Assembly Design CATIA V5

Assembly Design

Fundamentals

CATIA Training

Foils

Course Presentation

Objectives of the course

In this course you will learn to create and manage CATProduct files.

Targeted audience

CATIA V5 users

Prerequisites

Part Design Courses

Table of Contents (1/2)

1. Assembly Design Workbench Presentation

p. 5

1.

Accessing the Workbench

p. 6

2.

User Interface

p. 8

3.

Terminology

p. 10

4.

General Process

p. 11

2. Assembling Components

p. 13

1.

Creating a New Assembly Document

p. 14

2.

Adding Components

p. 18

3.

Assigning Component Properties

p. 29

4.

Saving an Assembly Document

p. 33

3. Positioning Components Using Constraints

p. 44

1.

Freely Moving Components

p. 45

2.

Defining Assembly Constraints

p. 52

3.

Updating Assembly Constraints

p. 72

4.

Creating Quick Constraint

p. 80

5.

Multi Constraints Modes

p. 84

6.

Hiding Constraints

p. 89

7.

Filtering Constraints

p. 95

4. Analyzing an Assembly

p. 102

1.

Analyzing Constraints

p. 103

2.

Analyzing Degrees of freedom

p. 109

3.

Measuring an Assembly

p. 112

4.

Checking For Clash and Clearance

p. 119

5. Editing Parts in an Assembly

p. 128

1.

Designing in Context Of an Assembly

p. 129

2.

Aligning Components For Sketching

p. 139

3.

Using Local Axis For Snapping

p. 142

6. Working with Components

p. 146

1.

Using Visualization Mode

p. 147

2.

Deleting Components

p. 156

3.

Duplicating Components

p. 160

4.

Symmetrical Sub-Assemblies

p. 169

5.

Replacing Components

p. 175

6.

Restructuring Components

p. 180

7.

Reordering Product Structure

p. 184

7. Flexible Sub-Assemblies

p. 189

1.

Flexible Sub-Assemblies

p. 190

2.

What can you Do with Flexible Sub-Assemblies ?

P. 197

3.

Managing Flexible Sub-Assemblies with Several Levels

p. 202

4.

Propagating Position to Reference

p. 209

Assembly Design Workbench Presentation

You will learn about the Assembly Design Workbench by:

Accessing the workbench

Exploring its user interface

Learning its terminology

Accessing the Assembly Design Workbench (1/2)

To access the Assembly Design Workbench,

select

Mechanical Design

and then

Assembly Design

in the Start menu

Assembly Design Workbench icon

Accessing the Assembly Design Workbench (2/2)

If you are going to work a lot with the Assembly Design workbench, we advise you to setup

a direct access to it. To do so, you need to change your list of favorite workbenches:

The order of the Start menu follows the order of the workbenches in the Favorite list.

The same order is used in the Welcome pop-up and in the Workbench menu

1

Add Assembly Design in the Favorites List

3a

The icon is added In the Workbenches Toolbar The icon is added in the Welcome pop-up window

2

2

User Interface: Assembly Design Toolbars

2

4

5

8

User Interface: Assembly Design Icons

Flexible/Rigid Sub Assembly Change Constraint Reuse Pattern Measure Between Measure Item Manage Representation Fast Multi-Instantiation New Component New Product Existing Component Replace Component New Part

Product structure Reordering Generate Numbering Product Init

Catalog Browser

Measure Inertia

Weld Planner

Flag Note with Leader Text with Leader Stop Manipulate on Clash

1

2

3

5

4

6

7

8

Distance and Band Analysis

Terminology

• A

component

is a general term: it can be a part or an assembly. An assembly that belongs to

another assembly is called a sub-assembly.

• An

Assembly

is a collection of components and constraints between them. An Assembly is also a

document. It has the file extension

CATProduct

. Thus an assembly is also called a “

Product

”.

• All parts and assemblies belonging to an assembly have a

Part Number

(by default it is the Name

of the component).

All instances of a part or assembly have the same Part Number. Each instance has its own

Instance Name

that identifies the instance.

“Instance name” -

by

default is in brackets

The “active item”

is in blue

A “selected component”

is highlighted

Component that is a

part

the icon)

Component that is a

sub-assembly

General Process

Create a new assembly or

open an existing one

Add, delete, and replace components Position components using constraints Analyze the assembly

Capture various states of the assembly for analyzing the design and

preparing for drafting

Design parts in the context of the

To Sum Up ...

