Geometry Creation GibbsCAM 2006

January 2010, rev. 1.3

Proprietary Notice
This document contains propriety information of Gibbs and Associates and is to be used only pursuant to and in conjunction with the license granted to the licensee with respect to the accompanying Gibbs and Associates licensed software. Except as expressly permitted in the license, no part of this document may be reproduced, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated into any language or computer language, in any form or by any means, electronic, magnetic, optical, chemical, manual or otherwise, without the prior expressed written permission from Gibbs and Associates or a duly authorized representative thereof. It is strongly advised that users carefully review the license in order to understand the rights and obligations related to this licensed software and the accompanying documentation. Use of the computer software and the user documentation has been provided pursuant to a Gibbs and Associates licensing agreement. 1996-2009 Gibbs and Associates, a Cimatron company. All rights reserved. The Gibbs logo, GibbsCAM, GibbsCAM logo, CAM von Gibbs, Virtual Gibbs, Gibbs SFP, SolidSurfacer, MTM and "Powerfully Simple. Simply Powerful." are either trademark(s) or registered trademark(s) of Gibbs and Associates in the United States and/or other countries. Microsoft, Windows, and the Windows logo are trademarks, or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other brand or product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Contains Autodesk RealDWG by Autodesk, Inc., Copyright 1998-2006 Autodesk, Inc. All rights reserved.

Gibbs and Associates 323 Science Drive Moorpark, CA 93021

Modif ied: ???

Table of Contents

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION 1
Online Help, Balloons and Prompting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 System Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Text Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3

GEOMETRY REFERENCE

About Geometry Creation in GibbsCAM. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Geometry Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Free-Form CAD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Geometry Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Combination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Extracting Geometry From Bodies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Working with Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Shapes and Connectors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Making Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Open Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Circles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Breaking Connections (Disconnecting) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Geometry Context Menus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Geometry Palette Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Palette Shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Sub-Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Smart Selection and Inferred Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Smart Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Inferred Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Point Sub-Palette. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Line Sub-Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Circle Sub-Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19 Shape Sub-Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Text Creation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Polygon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Ellipse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Cam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Curve Sub-Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 Chamfer and Fillet Sub-Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Connect/Disconnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 Multiple Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Overlapping Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 Geometry From Solids Sub-palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Geometry Extraction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32 Hole Extraction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Parting Line . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33 Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
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Geometry Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 Geometry Expert Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 How Geometry Expert Works. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Creating Shapes Using Geometry Expert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Creating Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Feature Types. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 Geometry Expert Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Expert Aids. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Prompting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 Auto Delete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Error Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Point Selection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Half Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 Floating Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Inserting and Deleting Rows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 Arcs vs. Fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40 -R Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Via Geometry Expert . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Via Free-Form CAD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41 Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Workgroup List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Background Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 Workgroup Right Mouse Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 Level 1 Interface and Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 Workgroup Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 Coordinate Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 3D Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 Printing the Part Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

FREE-FORM EXERCISES

49

Exercise 1: Shapes and Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51 Creating Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Part Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52 Geometry Basics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Axis Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Tangent Circle to Lines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54 Explicit Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 Angled Line Through a Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 Connecting Lines - 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Connecting Lines - 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Circle with Radius and Center Point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58 Breaking Connections - 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Breaking Connections - 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 Connecting a Circle and Line - 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Connecting a Circle and Line - 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60 Reversing Arcs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Terminating Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61 Exercise 2: Mill Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
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Setting up the Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Creating The Geometry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Multiple Explicit Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 Radius and Center Point Circles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 Labels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Line Tangent to Two Circles - 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67 Arc - Tangent to Two Circles - 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Tangent Line from Point - Circle. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 Parallel Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 Connecting a Circle and Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Duplicating Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 Line Tangent to Two Circles - 2. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73 Arc - Tangent to Two Circles - 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Line Between Two Points. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 Reversing Arc Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Arc - Tangent to a Line and Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 Selecting a Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Boss Geometry. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77 Exercise 3: Lathe Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Geometry for Lathe Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Setting Up the Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79 Creating Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 Face . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80 OD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 Backface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92 ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 Explicit Connect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Closing the Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Adding Fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Adding a Chamfer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Exercise 4: Shuttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 OD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99 Exercise 5: Text Creation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Horizontal Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Left Justified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107 Centered. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109 Vertical Text. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110 Text On An Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111 Exercise 6: Gear Creation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Creating a Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113 Exercise 7: Overlapping Features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115 Overlapping Connections. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116 Circles. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116

GEOMETRY EXPERT EXERCISES

125

Exercise 1: Shaft . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Horizontal and Vertical Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127 Exercise 2: Chassis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Chamfers and Fillets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138 Exercise 3: Shuttle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155 Arcs and Angled Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
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Table of Contents

Mill Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .155 Exercise 4: Lathe Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Lathe Tutorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160 Implicit Angle Tangent Line. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165 Exercise 5: Doodle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Editing Free-Form Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166 Loading Free-Form Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .167 Inserting a Row . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168

COMBINATION EXERCISES

171

Exercise 1: Using Geometry Expert to Modify Shapes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Mill Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Changing the Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173 Lathe Tutorial. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 Changing the Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .176 Exercise 2: Mill Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 Mill Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .178 Extracting a Center Point of a Circle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181 Boss Geometry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187 Exercise 3: Gear Housing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Advanced Tutorial . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 About the Part . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190 Outer Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191 Inner Shapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .193

PART PRINTS APPENDIX

195 205

Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Workgroups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207 Not Included In Level 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207

INDEX

209

iv

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

CHAPTER 1 : Introduction
Congratulations on purchasing the most productive programming system available! It is recommended that the Getting Started Guide and this manual be reviewed before moving on to either the Mill, Lathe, Mill/Turn, or any other GibbsCAM manual. The best way to learn the system is to read the reference information and complete the geometry exercises, then complete the tutorials provided in the module specif ic manuals. This manual is intended for all GibbsCAM users. The information in this manual applies to the basics of creating geometry (and the basics of a part f ile in general) across all of the GibbsCAM modules. The tutorials found in the manual focus on basic milling or turning parts and should be completed before proceeding to the Mill or Lathe manual. Sitting down and reading the reference sections is likely to be dry reading and isnt strongly recommended but we do strongly recommend you look through Geometry Reference on page 5 to familiarize yourself with the manual and its contents.

ONLINE HELP, BALLOONS AND PROMPTING

For simple explanations of items and their purpose, use Online Help, Balloons and Prompting. Online Help, Balloons, Prompting and PDFs are built-in systems of documentation and training information. They are enabled from the Help menu. Online Help is a context sensitive Help system. When activated the online help will bring you to a web page that is relevant to the dialog you are working in. Online Help can also be browsed or searched. Balloons (Ctrl+B) provide reference information about any object that the cursor is placed over. Prompting extends certain palettes in the system to provide useful suggestions about how to proceed based on the context or conditions. The PDFs are electronic versions of the GibbsCAM manuals. The PDFs may be browsed, searched and print well if you need a hardcopy. The Common Reference Guide will help you with items contained in the Menu Bar.

SYSTEM OVERVIEW
The workflow is designed to be extremely flexible and to allow the user the freedom to create parts in any way that comes naturally. The modeless interface allows the user to have geometry creation, tools, machining capabilities and post processing functions available at all times. However, there are certain basic elements required to create a part. Geometry must be created. At least one tool must be def ined and toolpath must be generated before a part can be post processed. The Main palette is organized in a logical manner for building a part. A part does not have to be created in this order, it only serves as a guideline.

TEXT CONVENTIONS
In this and all other GibbsCAM manuals you will f ind a number of standards used in the text, known as conventions. Screen text: Any text you see like this is referring to text you will see in GibbsCAM or on your monitor. Typically this is a button or text for a dialog. Keystrokes: Words that appear like this refer to a keystroke or mouse action, such as right-click or Ctrl+C. Term: Text formatted like this explains a word or phrase used in GibbsCAM.

Introduction

1. Document 2. Geometry 3. Tools 4. Machining 5. View 6. Cut Part Render 7. Post 8. WG List 9. CS List 10. CS palette 11. Sheets 12. Solids 13. Body Bag 14. Annotations 15. Sync Dialog 16. Spindle List Figure 1: Elements of the Top Level palette in Level 1 and Level 2

GEOMETRY REFERENCE

Geometry Reference

CHAPTER 2 : Geometry Reference

About Geometry Creation in GibbsCAM on page 7 Geometry Overview on page 9 Working with Geometry on page 10 Geometry Palette Interface on page 13 Geometry Expert Interface on page 35 Dimensioning on page 42 Workgroups on page 44. Coordinate Systems on page 47 Printing the Part Geometry on page 48

ABOUT GEOMETRY CREATION IN GIBBSCAM

If you have ever used a design CAD software package to design, draw, or create geometry the f irst thing you will notice about GibbsCAM is that the geometry CAD tools are different. This can lead to a number of different possible f irst impressions, including that different is bad especially when it is different from what you have already learned how to use. In the case of GibbsCAM different is not just for difference sake. Throughout our software we strive for consistency in our interface and usage so that clients can be productive quickly without a big learning curve. There are reasons why GibbsCAM CAD is different, starting with the fact that it is not intended for the same task or the same user as design CAD software. There are typically several important steps in modern part manufacturing including Design CAD, Manufacturing CAD and CAM. Design CAD: This is the creation of a new design performed by a design engineer using a design CAD software e.g. SolidWorks, SolidEdge, AutoDesk, Pro/ENGINEER, Catia, Unigraphics, etc. The software for this function needs to support the designer's creativity with a variety of freeform CAD capabilities. Manufacturing CAD: At this point a manufacturing expert receives a design from someone else another department or another company. The manufacturing expert may need to redraw the f ile, import CAD f iles or repair/correct the design for manufacturing. Additionally the manufacturing expert may need to create process models, tooling or f ixtures from the part design. A key point is that this is usually not the person doing the original design. CAM: This is creating the NC program. Once the manufacturing expert has the geometry or part models ready to machine he can proceed with planning and creating the actual tools, toolpaths and G-code needed to make a good part. GibbsCAM excels at Manufacturing CAD and CAM which is everything the manufacturing expert needs to complete the job begun by the design engineer. The users and tasks of GibbsCAM are very different from the 7

Geometry Reference

users and the tasks of a design CAD software. GibbsCAM CAD is aimed at a different user and a different task and therefore is different. In the infrequent case where the designer and the manufacturer are the same person he may chose to use GibbsCAM CAD just because he likes it or he may chose to use a design CAD for designing. He would then link his f iles to GibbsCAM for Manufacturing CAD and CAM. Lets look at some of the ways GibbsCAM geometry creation is different and why. Redrawing Time: When GibbsCAM was f irst released in 1993 a lot of CAD work was still sent to the machine shop by blueprint which required the manufacturing expert to redraw it. GibbsCAM set out to provide tools that allowed a shape to be redrawn faster and easier than design CAD systems could. GibbsCAM CAD tools achieve this, allowing redrawing to be done in a fraction of regular CAD time. Geometry expert pushes this advantage further by providing parametric capabilities for family of parts creation and interactive shape editing. Just The Finished Part: You don't need to recreate an engineering drawing to make a program. GibbsCAM focuses on creating f inished shapes to machine, not recreating an engineering drawing. GibbsCAM doesn't require that additional geometry be created for entry and exit tool moves, we just need the f inished part. Chaining: Any CAM system using design CAD as the front end has a chaining step. Chaining attempts to automatically connect one feature with the next into a machinable shape. This process stops and asks the user which way? when more than two features intersect on the screen. In a complex drawing this can be a cumbersome process. The issue with chaining gets worse when the chaining function f inds a small gap which is common with imported geometry. In such a case you must go back to the CAD, f ix the problem, go back to chaining, f ind the next error and repeat the steps. GibbsCAM eliminates the chaining step by allowing the user to create linked/connected geometry. In effect, when you are f inished drawing a shape you are assured that it is already chained and ready for machining. Fast and Easy? There is a big difference between the best way to draw in GibbsCAM and the best way to draw in a design CAD system. GibbsCAM doesn't have a design CAD style trim function. Instead it uses connectors to link one feature with the next, automatically trimming the shape graphically when a feature has 2 connectors. A machinist can think of drawing a shape like taking a tool around a part in G-code in a sequence of lines and circles. A design CAD user frequently approaches drawing a part quite differently, creating a large number of untrimmed lines and circles, then going back through them trimming. The same thing with GibbsCAM CAD but this is not necessarily good because it is a poor way to use GibbsCAM CAD. Used this way GibbsCAM CAD can be ineff icient, confusing and the connectors can work worse than design CAD trimming. GibbsCAM CAD is always focused on drawing a shape to be machined. You simply need to def ine the lines and circles in some order around a shape. Going clockwise or counterclockwise doesn't matter; where you start making geometry and the direction you go has no effect on machining as you're just drawing a f inished part shape. When you start def ining your geometry elements in shape order a wonderful thing happens there are rarely more than 2 untrimmed elements on the screen at a time. Connecting and trimming are automatic. You can draw a shape in fewer user actions and eliminate chaining all at the same time. This is a win-win situation which makes learning a different approach to drawing (or redrawing) worthwhile.

