Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical Content

Jim Swain Synergis Technologies

MA304-2

Not quite satisfied with the standard parts and features shipped with AutoCAD Mechanical? It's a good start, but you need more? You work in an industry which has a slightly different set of standards? The 2010 release has a whole new set of tools to copy and modify these existing parts and make them your own. We will use these tools to take an existing part family and modify its geometry to meet a different standard's requirements. We will also create a new part family from scratch, including parametrics and BOM data.

About the Speaker:

Jim is a Solutions Engineer with Synergis Technologies in Pennsylvania. Prior to joining Synergis in 1997, he worked in the automotive and consumer electronics industries as a design engineer, and CAD administrator. Jim has over 25 years of CAD experience, including 15 years with AutoCAD. He is also an Inventor Certified Expert, a member of the initial group passing the exam at AU in 2003. He has presented classes at the past five Autodesk University conferences. In both 2006 and 2007, Jim was one of the 10 finalists in the AUGI annual AutoCAD Top DAUG competition. jim.swain@synergis.com

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

What is New for Mechanical Content?

In AutoCAD Mechanical 2010 you can now create your own content center libraries, library folders and library content. You can copy standard parts libraries to custom libraries, and tweak part shapes. In previous releases of the standard parts libraries could be copied and renamed, sizes and BOM content could be added, but that was the limit for changes.

AutoCADs new parametric tools can be used to help define your content. This is a big advantage over traditional AutoCAD blocks, where geometric and dimensional constraints are removed when the block is created. You can use these same constraints to build table driven part families in Mechanicals content libraries.

Note: Custom libraries dont support structure objects, such as components or folders. Use the Structure Catalog when you are working with custom objects with Structure definitions. You can get to AutoCAD Mechanicals content library tools from either the Content ribbon tab, or the Content pull down menu.

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

Copying and Modifying Existing Standard Parts Libraries

If you want to make geometric changes to existing standard part definitions you must first copy the family to a custom content library. 1. 2. 3. 4. Start the Content Manager. Select the desired items. Right click and choose COPY. Paste the objects into a custom library.

You can edit the parts once they are in a custom content library. You can add new geometry to the shapes and existing geometry can be modified. Note: Existing content uses geometric and dimensional constraints. You must check changes to the content as they are modified. The Content Editor has a test environment for this purpose.

Creating New Custom Content

You can create new content from several sources: Drawn from scratch in the Content Editor (similar to the Block Editor). From the existing contents of the current drawing. From an existing block in the current drawing.

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

In each of these cases you then edit the new content in the Content Editor environment:

Content Layers
You can draw content library objects on regular AutoCAD or AutoCAD Mechanical layers, but you can make the objects even more flexible by using the Content Editor Layers. These layers will are better than standard layers because they adapt to the Mechanical layer settings and hide situations of the drawings where the object is inserted. By default the AMC_Contour layer is the active layer in the Content Editor.

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

The content editor layers are organized into three groups: Common Visible Objects, Common Invisible Objects and Other Visible/Invisible Objects. The Common Visible Objects group layers can be used instead of regular AutoCAD or AutoCAD Mechanical layers. They will map to regular Mechanical layers, adopting their names and other properties. AMC_Contour maps to AM_0, AMC_Centerline maps to AM_7 and so on. The Common Invisible Objects can be used for construction lines and other geometry that isnt seen, but affects other objects during hide situations. Such construction lines are combined with constraints to help build families of parts. The Other Visible/Invisible Objects can be used for hatching, section lines and other special lines. There are also several special layers that affect other objects in specific ways during a hide situation. The layer names and properties are listed at the end of this handout.

Constraints
You use constraints to develop the shape and size of library objects. The constraint tools are located on the Authoring Palettes. You use combinations of both geometric and dimensional constraints are typically used to fully define the shape.

initial

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

You can see dimensional constraints in the Parameter Manager window. You can also define additional parameters in this window. You can then include these parameters as columns in the Family Table. You then add rows to the table, which defines the family of custom content objects.

As new columns are defined you can set their properties. You can map these to existing parameters and you can assign them to AutoCAD Mechanicals BOM properties. The data in those columns will then automatically populate a BOM database and can also be displayed in a parts list. Note: This allows you to create table driven BOM properties for your library components.

Once the content has been defined you should test it. Pick the Test icon. The content is inserted into a special test environment and the family table choices can be checked before the object is saved to the library.

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

Organizing Custom Content

You can organize your custom content into one or more custom libraries. You can have these libraries on either local or network drives

To create a new library: Start the Content manager. Pick New Library or Right click on Custom Content and choose New Library or Pick File Locations. Click on the bottom line to add a new library. You can further organize your libraries with folders: 1. Right click on the desired library in the Content Manager. 2. Choose New Folder. 3. Enter an appropriate folder name. Please note: Folders can be nested if desired. 8

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

Adding Content
Once the content library objects are created and saved you use the regular Content Libraries palette to insert them into the current drawing. 1. Select the desired library and folder in the Content pane. 2. Click on the desired view. 3. Place the object. When you insert custom content with parameters an additional dialog box is displayed where you select the parameter values. If the object doesnt have any parameters then size selection dialog box isnt shown and the object is inserted right away.

