EDU CAT EN V5E AF V5R16 Lesson7 Toprint7 PDF

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context
Student Notes:
Design in Context
In this lesson, you will be introduced to designing in context.
Lesson content:
Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES
Case Study: Design in Context

Design Intent
Stages in the Process
Clarify the display
Design Contextual Parts
Create Assembly Features
Manipulate the Contextual Components
Save the Model
Duration: Approximately 7 hours
Lesson Content

Student Notes:
Case Study: Contextual Design
The case study for this lesson is the completion of an earphone, as shown below. The
focus of this case study is the creation of a cover part. The features that are used to
design the cover part are created within the context of the existing components. This
method ensures that the cover part will interface properly with the existing components.

Student Notes:
Design Intent (1/2)

The model of the earphone must meet the
following design intent requirements:
Contextual links must be used.
This will ensure that changes to referenced
parts are reflected in the contextual part.
Contextual links can only reference the

housing component
Using the Analyze dependencies tool you

can ensure that only the Housing
component is reference.

Student Notes:
Design Intent (2/2)

The model of the earphone must meet the
following design intent requirements
(continued):
The oval cut may need to intersect other
components that have not yet been
created.
Additional components may be added to this
assembly depending on the model. By
creating the cut at the assembly level you
can control which components the cut will
intersect.
The assembly must be saved to another

directory in its entirety.
Using the Send To directory option you

can be sure that all files associated with
the assembly are copied to the required
directory.

Student Notes:
Stages in the Process

Use the following steps to create the model of
the earphone:
Clarify the display
Create contextual parts
Create assembly features
Manipulate the contextual components
Save the model
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Student Notes:
Design in Context
Step 1: Clarify the display.
In this section, you will learn how to

clarify the display and improve the
performance of CATIA when working
with large assemblies.
Use the following steps to create the

earphone.
1. Clarify the display.

2.
3.
4.
5.
Create contextual parts.

Create assembly features.
Manipulate the contextual components.
Save the model.
Step 1 - Clarify the Display

Student Notes:
Working with Large Assemblies

In complex industrial assemblies, the root assembly contains a large number of components and
instantiations, which results in a large overall assembly. As a result, decreases in the
performance of CATIA can occur. It can take longer to open, zoom, pan, update and save large
assemblies. It can also take more time to generate and update drafting views.
The following tools can be used to help improve the performance of CATIA when working with
large assemblies:
A. Visualization mode
B. Hiding components
C. Deactivating representations
D. Deactivating components
E. Selective load

Student Notes:
Visualization Mode (1/2)

By default, an assembly is loaded in design
mode. The exact geometry and parameters of
all components are loaded in memory. This
step can involve much more time for larger
assemblies. To improve the performance, you
can set the option to load an assembly in
visualization mode. In this mode, only a
representation of the geometry is loaded.
If a document is loaded in design mode, the
components in the tree will be expandable
because the exact geometry is loaded.
If a document is loaded in visualization mode,

the components in the tree cannot be
expanded because the graphical information is
being read from a CGR file.
Comparison Between Visualization and Design Mode (2/2)

The following table shows a comparison between visualization and design mode:
Comparison of Design Mode & Visualization Mode
Behavior
Design Mode
Visualization Mode
Memory and Performance

Fully Loaded
Partially Loaded
Load and Update Performance
Normal
Faster, which is a benefit over Design Mode
Display Performance
Normal
Normal
Visible in Show
Yes
Yes
Visible in No-show
Yes
Yes
Viewable in non-shaded mode
Yes
Yes
Viewable in DMU and sketcher sections
Yes
Yes
Visible in drafting
Yes
Yes, automatically switches to Design Mode
Accessible for adding Assembly constraints
Yes
Assembly Constraints re-generated/updated
Yes
Accessible to define translations & rotations
Yes
Calculated in Clash, Clearance, Contact
Yes
Yes
Calculated in Mass Property analysis
Yes
No
Accessible for Measurements
Yes
No, other than minimum distance measurement
Geometry features accessible in tree
Yes
No
Geometry may be edited
Yes
No
Geometry may be used to define sketches and features in other

parts in the assembly (e.g. up-to-plane)
Yes
In-context features re-generated/updated (e.g. associativity)
Yes
Loaded in Memory
Visibility
Assembly Constraints and Transformations
Analysis
Part Geometry
Student Notes:

Student Notes:
User Setting: Turning on the Cache (1/2)

Turning on the cache system will automatically
load the components in visualization mode.
The cache is a read/write path located locally

on your machine or anywhere on your network
and is used to store CGR files. The first time a
component is inserted, a corresponding CGR
file is computed and saved in the local cache
as well as displayed in the document window.
The next time this component is required, the
CGR file which already exists (and not the
original document) is automatically loaded
from the local cache.
Use the following steps to turn on the cache:
1. Select Tools > Options.
2. Expand the Infrastructure node and
select Product Structure.
3. Activate the Work with the cache system
option. Select OK to the warning
message.
4. Select OK to confirm.
5. Restart CATIA.
3

Student Notes:
User Setting: Turning on the Cache (2/2)

Depending on whether you are in design mode
or visualization mode, the ability to edit the
component is different:
A. Without the cache system (design mode),
you can edit the components by
expanding the components branch in the
tree.
B. With the cache system (visualization

mode), the component branches in the
tree are not expandable and therefore the
part bodies are not accessible. In this
mode, you are working with CGR files.

Student Notes:
Manually Switching to Design Mode

Components can be manually switched from
visualization mode to design mode without
having to restart CATIA.
Use either of the following methods to
manually switch from visualization mode to
design mode:
A. Double-click on a part in the specification
tree.
B. Click Representations > Design Mode

from the contextual menu of a
component.

Student Notes:
Automatic Switch to Design Mode

The Automatic Switch to Design mode option
allows you to add constraints between
components that have been loaded in
visualization mode.
1
Use the following steps to add a constraint

between two components loaded in
visualization mode:
1. Ensure the Automatic switch to Design
mode option is activated under Tools >
Options, Mechanical Design node,
Assembly Design node, General tab.
2. Select a constraint tool, such as

coincidence constraint.
3. The cursor will display an eye next to the

arrow when it is on geometry. Select the
desired geometry to make the constraint.
4. The two constrained components switch
to design automatically.

Student Notes:
Update Status Unknown

The Compute exact update status at open
option loads the minimal data needed in
assembly components to determine whether or
not the assembly is updated.
Access the option from Tools > Options,
Mechanical Design node, Assembly Design
node, General tab.
When the Update icon is available, select it.
When the Update icon is not available, the

status of the active model is up to date.

Student Notes:
Hiding Components
Hiding components can improve display
performance and reduce clutter in the show
space.
Hiding a component will make it not visible in
the show space and in drawing views. Its icon
in the tree will be dimmed.
The hide/show state of a component is stored
in the CATProduct file.
Hiding components is similar to deactivating
components, but with the added advantages
of:
excluding components from drawing views
part elements remaining accessible to

design parts and assemblies

Student Notes:
Comparison Between Show and Hide

The following table compares the capabilities of show and hide while in design mode:
Comparison of Show & Hide (in Design Mode)
Behavior
Shown
Hidden
Fully Loaded
Fully Loaded
Normal
Normal
Display Performance
Normal
Faster, which is a benefit over being Shown
Visible in Show
Yes
No
Visible in No-show
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Loaded in Memory
Visibility
Yes
Yes
Visible in drafting
Yes
No, which is a benefit over being Deactivated
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Geometry may be used to define sketches and features in other parts
in the assembly (e.g. up-to-plane)
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Analysis
Part Geometry

Student Notes:
Hiding Components
Use the following steps to hide a component:
1
1. Select the component to be hidden.

2. Select the Hide/Show icon. The
component will be hidden.

Student Notes:
Showing Components
Use the following steps to show a component:
1. Select the component to be shown.
2. Select the Hide/Show icon. The
component will be shown.

Student Notes:
Deactivating Representations
Deactivating representations can improve
performance and reduce clutter in no show
space. Deactivation can also be used to
exclude representations from mass property
analysis. A deactivated representation will
have a gray axis symbol instead of a red axis
symbol.
The activation/deactivation state is stored in

the CATProduct. The default geometric
representation is activated when opening an
assembly. If there is only one representation,
it is the default. Deactivated representations
are not visible in the show or no show space.
The deactivation of representations is similar
to hiding components, but with the added
advantages of:
improving performance when opening
assemblies
excluding representations from mass
property analysis

Student Notes:
Why Deactivate Representations? (1/2)

Deactivating representations provide the following
benefits:
Mask Active representations in the specification tree
and in the geometry: Visualize the geometric
representation of CATIA elements belonging to a
CATProduct. With the Deactivate Node
functionality, only the selected element is hidden.
Whereas with the Deactivate Terminal Node
functionality, the last node'
s elements of the
selected node are masked.
Improve Performance: Deactivating representations

will prevent the components from being loaded into
memory. The end result is an improvement in the
performance of CATIA. It will take less time to open,
pan, zoom and save large assembly documents.
Hide Representations from No Show Space: By
deactivating representations, these components are
not represented even in no show space. Hiding
representations will move the representations into
No Show space, causing cluttering of that space. In
this sense, deactivating representations is better
than hiding representations.