Geometry Reference

GEOMETRY OVERVIEW
Geometry consists of lines, circles, curves (splines) and points. Geometric features may be connected into complex shapes in 2D or 3D. Connecting points (blue squares) are referred to as a connectors while end points are called terminators and are drawn as yellow squares. Each feature has a reference number label in order of creation. Geometry may be used to create holes, pockets and contours for toolpath. Geometry may be created using the Geometry Creation features of the system or imported from a CAD program. Additionally, imported geometry may be modif ied. There are four methods when using the system to create geometry: Free-form CAD Geometry Expert Combining Free-form CAD and Geometry Expert. Extracting geometry from a solid or sheet

This chapter details the different functions available for geometry creation and provides detailed explanations of how shapes are created. To gain practical knowledge of the concepts outlined in this chapter, complete the exercises provided throughout this manual.

FREE-FORM CAD
The free-form CAD tools included in the system are very powerful and easy to use. Creating points and features is as easy as clicking on buttons and entering values. Likewise, connecting features to form shapes that can be machined simply involves selecting the intersecting features and clicking on a button. Several different options are provided for creating points, lines, circles, curves, f illets and chamfers, making it possible to create any shape regardless of how the blueprint is dimensioned. The free-form CAD tools are particularly useful with parts requiring construction geometry.

GEOMETRY EXPERT
The Geometry Expert is a means of quickly creating geometry of simple parts and the simplif ied creation of more complex parts. The Geometry Expert is designed to create a single continuous shape. It allows the user to def ine, create and connect shape features while following along the path of the part. The associative capabilities of the Geometry Expert make editing any existing shape a very easy process. The Geometry Expert has a tabular format which operates much like a standard spreadsheet. Features are def ined by entering data in cells of a row. Each row creates a different feature. The rows def ine how the features are encountered along the shape path as if drawing a contour.

COMBINATION
Using both the Geometry Expert and the free-form CAD capabilities to create a part shape is a very powerful combination. For example, a simple shaft with chamfers can be created in seconds by using the Geometry Expert to create the horizontal and vertical lines, and the automatic f illet/chamfer option in the Geometry Creation palette to create the chamfers. Double-click any part of an existing 2D shape to load the geometry into the open Geometry Expert table (except splines). All features of the shape are listed and dimensioned in the rows of the spreadsheet where they can be checked and changed. 9

Geometry Reference

EXTRACTING GEOMETRY FROM BODIES

Geometry may also be extracted from solids and sheets. Faces, edges and holes may be extracted from a model. Additionally there is a tool that examines a model and creates geometry for a parting line for that model. A solid option must be available for these options to work.

WORKING WITH GEOMETRY

Shapes and Connectors on page 10 Points on page 10 Features on page 11 Making Connections on page 11 Breaking Connections (Disconnecting) on page 12 Geometry Context Menus on page 12

SHAPES AND CONNECTORS

There are two types of shapes: open shapes and closed shapes. An open shape is a group of connected features. There is a def inite beginning and end to the shape. The two ends may or may not be terminated. A closed shape is a group of connected features in which there is no beginning or end. A circle is the most simple example of a closed shape. Double-click a feature in a closed shape to select all of the features and points in the shape.

Open Shape

Closed Shape

There are two classif ications of geometry used by the software features and points. Lines, circles and curves are considered features.

POINTS
A point has three states. It can either be a plain point, a connector point, or a terminator point. A plain point is used in constructing other geometry or for hole positioning. Plain points are drawn in yellow and are round. A connector is used to connect two features together. It is drawn as a blue square. A terminator is used to end a shape. It is drawn as a yellow square.

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FEATURES
A feature is either a line or a circle. A feature also has three states: unconnected, connected but not terminated, and connected and terminated. A feature can have a maximum of two connectors and/or terminators attached to it. When the second connection has been added to a feature, it will change colors and become trimmed. Unconnected features are yellow. They are used either for constructing additional geometry or can be connected to other geometry to form a shape to be machined. Single features (one line or one circle, for example) that are yellow can be machined by the system without being connected to any other features or having any connection points. Connected (but not trimmed) features are features that have only one connection to another feature. The feature will not be trimmed until a second connection is added or when it is terminated. Since this type of geometry has only one connection, it will still be yellow. Connected and trimmed features are blue. They have been connected (or terminated) at both ends. Since they already have two connections on them, no additional features can be connected to them.

MAKING CONNECTIONS
Most connections are made automatically by the software. If the Point button is chosen on the Geometry Creation palette and two features on the screen are selected, the software will automatically create a connector at the intersection or tangency of the two features. If a connection cannot be made automatically, a plain point will be created at the intersection or tangency of the two features. Once a feature has two connectors on it, it is considered fully connected. A connection must be broken on the original shape before another connection can be added to it. If a plain point exists at the intersection or tangent point between two yellow features, that point can be turned into a connector. This is accomplished using the Connect-Disconnect button in the Geometry Creation palette, which is described in more detail in Connect/ Disconnect on page 30, or you may use the right mouse menu (see Connect / Disconnect on page 12) to connect selected overlapping/ tangent shapes. To change a point into a connector, use the Ctrl key to select the point and the two features that intersect at the point. These should be the only items that are selected. Click the Connect-Disconnect button. The point will change to a blue square. If one (or both) of the features is already connected to another feature, it will turn blue and trim with a square yellow endpoint. The four descriptions listed below explain possible reasons why the Connect-Disconnect button will not perform the desired function. One of the features already has two connections on it. The point is not tangent to or is not exactly at the intersection of the two features. The wrong geometry is selected, either too much or too little in most cases. There are multiple features on top of one another.

The best way to tell if there are multiple features on top of one another is to turn on View > Labels. If all of the numbers are clearly visible, there is only one feature at that location. If the numbers are jumbled, there are probably features on top of each other. Try deleting features and re-drawing until there is only one feature left.

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If the last feature is deleted by accident, use the Undo item from the Edit menu to back up a step. Refer to Cleanup in the Plug-ins Guide for an alternate way to remedy this issue.

Open Shapes
To terminate the last feature of a shape and create an open shape, a point needs to be created at the location where the shape is to end. The feature to be terminated must be yellow to begin with. Select the point and the feature and click the Connect-Disconnect button. The point will become a yellow square. If the feature already has one connector or terminator on it, it will turn blue and trim.

Circles
When connecting circles, the shortest side of the circle will connect and the rest will be trimmed away. To use the larger portion of the circle, select the circle after it has been trimmed and use the Reverse Arc choice from the Modify menu. An alternate solution for circles may be created using the R function. See -R Creation on page 41.

BREAKING CONNECTIONS (DISCONNECTING)

It is sometimes necessary to break a connection. If the software automatically creates an undesired connection or changes need to be made to the original geometry, then the connection will need to be broken. To break a connection, select the connector or terminator where the connection needs to be broken and click the Connect-Disconnect button or use the right mouse menu Connect/Disconnect option. The connector or terminator will turn into a regular round yellow point and the connected features will turn yellow and extend to their original size. The features can then be changed and reconnected to form a new shape.

GEOMETRY CONTEXT MENUS

Right-click geometry to open a list of options in a context menu. These options are Change to CS, Change Feature From Wall to Air and Mouse Position. Change to CS: This item will change the current coordinate system to the coordinate system of the currently selected geometry. Mouse Position: When Mouse Position is selected, the standard mouse position dialog will be brought up on your screen. This will save having to access the View menu to select this item. See the Common Reference Guide for information regarding Mouse Position. Change Feature from Wall to Air: The context menu of geometry allows users to designate the selected geometry as Wall or Air. The dialog will always show what the geometry can be changed to. Wall is the default setting for geometry. Air changes the behavior of geometry when setting up machining operations. When geometry is designated as Air it is changed from its normal color of blue to red. This red or Air geometry acts as a constraint similar to regular geometry except that the toolpath will overhang this area by the amount specif ied in the machining dialog. See the Mill manual for information regarding machining with Air geometry and Overhang. Connect / Disconnect: This option will connect any two overlapping or tangential geometric features that are selected. It works exactly the same as the Connect/Disconnect button. A connecting point will be created if it is required; otherwise, if there is a point where the features are to be connected that point will be used. When disconnecting geometry you must select either the connecting point or select the features to be disconnected; you do not need to select the point and features to disconnect them. For more information on the ConnectDisconnect button, see Connect/Disconnect on page 30. 12

Geometry Reference

GEOMETRY PALETTE INTERFACE

The Geometry Creation palette contains all of the text creation tools including free-form CAD tools geometry from solids tools and Geometry Expert. The buttons in the palette access sub-palettes and dialogs that allow the user to enter feature specif ications and create shapes. The Geometry palette is where all forms of geometry are created. Sub-palettes create specif ic types of geometry. The Connect/Disconnect button creates connections, terminators or disconnects features. Geometry Expert allows geometry shapes and features to be def ined quickly with a table. 1. Point 2. Line 3. Circle 4. Shape 5. Curve 6. Chamfer/Fillet 7. Geo From Solids 8. Connect/Disconnect 9. Geometry Expert 10. Dialog controls 11. Workgroup Info (Level 1 only) 12. Workgroup list (Level 1 only)

PALETTE SHORTCUTS
All nine buttons in the Geometry Creation palette can be accessed from the keyboard by entering the number of their position in the palette, 1 through 9. For example, type a (1) instead of clicking on the Point button, a (2) for the Line button, a (3) for the Circle button etc.

SUB-PALETTES
The Geometry palette contains seven sub-palettes that create free-form points, lines, circles, shapes, curves, f illets or chamfers and geometry from solid features. Once a sub-palette is open a selection mode is activated allowing multiple items to be selected without requiring the Ctrl key to be pressed. Return: This button, contained in each sub-palette, will return to the main Geometry palette. Alternately you may press the Esc key within any sub-palette. Descriptor Points: Some geometry dialogs which require point data have a P (Point) or CP (Center Point) button which allows users to enter the point data directly into the line or circle geometry dialog. When a Descriptor Point button is pressed, the geometry dialog extends so that coordinate for that point can be input. Descriptor Points are not created, or drawn on the screen. In this way they dont clutter the workspace with points that would later become deleted. Descriptor Points are used when a current point is not available to be selected for the particular geometry feature creation. Dimension Labels: The dimension labels (XYZ) will vary depending on the machine type and/or Coordinate System. For more information, see Coordinate Systems on page 47. Single/Multiple Feature: When creating features some dialogs have two buttons. The single feature button will create the feature and return to the main Geometry palette. The multiple feature button will create the feature

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and keep the dialog open to create more of the same type of geometry. Press Enter to activate the selected button, and pressing Shift+Enter will activate the Multiple button.

