11/30/2006 - 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm Room:Marcello - 4401 (MSD Campus)

Assemble This! [Part 1]

Alan Kalameja - Trident Technical College
and Kevin Robinson (Assistant); Patrik Chartrand (Assistant)

MA34-1L This lab is designed to take you through the basics of assembly modeling using Inventor Topics will
include applying assembly, motion, and transitional constraints; creating new parts in the context of an
assembly; ALT-Drag constraining; understanding Adaptivity in assemblies; patterning components;
replacing parts in an assembly; driving constraints for motion and collision studies; working with the
BOM editor; and generating parts list and balloons for assembly drawings

About the Speaker:

Alan is the CAD department head at Trident Technical College in Charleston, SC. He has been a user
of AutoCAD since version 1.4 (1984) and has used Autodesk Inventor since R1.0 (1999). He has
taught at over 10 Autodesk University events beginning in 1993.
Alan.Kalameja@tridenttech.edu

Stay Connect to AU all year at www.autodesk.com/AUOnline

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Data Organization
The MA34-1L.ipj project file will be used to point to all of the following assembly exercise files.

Exercise ID Description
01 Robot Frame
02 Piston Assembly
03 Rotation Assembly
04 Cam Follower
05 End Plate Assembly
06 Container
07 Adaptive Pins
08 Chief Scoop Assembly
09 Pipe Assembly
10 Hinge Assembly
11 Twist Clamp
12 Double Slider Coupling
13 Spring Motion
14 Valve Assembly
15 Slide Assembly

A Note to all Participants:

Fifteen exercises have been designed for this Autodesk University Assembly Modeling lab with
Inventor. Some exercises will come across as being very easy; others will prove to be more
challenging. Each exercise is designed to give you experience in working with a particular topic.
Unfortunately due to time constraints, you may not be able to complete an exercise. You will be
able to work on the exercises at your own pace once you return to your home or business. In the
meantime, a time of approximately 6 minutes has been allotted per exercise. Thank you for your
understanding with this matter.

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Assembly Modeling Panel Bar Commands

Assembly modeling commands can be selected from the Assembly Panel Bar illustrated below.
These commands include the following; Place Component, Create Component, Place Constraint,
Move Component, Rotate Component, and Quarter Section View. These commands will be
discussed in greater detail throughout this document.

The Assembly Browser displays a hierarchy of all component occurrences in the assembly. Each
occurrence of a component is represented by a unique name. From the Browser, you can select a
component for editing, move components between assembly levels, control component status,
rename components, edit assembly constraints, and manage design views.

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Placing Individual Components into an Assembly

The first component in an assembly is automatically positioned with its origin coincident with the
assembly coordinate origin. Additional components are positioned with the cursor, attached at the
component center of gravity.

Start with an assembly file that already contains the grounded first component.
Click the Place Component button to choose a component to place.
Go to the folder that contains the component, select the component, and click Open.
The selected component is placed in the graphics window, attached to the cursor. Select a
location and click to place an occurrence of the component.
Move the cursor to a different location and click to place a second occurrence, continuing
until all occurrences are placed.
To quit, right-click and select Done.

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Placing Multiple Components into an Assembly

You can drag and drop multiple components from Windows Explorer. Drag and drop places a single
instance, unlike multiple occurrences. Use the following steps for performing this task:
1. Launch Autodesk Inventor
2. Launch Windows Explorer
3. Split your display screen into two separate windows where the Autodesk Inventor file and
Windows Explorer are both visible as shown in the following image.
4. In Windows Explorer, navigate to the area that contains the component parts you wish to
copy into the Inventor Assembly file.
5. While in Windows Explorer, hold down the SHIFT or CTRL keys to select multiple
components as shown on the right side of the following image.
6. Drag and drop these selected components from Windows Explorer into the Inventor window
as shown on the left side of the following image.

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Applying Assembly Constraints to Individual Parts

Activating the Place Constraint dialog box allows you to place the following constraints: Mate or
Flush, Angle, Tangent, and Insert.

Mate or Flush Constraint

A mate constraint positions selected components face to face or adjacent to one another with faces
flush. The geometry you select is usually a component face, but you can also select a curve, plane,
or point.

Angle Constraint
An angle constraint controls the angle between edges or planar faces.

Tangent Constraint
A tangent constraint positions faces, planes, cylinders, spheres, and cones tangent to one another.

Insert Constraint
An insert constraint places a mate constraint between selected faces or mates cylinders along axes.
For example, an insert constraint can be used to position a bolt in a hole.

Note when applying constraints: If other components obscure selection, do one of the following:
Temporarily turn off visibility before you place a constraint. Click to select a component,
then right-click and select Visibility.
Select Pick Part First in the dialog box and click the component you want to constrain. Clear
the check box to restore selection mode.