Student Notes:
Why Deactivate Representations? (2/2)

Deactivating representations provide the
following benefits (continued):
You can activate or deactivate Shape
representation in Tools -> Options,
Infrastructure, select the Product
Visualization tab and check the box entitled
Do not activate default shapes on open. The
entity representation disappears, it is a profit
for memory space. You can work only on the
tree.
Analysis of Assemblies : Deactivated

representations are excluded from mass
property analysis. At times you are interested
to evaluate mass property of partial
assemblies. In order to do so, you can
deactivate representations which should not
be considered for mass property analysis.
Differences Between Activating and Deactivating Representations

The following table compares the capabilities of activating and deactivating representations while
in design mode:
Comparison of Activation & Deactivation Mode (in Design Mode)
Behavior
Activated
Deactivated
Fully Loaded
Fully Loaded

Loaded in Memory
Normal
Normal
Display Performance
Normal
Faster, which is a benefit over being Activated
Visible in Show
Yes
No
Visible in No-show
Yes
No, which is a benefit over being Hidden
Yes
No
Yes
No
Visible in drafting
Yes
Yes, even though not visible in the assembly
Visibility

Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
No, which is a benefit over being Hidden
Yes
No
Yes
No

Yes
No
Yes
No
Yes
Yes, after activating and updating the associated part
Analysis
Part Geometry
Student Notes:

Student Notes:
Deactivating Representations
Use the following steps to deactivate a
representation:
1. Right-click on the component for which its
representation is to be deactivated.
2. Select Representations > Deactivate

Node from the contextual menu of the
component. The geometric representation
of the component is deactivated. Note
that only the selected instance is
deactivated. The deactivated component
is represented by a gray axis in the tree
symbol.

Student Notes:
Activating Representations
Use the following steps to activate a
representation:
1. Right-click on the component for which its
representation is to be activated.
2. Select Representations > Activate

Node from the contextual menu of the
component. The geometric representation
of the component is activated.

Student Notes:
Saving the Activation State (1/2)

In order to save the assembly with the
representation of some components
deactivated, the status of each needs to be
stored in the CATProduct file. The Save
activation state command allows you to store
the activation state but you need to add the
icon to a toolbar.
Use the following steps to add the Save

activation state icon to a toolbar:
1. Select Tools > Customize. The
Customize dialog box will appear.
2. Select the Commands tab.
4
3
3. Select All Commands.
4. Select Save activation state from the list

and drag it onto a toolbar.
5. Close the dialog box.
4

Student Notes:
Saving the Activation State (2/2)

In the example shown, one representation has
been deactivated: the connector shell. If the
Save activation state option is selected, the
activation states of all the component
representations will be saved in the
CATProduct. The next time the product is
opened, the representation of the connector
shell will remain deactivated.
If the Save activation state tool is not selected,

the next time the product is opened, the model
will appear as shown in the lower right.

Student Notes:
Automatic Deactivation upon Opening an Assembly

Performance during the opening of assemblies
can be improved by having representations
automatically deactivated upon opening the
assemblies.
To have the representations automatically

deactivated upon the opening of assemblies,
activate the Do not activate default shapes on
open option under Tools > Options,
Infrastructure, Product Structure, Product
Visualization tab. If this option is checked, then
the desired representations will need to be
manually activated.

Student Notes:
Deactivating Components
Deactivating a component removes its
representation and instance. The operation is
simultaneous in all the CATIA documents
containing this element . This operation is
shared by all the instances of this part. You
can apply this functionality on CATProducts,
CATParts and models.
Deactivated components are not visible in the
show or no show space.
In the example shown, the connector shell is

deactivated. Note the change in its icon in the
tree.

Student Notes:
Why Deactivate Components?
Deactivating components has the following

advantages:
Exclude components from show and no
show space: By deactivating components,
these components are in neither the show
nor no show space. This results in less
cluttering of the no show space.
Removing components from the bill of
materials: Deactivating a component will
remove the component from the bill of
materials. This behavior allows for a bill of
materials to be generated for various
configurations of an assembly.

Student Notes:
Deactivating a Component (1/2)

Use the following steps to deactivate a
component:
1. Select X.X object > Activate/Deactivate
Component from the contextual menu of
the object to be deactivated.
2. The object will be removed from the
display and bill of materials, but it will
remain in the tree with the deactivated
icon symbol.
1

Student Notes:
Deactivating a Component (2/2)
In contrast to deactivating a node, deactivating a component inside a assembly will remove

its representation in all the CATIA documents containing this assembly.

Student Notes:
Effects on the Bill of Materials

Depending on which operation is used to
manipulate the representation, the component
may or may not show in the bill of materials
(BOM):
A. Deactivating a component will remove it
from the BOM.
B. Deactivating a node will not remove the
component from being listed in the BOM.
C. Unloading a component will remove it
from the BOM.
D. Hiding a component will not remove it
from the BOM.
A
B

Student Notes:
Selective Load
All the documents in an assembly do not need to
be loaded, especially when working with a large
assembly. Use the Selective Load tool to manage
the progressive load of a product by specifying the
level of depth.
This tool requires the following options to be set as
follows:
The Load referenced documents option must
not be checked. This option can be found in
Tools > Options, General node, General tab.
The Work with the cache system option must

be checked. This option can be found in Tools
> Options, Infrastructure node, Product
Structure node, Cache Management tab.
The Do not activate default shapes on open
option can be checked or unchecked. This
option can be found in Tools > Options,
Infrastructure node, Product Structure node,
Product Visualization tab.

Student Notes:
Using the Selective Load Tool (1/2)

Use the following steps to load only a portion
of the components in an assembly:
1. Ensure the following options have been
set:
a. Load referenced documents must be
unchecked.
b. Work with the cache system must be
checked.
1a
c. Do not activate default shapes on open can

be checked or unchecked.
2. Select the Selective Load icon. The

Product Load Management dialog box will
appear.
1b
1c

Student Notes:
Using the Selective Load Tool (2/2)

Use the following steps to load only a portion
of the components in an assembly (continued):
3. Select the components to load.
4. Select the icon shown to add the selected

components to the list.
5. Select the depth desired. The options are
1, 2, or all. If a depth of 1 is selected,
then only the components that have been
directly selected will be loaded and not
anything in a sub-node.
6. Select Apply or OK to load the selected

components.
6

Student Notes:
Differences Between Modes

The following table highlights some key reasons for using visualization mode,
deactivation, and hide:
Comparison of Modes
Behavior
Deactivated
Node
(Design Mode)
Partially Loaded
Fully Loaded
Fully Loaded
Design
Mode
Visualization
Mode
Fully Loaded
(Design Mode)
Hidden

Loaded in Memory
Normal
Faster
Normal
Normal
Display Performance
Normal
Normal
Faster
Faster
Visible in Show
Yes
Yes
No
No
Visible in No-show
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Visible in drafting
Yes
Yes
No
No
Visibility

Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes
Analysis
Part Geometry
Yes
No
No
Yes
Yes
No
No
Yes

Yes
Yes
No
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes

Student Notes:
To Sum Up (1/2)
In this section, you have learned how to improve the performance of CATIA
when working with large assemblies. The following are some key points of each
method:
Hiding components: Display performance can be improved by hiding components
which are not being edited.
Deactivate representations: Deactivated representations are not loaded in the
memory and this improves the performance of CATIA, including taking less time to
open, zoom, pan, and save large assemblies.
Deactivate components: Deactivated components are not represented in the bill of
materials of an assembly. This behavior allows for a bill of materials to be
generated for various configurations of an assembly.
Selective load: This command allows you to manage the progressive load of a
product. The level of depth of components to be loaded can be specified.
Using visualization mode: With this mode, components are partially loaded (only
the CGR is loaded), which improves the performance of CATIA. To edit the
component, you need to switch to design mode.