Point creation

Line creation

Circle creation

Smart Selection and Inferred Features

When you open a sub-palette the system looks at any selected geometry. The system assumes that you want to use the geometry that is selected to def ine a feature. If only one kind of feature can be def ined from the selected geometry the system will automatically take you to the dialog for that feature type. There are variations on this, Smart Selections and Inferred Features.

Smart Selection
A Smart Selection occurs when there is only one possible solution to the combination of selected geometry and the feature type chosen. Think of this as a shortcut. Example 1: If you have 2 points selected and you click on the Line button the system will take you to the Line Between Two Points dialog with the point data already entered. Example 2: If the same two points were selected and you clicked on the Circle button the system will take you to the Radius and Two Points dialog. Example 3: If three points are selected and you click the circle button then the system takes you to the Three Features dialog.

Inferred Features
Inferred Features are solutions to creating geometry that do not have a dialog. These are features tangent to two other features. Inferred Features include a point tangent to two features, a line Tangent to a point and a circle, a line tangent to two circles, a circle tangent to two lines, a circle tangent to two circles, a circle tangent to a line and a circle and a circle tangent to a line and a point. Each of these items are fully detailed in Point Sub-Palette on page 14, Line Sub-Palette on page 17 and Circle Sub-Palette on page 19.

POINT SUB-PALETTE
The Point sub-palette which contains a variety of options for creating points in 2D and 3D space. Other options for creating points are available if features are selected prior to opening the Point sub-palette. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Explicit Polar Point Bolt Circle Matrix Center Point Mid-Point Point On Arc Mouse Point Return button

Explicit: An Explicit point can be created by entering coordinate values for that point. Lathe dialogs will only contain two axis coordinates as shown. The P value can be used to move existing points by

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entering coordinates and the point label, for instance P21 and the creation buttons will modify point 21 to the coordinates entered.

Mill

Lathe

Polar Point: Creates a point at some angle (A) and distance (D) from an existing point (P) or specif ied coordinates.

Bolt Circle: Creates a circular pattern of points. When the Full box is checked, the Degrees Between Points text box is not available. In this case, the system will evenly space the given number of points to complete the circle. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Radius of Circle Pattern Z Depth of Points # of Points in the Pattern Y Coordinate of Pattern Center Point X Coordinate of Pattern Center Point Degrees Between Points Angle to 1st Point

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Matrix: Creates a parallelogram pattern of points. When the Outline box is checked, the system will only create the points that def ine the outline of the parallelogram. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. X Coordinate of 1st Point Y Coordinate of 1st Point Z Depth of Points Side 1 Change in X Side 1 Change in Y # of Points in Side 1 Side 2 Change in X Side 2 Change in Y # of Points in Side 2

Center Point: Creates a point at the center of an existing circle. You can also do this function to multiple selected circles. When performing this action be sure you are in the Point Sub-Palette or the Center Point dialog before selecting all the circles you want to make center points for. The Shift-Drag selection works with this feature. Please note that the dialog will still display only the f irst selected circles label.

Mid-Point: This will create an unconnected point at the mid-point of a selected line or arc.

Point on Arc: Creates a point along an arc. The radius of the arc and one other value must be entered to calculate the points position. The variables other than the arcs radius include the angle of the arc, the

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known X coordinate of the point and the known Y coordinate of the point. There is a radio button to switch between positive and negative Y values. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. X Coordinate of a known point Y Coordinate of a known point Toggle Between Y+ and Y- value Angle of Point on Arc Radius of Arc Center Point of Arc

Mouse Point: Create point using the mouse. Click to create the points. Points will snap to the specif ied Grid. The depth of the points may be changed by modifying the value in the Z box.

Point Tangent to Two Features: This is an inferred feature. If two features (two lines, two circles or a line and a circle) are selected and you click on the Point button the system will attempt to create a point wherever the features intersect. If the features do not intersect or are not tangent nothing will happen otherwise you will be prompted to choose the proper solution.

LINE SUB-PALETTE
The Line sub-palette creates various types of lines. Lines may be created based on selections. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Two points Point Angle Angle & Tangent Circle Parallel Perpendicular Axis Mouse Line Return button

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Two Points: Creates a line through two points. The points may already exist or they may be manually entered by clicking on the P button(s).

Point Angle: Creates a line through an existing point at a specif ied angle. The point may already exist or it may be manually entered by clicking on the P button.

Angle & Tangent Circle: Creates a line tangent to the selected circle at a specif ied angle.

Parallel: Creates two parallel lines at a specif ied distance from the selected line.

Perpendicular: Creates a line perpendicular to a selected line through a specif ied point.

Axis: Creates a horizontal or vertical line parallel to an axis at a specif ied distance from the origin.

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Geometry Reference

Mouse Line: Creates connected lines using the mouse. Click to create endpoints. Points will snap to the specif ied Grid. The Grid can be modif ied while drawing lines as well as the depth value. Lines may be designated as Rapid geometry. Double-click to create a terminator point, or exit the dialog. Click the f irst point to close a shape.

Line Tangent to a Point and a Circle: This is an inferred feature. When a point and a circle are selected and you click on the Line button the system will make a line that is tangent to the point and line. If the point and circle are coincident the line will be tangent to the circle at the point otherwise you will have to choose which the proper solution for a line tangent to the circle through the point. Line Tangent to Two Circles: This is an inferred feature. When two circles are selected and you click on the Line button the system will make a line that is tangent to the circles. As there is more than one possible solution you will be prompted to choose the line you need.

CIRCLE SUB-PALETTE
The Circle sub-palette contains options for the creating various circles 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Radius & Center Point Point & Center Point Radius & Two Points Three Features Return button

Radius & Center Point: Creates a circle using a selected point or entered coordinate value for the center point and a radius. You may also create circles of the same diameter from multiple selected points. To use this function be sure to access the Circle Sub-Palette or the Radius & Center Point dialog before selecting the points you wish to create circles around. The Shift-Drag selection works with this feature. The dialog will still only show the f irst selected points label but clicking the Create Circle button will generate a circle around each point.

Center Point-Circumference: Creates a circle by selecting a point for the center point and another as a point on the circumference of the circle. The center point may also be entered manually.

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Radius & Two Points: Creates a circle using a radius value and two tangent points to def ine the center point of the circle. The points may be selected or entered manually.

Three Features: Create a circle by selecting any combination of three points, lines or circles for the circle to intersect or be tangent to.

Circle Tangent to Two Lines: This is an inferred feature. When two lines are selected you can create a circle tangent to the two lines. You will be prompted to specify the circles radius. When determining the possible points of tangency the length of the line is not considered; internally the system extends the lines out as far as is needed to determine tangency. If the radius is too small to create tangency nothing will happen. As there is more than one possible solution you will be prompted to choose the line you need. Circle Tangent to Two Circles: This is an inferred feature. When two circles are selected you can create a circle tangent to the two circles. You will be prompted to specify the tangent circles radius. If the radius is too small to create tangency nothing will happen. As there is more than one possible solution you will be prompted to choose the line you need. Circle Tangent to a Line and a Circle: This is an inferred feature. When a line and a circle are selected you can create a circle tangent to the two features. You will be prompted to specify the tangent circles radius. If the radius is too small to be tangent to the features nothing will happen. As there is more than one possible solution you will be prompted to choose the line you need. Circle Tangent to a Line and a Point: This is an inferred feature. When a line and a point are selected you can create a circle tangent to the two features. You will be prompted to specify the tangent circles radius. If the radius is too small to be tangent to the features nothing will happen. If the point and line are coincident the circle will be tangent to the line at the point. There are two possible solutions to this tangency so you will be prompted to choose the circle you need. If the line and point are not coincident you will have to choose which the proper solution.

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SHAPE SUB-PALETTE
The Shape sub-palette can create various types of shapes including text, offset shapes, rectangles, polygons, ellipses, gears and cams. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Text Creation Offset Rectangle Polygon Ellipse Gear Cam Return button

Text Creation
The Text Creation dialog creates spline geometry from any TrueType font and allows the user to select the typeface, text size, justif ication, position, text flow, spacing between characters, words and lines.

Text Tab: The specif ications entered in this window establish what the text will look like and where it will be positioned on the part. Font List: This is a list of all typefaces that are available to create the text. Only TrueType fonts (typefaces) can be used to create geometry from text. Text Size: This value specif ies the height (measured in either inches or millimeters) of a capital A in the selected type face. All other characters will be sized proportionally. Justification: These buttons specify whether the text should be left-justif ied, centered or right-justif ied. If left justif ied is selected, all text is aligned so the left edge of each line is in the same X location (or if radial is selected, the same angle). If centered is selected, the center of each line of text is calculated and the text is positioned so the centers all share the same X location or angle. If right-justif ied is selected, the text is aligned so the right edge of each line is in the same X location (or if radial is selected, the same angle). Justif ication will only have an effect if there is more than one line of text. The longest line of text is used to specify the left or right edge. All text is then aligned based on one of these locations. Align. Pt./Center Pt.: The X, Y and Z values that will be used as the starting point for text creation. The text, Straight or Radial, will be aligned at this point. 21

Geometry Reference

Straight Text Alignment: Text can either be created in a straight line or along an arc. This is designated in the Text Flow window which is described later in this section. If straight text is created, a rectangular area that will contain the text is used for positioning. The diagram specif ies how the text will be positioned within the rectangular text area based on the coordinates of the Alignment Point. For example, if the position highlighted in the diagram shown above is selected, the text will be positioned in the lower left corner of the rectangular text area at the Alignment Point. The bottom of the text will be at the Y value of the Alignment Point and the left edge of the text will be at the X value of the Alignment Point. Clicking on the circular position points selects the different possible alignment locations. Radial Text Alignment: If text is created along an arc, a radial area that will contain the text is used for positioning. The radial text area is created by entering an angle value that specif ies where along the arc the text will begin and a radius that specif ies the size of the arc. The Alignment Point coordinates specify the center point of the arc. The diagram specif ies how the text will be positioned within the radial text area. Examples with the Radial Text Alignment information and the resulting text are shown. EXAMPLE 1: Inner Radius/Start on Angle: The picture shows the text as well as the arc and line which designate the radial text area and the starting location of the text. The position selected on the diagram will create the text along the outside of the circle beginning at the line specif ied by the Angle (the circle and line are drawn only to better visualize the example).

EXAMPLE 2: Center Radius/Center on Angle: The picture shows the text as well as the arc and line which designate the radial text area and the starting location of the text. The position selected on the diagram will create the text along the centerline of the circle and the center of the line of text will lie along the line specif ied by the Angle.

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EXAMPLE 3: Outer Radius/End on Angle: The picture shows the text as well as the arc and line which designate the radial text area and the starting location of the text. The position selected on the diagram will create the text along the inside of the circle ending at the line specif ied by the Angle.

Spacing Tab: These options allow the user to enter distance between letters, words and lines of the text. If values are entered in this window, the values entered will be added to or subtracted from the standard spacing.

Text Flow Tab : This section designates the text flow, line flow and shape of the text.

Text: Text can either be created horizontally or vertically. The f irst two buttons create text (characters) that will flow along a horizontal line, either from left to right (right arrow) or right to left (left arrow). The last two buttons will make the text flow along a vertical line, either from bottom to top (up arrow) or from top to bottom (down arrow). Shapes: These buttons designate whether the text will be created in a straight line or on an arc (these buttons will change in appearance when creating vertical lines of text, but their functionality remains the same). The f irst button will make the text flow along the arc specif ied in the Text tab window in a clockwise direction. The middle button creates text in a straight line, and the third button creates text on an arc in a counter-clockwise direction. The selection made for Shapes will affect the Alignment Diagrams in the Text tab window. Lines: These buttons only have an effect if multiple lines of text are being created (these buttons will change in appearance when creating vertical lines of text, but their functionality remains the same). The f irst button specif ies that the lines flow from bottom to top for horizontal lines of text or from left to right for vertical lines. The second button specif ies that horizontal lines of text flow from top to bottom or vertical lines flow from right to left

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Offset
The Shape Offset dialog allows shapes to be offset by a specif ied distance. Two offset shapes will be created. Offset shapes will adjust to the exact distance entered by a radius, so f illets and corners are added to the offset geometry as shown illustrated in the image. The Accuracy effects splines only.

