Chapter 6
Creating and Documenting
Assemblies
Chapter 6 - Objectives
• After completing this chapter, you will be
able to
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Understand the assembly options
Create bottom-up assemblies
Create top-down assemblies
Create subassemblies
Constrain components together using
assembly constraints
– Edit assembly constraints
– Create adaptive parts
– Pattern components in an assembly
Chapter 6 – Objectives
continued
• After completing this chapter, you will be
able to
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Check parts in an assembly for interference
Drive constraints
Create design view representations
Create flexible assemblies
Create positional representations
Create a presentation file
Create individual and automatic balloons
Create a parts list of an assembly
Creating Assemblies
• New Assembly Files
– .IAM Extension
– Creation Methods
• New icon – What To Do
• New – File Menu
• New icon – Down Arrow
Creating Assemblies
• Assembly Options
– Tools > Application Options > Assembly
tab
Creating Assemblies
• Assembly Browser
– Part Occurrence
– Assembly Constraints
– Subassembly Occurrence
Creating Assemblies
• Bottom-Up Approach
– Components are created in their
individual files
– Place Component tool
– ‘P’ hot key
Creating Assemblies
• Top-Down Approach
– Create new components while in
an assembly
– Create Component tool
– Create In-Place Component
Dialog
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Component Name
Template to be used
File Location
Default BOM Structure
Virtual Component
Constraint to selected face
Creating Assemblies
• Occurrence
– Copy of existing
components
• Copy/Paste
• Place Component
• Drag & Drop
– Any change to original
updates all occurrences
• Save Copy As… to create
a copy that is not linked to
original
Creating Assemblies
• Occurrence
– Active Component – Available for edit
• Double-click in the graphics area
• Double-click file name/icon in the Browser
• Right-click in the Browser > Edit
Creating Assemblies
• Occurrence
– Grounded Component
• The Component will not move
– All Degrees Of Freedom are removed
– When constraining, components move to a
Grounded component
• Any # of components can be grounded
Creating Assemblies
• Subassembly Creation
– Create Component
• Change file type to Assembly
Promote/Demote
Right-click after selecting a
component in the Browser
Promote – moves a
component(s) to it’s parent
assembly
Demote – moves a
component(s) to a subassembly
Restructuring Components
Drag in Browser
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Create relationships
between components
• Bolt and a Hole
• Reduce the number of
Degrees Of Freedom
– 6 total (3-translational
& 3-rotational)
– View > Degrees of
Freedom
– Component Properties
> Occurrence tab
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Placing Constraints
• Constraint tool
– Right-click > Constraint
– ‘C’ hot key
• Place Constraint Dialog
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
–Constraint Types – Assembly tab
• Mate
– Plane, Line, or Point
» Assembles two components so that the surface normal
on the selected planes are opposite each other
» Assembles the edges of lines
» Assembles two points together
• Flush Solution
– Aligns two components so the selected planes face the same
direction (surface normal point in the same direction)
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Assembly tab
• Angle
– Specify the degrees between the selected planes
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Assembly tab
• Tangent
– Defines a tangent relationship between planes,
cylinders, spheres, cones, and ruled splines
– At least one selected face must be a curve
– Inside/Outside Solutions
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Assembly tab
• Insert
– Two circular edges
– Centerlines are aligned & mate constraint is
applied to the planes defined by the circular
edges.
– 5 DOF are removed with an insert constraint
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
–Constraint Types – Motion tab
• Animation the motion of gears pulleys, rack and pinions,
etc.
– You can drive one component and cause others to move
accordingly
• Motion constraints are secondary constraints
– They do not maintain positional relationships between
components
• Recommended: fully constrain
components before applying
motion constraints, then
suppress the constraints
restricting motion
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Motion tab
• Rotation
– Define a component that will rotate in relation to
another component
– Specify a ratio for the rotation between the two
components
– Forward & Backward solution types
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Motion tab
• Rotation-Translation
– Define rotation relative to translation of a second
component
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Transitional tab
• Transitional
– Specifies a transitional relationship between a
cylindrical part face and a contiguous set of faces on
another part
Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Snap ‘n Go
• ALT – drag a part to another part
– No Place Constraint dialog box
– Select correct area on the part to apply the constraint
M or 1
Changes to a mate constraint. Spacebar flips to a flush solution.
