Chapter 6

Creating and Documenting

Assemblies
 Chapter 6 - Objectives
• After completing this chapter, you will be able to perform the following:
– Understand the assembly options
– Place components into an assembly
– Create components and assemblies
– Create subassemblies
– Constrain components together using assembly constraints
– Edit assembly constraints
– Pattern components in an assembly
– Check parts in an assembly for interference
– Drive constraints
– Create a presentation file
– Manipulate and edit the Bill of Materials (BOM)
– Create individual and automatic balloons
– Create and perform edits on a Parts List of an assembly
 Creating Assemblies
• New Assembly Files
– .IAM Extension
• What To Do
– Quick Access toolbar - New icon – Down Arrow
– Quick Access toolbar - New icon
– Inventor Application Menu - New icon
 Creating Assemblies
• Assembly Options
– Tools tab > Application Options > Assembly tab
 Creating Assemblies
• Placing Components
– Components are created in their individual files
– Place Component tool
– Shortcut key “P”
 Creating Parts in Place
• Create a Part in the Context of an Assembly
– Initial Sketch Creation
• Face of an existing assembly component
• Work Plane
– Automatically constrain the sketch plane to the
selected face or work plane
• Creates a Flush
constraint between
the sketch and the
selected face or plane
 Creating Parts in Place
• Create a Part in the Context of an Assembly
– After the base feature is created
• Create additional features based on geometry from
another part in the assembly an adaptive work plane
is created.
• The adaptive work plane moves as necessary to
reflect changes in the component that it is based upon
– The sketch moves with the plane
– Features based on the sketch adapt to match its new position
 Creating Assemblies
• Assembly Browser
– Part Occurrence
– Assembly Constraints
– Subassembly
Occurrence
 Creating Assemblies
• Occurrence
– Copy of existing
components
• Copy/Paste
• Ctrl Select Multiple Files
• Place Component
• Drag & Drop
– Any change to original
updates all occurrences
• Save Copy As… to create a
copy that is not linked to
original
 The Assembly Capacity Meter
• Number of occurrences
in active assembly
• Number of open files
• Memory (RAM) used (32
bit operating systems
only)
• Application Option
 Editing a Component in Place
• Active Component – Available for edit
– Double-click in the graphics area
– Double-click file name/icon in the Browser
– Right-click in the Browser > Edit
– Return Commands
Opening and Editing Components
• Open or Edit
– Access via
• Browser
• Graphics window
 Creating Assemblies
• Grounded Component
– The Component will not move
• All Degrees Of Freedom are removed
• When constraining, components move to a
Grounded or constrained component
– Any number of components can be grounded
 Degrees of Freedom (DOF)
• Assembly Constraints
– Relationships between components i.e. Bolt and a Hole
– Degree of Freedom
• Constraints reduce the number of Degrees of Freedom
– 6 total (3-translational & 3-rotational)
– View tab > Visibility panel > Degrees of Freedom
– Component Properties > Occurrence tab
• Degree of Freedom Analysis
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Placing Constraints
• Constraint command or shortcut key “C”
• Place Constraint dialog box
– Limits
• Specify the distance or rotation that a component can
deviate from an exact location
 Assembly Constraints
•Constraint Types – Assembly tab
–Mate
• Plane, Line, or Point
– Assembles two components so that the surface normal on the
selected planes are opposite each other
– Assembles the edges of lines
– Assembles two points together
–Flush Solution
• Aligns two components so the selected planes face the
same direction (surface normal point in the same direction)
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Assembly tab
• Angle
– Specify the degrees between the selected planes or
use an Explicit Reference Vector
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Assembly tab
• Tangent
– Defines a tangent relationship between planes, cylinders,
spheres, cones, and ruled splines
– At least one selected face must be a curve
– Inside/Outside Solutions
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Assembly tab
• Insert
– Two circular edges
– Centerlines are aligned & mate constraint is applied to the
planes defined by the circular edges.
– 5 DOF are removed with an insert constraint
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Motion tab
• Animation the motion of gears pulleys, rack and pinions, etc.