Rectangle

The Rectangle dialog creates rectangles and squares and can automatically add Fillet Radius corners. Def ine the total length of each side of the rectangle and the Center Position of the rectangle.

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Polygon

The Polygon dialog creates multi-sided shapes (polygons). Specify the number of Sides, the Center Position, the Distance To Flat or Distance To Corner. There is also a checkbox which allows the user to specify a Fillet Radius on each corner of the shape.

Ellipse

The Ellipse dialog creates vertical and horizontal spline ellipses. Enter the X and Y Radius, and the Center Position. A larger X value creates an horizontal ellipse while a larger Y value creates a vertical ellipse.

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The Gear dialog creates complex gears by def ining a single tooth of the gear. Using Modify > Duplicate And... > 2D Rotate to create the rest of the gear. For more information about creating gears, see the tutorial at the end of the Free-Form CAD Exercises.

Gear

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

Addendum Dedendum Top Fillet Root Fillet Diametral Pitch Circular Pitch

Figure 2: Gear Definition The Machinery's Handbook is an excellent source for information on Gearing. All of the calculations and formulas are based on this information (ANSI standard B6.1-1968). Pressure Angle: This is the angle between the top of the tooth and the point of intersection between the tooth and its Pitch Diameter. Select Other to specify a different value. 26

Geometry Reference

Addendum: The radial distance between the pitch circle and the top of the tooth. Dedendum: This is the radial distance between the pitch circle and the bottom of the tooth. Top Fillet: This is the convex portion of the tooth where it joins the top of the tooth. Root Fillet: This is the concave portion of the tooth where it joins the bottom of the tooth. Calculate: The Addendum, Dedendum and f illets values may be calculated from the Pressure Angle, Pitch diameter, Diametral Pitch, Circular Pitch and Full # Teeth. Orientation: Specify whether the gear is internal or external. Full # Teeth: This is the number of teeth that a gear will contain. This value will be automatically created from the Diametral Pitch and Pitch Diameter values entered. Remember, although that the full gear is not created until the user creates the teeth with the Duplicate And... feature. The Full # Teeth value minus one will be entered into the Duplicate And... text box for full gear creation. Space Width: This value is a circular thickness. It describes the space between the teeth of the gear. The Basic value is calculated for users based upon other def ined specif ications of the gear; however, users may opt to bypass this value by def ining their own value in the Desired text box. The value is calculated to a Basic or zero slope value. A tooth can be narrowed or a space can be enlarged depending on the gear to be def ined. Involute Curve: A prof ile of one side of a gear tooth. The system will translate this data into a cubic spline which is more readily machined since involute curves cannot be directly interpolated by a CNC. Sample Points: The number of points along the gear's Involute Curve to take into consideration when calculating the spline. Tolerance: How close to the Sample Points the spline must pass. The system will very closely approximate the Involute Curve with the default values, but tighter tolerances may be used if needed. One thing that should be taken into account is the Machining Preference. To hold a 0.001" Tolerance to the Involute Curve, use a 0.0005" Tolerance on the gear creation and a 0.0005" Tolerance in the Machining Preference. Gear Type: Select the type of gear to be created.

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Cam
This dalog helps you create the geometry for cams.

Motion Type: This selection will determine the shape of the cam. Depending on the need of the user., the motion type may be selected from Uniform Velocity, Harmonic, Cycloid, or Modified Sine. Tolerance: This is the greatest distance allowed between the points on the cam and the arcs generated to approximate the best possible cam. In general, a large value here creates fewer arcs, but the deviation between the desired shape and the created shape is large. A small value should result in a more accurate shape with signif icantly more arcs. Start Radius: This is the smallest circle drawn to the cam shape. It is also commonly referred to as the Base Circle. End Radius: This is the largest circle that the cam shape will be drawn to. Start Angle: This is the angle from which the motion of the cam will begin. End Angle: The angle at which the motion will end. CW / CCW: This selection will dictate the direction of the motion from the Start Angle to the End Angle, either clockwise (CW) or counter clockwise (CCW).

CURVE SUB-PALETTE
The Curve sub-palette which provides three methods for creating curves through a series of pre- points. The curve will travel through the points in the order they were selected. Modify > Sort can be used to sort the points in the correct order to create the desired curve. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. Line Fit button Curve Fit button Control Point button Tolerance setting Close Shape checkbox Blending Method menu Do It button Return button

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Line Fit: This method creates straight lines between the selected points. If a Tolerance is specif ied, any points that are co-linear within the specif ied tolerance will be approximated by a single line, rather than several small lines between the points. If Close Shape is turned on, the system will create a closed shape, meaning that the f irst and last lines will be connected. The Blending Method pop-up menu is not applicable when using the Line Fit method. Curve Fit: This method creates a B-Spline curve through the selected points. The Tolerance value is designed to reduce the mathematical complexity of the f inished curve and should only be larger than 0.00 when generating curves from a large number of points. When a 0.00 tolerance is used, the system will create a smooth curve that passes through every selected point. When a value larger than 0 is used, the system uses a different method to produce the curve, and any points that lie within the Tolerance specif ied will be skipped. Even if no points lie inside the Tolerance, a completely different curve will be generated by the system than if a 0.00 Tolerance was used. The curve generated by zero Tolerance will be smoother than a curve generated by a non-zero Tolerance. Control Point: This method produces a B-spline curve using the selected points as control points. When using control points, only the f irst and last point must actually lie on the curve. The other points are used to specify the shape and direction of the curve. The Close Shape, Tolerance and Blending Method specif ications are not applicable when using the Control Point method. Close Shape: This will create a closed, continuous shape. Blending Methods: The blending methods control how the curve will be approximated through the selected group of points. There are an inf inite number of possible curves that can be drawn between a series of points. The way the curve is calculated between the points is based on the blending method. There are four options for the Blending Method. They are Chord Length, Uniform, Foleys and Centripetal. One way to explain the differences between these blending methods is to imagine a point traveling along the curve being created. The difference between methods is how much time the point spends traveling along the curve between the points that def ine the curve. The Chord Length and Uniform methods are general curve calculation methods. The Foleys and Centripetal methods are based on the Chord Length and Uniform methods and attempt to create a closer approximation of the desired curve. Each blending method is described below.

Chord Length

Uniform

Foleys

Centripetal

Chord Length: This method creates a curve between points proportional to the distance between points. That is, the farther apart two points are, the longer time it spends traveling between them, which is why it creates wider curves. The closer two points are together, the more the curve flattens out, because less time is spent traveling between the points. Uniform: This method attempts to create curves of equal length between points of equal distance from each other.

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Foley's: This method takes into account the angle between adjacent points. The larger the angle, the more time is spent between the points, causing the curve to be less pointed than the Uniform method. Centripetal: This method is based on the Chord Length method. It uses the calculated square root of the Chord Length method to blend the curve between the selected points. This makes for a slimmer curve.

CHAMFER AND FILLET SUB-PALETTE

The Chamfer-Fillet sub-palette provides options for creating f illets and chamfers. This sub-palette is only accessible when a point(s) is selected. The options available in this palette will only work on fullyconnected points. Multiple f illets and chamfers can be created at one time by using this option when multiple points are selected. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Fillet button: Creates a f illet for selected connector points. Chamfer-Side: Creates a chamfer based on a side value for selected connector points. Geometry Expert uses this type of Chamfer. Chamfer-Depth: Creates a chamfer based on a depth value for selected connector points. Chamfer-Length: Creates a chamfer based on a length value for selected connector points. Fillet button Chamfer-Side Chamfer-Depth Chamfer-Length Do It button Return button

CONNECT/DISCONNECT
The Connect/Disconnect button is used to connect, disconnect and terminate geometry. It becomes available when either a point is selected or two intersecting/tangent features are selected, (this feature can also be accessed by pressing the 8 key on the keyboard). To connect geometry simply click this button. Clicking on the Connect/Disconnect button will: Connect or disconnect tangent or intersecting geometry. The system will attempt to use an existing point at the intersection or tangency to connect features otherwise it will create a new point to connect the features. Refer to the Shapes and Connectors section in this chapter for details. Terminate or unterminate open shapes.

A point may have three states: Unconnected (the point is yellow and round). Being used as a connector between geometry features (the point is a blue square). Connected to geometry and being used as a terminator (the point is a yellow square).

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Multiple Connections
When connecting geometry that has multiple solutions, as with connecting a line to a circle, the Point Selection dialog will appear. The Point Selection dialog asks for the correct connection point(s) to be selected. You may select one or more intersection points. If only one intersection is available, the system will disable the other connection possibilities. Press the OK button after selecting the intersection to create the connection. Press the Esc key to cancel any connections.

Overlapping Connections
If the Point Selection dialog comes up when creating a connection but no points are visible, the points may be too close together to be displayed. You need to zoom in to reveal the points. This will generally happen with connections tangent to a circle. The following image illustrates two tangent points available in connecting two features. The line actually has two tangent points so close together that the points overlap and become invisible.

Figure 3: An example of a possible connection that cannot be seen (left), and the points after zooming in (right) Sometimes connecting points cannot be displayed, such as when they are in the same horizontal and vertical position but at a different depth and the view is looking down the depth axis. When the

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possible connections are overlapping the system displays the cross hair as shown. Simply change the view orientation until the points become visible.

Figure 4: After rotating the geometry, the hidden connection points are revealed

GEOMETRY FROM SOLIDS SUB-PALETTE

The Geometry from Solids sub-palette contains options for extracting edges and holes from solid models. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Geometry Extraction Hole Extraction Parting Line Outline Return button

Geometry Extraction
The geometry extraction function creates geometry from both edges and faces of solids and sheets. Your selection can include both edges and faces, i.e. a combination of both edges and faces are selected on a body. In order to view edges of a solid or sheet, the system must be in Edge Selection mode. Connected shapes will be created if the selected edges create a closed loop. Clicking on the Do It button in the Geometry Extraction dialog will create geometry from any selected edges or faces (in Face Selection mode). Typically, this function will extract the selected edges as splines or curves. However, if the resulting spline edge can be converted to lines or circles within the specif ied tolerance, the extracted geometry will consist of lines and circles. The Geometry Extraction dialog allows users to enter a tolerance value which will be used to determine whether or not the selected edges will approximate lines and circles within the given tolerance. A large 32

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tolerance value will convert more of the edge splines to lines and circles, while a tight tolerance will keep the entities as they are def ined in the part model. A tolerance of zero is recommended when extracting geometry that is def initely a circle or a line.

Hole Extraction
This function is used to create circles from holes in solids or sheets. This is very useful when a model contains drill holes. In order to create a drilling operation, points or circles must be selected. This function allows the user to extract circles from the existing holes on a model in order to have geometry to select for drilling operations. When using this function, either a solid or sheet can be selected and the system will scan the faces of the selection and f ind all holes. A hole must have walls which are perpendicular to the current CS. Additionally, the edge loop of the hole must be either a circle or a spline it cannot be a polyline (line segments approximating a circle). When hole extraction is performed, the resulting geometry will all be circles. Any hole edge loops which are splines but fall within the Circularity Tolerance specif ied will be extracted as circles. Edge loops which are splines that do not approximate a circle within the given tolerance will not be extracted. The depth of the extracted geometry will be based on the bottom of the hole(s), making it easy for the user to determine the depth for the drilling operation.