Student Notes:
To Sum Up (2/2)
The following is a summary of the effects of an assembly document in various modes:
Component Status
NO SHOW
(Hiding
Components)
UNLOAD
(Unloading
Components)
Bill of
Accessibility
Visualization
Materials
(possibility of
(Shape
applying constraints)
Representation) (BOM)
YES (you can apply
constraints between the
hidden object and the
other components in
the show space)
NO
YES
NO
NO
NO
YES
YES
YES (you can apply a

constraint even if the
shape is deactivated)
YES
Deactivating a
Node
NO
Deactivating a
Terminal Node
NO
YES
YES
Deactivating a
Component
NO
NO
NO
Improvement
in
Performance
NO
YES
NO

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A
20 min
In this exercise you use the skills learned in this lesson to manipulate the display
of assembly components. Detailed instruction for this exercise is provided.
By the end of this exercise you will be able to:
Hide/show components
Activate/deactivate components
Exercise 7A
Exercise 7A (1/9)
Student Notes:
1a
1. Open a product file.
You will open a product file that has parts and

subassemblies.
a. Open Brush.CATProduct.
2. Hide a part.
You can hide a part even if other parts are

constrained to it.
a. Select Handle from the specification tree

and use the right mouse button to
Hide/Show.
b. The Handle part is no longer visible.
2a
2b
Exercise 7A
Exercise 7A (2/9)
Student Notes:
3a
3. View hidden elements.
By viewing no-show space, all part level

features and complete parts and assemblies
that have been hidden can be seen.
a. Select the Swap visible space icon.

b. View the handle part in the no-show
space.
c. Use the right mouse button to Hide/Show
the Handle part, it is no longer visible in
the no-show space.
3b
3c
Exercise 7A
Exercise 7A (3/9)
Student Notes:
4a
4. View visible space.
The same icon is used to toggle between show

and no-show space.
a. Select the Swap visible space icon.
5. Hide product files.
Multiple part files and or product files can be

hidden in the same operation.
a. Select (Bristle.4) and (Bristle.7) while

holding the <Shift> key down to multiselect.
b. Hide/Show the subassemblies.
c. The subassemblies are hidden.
5a
5c
5b
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A (4/9)
6. Hide parts of a subassembly.
Individual parts of a subassembly can be

hidden without affecting the subassembly.
6a
a. Expand the (BristleInsert.1) node.

b. Multi-select (Bristle.4) to (Bristle.7)
inclusive.
c. Hide/Show the selected parts.
d. The selected Bristle parts of the
BristleInsert subassembly are hidden.
6b
6c
6d
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A (5/9)
7a
7. Show all parts.
There is no method to show all while in the

Assembly Design workbench. You must show
hidden components manually.
a. Return all hidden components to show.
8. Deactivate a subassembly.
By deactivating a component, the update time

will be reduced.
a. Select (BristleInsert.1)
b. Press the right mouse button and click
Activate/Deactivate Component.
8b
8a
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A (6/9)
9. View the model.
A deactivated component is not visible in

the display and has a different symbol in
the specification tree.
a. Notice that the symbol in the

specification tree has changed to
indicate that this component is
deactivated.
9a
10.Deactivate components.
Components for deactivation can not be

multi-selected. You must deactivate one
at a time.
a. Deactivate (BristleInsert.2) and

(BristleInsert.3)
10a
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A (7/9)
11.Deactivated components are not
in session.
Unlike a hidden component,

deactivated components are not in
no-show space.
11a
a. View the no-show space.

b. The deactivated subassemblies
are not visible.
c. Toggle the display back to
visible space.
12.Activate deactivated
components.
12a
The same process you used to

deactivate a component is used to
reactivate it.
a. Activate all deactivated

components.
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A (8/9)
13.View the data that is in session.
When a component is active, all design

information is available.
a. Expand (Insert.1) part from the

(BristleInsert.1) subassembly to
view the PartBody and
GeometricalSet.
13a
14.Deactivate representations.
Deactivate Terminal Node is used for

assemblies, Deactivate Node is used for
part files.
a. Select (BristleInsert.1), press the

right mouse button and select
Deactivate Terminal Node.
14a
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A (9/9)
15.View the result of deactivating
representations.
A deactivated representation is not

visible in the display
15a
a. The product structure is still visible

in the specification tree when
component representations are
deactivated, but the data
(PartBody) is not there.
16.Activate representations.
Activate Terminal Node is used to

reactivate representations.
16a
a. Activate Terminal Node of

(BristleInsert.1) subassembly.
b. Save the product file.
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7A: Recap

Hide/show components
Activate/deactivate components
Exercise 7A

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B
20 min
In this exercise, you use the tools learned in this lesson to open the assembly
with all components unloaded. You then load selected components into the
assembly. You also activate the cache system and investigate how this option
affects the product. Detailed instruction for new topics is provided.
Load selective components

Work with Cache system
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (1/12)
1.Open a product file.
By default, all shapes are loaded.
1a
a. Open Cylinder.CATProduct.
2.Set options.
The representation of product visualization can

be set to not activate shapes when opening the
file.
a. Click Tools > Options > Infrastructure

> Product Structure.
b. Select the Do not activate default shapes
on open option.
3.Close the product file.
a. Click File > Close.
2b
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (2/12)
Because of the option you just set, all

shapes are not loaded.
4c
a. Open Cylinder.CATProduct.
b. The product is not visible in the
display.
c. The product structure is visible but
holds no data.
5. Activate a component.
The product file will retrieve very quickly

because no data is loaded, now you can
choose which components to load.
a. Activate Node of the BucketGland

part.
5a
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (3/12)
6. View the activated component.
The activated component is visible in the
display and the data is loaded.
6a
a. View the data of BucketGland part.

Activate Terminal Node is used for
assemblies.
a. Activate terminal node of RodAssy

b. View the data that has been loaded.
7b
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (4/12)
8a
8. Change settings.
Access the Options dialog box.
a. Clear the Do not activate default

shapes on open option.
9. Set cache management.
When ever the cache management

option has been changed, the
application must be restarted.
a. Select the Cache Management

tab.
b. Select the Work with cache
system option.
c. Accept the warning.
9a
9b
9c
Exercise 7B
Exercise 7B (5/12)
Student Notes:
11a
10. Close and restart the

application.
When working with cache
management, you must close and
restart the application.
11b
a. Click File > Exit

b. Launch CATIA V5
Now the application uses *.cgr

files to generate a representation
of components. You are now
working in visualization mode
a. Open
Cylinder.CATProduct.
b. The components are
visible but the product
structure holds limited
data.
c. Hold the cursor over any
representation to see the
tessellated surfaces.
11c
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (6/12)
12. Switch a component to design mode.
If changes are required for a component that is in
visualization mode, it must be switched to design
mode.
a. Select BucketGland and click Design Mode

from the right mouse button pop-up menu.
12a
13. View the component in design mode.

Switching a component to design mode will load all
the data for that component.
a. All the data for the BucketGland is now

available.
13a
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (7/12)
14. Make a modification to a component.
14c
Now that the BucketGland is in design mode,

modifications are allowed.
Activate the BucketGland part.

Edit Shaft.1
Edit dimension 23.
Change the value to 24.
14d
Save the part.
Activate the Cylinder assembly.
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (8/12)
15. Switch a component back to visualization mode.
When working with cache management, you must
close and restart the application.
a. Switch BucketGland back to Design Mode.
15a
16. View the specification tree.

Once a component is switched to visualization mode,
the data is no longer available.
a. The BucketGland is now a tessellated

representation again.
16a
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (9/12)
17. Change general settings.
By clearing the Load reference
documents option, the application will
not load any components.
a. Clear the Load referenced

documents option.
17a
18. Change cache management

settings.
a. Clear the Work with cache
system option.
b. Exit and restart CATIA.
18a
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (10/12)
19c
The application will not load any

data but will show the product
structure.
a. Open
Cylinder.CATProduct
b. The representations are
not visible.
c. View the symbols in the
specification tree.
20. Use selective load manage

component loading.
Load management allows you to

choose which components to
load.
20a
20b
20c
a. Select Selective Load

icon.
b. Select BucketGland part.
c. Select the Selective Load
icon from the dialog box.
d. Apply the selective load.
20d
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (11/12)
21. View the loaded component.
The selected component is loaded visually
and all the data is loaded.
a. All the data is available for the loaded

part.
21a
22. Selective load a subassembly.

Parts and or subassemblies can be selected
for selective loading.
a. Use selective load to load RodAssy
22a
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B (12/12)
23. View the loaded components.
Using selective loading you will save time
because only components that you need will
be loaded.
23a
a. The loaded components have all the

data loaded.
24. Change settings.

Loaded referenced documents does not
affect a product file that is already opened.
a. Activate the Load referenced

documents option.
b. Save the file and close the window.
24a
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Exercise 7B: Recap

Load selective components
Work with the cache system
Exercise 7B

Student Notes:
Design in Context
Step 2: Create contextual
parts.

create contextual parts.

earphone
1.
Clarify the display.
2. Create contextual parts.

3.
4.
5.

Save the model.
Step 2 - Create Contextual Parts

Student Notes:
What are Contextual Parts?

An assembly is a CATProduct document
containing components, such as CATParts,
CATProducts, V4 models and models from
external sources (IGES, STEP, VRML). The
individual parts are positioned relative to each
other and they are constrained with assembly
constraints. In addition to this, assembly design
allows you to design contextual parts.
Contextual parts are parts that have their

geometry driven by another component. A
change in the driving geometry of the
referenced part will result in changes in the
contextual part.
In the example shown, the 5mm deep rib is
contextually controlled by the depth of the slot.
The depth of the rib is defined as up to the
plane of the slot bottom. If the depth of the slot
increased by 1cm, then the depth of the rib
would also increase by 1cm.

Student Notes:
Contextual Parts Using External Parameters

When a part refers to parameters defined in
another part, a contextual part using external
parameters is created.
In the example shown, a pin support is designed
contextually. The inside diameter of the support
uses the radius of the pin as a reference
parameter.
When the pin diameter is reduced, the pin
support turns red because the inside diameter
of the pin support references the diameter of the
pin. An update of the pin support is required.
After updating the assembly, the inside diameter

of the pin support is updated to match the
diameter of the pin.