– You can drive one component and cause others to move accordingly
• Motion constraints are secondary constraints
– They do not maintain positional relationships between components
• Recommended: fully constrain components before applying
motion constraints, then suppress the constraints restricting motion
–Rotation
• Define a component that will rotate in relation to another component
• Specify a ratio for the rotation between
the two components
• Forward & Backward solution types
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Motion tab
• Rotation-Translation
– Define rotation relative to translation of a second component
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Transitional tab
• Transitional
– Specifies a transitional relationship between a cylindrical
part face and a contiguous set of faces on another part
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– Constraint Types – Constraint Set
• Constrain two UCSs
 Select Geometry
• Select Other command
– Set time in Application Options > General tab
– Click arrows or scroll the wheel
Direct Select - Assembly Constraints
• Assemble command
– Constraint is inferred from selected geometry
– Use mini-toolbar to select specific options
– The Assemble command moves the first
component to the second
 Assembly Constraints
• Constraints
– ALT – drag a part to another part
• No Place Constraint dialog box
• Select correct area on the part to apply the constraint
Key Constraint Type
M or 1 Mate
A or 2 Angle
T or 3 Tangent
I or 4 Insert
R or 5 Rotation-Motion
S or 6 Rotation-Translation
X or 8 Transitional
 Assembly Constraints
• Moving & Rotating Components
– Move Component Tool
• Drag individual components in any linear direction in the viewing
plane
• Temporarily suppresses assembly constraints on the component until
the assembly is updated (constraints are then re-applied)
– Rotate Component Tool
• After selected, the 3D rotate symbol appears
• Similar to the Move Component tool, Rotate Component temporarily
suppresses any assembly constraints applied to the component
 Assembly Constraints
• Editing Constraints
– Two Methods via the Browser
• Double-click the constraint name
• Right-click the constraint name and click Edit, Suppress, or Delete
– Edit - opens the Edit Constraint dialog box
– Suppress – the assembly constraint is not applied
– Delete – deletes the assembly constraint
– Modify – change constraints value
 Exercise 6-1
• Assembling Parts
 Assembly Constraints
• Browser Views
– Assembly View
• Assembly constraint symbols nested below constrained
components
– Modeling View
• Assembly constraints are located in a Constraints folder
 Find Other Half
• Find component that constraint is applied to
• Constraint Tooltips
– List constraints and components
 User-Defined Assembly Folders
• Organize components into folders
• Unlimited number of folders
• Add components to new folder
• Drag components into folders
• No affect on assembly constraints
 Isolate Assembly Components
• Display selected components
– Isolate Components and Edit Constraint
• Undo Isolate – return visibility of
components before isolating
 Assembly Constraints
•Isolate Constraint Errors
–Alert Box
• If you try to place or edit an assembly constraint and it
cannot be applied, an alert box is displayed explaining
the problem.
–Conflicting
• When assembly constraint conflicts with another one,
a small yellow icon with an exclamation point is
displayed in the Browser
–Recover
• Displays the Design Doctor
to walk you through the
steps to fix the problem
 Assembly Browser Commands
• Tools
– In-Place Activation
• Double-click a subassembly or component occurrence
in the Browser to activate it
• Right-click > Edit
• All components that are not active are shaded in the
Browser
 Assembly Browser
• Tools
– Visibility Control
• Expand the Browser until the desired component
occurrence is visible
• Right-click > Visibility
 The Assembly Return Tool
• Return to subassembly
• Return to top level assembly
 Adaptivity
• Definition
–Allows the size of a part to be determined by setting up a
relationship between the part and another part in the
assembly
• Under-constrained sketches and features can adapt
• The adaptivity relationship is acquired by applying constraints
between an adaptive sketch or feature and another part
– The sketch cannot be fully constrained
– A part can only be adaptive in one assembly at a time
– Only one occurrence of a part can be adaptive – other occurrences
reflect the size of the adaptive part
–Example
• Diameter of a pin from the size of a hole or vice-versa
 Adaptivity
• Example
– The rectangular sketch is not dimensioned
along its length
– The extruded feature is defined as adaptive