Parting Line
This function creates a parting line curve from selected faces or bodies. The parting line curve is generated where a faces surface normals are parallel to the current coordinate system but not on an edge. Think of this as a unique point on a face where the normals transition to and across parallel to the CS. This parting line curve can be used to help create a parting line surface. This function will not work on many shapes, such as cubes. A cube has an inf inite number of points where surface normals are parallel to the CS. There are other tools in the system that may be used to get the boundary of shapes such as a cube.

Figure 5: A cube showing many parallel normals and a sphere showing normals (in red) that provide a unique solution As previously stated, this function can be used to help you create a parting line surface which is the surface along which a mold pulls apart. Typically, a mold is pulled apart into two pieces, either two cavities or a cavity and a core. These two pieces must match and seal perfectly along the parting line surface in order for the mold to produce the desired part. With simple molds, the parting line is often a simple plane through the middle of the part. However, there are more complex situations where a planar parting line will not work. Before using this function your model should be fully prepared for making a mold model, including adding any draft angles. To use this function, select all the faces that the parting line will be on or select the entire solid. The parting line function uses the depth axis of the current coordinate system as the draw axis the 33

Geometry Reference

axis on which the mold will be pulled apart. The parting line curve is the curve on which the surface normal vector is parallel to the coordinate system (or normal to the draw axis) at every point. The parting line function creates geometry which can then be used to create a parting line surface. A good way to create a parting line surface from parting line geometry is to sweep a straight line along the parting line geometry, creating a sheet which will intersect the solid. The straight line is the drive curve and should intersect and slightly overlap the parting line geometry which is the base curve. Once the parting line surface is created, the part model can be subtracted from a cube to create the mold and then sliced with the parting line surface to create the two halves of the mold. 1. Original model 2. Parting Line geometry is created 3. A sheet is swept about the parting line geometry 4. The mold model is made using the swept shape

Outline
This function will create geometry that is an outline of the selected faces on single or multiple solids and/or sheets. The geometry is created at a depth of 0 in the current CS. This is useful for getting a prof ile of a shape

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where edges are not easily selected or available, where you may want the prof ile of a shape for an extrusion or to get the prof ile of a selected area for solid machining.

GEOMETRY EXPERT
The Geometry Expert button opens the Geometry Expert dialog which looks and acts very much like a spreadsheet. Geometry Expert allows the user to create connected shapes by entering feature dimensions in the rows of the spreadsheet. This feature is fully detailed in Geometry Expert Interface on page 35.

GEOMETRY EXPERT INTERFACE

Creating a shape using the Geometry Expert is analogous to contouring a shape, indicating such items as location, direction and the distance being traveled. As the shape is created, geometric contour logic principles are followed to allow automatically connect and assume logical geometric shapes to require the least amount of input from the user. The Geometry Expert, as its name implies, provides the user with a built-in consultant on the rules and principles of geometry. The Geometry Expert is a very powerful editing tool. Feature dimensions can be adjusted by simply changing the values in the cells. Geometry Expert handles all of the calculations and adjustments to the other features that are affected by the changes. How Geometry Expert Works on page 36 Creating Shapes Using Geometry Expert on page 36 Geometry Expert Table on page 37 Additional Information on page 39 -R Creation on page 41

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HOW GEOMETRY EXPERT WORKS

Geometry Expert is set up much like a standard spreadsheet. Feature specif ications are entered into cells which are contained in rows. Each row of the spreadsheet def ines a feature. 1. Feature Row 2. Cell 3. Scroll Bar

Row Border Color: The current row is outlined in either yellow or black. Yellow indicates the row contains adequate information. Black indicates the row does not contain enough information to def ine geometry. The prompt at the bottom will indicate the status of the row and def ine what is needed or what will be created from the current data.

CREATING SHAPES USING GEOMETRY EXPERT

When creating a part using Geometry Expert, the f irst thing that must be decided is the starting feature and the direction to travel around the parteither clockwise or counter-clockwise. Features are def ined in the order that they appear along the path of the shape. This process continues until the last feature of the shape intersect the f irst feature of the shape or end points are def ined. If the shape is a closed shape the last feature row will be the Close Shape feature type.

Creating Features
When a row contains enough information to def ine the feature press the Enter key. The next row will be highlighted and the feature type may change or the Angle/Rad will switch based on the last row.

Feature Types
There are several feature types including lines, circles, f illets, chamfers, and post. Each feature is selected by changing the feature type button in the f irst cell of the row. For arcs, the selected feature type indicates the directioneither clockwise or counter-clockwise. For lines, the angle value also indicates the direction. For example, a horizontal line can either be def ined with an angle value of 0 or 180; both will draw the same line, but in opposite directions. Fillets, Chamfers and tangent arcs will be draw when the features surrounding them are completely def ined. These are called floating features. When the feature is created a reference number (Ref ) such as L1 (line 1) or C4 (circle 4) is entered in the row. This is the actual geometrys label (View > Labels). In some cases, no information is required for the feature to be def ined and the row will be yellow. This is because it is still possible to add information in subsequent rows that will fully def ine the feature. For example, a circle with a start point def ined using a previous features end point and tangent to the following feature.

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GEOMETRY EXPERT TABLE

The Geometry Expert allows the user to create connected shapes by entering feature dimensions in the rows of the spreadsheet. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Current Row / Cell Feature Type Prompt Reference # Horizontal Endpoint Vertical Endpoint Line Angle/Arc Radius Chamfer Side or Line Length Horizontal Line point or Center Point 10. Vertical Line point or center point Feature Type: There are six options available for the feature type. They are: Line (1), Chamfer (2), Fillet (3), Clockwise Arc (4), Counter-clockwise Arc (5), and Close Shape (6). Each row must have a feature type selected. To select the feature type, click the feature type button which will access the possible selections. Drag the mouse to the desired feature so that the button appears depressed, and let go of the mouse button. That feature will now appear as the feature type for that row. In some cases, depending on the previous feature, some of the feature type options may be disabled to indicate that they are not valid selections. Also, depending on the feature type selected, some cells may be disabled, indicating that the selected feature type does not require that dimension. The feature type can also be selected using Alt+ the corresponding number. Ref: This is the features reference number. The letter indicates what type of feature it is (L for line, C for circle) and the number indicates the creation order. Also displayed with View > Labels. These reference numbers may change during the course of geometry creation but will not affect the shape. EP (H): The horizontal endpoint of the feature. When a feature is def ined with an endpoint, the system will draw the feature and trim it at the specif ied endpoint. Endpoint specif ications are required if the next feature needs a start point in order to be correctly def ined. EP (V): The vertical endpoint of the feature. Example: The row shown will create a 140 line with an endpoint drawn at Xr 1.651. The next feature that is def ined in the spreadsheet will start at the endpoint of this feature.

Angle/Rad: The number entered in this cell is dependent on the feature type selected. If the feature type is a line, this number specif ies the angle of the line. The angle value for a line defaults to either 90/270 or 0/180, allowing for the creation of vertical or horizontal lines. The system toggles between these angle values, which makes the creation of intersecting horizontal and vertical lines a very quick and easy process. The user can 37

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change the default values by simply entering the new numbers in the cells. If the feature type is a arc or f illet, this number specif ies the radius. Example: This row will create a f illet between the previous and next feature with a radius of 0.28.

Length: The line length or chamfer side height. LP/CP (H): The horizontal line point or center point. A line point is any point tangent to the line. LP/CP (V): The vertical line point or center point. Example: This row will create a 90 line at X4. When def ining either horizontal (0/180) or vertical (90/ 270) lines, only one LP coordinate is required. Refer to the section on Half Points in this chapter for more information.

Example: This row will create a circle with a radius of 2 and a center point at X2, Y3.

Prompt: The information contained in the prompt indicates the status of the current row. The prompt also indicates if the system has automatically deleted a cell value because the feature row contained too much information that overdef ined the feature. This aspect of Geometry Expert is referred to as the Auto Delete function, which is explained in the Expert Aids section of this chapter. Close : When Geometry Expert is closed, all information is cleared.

Expert Aids
There are several items built into Geometry Expert that are designed to guide the user through geometry creation. They include Prompting, Auto Delete, and Error Balloons.

Prompting
The Prompting information appears across the bottom of Geometry Expert. The prompt tells the user what actions are being taken by the system based on the information provided by the user. The user should be able to follow the prompts through the creation process to get a good idea of what is happening.

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Auto Delete
The Auto Delete function of Geometry Expert is intended to reduce errors resulting from features being overdef ined because too much information has been entered into the feature row. Geometry Expert is designed so that the user needs only to enter the minimum amount of information to def ine a feature. The system will automatically delete the f irst entry made in the feature row when the feature is overdef ined. Auto Delete is necessary in order to facilitate the associative capabilities of Geometry Expert. Note that the default values, such as the line angle, are considered the f irst entry rather than any information entered by the user. The prompt will indicate what information is being deleted.

Error Balloons
Geometry Expert also contains Error Balloons which appear on the screen whenever a problem occurs. The most common error messages appear when the system requires more information for a feature being entered. For example, if a line needs another value for an endpoint, an Error Balloon will come up indicating that a V or H value is needed to calculate the endpoint. The Error Balloons use the letters V and H (Vertical and Horizontal) rather than X and Y (for Mill) or Xd/Xr and Z (for Lathe.) This way the error messages remain the same regardless of what module is being used. Another common error message indicates that the feature being def ined cannot intersect with the previous feature. The non-intersecting feature can still be created, but the message indicates to the user that the continuity of the shape has been broken and subsequent features created will not connect to the existing shape.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Defaults
Geometry Expert has defaults for the feature type and line angle. The standard feature type default is a line. When Geometry Expert defaults to a line, it also enters an angle value, either 90/270 or 0/180, depending on the angle of the last line entered. Sometimes a line is not a possible feature type option, in which case the system defaults to an arc. This only occurs when the previous feature is a floating line. Geometry Expert dimensions the line according the preceding and subsequent feature specif ications. Floating features are not drawn on the screen until the system contains the necessary information.

Point Selection
Despite all of its expertise, Geometry Expert cant always know the correct intersection point to use for a connector. When there are two or more equally valid points of intersection, the system will draw both points and the point selection dialog will ask to select the appropriate point. Once the user has selected the desired intersection point, Geometry Expert will make the appropriate connection and continue along in the spreadsheet.

Half Points
In some cases, only one coordinate (either the horizontal or the vertical) is required to def ine the feature. This is referred to as a half point case. Half points are valid when Geometry Expert is able to calculate the other half of the coordinate value from information contained in the spreadsheet. When a valid half point is entered, the row will be highlighted in yellow, allowing the user to enter the feature row. If the half point entered is not valid, the row will be highlighted in black and the prompt will indicate what additional information is necessary to enter the row. If an incomplete row is entered, an Error Balloon will come up indicating what additional information is required. There are three cases where half points are valid. They are listed and explained below. Half Line Point: A half line point is valid only when creating either a horizontal line (angle value = 0 or 180) or vertical line (angle value = 90 or 270). If creating a horizontal line, a Y coordinate must be given for a valid 39

Geometry Reference

half line point. If creating a vertical line, an H coordinate must be given for a valid half line point. Line points are not part of the shape, but are only used to calculate the position of the line. Half End Point: A half end point is only valid if the line is otherwise completely def ined. Given either the vertical or horizontal coordinate of the end point along with the other information that def ines the line, the system can calculate the other half of the end point. If a half end point is used in the case of 0/180 or 90/270 lines, the half end point will function like a half line point, in that an end point will not be drawn, although the correct line will be created. Half Center Point: A half center point is valid when a circle has a radius value and is tangent to the preceding feature. (There must be a preceding feature.) Given the radius and the vertical or horizontal component of the center point, the system can calculate the other half of the center point by the assumed tangencies.