A or 2
Changes to an angle constraint. Spacebar flips angle direction.
T or 3
Changes to a tangent constraint. Spacebar flips between inside/outside solutions.
I or 4
Changes to an insert constraint. Spacebar flips insert direction.
R or 5
Changes to a rotation motion constraint. Spacebar flips the rotation direction.
S or 6
Changes to a rotation-translation constraint. Spacebar flips the translation
direction
X or 8
Changes to a transitional constraint.
Assembly Constraints
• Moving & Rotating Components
– Move Component Tool
• Drag individual components in any linear
direction in the viewing plane
• Temporarily suppresses assembly
constraints on the component until the
assembly is updated (constraints are then
re-applied)
– Rotate Component Tool
• After selected, the 3D rotate symbol
appears on the selected component
• Similar to the Move Component tool,
Rotate Component temporarily suppresses
any assembly constraints applied to the
component
Assembly Constraints
• Editing
– Two Methods via the
Browser
• Double-click the constraint
name
• Right-click the constraint
name and select Edit,
Suppress, or Delete
– Edit - opens the Edit
Constraint
dialog box
– Suppress – the assy
constraint
is not applied
– Delete – deletes the assy
constraint
Assembly Constraints
•Conflicts
–Alert Box
• If you try to place or edit an assembly constraint
and it cannot be applied, an alert box is displayed
explaining the problem.
–Conflicting
• When assembly constraint conflicts with another
one, a small yellow icon with an exclamation
point is displayed in the Browser
–Recover
• Displays the Design Doctor
to walk you through the
steps to fix the problem
Assembly Constraints
• Conflicts
– Redundant
• Occurs when too many constraints are added.
• Constraints are preceded with an information
symbol
Exercise 6-1
• Assembling Parts
Designing Parts In-Place
• In-Place Creation
– Initial Sketch Creation
• Face of an existing assembly component
• Work Plane
– Automatically constrain the sketch plane to
the selected face or work plane
• Creates a Flush constraint between the
sketch and the selected face or plane
Designing Parts In-Place
• In-Place Creation
– After the base feature is created
• Create additional features based on geometry
from another part in the assembly an
adaptive work plane is created.
• The adaptive work plane moves as necessary
to reflect changes in the component that it is
based upon
– The sketch moves with the plane
– Features based on the sketch adapt to match its
new position
Exercise 6-2
• Designing Parts in the Assembly
Context
Assembly Browser
• Tools
– In-Place Activation
• Double-click a subassembly or component
occurrence in the Browser to activate it
• Right-click > Edit
• All components that are not active are shaded
in the Browser
Assembly Browser
• Tools
– Visibility Control
• Expand the Browser until the desired component
occurrence is visible
• Right-click > Visibility
Adaptivity
• Definition
–Allows the size of a part to be determined by setting
up a relationship between the part and another part in
the assembly
• Under-constrained sketches and features can adapt
• The adaptivity relationship is acquired by applying
constraints between an adaptive sketch or feature and
another part
– The sketch cannot be fully constrained
– A part can only be adaptive in one assembly at a time
– Only one occurrence of a part can be adaptive – other
occurrences reflect the size of the adaptive part
–Example
• Diameter of a pin from the size of a hole or vice-versa
Adaptivity
• Options
– Tools > Application Options > Assembly tab
Adaptivity
• Example
– The rectangular sketch is not dimensioned
along its length
Adaptivity
• Example
– The extruded feature is defined as adaptive
Adaptivity
• Example
– Parts are placed, constraints applied between
the two plates (flush between the faces on
the ends of the plates)
Component Visibility
• Components Visibility
– On or Off
• Right-click a component and
select Visibility from the menu
– Enabled
• Component is displayed as wire
frame and cannot be selected in
the graphics window
• Right-click a component and
select Enabled from the menu
Exercise 6-3
• Creating Adaptive Parts
PATTERN COMPONENTS
• Pattern Components
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Rectangular
Circular
Based on Feature Pattern
Suppress Elements
Pattern Assemblies
Replace Components
Exercise 6-4
• Patterning Components
Analysis Tools
• Center of Gravity
– View > Center of Gravity
• Displays Gray when the properties are out of date
• Hover the cursor over the origin of the symbol to
display the COG coordinates
Analysis Tools
• Interference Checking
– Tools > Analyze Interference
• Define Set #1 – select components that define set 1
• Define Set #2 – select components that define set 2
Exercise 6-5
• Analyzing an Assembly
Driving Constraints
• Drive Constraint tool
– Simulate motion
• Right-click on a constraint in the Browser