You can place shortcuts for frequently used content into the Favorites pane. 1. Right click on the content in the upper pane. 2. Choose Add to Favorites. You can also organize your favorites with folders.

Take Charge of AutoCAD Mechanical

Content Layers
Common Visible Objects
Layer Name AMC_Contour AMC_Dimension Maps to Object Contour 1; Contour 2; Contour 3; Contour 4 Dimension Line Centerline; Centerline Narrow; Hole Circle, Narrow; Reference Circle for Gear Cogwheels; Reference Circle for Gear Cogwheels, Narrow Break Line Short, Break Out Line Thread Line Hidden Line, Hidden Line, narrow Construction Line Text Very Small Text Small Text Medium Text Large Text Very Large Contour 1 Contour 1 Description Draw contour edges Draw dimensions to display with the content.

AMCE_Centerline AMC_Break_Line AMC_Thread AMC_Hidden AMC_Construction AMC_Text_Very_Small AMC_Text_Small AMC_Text_Medium AMC_Text_Large AMC_Text_Very_Large AMC_Contour_BHII AMC_Contour_BHIU

Draw centerlines Draw break out lines. Draw thread lines. Draw hidden edges. Draw construction lines to display with the content. Draw text that derives its color from the Text Very Small object. However, this does not control the height of the text you draw. Draw text that derives its color from the Text Small object. However, this does not control the height of the text you draw. Draw text that derives its color from the Text Medium object. However, this does not control the height of the text you draw. Draw text that derives its color from the Text Large object. However, this does not control the height of the text you draw. Draw text that derives its color from the Text Very Large object. However, this does not control the height of the text you draw. Draw contours that make underlying and overlapping objects invisible in a hide situation. Draw contours that make underlying objects invisible, and leave overlapping objects unchanged in a hide situation. Draw construction lines that do not display with the content. Draw contours that do not display, and make underlying and overlapping objects invisible in a hide situation. Draw contours that do not display with the content, make underlying objects invisible, and leave overlapping objects unchanged in a hide situation. Draw contours that delete underlying and overlapping objects in a hide situation. Draw contours that delete underlying objects and leave overlapping objects unchanged in a hide situation. Draw contours that hide underlying objects and make overlapping objects invisible in a hide situation. Draw contours that make underlying and overlapping objects invisible and not detectable by the contour finder in a hide situation. Draw contours that make underlying objects invisible and not detectable by the contour finder, and leave overlapping objects unchanged in a hide situation. Draw hatch. Draw leaders for symbols in the content. Draw section lines and section arrows. Draw radius reflection lines. Draw contours that do not display with the content, but delete underlying and overlapping objects in a hide situation. Draw contours that do not display with the content, but delete underlying objects and leave overlapping objects unchanged in a hide situation. Draw contours that do not display with the content, but hide underlying objects and make overlapping objects invisible in a hide situation. Draw contours that make underlying and overlapping objects invisible and not detectable by the contour finder in a hide situation. Draw contours that do not display with the content, make the underlying objects invisible and not detectable by the contour finder, and leave overlapping objects unchanged in a hide situation. Draw contours that do not display with the content, and hide underlying and overlapping objects in a hide situation. Draw contours that do not display with the content, hide underlying objects, and leave overlapping objects unchanged in a hide situation. Draw mechanical symbols that do not display with the content.

Common Invisible Objects

AMC_Construction_Invisible AMC_Contour_BHII_Invisible

AMC_Contour_BHIU_Invisible

Other Visible/Invisible Objects

AMC_Contour_BHDD AMC_Contour_BHDU AMC_Contour_BHHI Contour 1; Contour 2; Contour 3; Contour 4 Contour 1; Contour 2; Contour 3; Contour 4 Contour 1; Contour 2; Contour 3; Contour 4

AMC_Contour_BHMM

Contour 1; Contour 2; Contour 3; Contour 4

AMC_Contour_BHMU AMC_Hatch AMC_Symbol AMC_Section_Line AMC_Transition AMC_Contour_BHDD_Invisible

Contour 1; Contour 2; Contour 3; Contour 4 Hatch Mechanical Symbols, Leader Section/Viewing Plane Line Transition Line

AMC_Contour_BHDU_Invisible

AMC_Contour_BHHI_Invisible

AMC_Contour_BHMM_Invisible

AMC_Contour_BHMU_Invisible AMC_Contour_BHHH_Invisible

AMC_Contour_BHHU_Invisible AMC_Symbol_Invisible

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