Student Notes:
Contextual Parts Using External References

When a part refers to geometrical elements
defined in another part, a contextual part using
external references elements is created.
In the example shown, a base part is designed
contextually. The hole from the pin support is
used as an external reference to create the hole
in the base part.
When the hole diameter in the pin support is
reduced, the base part turns red because the
hole in the base part references the hole of the
pin support. An update of the base part is
required.
After updating the assembly, the hole diameter

in the base part is updated to match the hole
diameter in the pin support.

Student Notes:
Contextual Parts Using Assembly Features

A contextual link is also created when an
assembly remove feature is created using an
existing part.
In the example shown, a pin is used to create
an assembly remove feature in the pin
supports and housing.
Any changes in the pin, such as an increase

in diameter or modification in its shape, will
affect the pin supports and housing.

Student Notes:
Why Design in Context?

Designing in context is a part of concurrent engineering design. It has the following benefits:
Reuses existing geometry: In order to facilitate design, you can reuse any geometrical
element defined in one part to aid in the creation of another part. For instance, you can
reuse an existing sketch in another part instead of recreating it. You can also reuse a
geometrical entity, such as a point, line, curve, plane or a surface.
Reuses parameter: You can reuse parameters defined in one part to aid in the creation of
another part.
Automatic update of an assembly and its contextual parts: When designing in context, the
contextual part is automatically updated when the geometry of the referenced part
changes. Because of design in context, it is not necessary to edit the contextual part
manually to reflect the change in design.

Student Notes:
Contextual Part Specification Tree Symbols

There are three specification tree symbols that
are specifically related to contextual parts and
they are as follows:
A. The green gear and blue chain indicates
the object is the original instance of a part
that is contextual. The component, in
other words, is driven by another part in
the CATProduct.
A
B
B. The brown gear and red flash indicates

the object is the second or subsequent
instance of a part that is contextual. This
symbol can appear for a contextual part
that was copied and pasted into a
separate CATProduct, for example.
C. The white gear and green arrow indicates
the object is the original instance of a part
defined in context of an intermediate
document.

Student Notes:
Creating Contextual Elements

Contextual elements can be created when
designing sketches and features in context.
External geometry is copied from driving parts
to contextual parts that are being driven. The
copies are organized in the External References
branch of the part.
Use the following steps to create contextual
elements:
1. Check the Keep link with selected object

option.
2. Select the Sketcher icon and select the

face of the green component as the sketch
plane. The sketch will be linked to the face
of the green component and the surface of
the green component will be added as an
external reference in the tree.
3. Project the edges of the slot onto the

sketch plane and complete the sketch.
Constrain the sketch elements to the
edges of other components
4. Create a pad using this sketch and limit it
up to the groove depth. This pad is now
contextually designed.
4

Student Notes:
Constraining Contextual Instances of Parts (1/2)

Assembly constraints are forbidden when there
is a potential conflict between geometric and
assembly constraints. Assembly constraints are
always forbidden when any element in a sketch
is associative.
Two cases will be discussed: one case where
the geometrical and assembly constraints are in
conflict and one where they are not in conflict.
Case 1: Geometrical constraints and assembly

constraints are in conflict.
1. A housing component is sketched on a

plane which is defined in the base plate
component. Also, the sketch is constrained
using the edges of the base plate
component. The pads sketch has external
links to the base plate.
2. If an offset constraint is applied between

the highlighted faces, a warning message
will appear as shown. The offset constraint
is forbidden because it would cause a
potential conflict between the sketch and
assembly constraint.

Student Notes:
Constraining Contextual Instances of Parts (2/2)

Case 2: Geometrical constraints and assembly
constraints are not in conflict.
1. A sketch of the shaft is designed using the
face of the housing part, but it is not
concentric with respect to the housing
pocket. The shaft has an external link to
the housing part.
2. An assembly coincidence constraint is

allowed between the axis of the shaft and
the axis of the housing part because there
is no conflict between the geometrical and
assembly constraint. The sketch plane
reference of the shaft was the only
external link to the housing, which does
not conflict with the assembly coincidence
constraint.

Student Notes:
Constraining Non-Contextual Instances of Parts

Assembly constraints can be used when there
is no conflict between assembly and geometry
constraints. Non-contextual parts can be
constrained using assembly constraints as
these parts
The right insert is a copy of the left insert. It is a
non-contextual instance, meaning it is not
designed in context. It can be positioned using
assembly constraints because no geometric
elements of the part were contextually defined
within this instance of the part.
When constraining contextual parts, you

cannot use geometrical elements that have
external references to other parts as parents.
Geometrical elements that have no link with
external geometry or parameters can be used.
Examples of such geometrical elements
include XY, ZX and ZY planes, a point built with
coordinates and a line defined with an angle
from the Z axis.

Student Notes:
Sketch in Context
It is possible to reuse a sketch created in one
part to define another part. The result is that
the two parts share the same sketch. If the
sketch in the original instance is modified, the
geometry of the contextual part is also
modified.
In this example shown, the pad of the fixture

cover reuses sketch.1 of the housing part. As a
result, the fixture cover is contextually linked to
the housing part and an external reference is
added to the specification tree.

Student Notes:
Why Use a Sketch in Context?

Depending on the situation, it can be preferable
to select the same sketch to define two
different parts rather than using projections of
edges of one part to define the other.
In the first example, edges are projected from
the green part into the sketch of the other.
Many external references are created which
need to synchronized every time the sketch
changes.
In the second example, the sketch of the

housing part is directly used to create the pad
of the fixture cover. By choosing this method,
there is only one external reference to
synchronize, which makes the update faster.

Student Notes:
Using a Sketch as an External Reference (1/2)

Perform the following steps to use a sketch as
an external reference:
1. Edit the part in the assembly in which the
new feature is to be created.
2. Select the icon for the feature to be

created. This example will use the Pad
icon.
3. Select a sketch from another part in the
assembly to be used as the profile. The
Selection in Context warning box will
appear.
4. Select Yes to keep the link with the
selected object.
5. Define the limits and direction for the

feature.
6. Select OK. The new feature will be

created.

Student Notes:
Using a Sketch as an External Reference (2/2)

Perform the following steps to use a sketch as
an external reference (continued):
7. Activate the assembly and attempt to move
the component.
8. Select the Update icon. Note that the

position of the component relative to the
original sketch impacts its geometry.
Relative positions of the pad (linked to the
external reference, Sketch.1) and the
reference planes of the part have changed.
Sketch.1 remains an exact copy of the
original sketch

Student Notes:
Parameters in Context
During assembly design, you can have
parameters of one part driven by
parameters of another part in the assembly.
Parameters of the assembly itself could
also be used to drive a parameter of one of
its components.
In the example shown, the highlighted

parameter relating to the fixture cover (part
A) with a value of 6 needs to be made equal
to the parameter in the holder (part B) with
a value of 5. A formula is created to relate
the two parameters. Once the link between
the parameters is created, any changes
made to the referenced parameter in the
holder will reflect in the fixture cover.

Student Notes:
Creating a Parameter in Context (1/3)

Use the following steps to create a parameter in
context:
formula is to be created.
2. Select the Formula icon. The Formula
dialog box will appear. Select the
parameter to be driven.
3. Select the Add Formula button. The

Formula Editor dialog box will appear.
4. Select the part that contains the driving
parameter from the specification tree. The
External parameter selection dialog box will
appear.
3

Student Notes:

context (continued):
5. Select on the feature that contains the
driving parameter. The parameters related
to the feature will appear in the model.
6. Select the driving parameter. The

parameter is placed into the formula editor
box.
7. Select OK to confirm.
8. Select OK from the Formula dialog box to

confirm.

Student Notes:

context (continued):
9. After the parameter is created in context,
the component still has a yellow gear for its
specification tree symbol indicating that it is
not contextual to the assembly. Also, the
Length parameter is added to the external
parameters node in the tree and the
formula is added to the relations node.
10. The Parents and Children box for the

external parameter, Length, in the fixture
cover displays the link to the parameter in
the holder.
10
9

Student Notes:
Using an Assembly Parameter to Design a Part (1/3)

A parameter of a part in an assembly can also
be driven by a parameter in the assembly itself.
Perform the following steps to use an assembly
parameter to design a part:
formula is to be created.
2. Select the Formula icon. The Formula

dialog box will appear. Select the
parameter to be driven.
3. Select the Add Formula button. The
Formula Editor dialog box will appear.
4. Select the assembly node from the

specification tree. The External parameter
selection dialog box will appear.
3
4

Student Notes:

Perform the following steps to use an assembly
parameter to design a part (continued):
5. Select the driving parameter from the
specification tree.
6. Select OK from the External parameter
selection dialog box.
7. Select OK from the Formula Editor dialog box.
8. Select OK from the Formulas dialog box.
6

Perform the following steps to use an
assembly parameter to design a part
(continued):
9. After the parameter is created in context,

the component still has a yellow gear for
its specification tree symbol indicating
that it is not contextual to the assembly.
Also, the FittingHeight parameter is
added to the external parameters node in
the tree and the formula is added to the
relations node.
10. The Parents and Children box for the
external parameter, FittingHeight, in the
holder displays the link to the assembly
parameter.
10
Student Notes:

Student Notes:
External Parameters
External parameters are linked copies of

parameters that exist in external documents.
In order to be able to create them, the Keep
link with selected object option is checked.
The option is located under Tools > Options,
Infrastructure, Part Infrastructure, General tab.
External parameters can be created in two
ways:
A. Automatically: Refer the parameter of
one part to that of another using a
relation, as discussed earlier in this
lesson.
B. Manually: Copy the desired parameter,
use the Paste Special command in the
destination part and then select As
Result With Link from the Paste Special
dialog box.