 Adaptivity
• Example
– Parts are placed, constraints applied between
the two plates (flush between the faces on the
ends of the plates)
 Exercise 6-2
• Designing Parts in the Assembly Context
 Pattern Components
• Pattern Components
– Rectangular
– Circular
– Based on Feature Pattern
– Suppress Elements
– Pattern Assemblies
– Replace Components
 Exercise 6-3
• Patterning Components
 Minimum Distance Command
• In an assembly measure distances between
– Components
– Parts
– Faces and Edges
 Analysis Tools
• Center of Gravity
– View tab > Visibility panel > Center of Gravity
• Displays Gray when the properties are out of date
• Hover the cursor over the origin of the symbol to
display the COG coordinates
• Measure to Center of Gravity’s center point, planes
and axes
 Analysis Tools
• Interference Checking
– Analysis tab > Interference Panel > Analyze
Interference
• Define Set # 1 – select components that define set 1
• Define Set # 2 – select components that define set 2
• Or place all components in Set # 1
 Exercise 6-4
• Analyzing an Assembly
 Driving Constraints
• Drive Constraint tool
– Simulate motion
• Right-click on a constraint in the Browser >
Drive Constraint
 Driving Constraints
• Drive Constraint tool
– Assembly Constraints
– Record
– Drive Adaptivity
– Collision Detection
 Exercise 6-5
• Driving Constraints
 Presentation Files
• .IPN Extension
– Exploded Views
– Hide specific components
– Create animations of assembly and disassembly
of components
– Work Plane
• Associated with the assembly file
– Changes made to the assembly are reflected in
the presentation file
 Presentation Files
• Presentation tab

Create View Creates views of the assembly

Tweak Moves and/or rotates parts in the view
Components
Precise View Rotates the view by a specified angle direction
Rotation using a dialog box
Animate Creates an animation of the assembly – AVI file
can be output
 Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Create a presentation view
• Create View tool
• Adds a presentation view to the file and the Browser
 Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Tweaking Components
• Tweak Component Dialog Box
– Manual Tweaks
 Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Tweaking Components
• Moves or Rotates components a specified distance or
angle
• Auto Explode
– Extends all tweaks the same distance
 Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Animation
• Animate Tool
– Controls for playback
– Record to AVI or WMV file
 Presentation Files
• Creating Presentation Views
– Animation
• Animate Tool > More button
– Changing the Animation Sequence
– Move Up / Down
– Group / Ungroup
 Exercise 6-6
• Creating Presentation Views
 Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Base View
– Base View tool
– IAM and IPN files
Creating Drawing Views - BOM Editor
• Edit item number, quantity, part number,
description, vendor, etc.
• The BOM is also associative to parts and
assemblies
• Edit like a spreadsheet
• Highlight components
 EXERCISE 6-7
• Editing the BOM
 Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Balloons
– Balloon tools
• Balloon - Single Components
• Auto balloon – Selected Components
 Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Balloons
– Editing
• Right-click a balloon > Edit Balloon
• Edit Balloon dialog box
– Balloon Type
– Balloon Value
 Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Parts List
– Parts List tool
• Select a view
• Enter options in the Parts List dialog
 Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Bill of Materials dialog box
• Edit the assembly BOM
• All changes are saved in the assembly
and corresponding component files
 Creating Drawing Views
(Assemblies & Presentations)
• Parts Lists
– Editing
• Right-click and click Edit Parts List
 Exercise 6-8
• Creating Assembly Drawings
 Applying Your Skills
• Skill Exercise 6-1 Skill Exercise 6-2
 Checking Your Skills
1. True False The only way to create an assembly is by placing existing
parts into it.
2. Explain how to create a component in the context of an assembly.
3. True False An occurrence is a new copy of an existing component.
4. True False Only one component can be grounded in an assembly.
5. True False Autodesk Inventor does not require components in an
assembly to be fully constrained.
6. True False A sketch must be fully constrained to adapt.
7. What is the purpose of creating a presentation file?
8. True False Balloons can only be placed in a drawing after placing a Parts
List.
9. True False When creating drawing views from an assembly, you can
create views from multiple presentation views or design views.
10.True False A Bill of Materials only retrieves it data from a Parts List.