Paste Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-6Create a new component . . . . . . . . . 8-3Customer DefaultsDirectory Structures . . . . . . . . . . . B-8DPV . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-6Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4, B-6Setting Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-4

D

Delete Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-7Design in context of an assembly . . . 8-7Draft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-8

E

Edge blendoverflow resolutions . . . . . . . . . . 12-9

examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-10explicit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12-11

ExpressionsComments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-6Conditional . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-10Dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-2

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies Index-1

Index

Edit Interpart References . . . . . . 10-7functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-6interpart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2Listed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-5Load Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-10Measurements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-12operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C-3precedence and associativity . . . . . C-4Extract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-2Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18-5

F

Family of partsspreadsheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-5Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-3Family of Partsadding members to assembly . . . 15-4Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-2dialog box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . E-2report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15-7File Versioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-12example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-14

G

GatewayRoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-2

I

Instance Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-11Interpart modeling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9-2Interpart Modelingenabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11Interpart references . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-2overriding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-4Partial loading issues . . . . . . . . . 10-9referencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-3Tips and recommendedpractices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10-11

L

Load OptionsAllow Replacement . . . . . . . . . . 16-13search folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24

M

Mating Alternates . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-24Mating Conditions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-1Align . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-4Angle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-5Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-8Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-10Mate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-3Parallel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-6Perpendicular . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-7Tangent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-10Vary Constraint . . . . . . . . . . . . . H-13Mirror Feature . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-2Mirrored Assemblies . . . . . . . . . . . 9-15

O

Offset Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-2Offset Region . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11-5Override Position . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . D-2

P

Part in process modeling . . . . . . . . . 9-8Pattern Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5-15ProcedureCreating a Group Role . . . . . . . . . F-8Creating a User Role . . . . . . . . . . F-3Edit a User Role . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-7Promotion of Bodiesenabling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-11

R

Reference Sets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-2Creating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-10Deleting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-20Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-19Empty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4Entire Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-4Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-12Load Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-21Replacing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-14Simplified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-7Remember Assembly Constraints . . 13-2Replace components . . . . . . . . . . . 16-11

Index-2 Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies mt10056_s NX 6

Index

using Reopen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-15Using Replace . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-14Reposition Component . . . . . . . . . . H-19Revisions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-2using Save As . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16-3Roles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-2creating group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-8creating user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-3editing user . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-7Protected . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-13User-Defined . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . F-2

SSearch Folders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7-24Selection Scope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-8SketchAdd Existing Curves . . . . . . . . . . . 1-9Animate Dimension . . . . . . . . . . . 2-7

Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-8Auto Constrain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-2

Auto Constrain options . . . . . 1-3Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-4

Edit Defining String . . . . . . . . . . . 2-4Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-5

Offset Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-10Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-11Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-12

Perimeter constraint . . . . . . . . . . 1-11

Positioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-2Project . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5Project Curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-5

Editing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-7Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1-6

Sketch on PathOverview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4

Sketch On Path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-4Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-5

Splines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-2

TTop-down design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-2

UUnique Identifier (UID) . . . . . . . . 16-12Using Deformable Parts . . . . . . . . . 17-3Using Flexible Components . . . . . . 17-3Deforming a Component in anAssembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17-10

VV-sweep . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3-7, 3-10Variable radius blends . . . . . . . . . . 12-2tips and techniques . . . . . . . . . . . 12-6Versioning Rules . . . . . . . . . . . . . . B-12

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies Index-3

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Your Name U.S. citizen Yes No Course Title/Dates Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies / thru Hotel/motel you are staying at during your training Planned departure time on last day of class Employer Location Your title and job responsibilities / Industry: Auto Aero Consumer products Machining Tooling Medical Other Types of products/parts/data that you work with Reason for training Please verify/add to this list of training for Unigraphics, I-deas, Imageware, Teamcenter Mfg., Teamcenter Eng. (I-Man), Teamcenter Enterprise (Metaphase), or Dimensional Mgmt./Visualization. Medium means Instructor-lead (IL), On-line (OL), or Self-paced (SP) Software From Whom When Course Name Medium

Other CAD/CAM/CAE /PDM software you have used

Please “check”! your ability/knowledge in the following… Subject

CAD modeling CAD assemblies CAD drafting CAM CAE PDM – data management PDM – system management

None

Novice

Intermediate

Advanced

Platform (operating system) Thank you for your participation and we hope your training experience will be an outstanding one.