Student Notes:
Why Use External Parameters?

External parameters should be used for the
following reasons:
To reuse a parameter that drives a part
in another Part, in order to link their
geometry.
To help ensure that the design of the
two linked parts is consistent.
To avoid having to manually update all
the related parameters in different parts
when a modification occurs.
In the example shown, the hub needs to

adapt to the rims holes. External
parameters have been created in order to
link the number of holes and the bolt pattern
diameter of the rim to those same
parameters in the hub.
If the number of bolt holes in the rim is
changed from 4 to 5, then because of the
link, the number of bolt holes in the hub will
also change from 4 to 5.

Student Notes:
Editing Contextually-Related Parts

When contextually-related parts need to be
edited, it is important to recognize that there
are at least two parts that exist: the
contextual part that is driven by another part
and the part that drives the contextual part.
The two kinds of parts involved with

contextually-related parts are:
A. Contextual part: The tree symbol, in
this example, has a green gear
indicating that it is a contextual part.
Also, there is an external reference
under the external references node in
the tree.
B. Driving part: The tree symbol has a

yellow gear and no external references
exist in the tree.
If part A drives part B and is driven by part
C, then the tree symbol will indicate, for
example, a green gear meaning that it is a
contextual part.

Student Notes:
Editing Driving Parts

Editing a part that drives a contextual part
can cause changes in the contextual part.
In the example shown, the width of the slot

in the green part has been increased. The
width of the rib that is part of the insert is
driven by the edges of the slot. Because the
width of the slot increased, the width of the
rib will also increase.

Student Notes:
Editing Contextual Parts

Parts that are contextual to (driven by) other
components can be edited within or outside
the context of the assembly in which the
contextual elements were defined.
Contextual parts can be edited from the

following locations:
A. Original instance of a contextual part.
Often many of the contextual elements
are defined here.
B
B. Instances of the part that are not the

original instance. This can be useful
when defining new contextual elements
that are dependant on the position of
an instance that is not the original
instance.
C. Contextual part on without opening the
assembly. The contextual elements
cannot be completely updated,
however, because the context
(assembly and components) in which
the contextual elements were defined
is not available.

Student Notes:
Editing Driving Parts

After editing driving parts, the contextual
(driven) parts will need to be updated in the
context of the assembly.
Use the following steps to edit a driving

part:
1. Double-click the driving part to be
edited.
2. Make the modification to the driving
part. The pad offset distance in the
example will be increased to 18mm.
3. Activate the root product.
4. Update the assembly to update the

contextual part.
Automatically Synchronizing Changes when Editing Driving Parts

An option exists that synchronizes all
contextual elements upon selecting Update.
Use the following steps to set the automatic
synchronization option and edit a driving
part:
1. Check the Synchronize all external
references for update option under
Tools > Options, Infrastructure, Part
Infrastructure, General tab.

3. Activate the root product.
4. Select the Update icon to synchronize

the changes in the contextual parts.
3
4
Student Notes:
Manually Synchronizing Changes when Editing Driving Parts (1/2)

Contextual elements can be synchronized
individually.
Use the following steps to manually
synchronize individual contextual elements
when a driving part is modified:
1
2
1. Uncheck the Synchronize all external

references for update option under
Tools > Options, Infrastructure, Part
Infrastructure, General tab.
3. Activate the contextual part. Select

Parents/Children from the
contextual menu of the feature to be
updated.
Student Notes:
Manually Synchronizing Changes when Editing Driving Parts (2/2)

Use the following steps to manually
synchronize individual contextual elements
when a driving part is modified (continued):
4. Select Show All Parents from the
contextual menu of the desired node.
All the parents of the select node will
be displayed.
5. Go to the contextual menu of the node

of interest in the specification tree and
Select Synchronize from the Object
menu.
6. The specification tree icon for the

selected element indicates that it is
updated.
Student Notes:

Student Notes:
Editing Contextual Parts

When editing contextual parts, pay close
attention to the creation and edition of
contextual elements
A. Use the following steps to edit or create
non-contextual elements on a
contextual part:
A1
A2
1. Double-click on any instance of the part.

2. Edit the part. In this example, fillets were
added.
B. Use the following steps to edit or create

contextual elements on a contextual
part:
1. Double-click on the instance of the part

in which the contextual element is
defined (or will be defined).
2. Edit the part. In this example, a pad was
created with a limit up to the surface of
the light blue component. This
contextual element had to be defined in
the right insert instance in order to
reference the blue component.
B1
B2

Student Notes:
Fully Constraining Contextual Parts

It is important to fully constrain contextual
parts to avoid unintentional distortion
of geometry. In this example, the housing part
is contextually designed and has external
references to the geometrical elements of the
base part.
A. The sketch of the pad is not fully
constrained.
A1
A2
1. The housing part is rotated.

2. The geometry of the pad is distorted after
an update is made. Upon updating the
housing part, the contextual sketch is
projected back onto the green part and
results in the housing part being distorted.
B. The sketch of the pad is fully constrained.
1. The housing part is rotated.

2. The housing part is updated without any
distortion. Fully constraining the housing
part ensures that it maintains the expected
location relative to the small brown pad.
B1
B2

Student Notes:
Fixing Contextual Parts in Space

Moving a component can unintentionally cause
geometry to move within a contextual part.
In the example shown, the slot in the brown part is
fully constrained.
A. The contextual component is not fixed in space.
1. The brown component is unintentionally moved.
2. Updating the small brown part projects the
contextual sketch back onto the green part and the
pad ends up being in the wrong location.
A1
B. The contextual component is fixed in space.
A2
1. The brown component is unintentionally moved.

2. To avoid unintentionally moving geometry in
contextual parts, ensure that the components are in
their assembled position before updating contextual
parts. Make this process easier by:
a. Fixing the contextual components in space

first.
b. Then updating the assembly to move
components back into their fixed-in-space
positions.
B1
B2

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C
20 min
In this exercise, you use the tools learned in this lesson to contextually create a
feature in the slide component. Detailed instruction for this exercise is provided.
Create a feature in context.
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (1/9)
The assembly you open only has a fix
constraint for the base component.
a. Open Slider.CATProduct.
2.
1a
Set settings.
Ensure that external references will maintain
a link with source geometry.
a. Click Tools > Options >

Infrastructure > Part Infrastructure
> General tab.
b. Activate the Keep link with selected
object option.
2a
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (2/9)
3. Add assembly constraints.
It is good practice to use assembly
constraints to position components.
a. Add a coincidence constraint

between the two reference planes.
b. Add a coincidence constraint
between the two surfaces.
3a
3a
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (3/9)
4. Add assembly constraints.
a. Add a coincidence constraint between
the two surfaces.
b. Update the assembly.
4a
4b
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (4/9)
5. Activate a part.
You need to activate the part file that you
want to design features in context for.
5a
a. Activate Slide part.
6. Select a sketching plane.

It is good practice to select a sketching plane
reference that is local to the active part.
a. Select the surface of the Slide part.
6a
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (5/9)
7. Use geometry from Base part.
7a
You project 3D elements of the Base part to

create a sketch for Slide part.
a. Select Project 3D elements icon.

b. Select the 7 edges of the Base part.
c. Exit the sketcher workbench.
7b
8. View external references.

By projecting 3D elements of another part,
external references are created.
a. Expand the External References node

of the specification tree and view the 7
edges that resulted in external
references.
8a
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (6/9)
9. Create a solid feature.
You will now create a solid
feature from the sketch that is
defined with external references.
a. Select the sketch.

b. Select the Pad icon.
c. Specify Up to plane as
the depth option.
d. Select the surface as the
Limit.
9c
9d
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (7/9)
10. View the feature created in context.
10a
This feature is now linked with the Base part.
a. Open Slide part in a new window.

b. View the pad created from a sketch
that was created from external
references.
10b
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (8/9)
11a
11. Open a part file.

a. Open Base part in a separate
window.
12. Modify the referenced geometry.