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Using the Select Other Tool

A very efficient tool to use while selecting faces to constrain is Select Other. This will allow you to
cycle through all faces in common with the current location of your cursor. First move your cursor
over a face as shown on the left in the following image and leave your cursor steady. The Select
Other tool will automatically appear as shown on the right in the following image. Clicking the left
or right arrows will highlight other faces. The bottom face of the object as shown on the right is
highlighted because of the Select Other tool. You can also roll the mouse wheel to cycle through all
possible faces.

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Moving and Rotating Individual Components

Use the Move Component button on the Assembly Panel Bar to drag
individual components in any linear direction in the viewing plane.
1. Click the component to drag to the new location.
2. Release the mouse button to drop the component.
Moved components follow these guidelines:
An unconstrained component remains in the new location until you constrain it to another
component.
A partially constrained component adjusts location to comply with a constraint.
A constrained component snaps back to its constrained position when you update the
assembly.

Use the Rotate Component button on the Assembly Panel Bar to rotate
an individual component. Follow the steps below:
1. Click the component to rotate.
2. Drag to the desired view of the component.
3. For free rotation, click inside the 3D rotate symbol and drag in the desired direction.
4. To rotate about the horizontal axis, click the top or bottom handle of the 3D rotate symbol
and drag vertically.
5. To rotate about the vertical axis, click the left or right handle of the 3D rotate symbol and
drag horizontally.
6. To rotate planar to the screen, hover over the rim until the symbol changes to a circle, click
the rim, and drag in a circular direction.
7. To change the center of rotation, click inside or outside the rim to set the new center.
8. Release mouse button to drop component in rotated position.

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01_Robot Frame.iam
1. Open the file 01_Robot Frame.iam. This file is illustrated on the
left in the following image. Two sub assemblies have been pre-
placed along with 5 individual bar components that measure
680mm each. Use a combination of Mates, Flushes, and Offsets to
assembly the frame.

2. Use a series of Mate-Mate and Mate-Flush constraints to assemble the robot frame. As
shown in the following image. In the example on the left, the Select Other tool is used to
highlight the adjacent face without rotating the entire assembly. The bars are complete by
placing two flush constraints as shown in the middle and on the right in the following image.

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3. Mate-Flush constraints with an offset of 50 mm will need to be applied to two 01_680Bar

locations.
4. Practice precision rotations by moving the center of the rotate tool to the desired location in
the assembly. This location will then move to the center of the rotate tool globe. The
assembly will now rotate based on this pivot point.

5. Apply a Mate-Flush constraint between the two top frame members as shown in the
following image. Enter a distance of -50 in the Offset area of the Place Constraint dialog
box.

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6. Apply a Mate-Mate constraint between the two bottom frame members as shown in the
following image. Enter a distance of 50 in the Offset area of the Place Constraint dialog box.

7. The completely assembled robot frame is illustrated in the following image.

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02_Piston Assembly.iam
1. Open the file 02_Piston Assembly.iam. Use Mate, Tangent, and
Insert constraints to assemble the piston illustrated below.

2. Notice the drilled holes in 02_Rod Cap do not match the holes in 02_Connecting Rod. To
remedy this, right click on 02_Rod Cap and pick Open from the menu as shown in the
following image.

3. Edit Hole2 in the Browser and change the diameter of the hole in the counterbore to a value
of 4.134 as shown in the following image.

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4. Use a series of Mate-Mate constraints to assemble the rod cap to the connecting rod as
shown in the following image.

5. Use an Insert constraint to assemble the rod cap screws to the rod cap as shown in the
following image.

6. Use a Mate-Mate centerline constraint to assemble the wrist pin to the connecting rod. Use
a Mate-Flush constraint along with the offset distance of -24 to assemble the face of the
wrist pin to the face of the connecting rod as shown on the right in the following image.

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7. Assemble the piston to the wrist pin using a Mate-Mate centerline constraint as shown on
the left in the following image. Apply a tangent constraint with the top of the wrist pin and
the cylinder portion of the piston. Notice the piston positions itself at the top of the wrist pin
as shown in the right in the following image.

8. Change the solution of the Tangent constraint from Outside to Inside as shown on the left in
the following image. The completed piston is shown on the right in the following image.

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Applying Motion Constraints

Motion constraints are used to specify intended motion
ratios between assembly components. The first selected
component moves relative to the second selected
component. Two types of motion constraints are
available. The rotation constraint type is used to drive
such items as pulleys and gears. The
Rotation/Translation constraint type is used to apply
motion to rack and pinion components.

03_Rotation Assembly.iam
1. Open the file 03_Rotation_Assembly.iam.

2. Activate the Box Suppressed Design View Representation. This will turn off the visibility of
the 03_Rotation Gear Box.ipt as shown in the following image.