To introduce you to CATIA Assembly Design workbench, you have seen:

How to access the workbench

Its user interface and tools

The terminology that is used

The general design process

Assembling Components

Creating a New Assembly Document

Adding Components

Assigning Component Properties

Saving an Assembly Document

To Sum Up

Creating a New Assembly Document

Here, you will learn how to define a new assembly, thus creating a new

CATProduct document.

What Is an Assembly Document?

An Assembly or Product is a collection of components stored in a document that

has the .CATProduct extension.

The assembly is called “Clamp” It is stored as a CATProduct file

“pad” is a part

(It is stored as a CATPart document and only referenced in this assembly)

An assembly often contains another assembly, which is then called a sub-assembly

A blank sheet behind a component icon means that the component is linked to an external file: in this example, all components have external files (CATProduct and CATPart files)

In this example, the “Clamp” assembly is made of different parts.

Defining a New Assembly Document

There are 3 ways to define a new document :

1- Start menu

2- File+New menu

3- Workbench Icon

Assembly Design Workbench icon

Assigning Product Properties

Right-click the assembly

4

Type the Part Number and all other relevant information describing the assembly

Add descriptive information to the new Assembly Document by editing its

properties.

The default “Product1” name of the assembly is replaced by the “Part Number” you typed.

Adding Components

What are Components ?

In its simplest form, a Component is a CATIA V5 Part or Assembly (i.e. a CATPart or

a CATProduct file) that has been inserted into an assembly. However, a Component

can also be data that is not native to V5, such as V4 models, IGES, STEP, and VRML

files.

The root assembly

Part (CATPart)

component

Assembly (CATProduct)

component

V4 model (MODEL) Component

(notice the MASTER node below)

Components existing only in their “parent”

CATProduct files.

You see this because there is

no blank

sheet

in their icon. This means that these

components do not have external files.

Adding Components

Most visible way is to select the assembly and use the icons in the 2

1

Fastest way is to right-click the assembly (that will receive the component) and use the Contextual Menu to insert the

component

3 Last way is to select the assembly and _{use the Insert Menu}

There are 3 ways to add components into an assembly: Contextual Menu,

Product Structure toolbar, and Insert Menu.

Inserting an Existing Component

1

2

3b Double-click on the document to add Select “Existing Component…”

When you add existing parts or assemblies as components, their corresponding files

are not copied into the assembly, they are just “referenced” by the assembly.

You can add more than one component at a time by selecting with the mouse while holding the [SHIFT] or [CTRL] key (= multi-selection)

3a Choose a filter if necessary (for example CATPart, CATProduct, model, etc)

Inserting a New Part

4

If you pressed YES, select a point or a component to define the origin of the new part

Press YES to define an origin for the new part that is different from the origin point of the assembly, otherwise press NO:

•If you select a component, the origin point of the new part will be the same as the origin point of the selected component

•If you select a point, the origin of the new part will be exactly this point

You can add a new part (CATPart) on-the-fly while designing an assembly.

Key a Part Number for the new part. This sets the Part Number property.

3

2 Select “New Part” Right-click on the assembly

User Setting: Manual Input Of Part Numbers

Select “Product Structure” tab 1 2 Select the “Product Structure” node under 3

“Infrastructure” node

It is a handy shortcut to be able to type its Part Number when adding a new part

in an assembly. Otherwise, you’ll have to change the default component Part

Number (PartX or ProductX) later in its properties.

4 Activate Manual input Select Options... from

the Tools menu

Inserting a New Product

You can insert in an assembly (or product) a new assembly (CATProducts) on-the-fly.

The “New Product” item will create a new sub-assembly in the selected component but

also a new external CATProduct file with the same name.

Key a Part Number for the new assembly. This sets the Part Number property.

3 2 Select “New Product”

Right-click the assembly 1

Inserting a New Component

You can create a special type of component that exists only in the

parent CATProduct and does not have its own file.

Here is one component that exists

in the parent CATProduct and that

does not have its own file.

You can insert components in it.

Key a Part Number for the new assembly.

3

2 Select “New Component” Right-click on the assembly

1

There is no blank sheet behind the component icon : there is no link to an external file.

Inserting a Component From a Catalog

You will often have to add in your assembly, components that are standard for your

company and thus that are only available through Catalogs

This screw is

referenced in a

catalog.