You can make any change to the referenced
geometry, but keep in mind how it may affect
the linked geometry.
a. Edit Pocket.1.
b. Edit the 22 dimension.
c. Change it to a value of 25.
12b
12c
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C (9/9)
13. View that affects of the change.
Since the link is stored in the product file, the
product file must be loaded and updated to
see the lasted geometry.
13b
a. Activate the Slider assembly.

b. The application recognizes that the
linked geometry is out of date due to
the changes made.
c. Update the assembly.
d. Save the assembly and close the file.
13c
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7C: Recap
Create a feature in context
Exercise 7C

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D
20 min
In this exercise, you will modify an existing product file. You will use the tools
learned in this lesson to create a sketch in context. You will also drive geometry
using an external reference. Detailed instruction for this exercise is provided.
Create a sketch in context

Create a formula that is driven by an external parameter
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (1/8)
1. Open product file.
Open a product file that has a completed part
and an empty part.
1a
a. Open SlotMount.CATProduct.
2. Activate part.
You must activate the part that you wish to
design in context.
a. Activate SlotCover part.
2a
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (2/8)
3. Create a sketch in context.
Create a sketch on a plane that is local to the
active part.
a. Use YZ plane as the sketching plane.

b. Project the four edges of the slot.
3a
3b
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (3/8)
4. Create a pad.
Create a pad from the sketch created in
context. Select the face of the Mount part
as the limit for the depth option. Drive the
thickness of the part with an external
parameter.
4b
4c
a. Create a pad.
b. Select the Limit type and Limit
face.
c. Specify the Thick option.
d. Click Edit formula from the
Thickness1 contextual menu.
e. Drive thickness with parameter
from Mount part.
4d
4e
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (4/8)
5. View the completed part.
The Slot part is now complete. It has been
designed within the context of Mount part.
The sketch plane is local to the Slot part, but
the geometry is driven by external references
and an external parameter of Mount part.
a. The resulting geometry of Slot part

design in context.
5a
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (5/8)
6. Modify a parameter value.
6a
Modify the value of a diving parameter.
a. Activate the Mount part.

b. Modify the parameter value to [5mm].
c. The updated assembly results in
changes to both parts.
6b
6c
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (6/8)
7. View external references.
Open the part designed in context
and view the resulting external
references.
a. Open Slot part in a separate

window.
b. Any parameters that are
referenced from another part
will be listed under the
External Parameters node of
the specification tree.
c. Any projected edges or
selected faces will be listed
under the External
References node of the
specification tree.
7b
7c
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (7/8)
8a
8. Modify referenced geometry.

You should always be aware when modifying
the geometry of a referenced part as it may
affect a driven part.
a. Activate Mount part.

b. Edit Sketch.1
c. Modify the 105 dimension to [110deg].
8b
8c
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D (8/8)
9a
9. Update the assembly.

Since the link between parts is created in the
product file, the product file must be updated.
a. Activate the assembly.

b. Update the assembly.
10. Save and close the assembly.
9b
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7D: Recap

Create a sketch in context
Create a formula that is driven

by an external parameter
Exercise 7D

Student Notes:
Exercise 7E
20 min
In this exercise, you will open an existing product file. You will use the tools
learned in this lesson to complete a component in the context of the assembly.
No instruction for this exercise is provided.
Create a part in the context of the assembly
Exercise 7E

Student Notes:
Exercise 7E
1a
Design a part using contextual design.
a. Open DriveCoupling.CATProduct.
b. Complete the design of Output.CATPart
in context of the SpiderDrive.CATPart.
1b
Exercise 7E

Student Notes:
Exercise 7E: Recap
Create a part in the context of

the assembly
Exercise 7E

Student Notes:
Design in Context
Step 3: Create assembly
features.
create assembly features.

earphone:
1.
2.
3. Create assembly features.
4.
5.


Save the model.
Step 3 - Create Assembly Features

Student Notes:
What are Assembly Features? (1/3)

Assembly features are features that are applied
not only to a single part (from within the part
design workbench) but to a set of several parts of
an assembly.
The following are examples of assembly features:
A. Split: This operation splits one or more parts
with the splitting surface with a single feature.
B. Hole: This operation creates a hole passing

through multiple parts with a single feature.

Student Notes:

The following are examples of assembly features (continued):
C. Pocket: This operation creates pockets in multiple parts in a single instance.
D. Add: This operation adds a part body to multiple parts in a single instance. The light blue
part body is added to the two components.
C

Student Notes:

The following are examples of assembly features (continued):
E. Remove: This operation removes material from all affected parts using the geometry of a
part body with a single feature. The light blue part body is removed from to the two
components.

Student Notes:
What are Affected Parts?

Affected parts are parts of the assembly that will
be operated on by the assembly feature.
When an assembly feature, such as a split, is

created, changes are made in the tree:
A. Affected parts become contextually linked.
B. The linked feature is created in the affected
part.
C. Creation and edition of the assembly feature
is made at the assembly level.
D. Affected parts and linked features are added
within the assembly feature in the tree.
C
D

Student Notes:
Specifying Affected Parts

Each time an assembly feature is created, the
Assembly Feature Definition dialog box will
appear to allow you to specify the affected parts.
The Assembly Feature Definition dialog box

contains the following features:
A. Edit the name of the assembly feature.
B. List of assembly parts that are not currently

affected by the assembly feature.
C. List of assembly parts that are currently

affected by the assembly feature.
D. Button to move all parts in the upper field to
be included in the lower field.
E. Move selected parts to the lower field.

F. Button to move all parts in the lower field to
be included in the upper field.
G. Move selected parts to the upper field.

H. Checking this option will highlight all the
affected parts in the model.

Student Notes:
Creating an Assembly Split

1
For an assembly split, a surface or a plane to

make the split is required. The surface does not
need to be one of the affected parts.
Use the following steps to create an assembly
split:
1. Select the Split icon.

2. Select the splitting surface.
3. Specify the affect parts.
4. Select the orientation of the split by selecting
the desired direction of the arrow.
3
5. Select OK to confirm. The assembly split is

created.
4
5
Creating an Assembly Hole

For an assembly split, a sketch will be created
that will belong to the part containing the
reference plane.
Student Notes:
1
2

hole:
1. Select the Hole icon.
2. Select the reference edges and surface for
the hole.
3. Specify the affected parts. The Add Series

button allows you to define different hole
specifications for each affected part.
4. Select whether or not links should be kept.
4
5. Specify hole parameter values and types.

6. Select OK. The hole is created through the
affected parts.

Student Notes:
Using Hole Series

1
When creating an assembly hole, you can define

different shapes of holes going thru parts of a
product within the same assembly feature.
Perform the following steps to use the hole series
option when adding an assembly hole:
1. From the Assembly Features Definition
dialog box, select the Add Series button. A
new tab named Series 1 is created.
2. Select the parts that should be affected by
the new hole specification and then select the
Select button.
3. Define the new hole specification using the

Hole Definition dialog box.
4. Add additional series as desired by repeating

steps 1 through 3.
5. Select OK to confirm when finished. The
assembly hole will be added into the
specification tree along with each series that
was added. The feature can be modified from
the assembly design workbench.

Student Notes:
Creating an Assembly Pocket
An assembly pocket is a sketch-based feature

that requires an existing sketch. This sketch does
not need to belong to one of the affected parts.

hole:
1. Select the Pocket icon.
2. Select the sketch which will be used to make
the pocket.
3. Specify the parts that will be affected.

4. Specify the pocket parameter values and
types.
5. Select OK. The pocket is created through the

affected parts.

Student Notes:
Adding a Body to an Assembly

The Add tool will add a body from a part to the
affected parts. The body to be added can belong
to one of the assembly components on which the
add is being applied.
Use the following steps to add a body to an

assembly:
1. Select the Add icon.
2. Select the body to add.
4. Select OK. A linked copy of the body is
added to each affected part. Hide all the
components except for one of the affected
parts and the added body can be seen.

Student Notes:
Removing a Body from an Assembly

The Remove tool will remove the space occupied
by a body from the affected parts. The body being
removed can belong to one of the assembly
components on which the remove is being applied
and it can include an entire part body.
Use the following steps to remove a body from an

assembly:
1. Select the Remove icon.
2. Select the body to be used for the remove.
4. Select OK. A linked copy of the body is

removed from each affected part. Hide all the
components except for one of the affected
parts and the added body can be seen.

Student Notes:
Design in Context
Step 4: Manipulate the
contextual components.
manipulate contextual components.

earphone:
1.
2.
3.

4. Manipulate the contextual

components.
5.
Save the model.
Step 4 - Manipulate the Contextual Components

Student Notes:
Isolating Contextual Parts

If a contextual relationship between the driving
and contextual part is no longer necessary, the
link between the two can be severed.
There are two ways to sever the contextual
relationships:
A. Sever all contextual relations that exist in a

part.
B. Sever individual contextual relations while
leaving other ones intact.
Reasons for severing contextual links can include:

The part is being released and inadvertent
changes need to be avoided.
The design is stable and there is no longer a
need to drive changes between the parts.
The assembly and/or components that define
the context for contextual elements was
inadvertently deleted.