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3. Apply motion constraints to the top face of each gear as shown in the following image.
Change the solution type from Forward to Reverse under the Solution area.

4. Expand 03_Rotation Gear1 in the Browser and suppress the designated Flush: Suppress
This and Angle: Suppress This constraints as shown in the following image.

5. Test for motion by dragging one of the

gears in a rotary direction as shown on
the right in the illustration.

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Applying Transitional Constraints

A transitional constraint will maintain contact between
the two selected faces. A transitional constraint can be
used between a cylindrical face and a set of tangent
faces on another part. For the first selection, select the
face of the item that will be moving. For the second
face, select the face of the item around which the first
part will be moving. When dealing with cams and
followers, the face of the follower would be the first
item; the face of the cam would be the second face to
select.

04_Cam Follower.iam

1. Open the file 04_Cam Follower.iam. The

follower will appear red on your display screen.
The cam has a teal color applied. You will first
select the face of the follower and then the face
of the cam to apply a transitional constraint

2. Activate the Place Constraint dialog box and select the Transitional tab.
3. In the assembly file, choose the red follower along the edge surface as the first selection as
shown in the following image.

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4. For the second selection, select the edge surface of the cam as shown in the following
image.

5. To test the cam for functionality, suppress the angle constraint found in the Browser under
the 04_Cam Base Plate or 04_Cam components.

6. Drag the cam in a rotary direction

and observe the results of the
follower as shown on the right in
the image.

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ALT-Drag Constraints
All assembly constraint types can be easily placed without activating the Place Constraint dialog
box through the use of ALT-drag.
To begin the ALT-drag process, hold down the ALT key and then click and drag on a surface or
edge of an assembly component. This component must be ungrounded.
Depending on the surface or edge that is picked, the following default constraints are applied:
Mate Constraint - Clicking and dragging on a planar face or a linear edge.
Tangent Constraint - Clicking and dragging on a cylindrical face.
Insert Constraint - Clicking and dragging on a circular edge.
While constraining using ALT-drag, the constraint type can be changed after the first component is
dragged. To change to a different constraint type, release the ALT key and press one of the
following shortcut keys:
M or 1 Mate Constraint
A or 2 Angle Constraint
T or 3 Tangent Constraint
I or 4 Insert Constraint
R or 5 Rotation Motion Constraint
S or 6 Slide Motion Constraint
X or 8 Transitional Constraint

During the process of ALT-Drag constraining, different solutions can be cycled through by pressing
the spacebar.
The following solutions are affected by the spacebar:
While in the Mate constraint, pressing the spacebar switches between mate and flush.
While in an Angle constraint, the first component flips when pressing the spacebar.
While in the Tangent constraint, the inside and outside solutions are switched when pressing
the spacebar.
While in the Insert constraint, the opposed and aligned solutions are switched when
pressing the spacebar.

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05_Container.iam
1. Open the file 05_Container.iam. This assembly file consists of a
base, gasket, cover, and six bolts. You will first attach the gasket
to the top of the base and then add the cover to the top of the
gasket. The six bolts will be assembled to the top of the cover to
complete the assembly. While traditional constraints can be used
in this assembly, the Insert constraint will utilize the Alt-Drag
method.

2. Use Alt-Constraints to assemble the gasket to the top of the base using an Insert constraint
as shown on the left in the following image. Next, apply an Alt-Insert constraint from one of
the bottom gasket holes to the nearest hole along the top of the base as shown on the right
in the following image.

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3. Use Alt-Insert constraints to assemble the bottom of the cover to the top of the gasket as
shown on the left in the following image. Next, apply an Alt-Insert constraint from one of
the bottom cover holes to the nearest hole along the top of the gasket as shown on the
right in the following image.

4. Move all bolts closer to the hole openings they will be constrained to as shown on the left in
the following image. Then use Alt-Insert constraints to assemble the base of the bolt shaft
to the top hole along the cover as shown on the right in the following image.

5. The completed assembly is shown on the right in

the illustration.

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Creating a New Part in the Context of an Assembly

You can create a new part in the context of an assembly file. Creating an in-place part has the
same result as opening a part file, with the additional option of sketching on the face of an
assembly component or an assembly work plane. The new part is also designated as adaptive
which means it can change with assembly requirements. You could also turn off adaptivity and
constrain it to fixed geometry in the assembly.

To create an in-place part, use the following steps below:

1. Click the Create Component button.
2. When the Create In-Place Component dialog box appears, enter a name for the part and
click OK.

3. Select a component face or work plane on which to sketch.

4. If you want to reorient the view to the sketch, click the Look At button.
5. Use the tools on the Sketch toolbar to create a sketch on a selected plane.
6. Select Extrude, Revolve, Loft, or Sweep to create a feature using the new sketch.
7. Continue to select faces on which to sketch and add new features as needed.

When the part is complete, double-click the top-level assembly in the Browser to reactivate the
assembly environment.

Note: A mate constraint is automatically placed between the new sketch and the face or work
plane. To omit this constraint, clear the check box next to Constrain sketch plane to selected face
or plane in the Create Part In-Place dialog box when you create the part file.

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06_End Plate Assembly.iam

This exercise is designed to create the part illustrated in the following
image.

1. Open the file 06_End Plate Assembly.iam.

2. Create a new part called 06_End Cap01.ipt.

Check that the template being used is
Metric\Standard (mm).ipt. Also be sure
the box is checked next to Constrain sketch
plane to selected face or plane as shown on
the right in the illustration.

3. Pick the front face of the End Plate as the location for the new sketch plane as shown on the
left in the following image. This will force the End Plate to fade out in favor of the new part
being designed.
4. Project the edges of the elliptical shape and the two holes as shown on the right in the
following image.

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5. Extrude the sketch a distance of 100mm as shown in the following image.

6. Create a new sketch plane located between the End Plate and the End Cap.
7. Switch to wireframe display and project the edge of the large circle as shown on the left in
the following image. This circle will form a lip where the End Cap will fit into the End Plate.
8. Extrude this circular shape a distance of 30mm into the part as shown on the right in the
following image.

9. Create a new sketch plane along the top face of the End Cap.
10. Construct a circle with a diameter of 400mm. Locate its center at the middle of the part as
shown on the left in the following image.
11. Extrude this shape a distance of 100mm as shown on the right in the following image.

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12. Create a new sketch plane along the top face of the extruded cylinder just created as shown
on the left in the following image.
13. Project the edge of the small hole located in the End Plate as shown on the right in the
following image.

14. Extrude and cut this circle through the entire end cap as shown in the following image.

15. Add fillets with a 30mm radius to the three edges of the End Cap.

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16. When finished, right click anywhere in the display screen and select Finish Edit from the
menu as shown on the left in the following image. This will return you back to the main
06_End Plate assembly as shown on the right in the following image.

17. Right click on the 06_End Cap01.ipt part and select Adaptive from the menu as shown in
the following image. This will remove adaptivity from this part.

18. You can now drag the end cap to new locations and use mate constraints to complete the
assembly.

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Producing Adaptive Assemblies

An existing part can be useful in more than one assembly, as long as its size and shape can adapt.
You can define the features of a part as adaptive when you create them in the part file. When you
place such a part, you also define it as adaptive within the assembly, and allow features to resize
and change shape when you constrain them to other components.
In the early stages of assembly design, some requirements are known while others are subject to
change. Adaptive parts can be useful because they adjust to design changes. Parts created in place
and parts placed from part files can both be defined as adaptive.
When you place a part in an assembly, its size is fixed unless you define the part as adaptive in the
assembly. To define a part as adaptive, select the part in the graphics window or the Browser,
right-click, and select Adaptive. When you constrain an adaptive part to fixed features on other
components, underconstrained features resize when the assembly is updated.
In general, use an adaptive part:
When an assembly design is not fully defined, and a part is required in a particular position
but its final size is not known.
When the position or size of a feature will be determined by the position or size of a feature
on another part in the assembly.
Only one occurrence of a part can define its adaptive features. If you use multiple placements of
the same part in an assembly, all occurrences are defined by the one adaptive occurrence,
including placements in other assemblies. If you want to define different elements of a part as
adaptive for different assemblies, save the part file with a unique name, and save its adaptive
definitions, but do not use the original.

Follow these guidelines to make sure adaptive features and parts update predictably:
Avoid offsets when applying constraints between two points, two lines, or a point and a line.
Avoid a mate constraint between two points, a point and a plane, a point and a line, and a
line and a plane.
Avoid tangency between a sphere and a plane, a sphere and a cone, and two spheres.
Note: Parts created in external CAD systems cannot be made adaptive because imported
parts are considered to be fully dimensioned.

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07_Adaptive Pins.iam

1. Open the file 07_Adaptive Pins.iam.

In this exercise, you will create a bar
that links both pin locations. The
length of the bar will adapt to the
positions of the pins.

2. Open the part file 07_Connection Link.ipt. Notice that some dimensions have been
purposely omitted such as the diameter of the circles and the overall length of the link. This
will enable the link to adapt when being assembled to the pins.

3. Extrude this sketch a distance of .25. In the Browser, set this feature to Adaptive as shown
in the following image. Save this file under its default name of 07_Connection Link.ipt.

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4. Open the assembly and insert one instance of the component 07_Connection Link.ipt into
the pin assembly. Use an Insert constraint to assemble one end of the connection link to
one of the pins as shown on the right in the following image. Then select the part from the
Browser, right click and select Adaptive from the menu as shown on the left in the following
image.