Intermediate NX Design and Assemblies Course Agenda

Monday Morning • Introduction & Overview • Workbook Project Description • Lesson 1. Constrain Sketches • Lesson 2. Additional Sketching Techniques • Workbook Section 1 Create the Inner Mold line

Afternoon • Workbook Section 2 Create the Bottom Housing – Part 1 • Workbook Section 3 Create the Impeller, Part 1

Tuesday Morning • Lesson 3. Basic Free Form • Lesson 4. Expressions • Lesson 5. Duplicate Features

Afternoon • Lesson 5. Duplicate Features (Continued) • Workbook Section 4 Create the Bottom Housing – Part 2 • Lesson 6. Assembly Functions • Lesson 7. Reference Sets • Workbook Section 5 Create the Assembly Part File

Wednesday Morning • Lesson 8. Top-Down Assembly Modeling • Lesson 9. Interpart Geometry

Afternoon • Lesson 9. Interpart Geometry (Continued) • Workbook Section 6 Create the Shaft Sub-Assembly • Lesson 10. Interpart References • Workbook Section 7 Create the Upper Housing • Lesson 11. Face Operations • Workbook Section 8 Create the Impeller, Part 2

Thursday Morning • Lesson 12. Variable Radius and Blend Overflow • Workbook Section 9 Create the Impeller, Part 3 • Workbook Section 10 Create the Impeller, Part 4

Afternoon • Lesson 13. Remember Assembly Constraints • Lesson 14. Component Arrays • Lesson 15. Family of Parts • Workbook Section 11 Add the Hardware to the Assembly

Continued on back

Friday Morning • Lesson 16. Revise and replace components • Workbook Section 12 Edit the Assembly Part File • Workbook Section 13 Apply a Revision to the Assembly • Lesson 17. Deform Part

Afternoon • Lesson 18. Extract & Delete Face • Lesson 19. Assembly Arrangements • Workbook Section 14 Provide a Second Arrangement

Accelerators

The following Accelerators can be listed from within an NX session by choosing Information→Custom Menubar→Accelerators.

Function Accelerator File→New... Ctrl+N File→Open... Ctrl+O File→Save Ctrl+S File→Save As... Ctrl+Shift+A File→Plot... Ctrl+P File→Execute→Grip... Ctrl+G File→Execute→Debug Grip... Ctrl+Shift+G File→Execute→NX Open... Ctrl+U Edit→Undo Ctrl+Z Edit→Redo Ctrl+Y Edit→Cut Ctrl+X Edit→Copy Ctrl+C Edit-Paste Ctrl+V Edit→Delete... Ctrl+D or Delete Edit→Selection→Top Selection Priority - Feature F Edit→Selection→Top Selection Priority - Face G Edit→Selection→Top Selection Priority - Body B Edit→Selection→Top Selection Priority - Edge E Edit→Selection→Top Selection Priority - Component C Edit→Selection-Select All Ctrl+A Edit→Show and Hide→Show and Hide... (by type) Ctrl+W Edit→Show and Hide→Hide... Ctrl+B Edit→Show and Hide→Invert Shown and Hidden Ctrl+Shift+B Edit→Show and Hide→Immediate Hide… Ctrl+Shift+I Edit→Show and Hide→Show... Ctrl+Shift+K Edit→Show and Hide→Show All Ctrl+Shift+U Edit→Transform... Ctrl+T Edit→Move Object Ctrl+Shift+M Edit→Object Display... Ctrl+J View→Operation→Zoom... Ctrl+Shift+Z View→Operation→Rotate... Ctrl+R View→Operation→Section... Ctrl+H View→Layout→New... Ctrl+Shift+N View→Layout→Open... Ctrl+Shift+O View→Layout→Fit All Views (only with multiple views) Ctrl+Shift+F View→Layout→Fit Ctrl+F View→Visualization→High Quality Image... Ctrl+Shift+H View→Information Window F4 Hide or show the current dialog box F3