How to Insert a Component From a Catalog

In the standard toolbar, select the Catalog Browser 2

3

1

Open chapters until you get the chapter in which the element you want is referenced

To insert the element inside your document you can either : - drag and drop it in the destination product (A)

- make a copy with the contextual menu of the element and paste in destination product of your document (B)

(B)

(A)

Copy-and-Paste a Component

Another way to copy-and-paste a component is to press [CTRL] while dragging the component onto the assembly.

[CTRL] key

1

2

Right-click the component to copy

Select “Copy”

After pasting there are two

instances of the part : the

original and the copy

Copy-and-Paste is an easy way to duplicate a component.

You can also use shortcuts

Assigning Component Properties

What Are Component Properties?

Component Properties can be assigned to distinguish

or describe an instance of a component.

Component Properties:

• Component Property

values can vary by component.

• These properties are

stored in the parent assembly’s

CATProduct file. Product Properties:

• Product Property

values are the same for all instances of the component.

• When the component

is a CATPart or CATProduct, these properties are stored in the CATPart or CATProduct.

Instance Name

Assigning Component Properties (1/2)

Nodes Customization.

Instance Name Part Number

Tools / Options menu Product Structure + Nodes Customization tab

2 3 Activate Customized Display and

Assigning Component Properties (2/2)

Product tab 4

5 Properties

Right-click the component

6

Like other properties, component text properties can

be easily accessed from the contextual menu.

Component Property values can vary by component.

Product Property values are the same for all instances of a part or assembly.

Key an Instance Name and/or Description

Location and filename

Saving an Assembly Document

Saving an Assembly Document ...

There are four ways to save an Assembly Document and

child documents.

Save

will save the active component’s document and

child documents of the active document

Save As...

is similar to Save, but it allows you to

specify the name and folder for the active document

Save All

will save all the open documents that have been

modified since last save

Only those documents that have been modified will be saved or proposed to

save.

Save Management

will propose saving all open documents

and children of these document, but you can control names

and locations of all of them

4 3 2 1

Saving a Document under another Name

“Save As…” allows a file name and folder to be specified. It allows you to create a

brand new document with new internal identifiers.

1 Activate the document to be saved

2

Specify if you want to

regenerate internal identifiers

The active CATProduct document and any modified

child documents will be saved

Regenerating Internal Identifiers will avoid instantiation conflicts with the reference

Specify a file name and folder

4 3

Saving all Modified Documents

Save All is an easy way to save all modified documents

which are not new or read only documents.

1 Save All

2a

If all the documents modified since last save are not new (just created) or read only files, you won’t have any message and CATIA will save them

All modified open documents will be saved, regardless of which document is active 2b If some of the documents modified since last save are new (just created) or read only files you will

have this message

What Is “Save Management” for?

This tool is useful to save all the modified or linked documents under

selected names and directories (UNIX)/folders (Windows)

Save Management (1/5)

With “Save Management” you can easily save all modified documents since you last

saved the assembly.

1 Make modifications on _components

In this example, increasing the diameter of Axis.CATPart file will impact the AxisNut.CATPart. Thus there are 4 modified documents to save :

- “RotatingComponent” CATProduct, - “AxisAssembly” CATProduct,

- “AxisNut” CATPart, - and “Axis” CATPart.

Save Management (2/5)

You can select what you want to save.

2 Select “Save Management …” from _{File menu}

Select the file you want to save

No “save as” will be performed until you have clicked on OK

Select “Save as...” if you want to save your work in an other path , or under an other file name

Save Management (3/5)

You can choose where to save.

Select or create the destination folder. You can rename the document and thus select “Save” .

5

Destination Folder

Name “Save” is indicated for the selected

document, and “Save Auto” for its child documents .

Notice that “Propagate directory” button is available.

6

Actions that will be performed when clicking Ok

Save Management (4/5)

are still unsaved files left, CATIA will display this message...

...and will save only the

documents that have a “Save” or “Save Auto” Action.

If you choose to rename a CAT product by the “Save As” action, then modified documents referenced by it will get “Save auto” in the Action column. They will be saved in the specified path when clicking Ok.

Once you have saved a product in a new path, you have the possibility to save the files referenced by the product into this path just by clicking on the “propagate directory” button and then click Ok to proceed.

You can automatically save impacted files too

To check what documents are referenced by a CATProduct, use Links command from Edit menu or Desk from File menu

7a

Save Management (5/5)

You can change your mind about the way you save the document thanks to Reset button.