Student Notes:
Isolating All Elements in a Contextual Part

Isolating a part severs the contextual relationship
it has with the driving components so
that changes to the driving parts no longer cause
changes to occur in the contextual part.
1
Use the following steps to isolate all the

contextual elements in a part:
1. Select Components > Isolate Part from the
contextual menu of the part to be isolated.
2. The external references node becomes the

isolated external references node and it
includes all the previous external references.
2

Student Notes:
Isolating Individual Elements in a Contextual Part

Individual contextual elements can be isolated
while keeping others in tact.
Use the following steps to isolate individual
elements in a part:
1. Activate the part containing the element to be

isolated.
2. Select Parents/Children from the
contextual menu of the element to be
isolated.
3. Right-click the node of interest and select

Show All Parents to see the external
references.
4. Right-click the external reference of interest
and select Isolate.

Student Notes:
Analyzing Contextual Parts

To gain a better understanding about the
relationships involved with a particular
contextual part, use the Parents/Children and
Dependencies tools. Information about the
relationships between driving and driven
components and elements and documents can
be found with these tools.
The following are two ways a contextual part

can be analyzed:
A. Analyze the relationships between the
driving and driven components:
In this example, the top block component is
a contextual part that is driven by the bottom
block component. In turn, the top block
drives the round pad component, which is
another contextual part.
B. Analyze the relationship between driving

and driven elements and documents:
In this example, sketch.1 has some external
references to Pad.1 in the bottom block
instance of another CATPart.
Analyzing Relationships Between Driving and Driven Components

Use the following steps to analyze the relationship
between driving and driven components:
1. Select the component to be analyzed.
2. Click Analyze > Dependencies.

3. Check the Associativity option and uncheck
the Constraints option.
4. Select Expand all from the contextual menu
of the component. In this example, the top
block component is a contextual part that is
driven by the bottom block component. In
turn, the top block drives the round pad
component, which is another contextual part.
Student Notes:
Analyzing Relationships Between Driving and Driven Components

Use the following steps to analyze the relationship
between the driving and driven external elements
and documents:
1. Select Parent/Children from the contextual
menu of the feature to be analyzed.
2. Right-click on the node of interest and select
Show All Parents to see external reference
elements and documents.
To help you graphically see the relationship

between driving and driven elements, temporarily
show (unhide) the external reference elements
and then select the elements to highlight them
Student Notes:
Deleting Contextually-Related Components (1/2)

Additional options are available for managing
data when deleting components that drive
contextual parts or when deleting contextual
components.
The two situations that will arise are as follows:
A. Deleting a driven part:
In the example shown, when the original

instance of a contextual part is deleted a
warning message appears stating that a new
original instance should be established.
Student Notes:
Deleting Contextually-Related Components (2/2)

The two situations that will arise are as follows
(continued):
B. Deleting a driving part:
In the example shown, when a component

that drives a contextual part is deleted, the
option to delete the contextual components
that are driven by the component is
available.
Student Notes:

Student Notes:
Deleting Driving Components

Use the following steps to delete driving
components:
1. Select the component to be deleted.
2. Press the <Delete> key.

3. Leave the Delete all children option
unchecked and select More>>.
4. Specify the assembly constraints and

contextual components to be deleted.

Student Notes:
Deleting Contextual Components

Use the following steps to delete contextual
components:
1. Select the component to be deleted.
2. Press the <Delete> key.

3. Select OK to the warning message.
4. Select one of the following operations,
depending on what is desired:
a. Isolate Part: Use this option to remove all
links between the current component and
other components, except for the link with the
product in which the component is
instantiated. Select Components > Isolate
Part from the contextual menu of the
component.
b. Change context: Use this option to make a

component the first instance of a contextual
part.
4a
4b
4a
4b
Step 4 - Manipulate the contextual components

Student Notes:
Design in Context
Step 5: Save the model.
In this section, you will learn how to save
the various files related to a contextual
part, including the contextual part itself.

earphone:
1.
2.
3.
4.

5. Save the model.
Step 5 - Save the Model

Student Notes:
Saving Contextually-Related Components

Special attention is required when saving
documents that are related to contextual parts.
Contextual parts reference elements in driving
CATParts and specific instances of CATPart in
specific CATProducts.
Saving one document with a new file name
may require that a related document to be
saved as well.
In the example shown, the Small Block part

references elements in the Bottom Block
instance of the Large Block part.

Student Notes:
Saving Driving CATParts

After saving a driving CATPart with a new
filename, the driven CATParts and the parent
CATProduct will need to be saved because of
their reference to the CATPart.
Use the following steps to save a driving
CATPart:
1. Perform a Save As on the driving
CATPart from within the assembly
containing the driving CATPart. A
warning message will appear.
2. Press OK to the warning message.

3. Save the contextual CATParts that are
driven by CATPart that was saved.
4. Save the CATProduct that is the parent

of the CATPart that was saved.

Student Notes:
Saving Contextual CATParts

After saving a contextual CATPart with a new
filename, the parent CATProduct will need to
be saved because of its reference to the
driving CATPart.
Use the following steps to save a contextual
CATPart:
1. Perform a Save As on the contextual
CATPart from within the assembly
containing the contextual CATPart. A
warning message will appear.

3. Save the CATProduct that is the parent
of the CATPart that was saved.

Student Notes:
Saving Parent CATProducts

After saving a CATProduct with a new
filename, the contextual CATParts that were
defined in context of the CATProduct will
need to be saved because of the CATParts
reference to the CATProduct.
Use the following steps to save a parent
CATProduct:
1. Perform a Save As on the CATProduct.
A warning message will appear.

3. Save the contextual CATParts that were
defined in context of the CATProduct
that was saved.

Student Notes:
Copying CATProducts Using Send to Directory

Create another copy of the CATProduct with
all related files by using the File > Send to >
Directory tool.
Use the following steps to create a copy of a
CATProduct with all related files:
1. Click File > Send to > Directory.
2. Select the files to be copied and specify
the destination folder where the files are
to be copied. The main features of the
Send To Directory dialog box are as
follows:
a. List of available files to be copied.
2a
b. Buttons used to transfer files over into the

list of selected files to be copied.
2b
c. List of files selected that will be copied.
d. Destination folder.
3. Press OK.
2c
2d

Student Notes:
To Sum Up ...
Using the knowledge learned in this lesson,
you should now be able to create the
earphone.
The earphone will require you to:
Create assembly features
Save the model.
To Sum Up...

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F
20 min
In this exercise, open an existing product file. You will use the tools learned in
this lesson to create an assembly level hole through multiple components and a
split feature. Detailed instruction for this exercise is provided.
Create an assembly level hole

Create an assembly level split feature
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F (1/6)
1a
You will open a product file that

requires a hole to be drilled during the
assembly process.
a. Open LeverJig.CATProduct.
2. Create an assembly level feature.

All assembly level features are in the
Assembly Features toolbar.
a. Find and float the Assembly

Features toolbar.
b. Select the Hole icon.
2a
2b
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F (2/6)
3. Define the hole.
An assembly level hole uses the standard
hole dialog box.
a. Select the hole in the Lever part.

b. Specify Up To Last depth option.
c. Enter [8mm] for the diameter.
3b
3a
3c
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F (3/6)
4. Set affected parts.
You will use the assembly level feature
definition to specify affected parts.
a. Select Bar from the list of possibly

affected.
b. Select the Add Selected down arrow.
c. Select the Highlight affected parts.
d. The Bar part is added to the Affected
parts list.
4a
4b
4c
4d
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F (4/6)
5. View the assembly-level feature.
Any assembly-level features are added under the
Assembly features node in the specification tree.
a. The assembly hole is added and the affected

parts are visible in the specification tree.
b. Open Bar.CATPart in a separate window and
view the resulting geometry.
5a
5b
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F (5/6)
6. Create a split assembly feature.
You will create a split that will allow
clearance for the bar part to swing.
a. Show the SpaceClaim geometrical

set.
b. Activate the LeverJig assembly.
c. Select the Split icon.
d. Select the surface feature.
e. Move the JigBase to the Affected
parts list.
6a
6c
6d
6e
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F (6/6)
7. View the result assembly level features.
a. Hide the SpaceClaim geometrical set.
b. Save the completed assembly.
7b
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7F: Recap

Create an assembly level hole
Create an assembly level split

feature
Exercise 7F

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G
30 min
In this exercise, you will create a new model. You will use the tools learned in
this lesson to create a rib and a slot feature. The profiles for these feature have
already been constructed for you. Detailed instruction for this exercise is
provided.

Analyze dependencies
Investigate contextual links
Investigate external links
Isolate parameters
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (1/15)
You will open a product file that has a
contextual links already defined.
1a
a. Open SlotBracket.CATProduct.
2. View the symbols.

By looking at the symbols in the specification
tree, you can see which components have
contextual links.
a. CoverSlot has contextual links.

b. Holder has contextual links.
2a
2b
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (2/15)
3. Analyze dependencies.
Analyze dependencies is only available in
the Assembly Design workbench.
a. Select CoverSlot.
b. Click Analyze > Dependences.
3a
3b
4. View dependencies.
Associativity will identify external references.
a.
b.
c.
d.
Clear the Constraints option.