Floating Features
Floating features are features whose def ining row does not contain all of the information necessary to draw the feature. Floating feature rows are different from incomplete feature rows. With floating feature rows, the information contained in the current feature row and the preceding rows is inadequate to completely def ine the feature and draw it. However, subsequent features should provide the necessary information to def ine the floating feature. Floating feature rows are outlined in yellow, indicating that the row has enough information to proceed. Incomplete feature rows do not contain enough information to create the feature, and no amount of information entered in the following rows will make the feature def inable. Incomplete feature rows are outlined in black and indicate that more information is needed for a valid feature.

Inserting and Deleting Rows

Choose Edit> Insert row to insert a row into the Geometry Expert. New rows are created above the selected row. When an inserted row is entered, the system will recalculate the shape and attempt to incorporate the new feature into the existing shape, if possible. Choose Edit > Delete Row to delete a row. Only rows with created geometry can be deleted. Deleting rows can also be done with the keystroke Alt+K.

Arcs vs. Fillets

Arcs with only a radius value and f illets appear to be very similar at f irst glance, but actually use two completely different methods for calculating the circles. A f illet takes a sharp point produced by an intersection between two other features and changes it into a radius. It is created after the intersection between the two features is completed. Because of this, it is dependent on the intersection of the other two features to exist. This means that the system cannot use the f illet to calculate features that follow it in the spreadsheet. Fillets are not used to calculate the features that surround it. An arc with only a radius value is created tangent to two other features. These two features do not have to intersect. The arc is treated as an actual feature and can be used when calculating other features of the shape. This is particularly important when dealing with floating lines (lines with limited information) that have specif ic tangency requirements. Geometry Expert assumes that floating lines are going to be made tangent to the preceding feature. In most cases this is adequate, but sometimes a floating line is supposed to intersect the previous circle and be tangent to the next circle. This is called a forward tangency. In the case of forward tangencies, if there is a radius between the previous circle and the floating line, then an arc (rather than a f illet) must be used to allow for the necessary tangency calculation. The line will be made 40

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tangent to both the arc used as a f illet and the next arc. A f illet cannot be used in this case because the f illet will be ignored by the system until the intersection is completed, and the correct intersection cannot be created without the arc. If there is no f illet, an arc with a radius of zero will need to be created. This will allow the system to create the line tangent to the following circle, while creating a sharp point at the intersection of the previous feature. For a practical example of forward tangencies, refer to the Gear Housing tutorial.

-R CREATION
Geometry Expert has R (large arc) functionality that provides the ability to toggle between two possible solutions for an arc between two features. This is completely different from the Reverse Arc (Ctrl+T) feature, which changes the direction of the arc. -R provides access to opposite tangent points on the circle. Normally the smaller radius will be used when creating geometry, -R offers a way to override that default. These features may be created in Geometry Expert or via free-form CAD. Figure 5 below illustrates the difference between Reverse Arc and -R. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Clockwise Counter Clockwise Default Arc with R Reversed Arc Default Arc with -R Reversed Arc with -R

Via Geometry Expert

When using Geometry Expert the R function may be applied to an arc def ined in one of two ways. First, the arc may be def ined by being tangent to the previous feature (a line or arc) and a specif ic endpoint. Second, the arc may be def ined by a radius and an endpoint, and the feature previous to the arc must be def ined by an endpoint. The previous feature may be a line or an arc. To apply the R functionality simply place a (minus sign) before the arcs radius. Figure 6 provides an example of this.

Via Free-Form CAD

Geometry created by standard CAD functions (free-form CAD) may be loaded into Geometry Expert and modif ied to a use the larger arc solution. For this to work, the free-form arc must be an arc that is tangent to a

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previous feature (line or arc) and a given end point. To apply the R functionality, simply place a (minus sign) before the arcs radius once the geometry has been loaded into Geometry Expert. 1. Example of an arc defined by a radius and endpoint with a previous feature defined by an end point. 2. Example of an arc defined by a radius and endpoint that is tangent to the previous feature.

Figure 6: Examples of R use in Geometry Expert

DIMENSIONING
The Dimensions palette is accessed from the View > Dimensions Palette or from the Main palette in the Level 2 interface. The Dimensioning tool gives the ability to place text and show part dimensions. Dimension values are calculated from the current CS and visible based on the current workgroup. Any part of

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the dimension line, (line, arrowheads or text) may be dragged to reposition the dimension. Selection mode is active while the Dimensions palette is active. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Text Align Horizontal Vertical Horizontal From Origin 6. Vertical From Origin 7. Point 8. Angle 9. Radius 10. Diameter

The font used and the size of the the annotation text is controlled by right-clicking on the Dimensions title bar and selecting Set Font. This opens a dialog that displays the fonts that are installed on your system.

Text: Enter a note on the part. Place the cursor where you want the note to appear and enter the text. Align: Gives the distance between two selected points. Horizontal: The horizontal distance between two selected points. Vertical: The vertical distance between two selected points. Horizontal From Origin: The horizontal distance of a point from the origin of the current CS. Vertical From Origin: The vertical distance of a point from the origin of the current CS. 43

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Point: The explicit coordinates of a point in the current CS. Angle: The interior angle of two lines. The exterior angle may be determined by selecting the dimension and choosing Modify > Reverse Arc (Ctrl-T). This button will also determine the angle between three points. Radius: The radius of a selected arc or circle. Diameter: The the diameter of a selected arc or circle.

WORKGROUPS
All created geometry is placed in the active workgroup. Workgroups are separate layers used to separate different groups of geometry, including custom stock. One or more workgroups may be viewed at a time, however there may only be one active workgroup. The viewing, selection and creation of workgroups is accomplished with the Workgroup list. Workgroup information and selection can also be performed through the Workgroup dialog, accessed from the Main palette.

The Workgroup list controls the workgroups. Click New WG to create additional workgroups. The active workgroup is highlighted. To switch workgroups, click the name of the desired workgroup. The eye icon show and hide the workgroups. Click the column header to sort the list. Right-click or a workgroup entry in the list to open a context menu which accesses basic Workgroup functions and some Modify menu items. The right mouse menu is described in Workgroup Right Mouse Menu on page 45.

WORKGROUP LIST

Background Workgroups
To see inactive geometry contained in other workgroups double-click the eye to make it visible. To select multiple workgroups to be viewed as background workgroups, use the Shift key to select a contiguous group of workgroups and the Ctrl key to add or remove a single workgroup from the selection. Double-click to change the status of an eye from visible to invisible.

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Workgroup Right Mouse Menu

This list contains functions commonly applied to workgroups. WG Info: The WG info dialog specif ies the behavior of geometry in the selected workgroup. Geometry may help def ine a part or it may be used as a stock shape. When used as a stock shape for rendering and can adjust machining operations to take this stock into account. Mill parts may be revolved or extruded.

Figure 7: Mill and Lathe Workgroup Info dialogs Part Stock: If Part Stock is selected, the geometry drawn in the workgroup will be used for any calculations that need to look at the stock dimensions, such as Auto Clearance and Material Only. Additionally, the custom part stock will be used when the part is rendered. Extruded geometry in the Lathe will only extrude along the depth. Part Stock def initions are fully covered in the Mill and Lathe manuals. New WG: This option creates a new, empty workgroup in the next available number slot. That is, if you have WGs numbered 1, 3 and 4, creating a new WG will make WG #2. Delete: This option deletes the current workgroup. Any geometry contained within the workgroup will also be deleted. You may also press the key to delete WGs. Duplicate Visible WGs: This option will duplicate all the geometry within currently visible workgroups. New workgroups are not made, only geometry within each workgroup is created. This is functionally the same as pressing to duplicate geometry but the function is applied on a larger scale.

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Duplicate And This option will duplicate geometry and apply a transformation to the geometry in the current workgroup. This option is functionally identical to the Duplicate And command found in the Modify menu except it applies the modif ication to all geometry in the workgroup. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on Duplicate And. Force Depth This option will move all geometry in the current workgroup to a specif ied depth. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on Force Depth. Mirror This option will reflect or flip all geometry in the current workgroup about a specif ied point. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on the Mirror function. 2d Rotate This option will rotate all geometry in the current workgroup about a specif ied point. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on 2D Rotate. Scale This option will magnify or shrink all geometry in the current workgroup by a specif ied amount. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on the Scale function. Translate This option will move all geometry in the current workgroup by a specif ied amount. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on the Translate command. Segment Spline This option will break all splines in the current workgroup into line segments. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on the Segment Spline command. Sort This option allows you to sort all points in the current workgroup. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on the Sort command. Reverse Arcs in Visible WGs: This option will toggle the direction of all arcs in the current workgroup, i.e. clockwise arcs become counter clockwise and vice versa. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on the Reverse Arcs function. Change CS (XYZ) of Visible WGs: This option will change all geometry in the current workgroup from whichever coordinate system it is aligned to the current CS. The geometry stays in its current location. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on Change CS (XYZ). Change CS (HVD) of Visible WGs: This option will change all geometry in the current workgroup from whichever coordinate system it is aligned to the current CS. The geometry will move to be in the same relative position within the CS. Please see the Common Reference Guide for more information on Change CS (HVD).

LEVEL 1 INTERFACE AND WORKGROUPS

Accessing workgroups is slightly different in the Level 1 interface. Workgroups and the Workgroup Info are accessed through the Geometry Creation palette. Clicking the Workgroup List button opens the Workgroup List, which functions identically as in Level 2, while clicking and holding the Workgroup List button accesses a

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menu which allows quick switching of the active workgroup. A new workgroup may also be created from this menu. 1. Workgroup Info button 2. Workgroup List button 3. Workgroup List menu

A Workgroup Summary is available from the Window menu which provides information about the points, lines and circles contained in the current workgroup. When the Workgroup Summary is visible, the File > Print > Workgroup Summary command becomes active as well as the File > Save Special > Work Group Summary information to either save the summary as a text f ile or print it. More information on the Workgroup Summary can be found in the Common Reference Guide.

WORKGROUP SUMMARY

COORDINATE SYSTEMS
Geometry may be created in, or moved to, different coordinate systems. The Advanced CS manual is the best place to get more information about this type of geometry. Geometry can be def ined using these other planes with the Advanced CS module. The image is an example of three different coordinate systems. The circle in

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each coordinate system is at the same horizontal, vertical and depth position relative to each coordinate system.

Geometry is not contained in a coordinate system the way it is with workgroups. The coordinate system used to def ine geometry can be thought of as an attribute of the geometry and its orientation to the rest of the part. Coordinate systems are used for 3D geometry creation, rotary part orientation for machining, multiple work f ixture offsets and as a basis for solid modeling. Coordinate systems are only available in the Level 2 interface.

3D GEOMETRY
Creating non-planer geometry is the same as planar except you would use connectors that lie in different coordinate systems.

PRINTING THE PART GEOMETRY

After the part geometry has been created, it can be printed. Geometry can either be printed in black and white or in color. When the desired geometry is on the screen, choose Drawing (Ctrl+P) from the Print sub-menu under the File menu. To adjust the way the image will print, choose Printing from the Preferences sub-menu in the File menu. The Printing Preferences dialog shown allows the user to specify how the software will handle the background color. If the printer being used is black and white, choose the Black on White option to ensure that all portions of geometry, including those that are of a light color, can be seen in the printout.

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FREE-FORM EXERCISES

Free-Form Exercises

CHAPTER 3 : Free-Form Exercises

The exercises contained in this chapter are designed to introduce the basic concepts of geometry creation using the Free-Form CAD tools contained in the Geometry Creation palette. Dimensions for these exercises can be found in Part Prints on page 195. These tutorials are created using the Level 1 interface for simplicity (File > Preferences > Interface...). The f irst few exercises give very detailed step-by-step instructions for creating part geometry, while the later exercises become less detailed. Exercises 1, 2, and 5 are done using the Mill module, while Exercises 3 and 4 are done using the Lathe module. Because these exercises deal with only geometry creation (and not machining), they can be created using either module. The only differences will be in the setup of the document. It is recommended that the user read through the Getting Started manual before attempting these tutorials. Exercise 1: Shapes and Connectors on page 51 Exercise 2: Mill Tutorial on page 63 Exercise 3: Lathe Tutorial on page 79 Exercise 4: Shuttle on page 99 Exercise 5: Text Creation on page 107 Exercise 6: Gear Creation on page 113 Exercise 7: Overlapping Features on page 115

EXERCISE 1: SHAPES AND CONNECTORS

This f irst exercise creates a very simple shape to demonstrate how the Free-Form CAD tools create and connect geometry. This exercise does not have a part print at the end of this manual.

