In this lesson you will learn to draw points, lines, and circles and become familiar with how to trim elements.
You will draw the geometry using the dimensions in this drawing. All dimensions are in millimeters.
Create a new ESPRIT document
You will start with a new document that does not have any geometry at all.
Open ESPRIT or, if ESPRIT is already running, click New.
Make sure System Unit, on the Tools menu, is set to Metric.
Set the view to ‘Top’.
Make sure SNAP mode and HI mode are active.
Draw the par t boundar y as a rectangle
The outer boundary of the part is the perfect shape for using the Rectangle command. The Rectangle command requires the entry of two point locations that define the opposite corners of the shape. The first point is located at the origin, so you only need to create a point for the upper right corner of the rectangle.
On the Smart tool bar, click Geometry.
• Click Point .
• Select ‘Cartesian/Center’.
• Enter the following values for the point:
• X = 120
• Y = 90
• Z = 0
• Click Apply to add the point and then close the dialog.
• On the View toolbar, click ‘Zoom to Fit All’ to see the point.
• Click Rectangle .
• You are prompted to “Select First Reference Point”. Select the origin point located in the middle of the screen.
• You are prompted to “Select Second Reference Point”. Select the point you created.
Draw the boundar y lines for the pocket
The edges of the pocket are offset from the part boundary by 5 mm. Now that you have the boundary geometry, you can use it as a reference for additional geometry. You will use the segments in the boundary to create parallel lines.
• Click Line 1 .
• You are prompted to “Select Reference Element”. Select one of the segments.
• You are prompted to “Enter Distance”. Type 5 and press Enter.
• You are prompted to select an offset direction of “Up, Down, Left, or Right”. Digitize inside the boundary.
Trim the pocket boundar y
• Click Keep .
• Select a line by digitizing it inside the pocket boundary since this is the portion of the line you want to keep.
• Digitize the other three lines in the same way so that all the lines are trimmed.
• You are again prompted to select a reference element. Select another segment in the boundary.
• This time the distance defaults to 5, so just press Enter.
• Again digitize inside the boundary.
• Follow the prompts to create the next two lines for the pocket.
Add more detail to the pocket
The upper portion of the pocket is 35 mm across. There is also an angled line that starts 45 mm above the bottom of the part boundary.
• Click Line 1 .
• Select the left pocket segment and enter a distance of 35.
• Digitize to the right of the selected segment.
• Select the bottom segment of the part boundary and enter a distance of 45.
• Digitize above the selected segment.
Draw the angled line
With Line 1 still active, click INT mode to activate it.
• Move the cursor over the intersection of the two lines you just created and click to select the intersection.
• You are prompted to “Enter Angle”. Type -10 and press Enter.
• Click ‘Select’ and then select the horizontal line. Press the Delete key since you do not need this line anymore.
Fillet the pocket corners
All the corners of the pocket have a 6 mm fillet except for the intersection of the angled line, which is sharp.
• Click Fillet/Chamfer .
• In the dialog, set the Radius to 6.
• At each outer corner of the pocket, select each segment on the side that is inside the pocket boundary. A fillet is created and the segments are automatically trimmed.
• Change the Radius to 0.
• Select the angled segment to the right of the intersection.
• Select the vertical segment above the intersection.
Draw the first point for the hole pattern
From the drawing, you know that one circle is positioned 8 mm away from the top right corner of the part boundary. You also know the width and height of the part, so you can calculate the location for the first circle.
Click Point .
In the dialog, select ‘Cartesian/Center’.
For the X value, enter 120-8 (width minus the offset).
For the Y value, enter 90-8 (height minus the offset).
Set Z to 0 and click Apply to create the first point.
Draw an array of points
The holes in the hole pattern are evenly spaced 64 mm horizontally and 30 mm vertically. The easiest way to create a hole pattern is to use the Point Array command to create the center points.
• Click Point Array .
• In the dialog, select ‘Grid’.
• Set ‘Number’ to 2 in the left column (number of points horizontally) and 2 in the right column (number of points vertically).
• Set ‘Distance’ to -64 (horizontal distance) and -30 (vertical distance).
Negative values are used because you want to create the array below and to the left of the point you just created.
• Set ‘Angle’ to 0 horizontally and 90 vertically.
• Select the first point of the hole pattern.
Draw the hole pattern
The last step is to draw the 7 mm diameter holes using the points you created.
• Click Circle 1 .
• Select a point.
• You are prompted to “Enter Radius”. Type 7/2 and press Enter.
• Select another point and press Enter to accept the default radius. Create the other two circles in the same way.
• Press the Escape key to exit the Circle 1 command.