You can get back the original state of the document by selecting it and clicking on “Reset” .

If you want to keep the same name and path for a document use the save button .

To Sum Up ...

You have seen how to assemble components :

by creating a new assembly document

by adding components in an assembly

by assigning component properties

Positioning Components using Constraints

You will see how to use assembly constraints to place components in position

in an assembly

Freely Moving Components with the Compass

Defining Assembly Constraints

Updating Assembly Constraints

Creating Quick Constraints

Multi-Constraint Modes

Hiding Constraints

Filtering Constraints

To Sum Up

Freely Moving Components

You will see how to use the Compass to freely move components which makes

it easier to place them in position before setting assembly constraints

How to Use the Compass ?

Here the entire assembly rotate around

the X-axis.

The rotation is temporary because it is

not stored in the CATPart or

CATProduct documents. You change

only the viewpoint.

The Compass can be used to pan and rotate the entire assembly or freely

drag and rotate components in it.

Panning and rotating the

entire assembly

Freely dragging and

rotating components

Here a component is freely rotated

around the X-axis.

If this component is not link to some

constraints at this step, the new position

is stored in the CATProduct documents.

Positioning the Compass to Move a Component

square of the compass to get this cursor icon

2

3

When the component is selectable , the compass takes the orientation of the geometric element that is under the

compass. To select, release MB1.

The first step in freely moving a component is to place the

Compass in position on a component.

Press and hold down MB1 to drag the compass. When moved , the compass takes this shape.

If you release MB1 before any

component selection , the compass will return to this point.

A component is selectable when this point disappears

Green highlighted compass means that a component is selected and that you can move it.

Once a component is selected , you can select any other one by clicking on it , and the compass, when moving, will drag it.

Freely Moving a Component Using the Compass

component. 2

(c) Rotation

around an axis

(d) Rotation around the

origin of the compass

(b) Translation

along a plane

3 With MB1 held down, move the component

Here are the basic steps for freely moving a component.

Select the type of movement you want by moving the cursor on the Compass. The highlighted compass elements indicate the available movement :

(a) Translation

along an axis

Exact Translation of a Component Using the Compass

component.

Here are the basic steps for translating a component by an exact value

using the Compass.

2 Right-click on the compass and select Edit...

3a

You have tree ways to modify the position of the compass by:

Keying values and confirm it with the apply button

Choose the translation increment for each direction (u, v, w) and apply it with the Up and Down button

You can also measure a distance and apply it to translate the component. 3b

Exact Rotation of a Component Using the Compass

component 2 Right-click on the compass and select Edit...

Here are the basic steps for rotating a component using the Compass.

You can also measure an angle and apply it to rotate the component. 3a

You have tree ways to modify the position of the compass by :

Keying values and confirm it with the apply button

Choose the increment value for each rotation (around u, v, w) and apply it with the Rotate button

3b

Setting the Absolute Position Of a Component

2 Select a component and the compass will “jump” to the _{origin of the selected component.}

3 Right-click on the compass and _{select Edit….}

Here are the basic steps to place the compass at the component’s origin.

1 Right-click on the compass and activate Snap Automatically to Selected Object in the contextual menu.

The absolute position in the “Compass Edit dialog box” is actually the position of the compass, not the position of the component.

4 Specify a position by keying values._{Thus move the component by pressing} the Apply button.

Defining Assembly Constraints

You will see how to position components by defining constraints between

them.

What Are Assembly Constraints ?

Assembly constraints is the mean to place components in an assembly. The

general process is as follows:

1 With the Compass, freely drag and rotate components

to put them roughly in place. It will be easier to define the constraints afterwards.

Fix-in-space one component in the

assembly. It will be the starting point. 2

3 Position each component precisely by _{choosing the correct constraint(s) and} applying it.

4 To control the result, update the assembly. It will move the components into position.

Note : this step is necessary only if you have set the

”Manual Update” option to on in the assembly settings and it is therefore recommended.

Manual Update For Assembly Design

2 Select the Assembly Design branch under the

“Mechanical Design” node

You have the option to update manually or automatically assembly

constraints.

Activate Manual 3

1 _{Select Options... from} the Tools menu

Available Constraints and Their Symbols

The following table lists the symbols used to represent the constraints you can set

between components:

in the geometry area Constraints

Setting Assembly Constraints ...

There are 2 ways to define constraints between components.