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CREATING SHAPES
Part Setup
Click the Documents button palette. in the Main

This dialog contains f ile management options as well as general information about the part, such as the type of machine being used, stock measurements and material information. Click the New button. Type Shapes in the File name text box. Save the tutorial parts in a convenient location. The parts created in this manual will be used in the other manuals. Click the Save button.

Creating Shapes
The f irst thing we need to do is set up the part f ile. This includes the type of machine and the size of the stock. Open the Machine list. Select the 3 Axis Vertical Mill.

The options available in the Machine list are dependent on the modules installed. The selection made for the Machine Type sets the MDD (Machine Def inition Document) for the current part. Selecting the correct MDD is important because it affects how the part will be drawn and machined.

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Select inch for the measurement type.

Input the value shown. Type This is the Comment text box. first tutorial part in the

If a comment is entered in this text box, it will appear in the Open dialog when a part is selected. This comment will also appear in the G-code. A part comment is not necessary but is often helpful in identifying parts. The Material information is fully covered in the Getting Started manual. Clearance Plane values and Tool Change Position are explained in the Machining chapter and tutorials of the Mill and Lathe manuals. Because machining processes will not be created in this exercise, the stock and clearance values input into this dialog are merely to provide a stock outline to contain the shape we will create. Close the Documents dialog. You can press + if you wish to use the keyboard shortcut.

Geometry Basics

A stock outline is drawn with a cross-hair or + that signif ies the origin of the part. The origin is located at X0, Y0. Choose View > Unzoom ( workspace in the window. + ) to fit the

You may also accomplish this with the View palette.

GEOMETRY BASICS
Axis Lines
Open the Geometry palette. or

Open the Line sub-palette.

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Please note that all buttons in the palettes may be selected by pressing the number on your keyboard that corresponds to the buttons position in the palette. For example, the Line sub-palette can be accessed by pressing as the Line sub-palette is the second button. Select Axis line. Select the vertical line mode.

Click the Multiple Lines button. The Multiple lines button tells the system that you wish to create more of this type of line.

Geometry Basics
54

Switch to the horizontal line mode. This will change the X value to a Y. Since the value for the horizontal line is the same, nothing needs to change.

Click the Single Line button. If you accidently press Enter or the Multiple feature when you are done, you can press the Esc key or Return button.

Tangent Circle to Lines

Open the Circle sub-palette. Select the two lines.

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A modif ier key such as Shift or Ctrl is not required when sub-palettes are open. The selection mode is designated with the white arrow pointer. Input the value shown. Click the Single Circle button. All possible circle tangencies will be drawn, allowing the user to select whichever circles necessary to create the required part geometry. If more than one feature is selected, no automatic connection will occur. The four possible circle tangencies to the lines are drawn. Select the upper right circle shown.

Geometry Basics

Once a feature is selected, the OK button becomes active. Click the OK button. When any button is active and selected you may alternately use the than using the mouse. key or the space bar rather

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The circle trims to an arc creating 2 blue square points called connectors.

Connector points are used to designate a tools movement around the shape. The system will create trim, or connector points (blue squares) rather than plain points (yellow round points) whenever possible. Each type is interchangeable as we will demonstrate later on in this tutorial.

Geometry Basics

Explicit Point
Open the Point sub-palette.

Select Explicit point. An Explicit point requires you to def ine the points location.

Input the values shown. Click the Single Point button.

Alternately you may press the space bar or when the button is highlighted. Pressing or +space will change the mode to multiple and create the feature. 56

Free-Form Exercises

Angled Line Through a Point

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line. Select the point we just created. Input the values shown. Click the Multiple Lines button. you may press + . Alternatively

Geometry Basics

Change the value shown. Click the Single Line button.

In this case a connector point is not created. We will need to manually connect the intersection of the angled lines. 57

Free-Form Exercises

Connecting Lines - 1
Ctrl+click the angled lines. The Ctrl key activates the selection mode (white arrow). Click the Connect-Disconnect button. The plain point is converted to a connector. Neither of the lines that intersect at that point trim because each has only one connector point. A line must have a start and end point to trim, or change to blue.

Connecting Lines - 2
Open the Point sub-palette. Select the two lines shown. We are again in selection mode. Selecting two lines while the Point sub-palette is open will open the line-line intersection point dialog that will create a point and connect the lines. Click the Multiple Points button. The lines become blue and trim because they now have two connector points. Select the last two unconnected lines. Click the Single Point button. The shape is now closed.

Geometry Basics
58

Circle with Radius and Center Point

Open the Circle sub-palette.

Select Radius & Center Point. Select the point shown.

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Input the value shown. Click the Single Circle button. The circle is yellow and untrimmed, indicating there are no connections the lines that it intersects already have two connector points each.

Geometry Basics

We want this circle to be the corner of our shape. Therefore, the point at the intersection of the lines (the center point of the circle) must be disconnected. A quick way to enter data into a text box is by using the interrogation cursor. If there is a reference value, Alt-click the reference geometry to load the data into the selected text box. Additionally, all the usable data for the dialog may be loaded with a Shift+Alt-click. This is helpful when you only want the X value from a reference but not the Y etc.

Breaking Connections - 1
Select the center-point of the circle we just created. Click the Connect-Disconnect button. The point changes from a blue square to yellow round point. The lines also become yellow and are no longer trimmed. Choose Edit > Undo. +

This will reconnect the lines. We wont need the center point.

Breaking Connections - 2
Delete the center point of the circle. The same disconnection happens but there is no longer a center point. We could easily recover this point using the Line-Line intersection point.

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Connecting a Circle and Line - 1

Open the Point sub-palette. Select the line and circle shown. Click the Single Point button. When a circle is intersected and not tangent to a line, the 2 intersecting points will highlight for you to select the features necessary for the part. One or both of the points may be selected for incorporation into the part geometry. Select the left point as shown. Click the OK button.

Geometry Basics
60

The point becomes a connector, and the top line trims.

Connecting a Circle and Line - 2

Select the unconnected circle and line and click the Connect-Disconnect button.

The two points of intersection are displayed.

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Select the bottom point.

Click the OK button.

Reversing Arcs
By default, all circles trim to an arc of less than 180 when they have two connector points. In this case, we want the arc that is greater than 180. Select the arc. Choose Modify > Reverse Arc (or + ).

Geometry Basics

Terminating Points
There is a third type of point called a terminator. A terminator is graphically shown as a yellow square. A terminator is similar to a connector point in that it connects a feature to itself. Terminators are useful in f inishing an open shape. Delete the arc.

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The two lines untrim.

Select the point shown and Ctrl-click the line that intersects it. In order to create terminators, a point and the feature that goes through that point must be selected.

Click the Connect-Disconnect button.

Geometry Basics
The point becomes a yellow square, indicating a terminator point. The line turns blue and trims to signify that it is fully connected. Select the other point and untrimmed line. Click the Connect-Disconnect button. The geometry is now a fully-trimmed open shape. 62

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EXERCISE 2: MILL TUTORIAL

This exercise creates the geometry for the part we will machine in the Mill manual. Refer to Mill Tutorial on page 197.

SETTING UP THE PART

Open the Documents dialog (F1). Click the New button. Type Mill Tutorial in the File name text box. Save this f ile where it can be easily accessed in the future. We will machine this part in the Mill manual. Click the Save button. Ensure the Machine list has a 3 Axis Vertical Mill. Select the inch measurement type. Input the values for the stock size shown. The information contained in the dialog may be changed at any time. Close the Documents dialog.( + )

Setting up the Part

The preferred process to create the geometry for a particular part is to choose a starting location and work in either a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction around the part. By using this method, features will become connected at the f irst opportunity which simplif ies geometry creation.

CREATING THE GEOMETRY

Multiple Explicit Points
Open the Geometry palette. We will now create f ive Explicit points. Open the Point sub-palette.

Select Explicit point. Input the coordinate values shown. Click the Multiple Points button.

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Change the values and press Enter.

Change the values and press Enter.

Change the values and press Enter

Change the coordinate values shown. Click the Single Point button. If you accidently press Enter or the Multiple feature when you are done, you can press the Esc key or Return button. You should now have the f ive points shown.

Creating The Geometry

64

Radius and Center Point Circles

We will now create circles around each of the points. Open the Circle sub-palette.

Select Radius & Center Point. Select the point at the origin.

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Input the value shown. The CP text box displays a label identifying the point selected as the center point of the circle. The system assigns a label to all geometry created. Geometry is def ined by a letter (P for point, C for circle, and L for line) and a number indicating the order of creation. These labels are displayed with View > Labels or Ctrl+L. Many geometry dialogs display the label(s) for selected geometry.

Labels
Choose View > Labels ( + ).

Creating The Geometry

All the points created are labeled. Labels can be turned on at any time without affecting geometry creation, and are especially helpful if there are any connection problems. Choose View > Labels again, to turn them off. Click the Multiple Circles button. This button functions in the same way as the Multiple Points button. It allows for the creation of more than one circle using the same method (in this case, selecting an existing point to act as the center point, and then entering a radius value). 65

Free-Form Exercises

Select the point shown.

Input the radius value shown. Press the space bar. This is the same as pressing Enter or the Multiple Circles button.

Creating The Geometry

66

Select the point shown and press Enter.

The radius is the same for the next three circles, so there is no need to change the value. Select the point shown and press Enter.

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Select the point shown and click the Single Circle button.

We could have easily have def ined the circles with descriptor center points; however, we will be using some of the center points.

Line Tangent to Two Circles - 1

Open the Line sub-palette.

Creating The Geometry

Select the two circles shown.

Click the Single Line button.

All four lines that are tangent to the two circles will appear.

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Select the line shown and press the space bar.

The line is added in blue and connected between the two yellow circles.

Arc - Tangent to Two Circles - 1

Open the Circle sub-palette. Select the two circles shown.

Creating The Geometry

68

Input the radius value shown. Click the Single Circle button.

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The eight circle tangencies between the two circles are displayed.

When the arc desired is larger than both the selected arcs there are eight possibilities. This can look confusing so we will zoom into the area we want.

Creating The Geometry

Drag a marquee around the tangencies to zoom in. Select the circle shown.

Click the OK button. Click the View Control button. The View palette is also referred to as the Trackball because of the trackball centerpiece. The surrounding buttons change the view to standard views and other View menu options. It also contains an Unzoom button, which will redraw the screen to its original scale.

Click the Unzoom button. (

Click the View Control button again. Open the Circle sub-palette.

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Select Radius & Center Point circle. Select the point shown.

Input the radius and press Enter.

Tangent Line from Point - Circle

Creating The Geometry
70 There are two possible lines when choosing the tangent line from a circle to a point. Open the Line sub-palette. Select the point and circle shown and press Enter.

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Select the left line and click the OK button.

Parallel Line
Open the Line sub-palette.

Creating The Geometry

Select Parallel line. Select the line we just created. Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button. Select the left line and press OK.

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Connecting a Circle and Line

Connect the circle and line shown.

Select the bottom intersection point. Click the OK button. The circle will trim to an arc and become blue because it now has two connector points.

Creating The Geometry

Connect the circle and line shown.

Duplicating Geometry
Select the arc shown.

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Choose Modify > Duplicate (

).

