Learning CAD with Alibre Atom3D

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

If you follow the tutorial you will find things will move into the correct positions as you start to align and mate them.

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

Duncan – magnitude /position undefined simply means that the sketch isn't entirely tied down. What you have may well be correct, but it isn't fully dimensioned and fixed as far as Atom3D is concerned.
You could add dimensions to fully define, or maybe more simply just add 'locked' constraints to fix everything in the sketch.

Undefined sketches won't usually move – but you are being warned that it would be easy to simply drag parts of the sketch away from current positions. Best practice is to have each sketch fully defined – realistically this doesn't always happen.

Edited By David Jupp on 25/11/2018 18:19:24

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Progress so far, laughably slow but it's getting faster. Still struggling to get fully defined sketches, will wait till #2 son comes round, he is a whizz at it. Other point I've noticed, if I try to draw a circle 25.4mm diameter it won't accept the decimal point, I have to draw it at an integer value then resize it, which slows it down even more. Anywhere here it is, thanks for the help chaps

I also noticed that having the fillets in the shape I rotated perhaps wasn't the best, when I tried to add fillets between boss /counterweight and the face it threw a wobbler, said the geometry was too complicated. I'll live with that!

Edited By duncan webster on 25/11/2018 19:45:02

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Not sure why you cant enter 25.4. I can happily enter decimals and often do it when working in imperial rather than a fraction.

EDIT.

Go to the Atom Gem and then to Properties, then Units – General and see how many decimal places you have set for metric. I think you will find it is set to zero so rounds your entered 25.4 down to 25. A quick check would be to draw a 25.6mm circle and see if it gets rounded up

 

Edited By JasonB on 25/11/2018 20:22:37

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

Posted by JasonB on 25/11/2018 20:17:37:

Not sure why you cant enter 25.4. I can happily enter decimals and often do it when working in imperial rather than a fraction.

EDIT.

Go to the Atom Gem and then to Properties, then Units – General and see how many decimal places you have set for metric. I think you will find it is set to zero so rounds your entered 25.4 down to 25. A quick check would be to draw a 25.6mm circle and see if it gets rounded up

Edited By JasonB on 25/11/2018 20:22:37

that works, I set precision to 6, which is as high as it goes for both length and angle. I also resolved the closure issue by closing the drawing and re-opening. It then let me lock the floating lines.

Time to be sociable with SWMBO now!

[duncan webster 1Participant @duncanwebster1]

I also found all the tutorials at the Gem/explore tab, they might shut me up for a bit!

[John Barber 5Participant @johnbarber5]

Is there a rule that a sketch can be used only once? I thought I could kill two birds with one stone by extruding a single sketch in one direction without a draft angle, and then in the opposite direction with a draft angle, but when I try to do the second extrude the "OK" button is grayed out.

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

John, you can use a sketch directly once. BUT you can 'project to sketch' an existing sketch into your current sketch. If you choose 'maintain associativity' the new sketch will update if you alter the 'source' sketch.

Choose the Project to Sketch tool from the sketching ribbon, once the tool is active select your source sketch by clicking on its name in the Design Explorer.

You could also use a face of the first extrusion to project, which should give similar results.

[John Barber 5Participant @johnbarber5]

Thanks!

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

You should also be able to copy and paste a sketch back into the same model or use it for another part.

[JC54Participant @jc54]

I think this question may be linked to previous answer but have got a bit lost. I have manage to design a tool holder for my myford "m" but I want to draw several variants based on the same basic design. Is there a "save as" command? So that I can launch the original, alter it and save to a new file. JC

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Just click the Atom Gem and you should see both save and save as in the drop down

[EmgeeParticipant @emgee]

JC, IMO best to save the file as the name you want the modified file to be called, then make changes in that file, not the original.

Emgee

[David JuppParticipant @davidjupp51506]

The question about 'Save As' reminds me of a VERY important point.

Do NOT be tempted to rename Atom3D files in the Windows File Explorer – always use Save As from inside Atom3D. Do NOT copy/paste/rename Atom3D files if you want to create variants on a design – use Save As.

If you don't follow this advice you may end up with the 'wrong part' appearing when you re-open an assembly. This is because each file created is saved with a unique internal reference value, this value is used to link assemblies together. Using copy/paste/rename results in more than one file having the same reference and these can randomly swap places.

[Earny49Participant @earny49]

My subscription issue no 274 arrived very late. By the time I was thinking of getting around to trying Alibre issue 275 had arrived!

I cannot get alibre by using the instructions on P46 of issue 274. When I input http://www.alibre.******** it takes me to alibre website but there is no reference to MEW or 6 months trial. I am offered the standard 30 day trial but no other offer.

I have not been given a link to a license key so have got no where at all.

Any advice?

Edited By JasonB on 28/11/2018 06:54:16

[John Barber 5Participant @johnbarber5]

Just going back to the question of creating a section view precisely through the axis of a hole in 2-D drawings, I'm still not seeing the ghost lines which David referred to, but I've found his other suggestion of using constraints works well for me. I deliberately place the section line slightly off target, so I can see it snap into the correct position when the constraint kicks in. If the hole appears as a circle in the parent view, I use a co-incident constraint between the circle and the section line. If the hole is sideways on, I turn on hidden lines, then use a symmetry constraint between the section line and each side of the hole. This makes sure that diameters are correctly dimensioned as such in the sectioned view,

[JC54Participant @jc54]

Jason, many thanks for showing the "SAVE AS" command. I now have a master tool holder drawing and several variants saved for different sized tooling. Just what I wanted.. JC

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Earny, I'm not sure why you are not seeing the 6 month trial, I have just this minute followed the same link and it comes up fine for me.

[John HinkleyParticipant @johnhinkley26699]

Just by way of experiment and a bit of fun, I tried out the "explode" function on my part-assembled engine design and this was the result:

I think I need to improve my layout methods! But you get the idea.

John

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Earn

If you still are struggling drop me an email – so far the few folks who have emailed me a 'non-working' link have found it works when I send it back to them.

Neil

[SpurryParticipant @spurry]

Not quite how Google operates, but if the Alibre web address was entered into the search box, the MEW link would never show, although the proper Alibre site could be accessed.

However if the same address was typed directly into the web search box (top left hand corner in I.E.9) I was taken straight to the correct link.

Pete

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Sorry Michael.

The idea is that people have to buy a copy of MEW to access the offer.

We do need to sell magazines to stay in business….

I gave up trying to find a suitable way to edit your posting but culdn't find one, hence deletion.

Neil

[Paul AbramsParticipant @paulabrams18342]

I'm working through the latest article and have got to the 'assembly' part. I have successfully entered the base part but on aligning them under constraints I can Align (1) & Align (2) but I cannot find Align (3)!

The Upright when entered fits into the base part without a problem and the protrusion underneath aligns perfectly as well. Everything moves as one.

My question is – Do I need align (3)? Is it possible that the 3rd axis aligns automatically?

I got to Assembly-16 before giving up and trying without the 3rd alignment and it seems to work OK

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

See below …

Edited By Michael Gilligan on 28/11/2018 17:02:01

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Michael Gilligan on 28/11/2018 16:57:40:

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 28/11/2018 16:50:58:

Sorry Michael.

The idea is that people have to buy a copy of MEW to access the offer.

We do need to sell magazines to stay in business….

I gave up trying to find a suitable way to edit your posting but culdn't find one, hence deletion.

Neil

.

Apologies, if I caused any embarrasment, Neil

I have sent you a P.M.

MichaelG.

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