To set a constraint between two components, you can either : (a) select the icon and the elements after (action objects) (b) select the elements and then the icon (objects action) constraints icons

are in : the

Constraint

toolbar the Insert Menu

(a)

(b)

Fixing a Component in Space (1/2)

1 2 Select the component in the tree

or in geometry 3 The component is fixed in space Click the fix icon

Components that are fixed in space return to their fixed-in-space

position when constraints are updated (regenerated).

It’s a good idea to fix-in-space one component in each assembly that will serve as the base

Fixing a Component in Space (2/2)

After Update. The fixed component is

moved with the Compass.

Fixing a Component (1/2)

1 Click the fix icon 2 Double-click the existing Fix constraint 3 Select the More>> button to create the

constraint or

When you start to put constraints in an assembly you need first to have a fix

component and then place the others components with regard to last one. If this

component is only fix (and not fix-in-space), you can modify his position and the

assembly still remain coherent in term of constraints.

Fixing a Component (2/2)

Drag the component with the compass at a

new position

The component above the compass is fix only

Fixing-Together Components

Components that are Fixed-Together move as a single entity.

1 Click the fix together icon 2 Select the components to be Fixed-Together. You _{can select more than 2 components.}

As a matter of practice, it would be a good idea to Fix-Together unconstrained components to avoid unintentionally modification or displacement.

The Fix Together dialog box allow you to have the list of the components you select.

Then you can remove some elements from the selection list by selecting in the 3D, or in the list.

User Setting: Turning On Fix-Together Warning

1 2 Select “Assembly Design” branch under “Mechanical Design” node. In the “General” tab, Activate the “Move Component” warning.

Fix-Together constraints are used to “glue” components together. With the Compass it

is possible to unintentionally separate “Fixed-Together” components.

Thus you can activate the option show below to warn you by displaying a text window.

Select Options... from the Tools menu

Disregarding the Fix-Together Warning

You will be warned when attempting to move a component that is “Fixed-Together”.

Pay intention, if you disregard the warning the new position will be permanent.

For example, when you attempt to snap this

component. You will see this warning

After pressing OK you can continue to move the component

But beware that updating the assembly will not move the component back in position. It has a new position within the Fix-Together.

Immediately press Undo if you did not intend to move the component.

Defining a Coincidence Constraint (1/2)

Coincidence creates alignment that can be coaxial, coplanar, or merged

points.

coaxial

coplanar

merged

_points

1 Click the coincidence icon.

Creating a Coincidence Constraint (2/2)

Concerning coplanar alignment, CATIA gives a choice of orientation with two

green arrows

1 2

Just click one of those green arrows to invert the

orientation of the moving component.

Select two planes as geometric elements for

the constraint.

When putting a constraint between two components, the moving

component will be the first selected one if it is not fixed or fixed in space

1st selection 2nd selection 3 Click the coincidence icon.

Defining a Contact Constraint

Contact constraint connect two planes or faces.

1 Click the

Defining an Offset Constraint

4 Key the offset value

Offset constraint defines a distance between two elements.

1 Click the offset icon

3 Select the orientation (same or opposite)

either :

by clicking on the green arrow

or by selecting an orientation in the “Orientation” drop down menu

2 Select the two elements specifying the constraint

1st selection

2nd selection

Offset constraint with

Creating an Angle Constraint (1/2)

This tool allows you to define an angle between components

1 Click the angle

icon 2 Select the two elements to constraint

3 Fill in the constraints properties dialog box :_{- select the constraint type (Angle)} - key the angle value

Creating an Angle Constraint (2/2)

You can also define a parallelism or perpendicularity between 2 elements. In the case of

parallelism, you can choose between same or opposite orientation.

1 Click the angle

icon 2 Select 2 planes as geometric elements to specify the constraint

3 Select the parallelism constraint.

Select the orientation (same or opposite) either : by clicking on the green arrow

or by selecting an orientation in the “Orientation” drop down menu

Parallelism constraint

Constraint Rules

There are some simple rules that CATIA automatically enforces.

(2)

This constraint cannot be applied because

Product E and Product F both belong to a

component other than the active component

Product B. To define this constraint, Product D

must be made active.

(3)

This constraint can be applied since Product

C belongs to the active component Product B

and also Product E is contained within Product D

which is contained within the active component

Product B.

You cannot apply a constraint between two components belonging to the same sub-assembly if

this sub-assembly is not the active component.

You can apply constraints only between the child components of the active component.