View→Reset Orientation Ctrl+F8 Insert→Sketch... S Insert→Design Feature→Extrude... X Insert→Design Feature→Revolve... R Insert→Trim→Trimmed Sheet... T Insert→Sweep→Variational Sweep... V Format→Layer Settings... Ctrl+L Format→Visible in View... Ctrl+Shift+V Format→WCS→Display W Tools→Expression... Ctrl+E Tools→Update→Make First Feature Current Ctrl+Shift+Home Tools→Update→Make Previous Feature Current Ctrl+Shift+Left Arrow Tools→Update→Make Next Feature Current Ctrl+Shift+Right Arrow Tools→Update→Make Last Feature Current Ctrl+Shift+End Tools→Journal→Play... Alt+F8 Tools→Journal→Edit Alt+F11 Tools→Macro→Start Record... Ctrl+Shift+R Tools→Macro→Playback... Ctrl+Shift+P Tools→Macro→Step... Ctrl+Shift+S Tools→Movie→Record Alt+F5 Tools→Movie→Stop Alt+F7 Information→Object... Ctrl+I Analysis→Curve→Refresh Curvature Graphs Ctrl+Shift+C Preferences→Object... Ctrl+Shift+J Preferences→Selection... Ctrl+Shift+T Start→Modeling... M or Ctrl+M Start→All Applications→Shape Studio... Ctrl+Alt+S Start→Drafting... Ctrl+Shift+D Start→Manufacturing... Ctrl+Alt+M Start→NX Sheet Metal... Ctrl+Alt+N Start→Assemblies A Help→On Context... F1 Refresh F5 Fit Ctrl+F Zoom F6 Rotate F7 Orient View-Trimetric Home Orient View-Isometric End Orient View-Top Ctrl+Alt+T Orient View-Front Ctrl+Alt+F Orient View-Right Ctrl+Alt+R Orient View-Left Ctrl+Alt+L Snap View F8

Cloning an Assembly

1. Choose Assemblies Cloning Create Clone Assembly.

2. Choose Add Assembly.

3. Navigate to the directory where the assembly file is located.

4. Select the assembly file and choose OK.

5. Choose the Naming tab.

6. Choose Define Naming Rule.

7. Choose the desired Naming Rule method and enter the required text strings.

8. Choose OK.

9. In the Default Output Directory text box, enter the address of where the cloned assembly is to reside.

10. Choose the Main tab.

11. Checkmark Dry Run on.

12. Choose Execute.

13. If there are no errors, close the information window and choose Execute.

Evaluation – Delivery NX 6 INT, Course #TR10056

Dates thru

Please share your opinion in all of the following sections with a “check” in the appropriate box: Instructor:

If there were 2 instructors, please evaluate the 2nd instructor with “X’s”

Instructor: 1. …clearly explained the course objectives 2. …was knowledgeable about the subject 3. …answered my questions appropriately 4. … encouraged questions in class 5. …was well spoken and a good communicator 6. …was well prepared to deliver the course 7. …made good use of the training time 8. …conducted themselves professionally 9. …used examples relevant to the course and audience 10. …provided enough time to complete the exercises 11. …used review and summary to emphasize important information 12. …did all they could to help the class meet the course objectives

Comments on overall impression of instructor(s):

Overall impression of instructor(s) Poor Excellent Suggestions for improvement of course delivery:

What you liked best about the course delivery:

Class Logistics: 1. The training facilities were comfortable, clean, and provided a good learning

environment 2. The computer equipment was reliable 3. The software performed properly 4. The overhead projection unit was clear and working properly 5. The registration and confirmation process was efficient

Hotels: (We try to leverage this information to better accommodate our customers)

1. Name of the hotel Best hotel I’ve stayed at

2. Was this hotel recommended during your registration process? YES NO

3. Problem? (brief description)

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Evaluation - Courseware NX 6 INT, Course #TR10056

:

Please share your opinion for all of the following sections with a “check” in the appropriate box

Material:

1. The training material supported the course and lesson objectives 2. The training material contained all topics needed to complete the projects 3. The training material provided clear and descriptive directions 4. The training material was easy to read and understand 5. The course flowed in a logical and meaningful manner 6. How appropriate was the length of the course relative to the material? Too short Too long Just right

Comments on Course and Material:

Overall impression of course Poor Excellent

Student:

1. I met the prerequisites for the class (I had the skills I needed) 2. My objectives were consistent with the course objectives 3. I will be able to use the skills I have learned on my job 4. My expectations for this course were met 5. I am confident that with practice I will become proficient

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Thank you for your business. We hope to continue to provide your training and personal

development for the future.

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nx6 inter midi ate design.pdf

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