> Drive Constraint
Driving Constraints
• Drive Constraint tool
– Dialog Box
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Start, End, Pause
Play Controls
Record
More Button
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Drive Adaptivity
Collision Detection
Increment
Repetitions
AVI Rate
Exercise 6-6
• Driving Constraints
Design View Representations
• Save configurations that show the assembly
in different states, stores the following
– Component visibility (visible or not visible)
– Component selection status (enabled or not
enabled)
– Color settings and style characteristics
applied in the assembly
– Zoom magnification
– Viewing angle
Design View Representations
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Create New Design View Representation
Make Active
Rename
Lock
Public vs. Private Design Views
Flexible Assemblies
• Set Flexible property to a subassembly to
allow movement independent from other
occurrences of the subassembly
Positional Representations
• Create a motion study of an assembly
model
– Based on positional representation
Positional Representations
• Override Settings for an assembly
constraint
– Suppression
– Value
Positional Representations
• Create Base Views based on Positional
Representation
Exercise 6-7
• Positional Representations
Creating Overlay Views
• Overlay views document positional
representations of an assembly in a single
view.
Presentation Files
• File Type
– .IPN Extension
• Exploded Views
• Hide specific components
• Create animations of assembly and
disassembly of components
• Work Plane
– Associated with the assembly file
• Changes made to the assembly are reflected
in the presentation
Presentation Files
• Panel Bar
– Presentation Panel
Create View
Creates views of the assembly
Tweak
Components
Moves and/or rotates parts in the view
Precise View
Rotation
Rotates the view by a specified angle direction using a
dialog box
Animation
Creates an animation of the assembly – AVI file can
be output
Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Create a presentation view
• Create View tool
• Adds a presentation view to the file and the
Browser
Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Tweaking Components
• Moves or Rotates components a specified
distance or angle
• Auto Explode
– Extends all tweaks the same distance
Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Tweaking Components
• Tweak Component Dialog Box
– Manual Tweaks
Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Animation
• Animate Tool
– Controls for playback
– Record to AVI file
Presentation Files
• Creating
Presentation
Views
– Animation
• Animate Tool >
More button
– Changing the
Animation
Sequence
– Move Up /
Down
– Group /
Ungroup
Exercise 6-8
• Creating Presentation Views
Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Base View
– Base View tool
Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Balloons
– Balloon tools
• Balloon - Single Components
• Auto balloon – Selected Components
Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Balloons
– Editing
• Right-click a balloon > Edit Balloon
• Edit Balloon dialog box
– Balloon Type
– Balloon Value
Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Edit Balloons
– Aligning Balloons Vertically or Horizontally
• Select multiple balloons > right-click
• Offset Value is set on the Balloon tab
(Format > Standards)
• Text Style is set on the Balloon tab
(Format > Standards)
Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Parts Lists
– Parts List tool
• Select a view
• Enter options in the Parts List dialog
• Click OK
Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Parts Lists
– Editing
• Right-click and select Edit Parts List
Exercise 6-9
• Creating Assembly Drawings
Summary
To
Do This
Place a component in an
assembly
Click the Place Component tool on the Assembly
Panel Bar or on the Assembly toolbar.
Create a component in an
assembly
Click the Create Component tool on the Assembly
Panel Bar or on the Assembly toolbar.
Place an assembly constraint
Click the Constraint tool on the Assembly Panel Bar
or on the Assembly toolbar.
Edit an assembly constraint
Double-click the constraint in the Browser or rightclick and select Edit from the menu.
Edit a component in place
Double-click the component in the graphics window
or Browser.
Control component visibility
Right-click the component in the graphics window
or Browser and select Visibility from the menu.
Check component
interference
Click Tools > Analyze Interference.
Summary
To
Do This
Move an assembly through a
range of motion
Drag an under constrained component.
Create a presentation file
Create a new file with the .ipn extension and click
the Create View button.
Create a balloon
Click the Balloon tool on the Drawing Annotation
Panel Bar.
Create a parts list
Click the Parts List tool on the Drawing Annotation
Panel Bar.
Applying Your Skills
• Skill Exercise 6-1
• Skill Exercise 6-2