Assembly Assistant

1

This assistant will warn you when you make mistakes when defining

constraints

2

This warning appears when you switch on the setting “only use the published geometry” and try to select a non published

element for a constraint.

This warning appears when you try to constrain two elements which belong to the same component.

3

(4

)

This warning appears when you try to constrain a component which does not belong to the active product.

Updating Assembly Constraints

What Does Updating Constraints mean ?

Updating an assembly means updating its components as well as constraints to check

if they are all in their correct position. You can choose between updating the whole

assembly or only some components.

Here the coincidence constraint is not updated because :

- the icon constraint in the

specification tree is not up to date (note the small update symbol on it)

- the constraint is in black

Here the coincidence constraint is updated because :

- the icon constraint in the specification tree is up to date (no update symbol on it)

Updating Constraints ...

You can update all constraints or just individual ones.

To update all the constraints and parts of

the assembly, click on the Update icon in

the Update Toolbar

To update an individual constraint, right-click on

a constraint in the tree or 3D and select Update

in the contextual menu

Update

needed

Update

done

As a matter of practice, it’s a good idea to update an assembly before saving it. This will improve performance when opening assemblies, especially when using Manual Update.

It’s also a good idea to update sub-assemblies before activating another assembly. This avoids unintended results when updating constraints.

Options For Updating Assembly Constraints

You have 2 modes to update an assembly : Manual or Automatic. It can

be applied to the active level of the assembly or all levels.

Click on Options in the

Tools menu Select the “Assembly Design” branch under “Mechanical Design” node

1 2

Select Manual mode because Automatic mode will modify your assembly with each constraint creation

Handling Update Errors

When you update an assembly, constraints are checked for conflicts.

While you update an assembly, CATIA will display the Diagnosis Window if there are problems such as over-constrained components.

When you select a record you can: (a) edit it

(b) or deactivate it

(a) Edit displays the Constraint Definition window where the constraint can be edited or reconnected to a different element.

Why Analyzing an Update ?

Analyzing Update allows you to know what are the constraints and components in your

assembly that are updated. Thus you can update them separately directly from where you

are.

constraints and components to update

Analyzing Update (1/2)

With the Analyze Update tool, you can know exactly what constraints and

components are updated or not in your assembly and its sub-assemblies.

Analyzing Update (2/2)

With the Update tab, you can choose and update any unresolved feature directly

from where you are

3 In Update tab List of the unresolved components Select or multi-select in the list the features you want to update

4 Click on Update icon

5 When a Component is updated in the geometry it disappears from the list

Once you have

finished with Update Analysis, Click on OK

This drop-down list displays all assemblies and sub-assemblies that can be analyzed

Creating Quick Constraints

What Are Quick Constraints?

With the Quick Constraint tool and two geometric elements CATIA can define

the type of constraint to create.

Select the quick constraint icon.

Then select two elements and let CATIA decide which type of constraint to apply

1

If you want a different type of constraint, just click Change Constraint

2 You can set your preferences for automatic _{constraints using Tools + Options (Assembly} Design Node + Constraints tab)

Creating Quick Constraints

1 Select the quick _{constraint icon} 2

Select the two geometric elements to define the constraint. Thus CATIA create the constraint.

Creating a Quick Constraint is as simple as selecting two elements.

Here 2 parallels planes are selected, then CATIA define a coincidence constraint

Changing a Constraint’s Type

constraint icon 3 Select the new type of constraint you want to have

You can change the type of any assembly constraint whether or not it

was created using Quick Constraint.

1 Select the constraint you want to change

Multi-Constraint Modes

You will see the different ways to put several constraints one after another

What Are Multi-Constraint Modes?

When you have double clicked on a constraint tool, you will have 3 ways to

put this constraint in several components :

The Default Mode when no geometric element is shared between constraints

The Stack Mode : the geometric element is shared with all others The Chain Mode : each geometric elements is shared with the next one

(1)

(2)

Default Mode For Multi-Constraint

1

This mode lets you create as many constraints as you wish by explicitly

selecting two geometrical elements

Select The Default Mode in Multi-Constraint Mode Toolbar

2

Double click on the constraint icon you want to apply several times

3

(1)

Select geometric elements one after the other, you will see that as soon as two elements are selected, a

constraint is created between them.