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Duplicate will create a duplicate of the selected geometry. Click somewhere off of the part to deselect the geometry. Geometry sub-palettes must not be open for deselecting in this manner. If you have a white arrow you are in selection mode.

Line Tangent to Two Circles - 2

Open the Line sub-palette. Select the two circles shown.

Creating The Geometry

Click the Single Line button. Select the line shown and click the OK button.

Open the Circle sub-palette.

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Arc - Tangent to Two Circles - 2

Click the two circles shown.

Input the values shown. Click the Single Circle button. In this case because the tangent radius is smaller than the largest circle and larger than the distance + diameter of the smaller we only have two circles to choose from.

Creating The Geometry

74

Select the bottom circle as shown.

Click the OK button.

Line Between Two Points

Open the Line sub-palette.

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Select the two points shown.

Click the Single Line button. The vertical line is drawn.

Creating The Geometry

Connect the circle and line shown.

Select the top intersection point.

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Reversing Arc Direction

Select the arc shown.

The smallest arc is the default. Choose Modify > Reverse Arc. We have chosen to use the larger arc.

Creating The Geometry

76

Click somewhere off of the part to deselect the geometry.

Arc - Tangent to a Line and Circle

Open the Circle sub-palette. Select the line and circle shown.

Input the radius values shown. Click the Single Circle button.

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Select the bottom right circle shown.

Click the OK button.

Selecting a Shape
Double-click the line shown.

Creating The Geometry

This will select all connected geometry to the line. Click the Trash button.

Boss Geometry
Open the Point sub-palette.

Select Polar point. Select the point at the origin as shown.

Input the values shown. Click the Single Point button.

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This creates a point one inch from the selected point at an angle of 15. Open the Circle sub-palette.

Select Radius & Center Point circle. Select the point at the origin as shown.

Creating The Geometry

78

Input the radius value shown. Click the Multiple Circles button. Select the point shown.

Input the radius value shown. Click the Single Circle button. Open the Line sub-palette.

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Select the two circles shown.

Click the Single Line button.

Select the two outside lines shown.

Geometry for Lathe Parts

Click the OK button. Select the arc shown.

Choose Modify > Reverse Arc. The geometry for this part is now complete. Make sure that you save this on your computer where it can be conveniently accessed. We will machine this part in the Mill manual.

EXERCISE 3: LATHE TUTORIAL

This exercise creates the geometry for the part we will machine in the tutorial of the Lathe module. If you dont have the Lathe module. Refer to Lathe Tutorial on page 198.

GEOMETRY FOR LATHE PARTS

Setting Up the Part
Open the Documents dialog. or 79

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Create a New file called Lathe Tutorial. Select a Horizontal Lathe from the Machine list. Select the inch measurement type. Input the values shown. The stock size will be used to draw the workspace outline and origin marker. The workspace is drawn round. The Clearance options and Tool Change positioning are not important now and are described in the Lathe manual.

Select the Diameter option for the X Dimension style. Enter a Comment. Close the Documents dialog. In this example, we will begin on the face of the thread, and work counter-clockwise. Turning parts are symmetrical about the X axis. Therefore, we will only need to draw the top cutaway prof ile of the part.

Creating Geometry
80

CREATING GEOMETRY
Open the Geometry palette.

Open the Point sub-palette.

Select Explicit point. Input the values shown.

Click the Single Point button. This will be our start and end point. It is created for reference only.

Face
Open the Line sub-palette.

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Select Axis line. Select the vertical line mode. Input the value shown. Click the Multiple Lines button.

OD
Switch to the horizontal line mode. Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button. The horizontal line is drawn. Select the two lines shown.

Creating Geometry

Choose View > Labels. All geometry will now be def ined by a letter indicating the type of geometry (P for point, C for circle, L for line) and a number indicating the order of creation.

Shift+Drag a marquee to select the two lines and click the Connect-Disconnect button.

The point (P2) is created as a connector point.

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Turn off Labels. Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line. Click the P button and input the values shown.

This area allows you to create a descriptor point which the angled line intersects. Click the Single Line button. Using the Connect-Disconnect button, we will connect the two lines at the point where they intersect. Connect the two lines shown.

Creating Geometry
The line will trim because it has two connector points. Open the Line sub-palette. 82

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Select Axis line. Select the horizontal line mode. Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button.

Creating Geometry

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line. Click the P button and input the values shown.

Angle values follow the standard Cartesian coordinate system, as shown. Negative values are acceptable as input.

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Click the Single Line button. Connect the two lines shown.

Connect the next two lines shown.

Creating Geometry
Open the Line sub-palette. 84

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Select Axis line. Select the horizontal line mode. Input the values shown. Click the Single Line button. Connect the two lines shown.

Creating Geometry

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line. Click the P button and input the values shown.

Click the Single Line button.

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Connect the two lines shown.

Creating Geometry
86

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line. Select the horizontal line mode. Input the value shown.

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Click the Single Line button.

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line.

Creating Geometry

Click the P button

and input the values shown.

Click the Single Line button. Open the Circle sub-palette. Select the lines shown.

Remember the Ctrl key is not needed because a sub-palette is open. Input the radius value shown. Click the Multiple Circles button.

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The four circle tangencies between the two lines selected will be displayed. Select the upper left circle shown.

Click the OK button. Select the lines shown.

Creating Geometry
The radius should still be def ined as 0.2; therefore, no editing is necessary. Click the Single Circle button. Select the upper right circle as shown. Click the OK button. 88

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Select the line shown and choose Modify > Duplicate.

Connect the lines shown.

Creating Geometry

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line.

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Click the P button

and input the values shown.

Click the Multiple Lines button.

Change the values shown. Click the Single Line button.

Creating Geometry
Open the Line sub-palette. Select Axis line. Select horizontal line mode. Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button. 90

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Connect the lines shown.

Connect the lines shown.

Creating Geometry

Select the lines shown.

Connect the lines shown.

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Select the line shown and choose Modify > Duplicate (

).

Connect the lines shown.

Creating Geometry

Backface
Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line. Select the vertical line mode. Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button.

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Connect the lines shown.

Creating Geometry

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line. Select the horizontal line mode. Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button.

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Connect the lines shown.

Creating Geometry

ID
Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line. Click the P button and input the values shown.

Click the Single Line button.

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Connect the lines shown.

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line.

Creating Geometry

Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button. Connect the lines shown.

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Select the line shown and choose Modify > Duplicate (

).

Open the Point sub-palette.

Select Explicit point. Input the values shown (Z = -1.1, Xd = 1.4). Click the Single Point button. Select the point and line shown.

Creating Geometry
96

Open the Circle sub-palette. Input the value shown. Click the Single Circle button.

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Select the right circle as shown.

Click the OK button. The circle selected will be drawn and a connector point will be created between the circle and the line. When tangent features are created they will create connector points when possible.

Explicit Connect
Connect the circle, point and line shown. When using a point and two features to make connections the multiple features dialog is bypassed because the point is specifying the connection position. This is usually the case when connecting non-tangent circles with other features.

Creating Geometry

Closing the Shape

Connect the lines shown.

Notice the point has now been replaced by a connector even though we didnt select it.

Adding Fillets
Now we will create the f illets and chamfer specif ied on the print.

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Ctrl-click the 4 points shown.

Open the Fillet-Chamfer sub-palette.

Select the Fillet mode. Input the value shown. Click the Single Circle button. Ctrl-click the 2 points shown.

Creating Geometry
98

Open the Fillet-Chamfer sub-palette. The Fillet mode should still be active.

Input the value shown. Click the Single Circle button.

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Adding a Chamfer
Select the point shown. Click the Fillet-Chamfer button.

Click the Chamfer-Side button. Input the side value shown (Side = 0.2). Click the Single Line button.

Creating Geometry

The geometry for this part is now complete. Save this part. We will machine this part in the Lathe manual.

EXERCISE 4: SHUTTLE
Refer to Shuttle on page 199.

OD
Create this horizontal lathe part shown. Select the Radius and Inch options.

Open the Geometry palette. Open the Circle sub-palette.

Select Radius & Center Point circle. 99

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Click the CP button

and input the values shown.

Click the Single Circle button. Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line. Select the horizontal line mode.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Creating Geometry
100

Connect the circle and line shown. The two possible points of intersection between the selected line and circle will be drawn, and the dialog shown will come up on the screen asking the user to select the desired features.

Select the right point as shown and click the OK button.

Open the Line sub-palette.

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Select Axis line. Select the vertical line mode. Input the value shown. Click the Single Line button.

Connect the lines shown.

Open the Point sub-palette.

Select Explicit point. Input the coordinate values shown.

Creating Geometry

Click the Single Point button. Zoom in on the area shown. Because some of the points are very close together, we will zoom in on the area to make the necessary geometry selections much easier.

Open the Circle sub-palette.

Select Radius & Center Point circle. Click the CP button and input the values shown.

Click the Single Circle button. Open the Line sub-palette.

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Select the circle and point shown.

Click the Single Line button. Select the bottom line shown. Click the OK button or press .

Creating Geometry
102

The point created between the line and the circle is a connector point. However, the point that was used to create the line remains a plain yellow point. We will need to manually connect that point. Connect the lines shown.

Open the View palette and click the No Zoom button. This will f it the workspace stock in the window.

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Angle & Tangent Circle line.

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Select the circle shown.

Input the angle value shown. Click the Single Line button.

Select the line shown and press Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line. Select the horizontal line mode value shown. Click the Single Line button. Open the Point sub-palette. Select the two lines as shown. and enter the

Creating Geometry

Click the Single Point button. The point created is a connector point and the angled line is trimmed.

Select the horizontal line and click the Trash button.

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The point will change to a plain point and the angled line will change to yellow and become untrimmed. Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Point Angle line.

Click the P button

and input the values shown.

Click the Single Line button.

Zoom in to the area in the upper left corner as shown. Open the Circle sub-palette. Select the point and line shown.

Creating Geometry
104

Input the radius value shown. Click the Single Circle button.

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Select the upper left circle as shown.

Click the OK button or press the

key.

One of the points created is a connector point. We will need to manually connect the other plain point. Connect the point, line and circle shown. The point will become a connector point and the line and circle should trim and become blue.

Creating Geometry

Choose View > Unzoom.

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line. Select the vertical line mode and enter the value shown.

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Click the Single Line button. Connect the lines shown.

Creating Geometry

Open the Line sub-palette.

Select Axis line. Select the horizontal line mode and enter the value shown.

Click the Single Line button. Connect the lines shown.

Connect the line and circle shown.

Select the right point shown and press

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The geometry for the part is now complete and fully connected.

If you have not already done so, you should create this part using Geometry Expert as outlined in Exercise 3: Shuttle on page 155 and Geometry Expert Exercises on page 125 to note the differences in geometry creation using these two methods.

Horizontal Text

EXERCISE 5: TEXT CREATION

In this example we will create text geometry. We will use the same text to show the different methods of alignment, spacing and text flow.

HORIZONTAL TEXT
Left Justified
Create a new mill part with the following stock specifications:+X = 5, -X = -5, +Y = 4, -Y = -4, Z = 0, -Z = -1. Leave all other items at their default settings. Open the Geometry palette.

Open the Shape sub-palette.

Open the Text Creation dialog.

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Input the values shown into the Text Creation dialog.

Horizontal Text
108

The font list contains all the available TrueType fonts. Moorpark is an installed TrueType font specif ically designed for centerline engraving. If you have many fonts in the list, type the f irst letter of the name of the font to navigate to it faster. Click the Do It button. The lines have been added at X-0.75 and Y-2.0 to show how the text aligns.

Choose View > Draw Points. This will make the text easier to read. The lines on the screen are drawn at X = -0.75 and Y = -2 to illustrate the text alignment according to the align point and the position selected on the Alignment Diagram. The text starts in the upper left corner of the rectangular text area.

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Centered
Create a new Workgroup 2. Switch to Workgroup 2.

Open the Text Creation dialog. