Alibre Atom 3D. Another question.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

I have the trial version of Alibre Atom 3D and I have been using assembly to design a small engine. It's only practice so the design is rubbish. But when I create a new part within the assembly, not import a part, I can't seem to rename it. The Alibre forum seems to be divided on whether this is a problem or not. I get the impression that there is a workaround. Is there?

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Try this

Create your new part and then click save. You will get a box come up with two items listed – the assembly and below that "new part" if you right click where it says "newpart" you can then change it's name

Edited By JasonB on 15/05/2023 17:06:26

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Thanks Jason.

I fired up my cad computer as soon as I saw your reply, altered the names of the 3 parts, and the the name of the assembly file. Works perfect!

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I just had a look at that, made a part etc.

But it wouldn't move, seemed to be permanently anchored

Sooo?

Delete it in assembly. Then pull the saved item in via insert design and its fine

Edited By Ady1 on 15/05/2023 17:59:04

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

The new parts move about and can be constrained just like any other for me.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

Whichever way, as long as it works

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

It may be helpful to enable 'Prompt for new file names' in System Options -> All workspaces -> General ; that way you'll get a dialogue allowing you to set name each time you start a new design.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Thaks David, I will set that later. Some of my engine designs can have thirty odd parts, it's much easier to keep track if they have a name!

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Lee it is also worth thinking about building things up with sub assemblies which keeps things easier to handle. For example you could assemble a piston, wrist pin, conrod, big end cap and big end bearings as a separate assembly and then insert that into your main engine assembly as many times as you have cylinders for it.

This can also save having to try and assemble parts when they are in the deepest depths of an assembly.

[lee websterParticipant @leewebster72680]

Slow down a bit Jason! I'm only on day three. Thanks for the suggestion though, that's a good idea. I will learn my mistakes on the first several designs then try to produce something workable.

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

Ady,

When you make a new part 'in context' of the assembly, the part workspace shares reference geometry with the assembly. Will only be able to move the new part when you return to editing the assembly, and depending upon exactly how you modelled the part – movement can be restricted if you used geometry from other parts to define it.

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

David.

I thought it was me, just couldn't see which button to press

lee.

When I did LBSCs BAT I made the steamchest and cylinder in a separate assembly then "insert design" -ed it into the main assembly and glued it on, very handy for bigger jobs

[StevePParticipant @stevepye68246]

Hello everyone.
I use Alibre3d

I could do will a little bit of advice, on inserting a part into an assembly and after constraining it everything seemed ok but on rotating the part the whole assembly started to fall apart. I did get most of the assembly back to what it originally was before the part was inserted ,except for one part.
On opening the model it didn’t resemble anything, luckily I’d thought of a better design so nothing lost. Could lack of computer ram or graphics card cause this problem?

Steve

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

To constrain a part properly for movement you need at least 2, sometimes 3 constraints

Also, anchoring a non moving part makes life easier

It’s a learning process towards a proper understanding of what’s going on

A single constraint will look fine

…until you start moving stuff about

[StevePParticipant @stevepye68246]

Thanks ady

The assembly had been fine until the last model had been constrained, other assemblies inside the main assembly rotated without causing a problem. One model in the assembly became corrupted after the main assembly model fell apart so I’m not sure it was a constraint causing me having to remodel a part.

Steve

[Ady1Participant @ady1]

I run Alibre 25.1 on a 2008 machine on win7 64bit with a GE Force GTX 745

Ancient gear, miles out of date

Avoid stuff like lots of screw threads and complicated spur cog profiles if you have an older slower machine, (I just use roundbars and holes and simple cog profiles)

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Did any of the constraints on the tree down the left hand side turn red when you constrained that last part? if they did then they would not be applied to the assembly.

 

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

If you don’t either Anchor, or use constraints to fix the first / main part in place in the assembly workspace, a new constraint can cause stuff to ‘fly off’ because there may be valid, but unexpected ways to solve the constraint.

You’ll generally avoid this problem if you fix the first/main part to the assembly reference geometry, then constrain subsequent parts or sub-assemblies to it.

 

 

[StevePParticipant @stevepye68246]

Thank you for talking the time to reply.

I,m not sure I explained my problem clearly enough.

The individual models in the assembly came apart, extruded solids and extruded cuts moved around in a number of models. When the models were opened individually afterwards, a few of the models were distorted I couldn’t rescue one of the models which I remodelled.

The first model was restrained with an axis and two planes.

The reason I’d mentioned my PC is, it’s quite old and wasn’t a high specification when I bought it.

Ady mentioned he uses an older PC, could I be asking too much of my PC.

I could post the PC specification tomorrow.

Thanks

Steve

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

Not sure how that can happen.  Sounds like either a major problem or a severe misunderstanding of how to use the system.  Suggest you send the files to Alibre Support for analysis.   https://www.alibre.com/alibre-customer-support-ticket-entry/

[StevePParticipant @stevepye68246]

Thank you David

It’s the first time anything like this has happened, if it happens again i will follow your advice and send the model to Alibre as you say.

Thanks again

Steve

[Graham TitmanParticipant @grahamtitman81812]

I have decided to try to teach myself alibre again and fell at the first hurdle i cannot find the circle command .Iknow it is the 2019 version but surly it will not lose parts of the program by not being used.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Graham,

Your screenshot shows that you aren’t in sketch mode. Select a plane and go to “activate sketch”.  The circle command icon will appear on the toolbar, along with all the other drawing tools.

John

 

[Graham TitmanParticipant @grahamtitman81812]

Thanks John but clicking on activate sketch does nothing it flashes but nothing changes.

[Author]

Posts