Intelligence
Basic Concepts
- for non-equal relationship use equations
- equation order is important
- use System Options>show Dimension names. Useful to link values together
- in assemblies, Link Values only works between assembly features and mates, not between parts (features of parts) within the assembly
- use assembly equations to control dimensions of assembly features, or mate values such as angles and distances
- define a link value for an in-context part (e.g. clearance), that can be used elsewhere in the assembly in an equation
- drag the circular edge from one component and drag it onto another circular edge to create a pin-in-hole (i.e. concentric and coincident) mate. Before dropping, use TAB to rotate the part.
- use mate shortcuts to match face to face and vertex to vertex
- there is a Multiple Match Mode within the Mate dialog that mates several components to a common reference
- you can use Design Tables to set up several configurations
- use Alt-drag after selecting a mate to have it infer what to mate to
Along the Way
- can used if statements - "if between this and that, do this"
- set the length of a line to drive the size of a feature without explicitly putting a dimension on it
- assign a custom property WEIGHT (or COST) and link it to the part's mass properties. This can be useful when generating a cut list.
- you can control dimensions in an assembly via in-context features, link values, equations
- use an assembly equation to ensure that parts stay centered to each other, even if the dimensions change
Techniques
- add a constant and keep reusing it throughout the part
- use the feature in a part (e.g. a hole pattern) to drive the assembly of components (via Insert>Component Pattern>Feature Driven
- add Mate References to a part (e.g. a library part) to facilitate its assembly. Primary, secondary, and tertiary references can be stored with the part. To display the references, in Feature Manager>Mate References>select
- add mate references to allow drag and drop a part into an assembly