Stack Mode For Multi-Constraint

When you finished, you must deactivate the command by clicking on it or pressing

escape twice. 1

This mode allows you to select only once a geometric element that is shared

with several constraints of the same type

Select the Stack Mode in Multi-Constraint Mode Toolbar

2

Double click on the Constraint you want to apply several times

4

Select the first geometric element that share the same constraint type with all other geometric elements.

3

(1)

5

Select one after another the geometric elements you want to constrain.

(3)

Chain Mode For Multi-Constraint

1

This mode allows you to select only once the shared geometric element

between two consecutive constraints

Select Stack Mode in Multi-Constraint Mode Toolbar

2

Double click on the Constraint you want to apply several times

3

(1)

parameter values, the next constraint will take as first geometric element the previous one

Hiding Constraints

Why Hiding Constraints ?

If you do not want to see constraints representations in geometry, you can hide some

of them. Therefore you have a better view of your assembly.

You can also hide individual

constraints with contextual

menu

You can also hide a type

of constraints at the

same time

Assembly geometry with

Hiding Constraints ...

Hide/Show icon is either reachable on :

a. View toolbar,

b. View menu

c. or through the contextual menu

You can hide constraints just by selecting them and clicking on

Hide/Show icon

You can either select the

constraint :

- in the tree,

- in the geometry

- or with selecting tools

such as Search

Hiding Individual Constraints

You can hide one or more selected constraints at a time.

1 Select a constraint in the specification

tree or 3D 2 Click Hide/Show icon

You can hide more than one constraint at a time by selecting with the mouse while

Hiding Constraints Relative to a Component

An option in contextual menu of the component can be used to find and select all the

constraints which involve the component and then can be hidden.

1 Right click on the

component in the tree 2

Select “Components Constraints” in the contextual menu

3

4 Then click the Hide/Show icon to hide the selected constraint

Constraints relative to the component are selected

Hiding All the Constraints Of an Assembly

You can hide at once all the constraints of an assembly.

1

There are several ways to select and to hide all the constraints :

Select (a) the first constraint under constraints node in the tree,

(b) Keeping Shift Key Pressed, select the last constraint. Then click on the Hide/Show icon.

Select only the constraints node and with the contextual menu choose Hide/Show action. Or in a more elegant way, drag your mouse pointer on the root product and with contextual menu you can select the constraints of the root product (That’s mean all the constraints).

[Shift] key (a) (b) 2 1 2

Filtering Constraints

You will see how to filter assembly constraint symbols to display only certain

types of them

Why Filtering Constraints ?

With this settings you can choose what type of constraint you want to display

when opening a CATProduct document. It is useful in large assemblies.

Defines the filter level. When Conditional Filter is selected, the filters below are available

Displays the

constraints according to their status.

Displays the constraints on the active product

Filter Constraints On an Active Product

Filter By Type (1/2)

Select or deselect the desired types

You can filter and displays constraints according to

their type

Changing Constraint Colors

You can change the colors of constraint (user-defined) to better understand an assembly.

This can be done by changing the color in the graphic tab of the constraint properties.

But you can retrieve the default colors (constraints colors status) at any moment with the

menu “Tools+Options …”.

If this option is

checked, the default

constraint color status

defined above is used.

The user-defined color

remains in the

To Sum Up ...

You have seen how to Position Components using Constraints by :

freely moving components with the Compass

defining Assembly Constraints

updating Assembly Constraints

defining Quick Constraints

using Multi Constraints Modes

hiding Assembly Constraints

filtering Assembly Constraints

Analyzing an Assembly

You will become familiar with tools created to analyze and check your

assembly

Analyzing Constraints

Analyzing Degrees of Freedom

Measuring an Assembly

Checking for Clash and Clearance

Checking Mechanical Properties

To Sum Up

Analyzing Constraints

You will see how to analyze the status of constraints, the relationship between

constraints and components

What Is Analyzing Constraints ?

You will analyze a constraint by checking its status and by identifying the

components involved in it.

A constraint is set between at least two components (except for the fixing constraint).

You will see them thanks to its display in specification tree or with the dependences tree.

A constraint can be :

Not

updated

Unresolved Active

Deactivated

(A)

In the Tree

(B)

In Constraint Analysis Dialog Box

Constraint Status can be seen :

Analyzing Constraints ...

Constraints can be examined to determine their status and their relationship

with other components.

The status of constraints can be viewed:

(A)

in the specification tree

(B)

A global perspective of constraint

status can be viewed in an on-line report

The relationships between components and constraints can

be dynamically seen the menu “Analyze/Dependencies”

Analyzing Constraints in the Tree

You can see all constraints status in the tree.