Activate the Associativity option.
Show the Parent node.
CoverSlot is associated to
AngleMount
4d
4a
4b
4c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (3/15)
5. Define contextual links.
Contextual links can be replaced.
a. Select CoverSlot and click Components

> Define Contextual Links from the right
mouse button pop-up menu.
b. All the external elements as listed as well
as the pointed document.
c. Click OK.
5a
5b
5c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (4/15)
6c
6. Open part file.

Parent/child relationships are investigated in
the Part Design workbench.
a. Open CoverSlot in a separate

window.
b. Select Sketch.1.
c. Click Parents/Children from the
right mouse button pop-up menu.
d. The external references are shown
as parents to Sketch.1.
6d
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (5/15)
7. Investigate external links.
You can use the Links dialog box to load, replace,
isolate, synchronize and deactivate external links.
a. Click Edit > Links.

b. All external links are listed as well as the
Pointed document.
c. External parameters are also listed.
7b
7c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (6/15)
8. Investigate pointed documents.
Pointed documents tab will report the file name and file
path to parts and or product files where the driving
geometry is.
a. Select the Pointed documents tab.

b. The CoverSlot has an external link to
AngleMount.CATPart.
c. The link was created in the
SlotBracket.CATProduct.
8a
8b
8c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (7/15)
9. Use save management.
By using save management you can make a
copy of the complete assembly while
maintaining the associative links between
parts.
a.
b.
c.
d.
9b
9c
Click File > Save Management.

Select SlotBracket.CATProduct.
Select Save As.
Create a new directory named
NewProduct.
9d
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (8/15)
10. Saving a copy of an assembly.
The propagate directory option will save a
copy of all the components of an assembly.
a. Double-click the NewProduct

directory.
b. Select Save.
c. Select Propagate directory.
d. Close the product file.
10b
10c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (9/15)
11.Open product file.
All contextual links remain between relative components in the

new product file and are not associated with the original product
file.
11a
a. Open SlotMount.CATProduct from the NewProduct

directory.
b. Activate AngleMount part.
c. Change the value of the Thickness parameter to [5mm].
11b
11c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (10/15)
12.View changes.
Notice how the single parameter drives three

different part files. This is due to the contextual
link due to the external parameter named
Thickness.
12a
a. The updated product file and

components appear with changes.
b. Open Holder part in a separate window.
c. Notice the external parameter.
12b
12c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (11/15)
13.Isolate an external parameter.
By isolating a contextual link, the link is severed

and can not be re-linked.
a. Select the Thickness parameter.

b. Click Isolate from the right mouse button
pop-up menu.
13a
13b
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (12/15)
14. Test the isolated link.
a. Activate SlotMount.CATProduct
window.
b. Activate AngleMount part.
c. Change the value of Thickness
parameter to [12mm].
d. The Holder part no longer updates.
14b
14c
14d
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (13/15)
15. Isolate all external references for a part.
All external geometric references can be isolated.
a. Select CoverSlot part.

b. Select Isolate Part from the right mouse button pop-up
menu.
c. The external references are now isolated.
d. External parameters are not affected by this command.
15a
15b
15d
15c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (14/15)
16. Make changes to driving geometry.
Before the contextual links were isolated, the
CoverSlot part used the face of the
SLotBracket part as a reference for the depth
option of the pad.
a. Edit Sketch.1 of Pad.1 of

AngleMount part.
b. Edit the 105 dimension.
c. Enter [115deg].
16b
16c
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G (15/15)
17. View the assembly.
Since you have isolated the contextual links
of the CoverSlot part, it no longer updates to
changes in pre-referenced geometry.
17a
a. The updated assembly shows the

isolated CoverSlot part.
b. Save the file and close all files.
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
Exercise 7G: Recap

Analyze dependencies
Investigate contextual links
Investigate external links
Isolate parameters
Exercise 7G

Student Notes:
40 min
In this exercise, you will create the case study model. Recall the design intent of
this model:
Contextual links must be used to ensure that changes to referenced parts are reflected in the
contextual part
Contextual links can only reference the housing component
The oval cut may need to intersect other component that have not yet been created
Assembly must be saved to another directory in its entirety
Using the techniques you have learned in this and previous lessons, create the
model with only high-level instruction.

Student Notes:
Do It Yourself: Earphone (1/11)

1
You must complete the following tasks:

1. Open existing product file.
Open Earphone_start.CATProduct.
2. Create a new part.

Create a new part named Cover.
3. Constrain the new part.
Position the new part using reference

elements of Housing component in order to
center it on Bend_Point.
Create a coincidence between Bend_Point
of Housing and XY plane of Cover.
Create a coincidence between YZ plane of
Housing and YZ plane of Cover.
Create a coincidence between ZX plane of
Housing and ZX plane of Cover.

Student Notes:

You must complete the following tasks
(continued):
4. Unload components.
Unload the Speaker, Rubber, and Flexible
components.
5. Show a sketch.
In Housing component show Sketch.3.
6. Create a sketch.
Activate the Cover component.

In Cover component, create a new sketch
lying on ZX plane.
5

Student Notes:

You must complete the
following tasks (continued):
6. Create a sketch, continued.
Project the three outlines of

Sketch.3 in this new sketch.
Make sure the link is kept with
Housing Component.
Add geometry as shown on
the scheme and exit the
sketcher.

Student Notes:

(continued):
7. Create a shaft.
Create a complete Shaft around Z Axis with

the sketch previously created.
8. Create a plane.
Create a new plane defined with an offset of
1mm from YZ plane. Reverse its direction if
necessary. This plane will be used to split
the shaft feature.

Student Notes:

(continued):
9. Create a split.
Use this plane to split the current solid. Keep
the biggest part of the solid.
10.Create a fillet.
Define an edge fillet of Radius 2.5mm on the

two corners of the Cover.
10

Student Notes:
11

(continued):
11. Create a groove.
Create a groove reusing Sketch.2 (with
link) from Housing component.
12. Hide component.

Hide the Housing component for clarity.
13. Create a fillets.

Create two edge fillets of 5mm to smooth
the edges left by the groove.
13

Student Notes:

You must complete the following
tasks (continued):
14. Create a tritangent fillet.
Create a tritangent fillet in order to
remove the planar face.
14

Student Notes:

You must complete the following
tasks (continued):
15
15. Create an assembly level

pocket.
Reuse Sketch.8 from the

Housing component to create a
Pocket at the assembly level
that cuts through the Cover
component. Use the Up to Last
depth option.
16. Create a fillet.
Activate the Cover component.

Fillet the inner face of the
pocket (Radius = 0.2mm).
16

Student Notes:

17

(continued):
17. Create a sketch.
Create a new sketch as shown. Use the
ZX plane as the sketch support.
19
18. Create a pocket.

Create a pocket using the Up to Last limit
type for both the first and second limits.
19. Create a pattern.

Create a rectangular pattern in order to
duplicate the pocket.
20. Create fillets.

Fillet both pockets (Radius 0.1mm)
20

Student Notes:

(continued):
21. Add color to the part.
You can apply the material of your choice
(Painting for instance) on Cover
component.
22. Display all components.
Show the Housing component and Load

the Speaker, Rubber, and Flexible
components.
20
Student Notes:
23

(continued):
23. Verify links
Ensure that the Cover component only has
external links to the housing component.
24. Save the assembly.
25
25. Send the assembly to another

directory.
Create a new folder called

Earphone_Complete and save the entire
assembly to this directory.

Student Notes:
Case Study: Contextual Design Recap

Unload components
Create part in context
Hide components
Create an assembly level
pocket.
Load components
Show components
Save the entire assembly to

another directory using the
Send To command

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CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Case Study: Design in Context

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Case Study: Contextual Design

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Case Study: Contextual Design

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Design Intent (1/2)

Contextual links can only reference the

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Using the Analyze dependencies tool you

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Case Study: Contextual Design

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Design Intent (2/2)

The assembly must be saved to another

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Using the Send To directory option you

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Case Study: Contextual Design

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Stages in the Process

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Case Study: Contextual Design

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

In this section, you will learn how to

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Use the following steps to create the

1. Clarify the display.

Create contextual parts.

Step 1 - Clarify the Display

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Working with Large Assemblies

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Step 1 - Clarify the Display

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Visualization Mode (1/2)

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

If a document is loaded in visualization mode,

Copyright DASSAULT SYSTEMES

Step 1 - Clarify the Display

CATIA V5 Expert Mechanical Designer - Lesson 7 - Design in Context

Comparison Between Visualization and Design Mode (2/2)

Memory and Performance

Load and Update Performance

Faster, which is a benefit over Design Mode

Viewable in non-shaded mode

Viewable in DMU and sketcher sections

Yes, automatically switches to Design Mode

Accessible for adding Assembly constraints

Yes, automatically switches to Design Mode

Assembly Constraints re-generated/updated

Yes, automatically switches to Design Mode

Accessible to define translations & rotations

Yes, automatically switches to Design Mode

Calculated in Clash, Clearance, Contact

Calculated in Mass Property analysis