5. Apply a Mate-Centerline constraint between the center of the link hole and the pin as shown
on the left in the following image. Because you set the connection link to adaptive in the
assembly Browser, the length of the link will adapt to the length between the pins.

6. Next, apply a Mate-Flush constraint between the face of the link and the face of the pin as
shown on the left in the following image. Apply an offset distance of .20 between these
faces. Because the Extruded feature of the link was set to adaptive, this distance changes
when being assembled as shown on the right in the following image.

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7. Apply the final constraint to the inside cylindrical surfaces of the hole and pin. Use a Mate-
Mate constraint, move your cursor inside the hole and cycle through the choices until the
inner cylinder highlights and accept this surface as shown on the left in the following image.
Then click on the outer cylinder of the pin as shown in the middle of the following image.
Applying the constraint will force the hole to adapt to the pin as shown in the right in the
following image.

8. Double click on the 07_Layout file in the Browser to activate the editing mode of this part.
Change the distance between the pins from 6.000 to 9.000. Save this change and return
back to the main assembly.

9. The completed exercise is illustrated in the following image with the connecting link
adapting to the new length between the pins.

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Making Sub-Assemblies Adaptive

Subassemblies can be defined as adaptive. You can drive the size of components in the
subassembly by applying constraints across all subassembly parts. In the Browser, click on the
designated subassembly and make it adaptive. All other instances of the subassembly do not
display the adaptive icon; however all of these instances will behave in the same way.

08_Chief Scoop.iam.
This exercise illustrates how one hydraulic cylinder can be set to adaptive.
When testing out this assembly, all hydraulic cylinders will move to
changes in the shovel openings.

1. Open the file 08_Chief Scoop.iam. Your image should appear similar to the illustration
shown on the left in the following image.

2. Assemble the four Chief Cylinders to the Chief Plates and Scoops. Use a series of Insert
constraints to accomplish this.

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3. When all four cylinders have been assembled, right-click on the first cylinder in the Browser
and select Adaptive from the menu.
4. Drag one of the scoops and notice the other scoop moves. All hydraulic cylinders with also
expand or retract depending on the position of the scoop.

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Patterning Components in an Assembly

Arranging assembly components in a pattern saves time, increases your productivity, and captures
design intent. For example, you may need to place multiple bolts to fasten one component to
another or place multiple subassemblies into a complex assembly. Below are examples of the
Rectangular and Circular tabs of the Pattern Component dialog box

You can create a circular pattern by specifying the number of components and the angle between
then. You can create a rectangular pattern by specifying column and row spacing. You can create
both circular and rectangular patterns by matching features patterned on a part.
Usually, you pattern components at several points in the assembly design process. When you place
a component:
You position it using an existing part feature pattern.
You select the component and copy it into a pattern.

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09_Pipe Assembly.iam
The purpose of this assembly is to illustrate how a simple nut, washer
and screw arrangement can be converted into a sub-assembly by
demoting. Once the fastener sub-assembly is created and re-constrained
to the top of the mounting plate, all fasteners will be duplicated in a
circular pattern as shown on the right in the following image.

1. Open the file 09_Pipe Assembly.iam.

2. Activate an existing design view representation called Bolt Assembly.

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3. In the Browser, select 09_Cap Bolt, 09_Cap Nut, and two 09_Cap Washer parts. Right-
click on one of these parts and select Demote from the menu.

4. When the Create In-Place Component dialog box appears, enter 09_Cap Fastener as the
new file name.
5. Click OK to the warning message that states that some assembly constraints may be lost.
6. Notice the new listing in the Browser called 09_Cap Fastener.iam.

7. Drag the 09_Cap Fastener assembly away from the hole to show that the constraints were
lost.
8. Apply an Insert constraint from the bottom of the washer to the top of the hole as shown in
the following image.

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9. Select the Pattern Component tool and pick the 09_Cap Fastener sub-assembly.
10. Click the Associated Feature Pattern button in the Feature Pattern Select area as shown on
the left in the following image.
11. Pick any hole along the top surface of the plate as shown on the right in the following
image.
12. When all holes highlight, click OK to place the pattern.

13. The completed exercise is illustrated in the following image. Switch back to the All design
view representation to display the entire pipe assembly.

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Replacing a Component and Collision Detection

You can replace one assembly component with another component, but existing assembly
constraints are deleted.
1. Click the Replace Component tool, then click a component to replace.
2. In the Open dialog, go to the folder that contains the component, select the component, and
click Open.
3. A warning message notifies you that constraints will be deleted. Click OK to continue or
Cancel to discontinue replacing a component.

10_Hinge Assembly.iam
This exercise is designed to replace an existing part with another and
observe the results. The exercise continues by performing a collision
detection as a check for interference.