This symbol indicates that the constraint is not updated.

This symbol indicates that the constraint is deactivated.

This symbol indicates that the constraint is “unresolved” which means either:

• The constraint is broken (for example, the related component has been deleted);

Constraints branch to expand the branch

Analyzing Constraints in the On-line Report

2 Select “Constraints…” in _{the Analyze menu} Activate the assembly to analyze

You can have a global status of all constraints of the active assembly.

The Constraints Analysis Window appears and have different tabs according to the status of the constraints. 1

Here all constraints are verified.

Note in this example the different tabs according to the status constraints :

- 1 not updated - 1 broken

Analyzing Constraint Relationships

The dependency relationship between constraints and components can be analyzed

with the help of the “assembly dependencies tree”.

2 Select “Dependencies…” _{in the Analyze menu} Activate the assembly to analyze

1 ₃ Right-click on a constraint and select Expand All to see which

Analyzing Degrees Of Freedom (DOF)

What Is a DOF ?

There are 6 Degrees of Freedom for each instance :

3 degrees of rotation and 3 degrees of translation

When there is no constraint on an instance or a component, this one have 6 DOF (Degrees Of Freedom)

When an instance is full-constrained, This one have no DOF. If you decide for example to fix an instance, there is no degree of freedom

Analyzing Degrees Of Freedom

With the contextual menu you can select one instance and analyze its

degrees of freedom.

Measuring an Assembly

What is Measuring an Assembly ?

Distance and angles can be measured. Individual geometric

elements can also be measured. There are 3 types of

measure in the “Measure” toolbar :

a- Measure Between

b- Measure Item

c- Measure Inertia

Measuring distance between the

axis of two different components

with (a)

Measuring the length of a line

with (b)

a b c

Measuring the inertia of a

Measuring Between Element/Component

1 Measure _Between 2 Optionally define how you want _{to measure} 3 Select the reference and target _elements

4a Minimum distance and angle are _{displayed in 3D and in the results} window

4b You have all details in the result window

Measuring Elements

1 Click the measure _{item icon 2} Select the geometric element you want to measure

You can measure geometric elements.

Click the Customize… button to add information like :

Center of gravity for surfaces and volumes, Direction vector for an edge, …

3 Properties of the selected geometric _{element are displayed in 3D and in the} results window

Measuring Inertia

1 Click the measure _{inertia icon} 2 Select the component to measure

You can measure inertia of components or geometric elements.

3 All details are displayed in the result window

Click the Customize… button to add information like :

Keeping Measure

items, you can activate the Keep Measure

option to have in the 3D more information about your assembly

2 Each measure will be kept _{in the tree …}

You can keep results of measures as features in the tree

… And in the Geometry

… And will be saved in the CATProduct file Those measure features

contains parameters that can be used in formulas of the Knowledgeware for example

Additional Information

Checking For Clash and Clearance

You will learn how to test for clash and clearance violations between

components in you assembly

What Is Clash and Clearance Analysis ?

Clash analysis is used to check for interference between components. On the

contrary clearance analysis is used to ensure the proper clearance between

components.

A clash occurs when one component

penetrates another one

A clearance violation occurs when a

minimum distance between components

is not respected

Checking for Clash Between 2 Components

2 Multi-select the components _{(using the [CTRL] Key) you want} to analyze

1 Click on Compute Clash in _{the Analyze menu}

3a Select Clash from the list

4 Clash violation is signaled in _{the window and Clashes are} highlighted in the 3D view

The analyze menu enables you to check for interference

between two components.

Checking for minimum Clearance Between 2 Components

Multi-select the components (using the [CTRL] Key) you want to analyze

1 Click on Compute Clash in _{the Analyze menu}

Select Clearance in

the list 3b Key in the clearance value and click on apply 3a

2

4 Clearance violation is _{signaled in the window and} components that do not

The analyze menu enables you to check the respect of

Checking Mechanical Properties

What Are Mechanical Properties ?

Mechanical Properties are the physical characteristics of parts and assemblies.

Materials have given structural properties

Materials are applied to parts 1

Checking Mechanical Properties

You can check mechanical properties of a part, an assembly or a

sub-assembly by right-click on it and select “Properties” in

contextual menu.

For example right-click the assembly node and …

1 2 … select “Properties” in

contextual menu