1. Open the file 10_Hinge Assembly.iam.

2. Click the Replace button and pick 10_Simple Arm as the
component to replace. For the new component, click on
the file 10_New Arm Assembly.iam. When replacing
components, a dialog box will appear alerting you to
the possible loss of assembly constraints. Click the OK
button to continue.

3. Then drag the New arm around and notice it is completely separated from the assembly as
shown in the following image.

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4. The replacement part needs to have constraints added. Use the Insert constraint to
assemble the edge of the bushing with the edge of the adjacent hole. Also, enter an offset
value of -0.0025 which will act as clearance between the bushing and hole as shown on the
right in the following image.
5. Drag the new arm and check for proper movement.

6. To perform a collision detection on the assembly, add an Angle constraint between the face
of the hinge and the face of the new arm.

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7. In the Browser, locate the angle constraint just created, right-click on this constraint, and
select Drive Constraint from the menu.
8. In the Drive Constraint dialog box, make the following changes: Enter 78 in the Start field.
Enter 85 in the End field. Expand this dialog box. Enter a value of 0.1 degree in the
Increment field. Be sure to place a check in the box next to Collision Detection.

9. Click the Forward button to drive the constraint. The motion will stop when interference is
detected between the arm and hinge.

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More on Driving Constraints in Assemblies

Use the Drive Constraint tool on the menu to activate the Drive Constraint dialog box as shown in
the following image. Driven constraints is a way to simulate mechanical motion by driving a
constraint through a sequence of steps. The Drive Constraint tool is limited to one constraint, but
you can drive additional constraints by using the Equations tool to create algebraic relationships
between constraints.
To begin, constrain two components together.
1. In the Browser, right-click on the constraint and
select Drive Constraint. The Drive Constraint dialog
box opens.
2. In Start, enter the beginning value. The default
value is the angle or offset defined for the
constraint.
3. In End, enter the ending value. The default is the
Start value plus ten.
4. In Pause Delay, set the time between steps. Adjust
the default value to speed up or slow down motion.
5. Click the More button to set options, as follows:
6. Select the Drive Adaptivity check box to adapt
components to fit constraint value, if needed.
7. Select the Collision Detection check box to check
for interference.
8. Set the Increment between steps by specifying either the value or the total number of
steps. Value may be entered, measured, or as dimensioned.
9. Set the Repetition of the sequence: Start/End runs once and returns to the beginning;
Start/End/Start runs once forward, then once backward. If desired, enter a value to run the
sequence more than once.
10. Click the Forward button to start the sequence or click the Step Forward button to advance
the sequence one step at a time.
After the sequence begins, you can click the Stop button, click Forward or Reverse, Step Forward
or Step Reverse, or Go to Beginning or Go to End.
Note: To record the driven constraint sequence, click the More button to set the Avi rate, then click
the Start Recording button. To reduce size of the animation file, reduce the graphics window size
and use a solid background color.

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11_Twist Clamp.iam
The purpose of this exercise is to drive an existing angle constraint in
order to produce motion in the twist clamp assembly.

1. Open the file 11_Twist Clamp.iam.

2. Apply an Angle constraint to the two faces as shown in the following image. Set the angle
value of the constraint to -90.

3. Right click on the Angle:4 (-90.0 deg) constraint in the Browser and pick Drive Constraint
from the menu as shown in the following image.

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4. This will display the Drive Constraint dialog box. Change the End value to -125 as shown in
the following image.
5. Click the Forward button to drive the constraint and check the clamp assembly for motion in
its jaws.

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12_Double Slider Coupling

1. Open the file 12_Double Slider

Coupling.iam as shown on the right. The
purpose of this exercise is to apply a drive
constraint on an angle constraint to
produce rotary motion on an assembly.

2. In the Assembly Browser, identify the part file 12_Bearing Block:2 and the Angular: Drive
This constraint as shown on the left in the following image.
3. Right click on the Angular: Drive This constraint. Then click Drive Constraint from the menu
as shown on the left in the following image.
4. When the Drive Constraint dialog box appears, verify that Start is set to 0.00 deg and End
is set to 360 deg. Under the Increment area, verify that the amount of value is set to
5.00 deg. This will cause motion to occur in 5 degree increments. Also verify that the
Repetitions are set to Start/End with a unit length of 2. When finished, click the Forward
button to test the motion of the coupler.

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5. To get a better view of the coupling motion occurring in the assembly, expand the
Representations folder in the Browser
6. Double click on Plan View as shown on the left in the following image. This will display the
assembly as shown on the right in the following image.
7. Right click on the Angular: Drive This constraint in the Assembly Browser.
8. When the Drive Constraint dialog box appears, click the Forward button to observe the
assembly motion.

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13_Spring Motion.iam
1. Open the file 13_Spring Motion.iam. In this exercise, you will
drive the adaptivity of a spring in order display it compressing and
expanding while being driven.

2. Before applying the motion to the spring assembly, first open up the file 13_Spring.ipt as
shown in the following image. The spring was created using the Coil tool. The base of the
coil begins at the base of a default work plane. A second work plane was created at the top
of the coil. Then the work plane was made to be adaptive as shown in the following image.

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3. Return back to the assembly of the spring. Identify the Insert: Drive This constraint in the
Assembly Browser, right click and pick Drive Constraint from the menu as shown in the
following image.

4. When the Drive Constraint dialog box appears, verify the following settings in the dialog
box: Start is set to 0.000 in and End is set to 1.000 in. This establishes the limits of
motion for the spring. In the Increment area, verify that the amount of value is set to
0.100 in. In the Repetitions area, be sure Start/End/Start is set and change the value to 2.
Also verify that the Drive Adaptivity box is checked. Then click the Forward button to play
the motion study. The spring should compress and then expand.

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Placing a Parts List in an Assembly Drawing

Use the Parts List button on the Drawing Annotation toolbar to place a parts list. A parts list uses
the formatting set in the active drafting standard.
1. Click the Parts List button.
2. In the graphics window, select the drawing view for the list.
3. In the Create Parts List dialog box, select the level and range of parts for the list and click
OK.
4. Note: When First-Level Components is selected, the Range is automatically set to All.
5. Move the indicator in the graphics window and click to place the parts list. The parts list will
snap to edges or corners of the sheet or to the title block.

Tip: To move a parts list after it is placed, move the cursor over the parts list, then drag the green
dot to move it to the desired location.

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Placing Balloons in an Assembly Drawing

Use the desired Balloon button on the Drawing Annotation toolbar to add reference balloons to a
drawing.
Note: If you add balloons to a drawing before creating a parts list, the balloons will show the item
numbers of first-level components. You can select a balloon and change it to show the item number
of the part to which it is attached.
To Add Balloons to Individual Parts:
1. Click the Balloon button.
2. In the graphics window, select the part and then click to set the start point for the leader line.
3. Move the cursor and click to add a vertex.
4. When the symbol indicator is in the desired position, right-click and choose Continue to place the
symbol. The symbol style is determined by the active drafting standard.
Continue placing balloons. When you finish placing balloons, right-click and select Done from the
menu to end the operation.
To Add Balloons to All Parts in a Drawing:
1. Click the arrow next to the Balloon button and select Balloon All.
2. In the graphics window, select the view.

Note: The balloons are added to either the top-level components or to all parts, depending on the
balloon setting in the active drafting standard.

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Valve Assembly
1. Open the file 14_2006_012P.idw.

2. From the Drawing Annotation Panel, click on the Parts List button. When the Parts List
dialog box displays, select inside of the isometric view. This will generate the parts list from
this view. Verify that the BOM View is set to Structured; keep the remaining default values
and settings and click the OK button. When the BOM View Disabled dialog appears, click the
OK button to enable the Structured BOM View.

3. When you return to the display of the assembly drawing, move your cursor above the title
block and along the right edge of the border. You will notice the rectangular outline of the
parts will snap to these positions. Click to locate the parts list. Your parts list should appear
similar on the right in the following image.

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4. Notice the parts list is narrower than the title block. To stretch the parts list, move your
cursor between divider that separates PART NUMBER and DESCRIPTION. When the arrows
appear, press and drag the divider to the left. This will widen the DESCRIPTION cell and the
parts list as a whole. This will also shorten the parts list. Move your cursor on one of the
text items. When your cursor changes to four arrows, press and drag to move the parts list
on top of the title block and along the right edge of the border.

5. Notice that there is no description for PART NUMBER 14_2006_001. Rather than edit the
parts list, instead the description will be added to the top level Bill of Materials. This will
automatically push the description down into the parts list. Begin this process right clicking
on the parts list and selecting Bill of Materials from the menu as shown in the following
image.

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6. When the Bill of Materials dialog box appears, enter the name CYLINDER in the empty
Description field as shown in the following image. When finished, click the DONE button.

7. You will notice that when you return to the parts list, the CYLINDER description is
automatically added to the parts list from the Bill of Materials (BOM).

8. Next you will add balloons to the drawing. These balloons will coincide with the information
in the parts list. From the Drawing Annotation Panel, click on the Auto Balloon button. This
will launch the Auto Balloon dialog box as shown on the left in the following image. In the
Selection area, pick inside of the isometric view as shown on the right in the following
image.

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9. The next step in the placing of balloons is to add the components to balloon by surrounding
all components that make up the isometric view as shown on the right in the following
image. All selected components will highlight in a light blue color.

10. While still inside of the Auto Balloon

dialog box, make the following
changes. Keep the balloon
placement set to Horizontal. You will
see this previewed when moving
your cursor on the display screen.
Also change the Button Shape under
the Style overrides area to the type
illustrated on the right in the image.
This balloon will contain two sets of
information split by a horizontal line.

11. Clicking in the display to place the balloons and clicking the OK button will display all
balloons as shown in the following image.

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12. The image at the right shows the results of the new balloon style.
The digit in the upper half of the balloon represents the item
number. The digit in the lower half is the quantity. Follow the next
series of steps designed to change the lower half of the balloon
from Quantity to Part Number.

13. Click on Styles Editor, which is found under the Format pull-down menu as shown on the
left in the following image. When the Styles and Standards Editor displays, expand Balloon
and pick on the Balloon (ANSI) style. This will display all balloon style settings and
information. Click on the button called Property Chooser as shown on the right in the
following image.

14. When the Property Chooser dialog box appears, select the QTY property and click the
Remove button to remove it from the list. Then find the PART NUMBER property and click
the Add button to add this property to the list. Click the OK button to exit the Property
Chooser dialog box. Then click the Save button followed by the Done button in the Styles
and Standards Editor dialog box.

15. The results are displayed in the following image with the Quantity property being replaced
by the Part number in all balloons.

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16. You will now have to relocate the balloons and identifying arrows to better locations. To do
this, click on the balloon. When the green grip appears at the arrow location, press and drag
the arrow to a better location on the part. Then press and drag on the green grip inside of
the balloon and locate it to a better location as shown in the following image.

17. The completed assembly drawing with balloons and parts list is illustrated in the following
image.

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Creating a 2D Design Layout in an Assembly

Rather than build a part not knowing its affect in an assembly, a sketch can be built and constraint
to see how it interacts with an assembly.
15_Slide Assembly
1. Open the file 15_Slide Assembly.iam. A sketch has been
inserted into an assembly as shown in the following image. Also
a Mate constraint has already been applied between a workplane
in the sketch and a workplane on one of the assembly parts.

2. Apply a Mate-Centerline constraint by clicking on the upper edge of the circle in the link arm
and the inner circle of the slide arm as shown on the left in the following image. The results
are shown on the right in the following image with the upper portion of the link arm sketch
constrained to the center of the slide arm.

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3. Apply a second Mate-Centerline constraint by clicking on the lower edge of the circle in the
link arm and the inner circle of the slide as shown on the left in the following image. The
results are shown on the right in the following image with the lower portion of the link arm
sketch constrained to the center of the slide.

4. Before continuing, drag on the Slide Arm or the Slide to check not only for motion but that
the link arm remains connected to the Slide Arm and the Slide as shown in the following
image.

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5. Next edit the Link Arm in the context of the assembly by double clicking on the sketch as
shown in the following image. The other parts that make up the Slide Assembly will take on
a faded appearance. Only change can be made to the Link Arm.

6. Next, extrude the sketch of the Link Arm. Click inside of the Link Arm sketch to select this
shape as the profile to extrude. Set the extrusion distance to 10mm. Also set the extrusion
method to Midplane as shown in the following image.

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7. You could also change the Link Arm to a different material. When finished, double click on
the top level assembly in the Browser, 15_Slide Assembly.iam to exit the individual
component edit mode and return to the main assembly.

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Assembly Modeling Productivity Tips

Customize Assembly Viewing

As you add components, turn off visibility of components, which no longer impact the
portion of the design on which you are currently focused.
Turn off visibility of non-essential components and save the design view with a unique
name. Reload the design view whenever you work on the assembly.
Pause over a component in the Browser to highlight it on the graphics screen.
Right-click and select Find in Browser or Find in Window to locate components.
Save a design view representation of a complex subassembly and turn on visibility for only
the components needed to place the subassembly. Use that design view representation
when you place the subassembly.
Turn off enabled status for parts you do not need to select but need to see for frame of
reference.
Use color to segregate subsystems in an assembly. For example, display all components in
the pneumatics system in one color, all components supplied by a certain vendor in another
color, and so on.

Plan For Efficiency

Plan the top-level assembly and subassembly structure before you create parts.
Create logical subassemblies and combine them into larger assemblies.
Keep all components used in a subassembly in the same directory.
Create a shared network directory for components that will be shared by many designers on
many projects.
Fill-in the Summary and Project properties for individual components.
Create a unique template and use it to create components for a specific project or
subassembly. Pre-define common properties in the template so all components created from
that template inherit the properties.
Assign iMates to standard parts such as nuts, washers, bolts, and shafts.

Manage Assembly Constraints

Use only as many constraints as are needed to control component position and movement.
Pause the cursor over a constraint in the Browser to highlight it in the graphics window.
Avoid constraints between features that might be removed later in the design process.

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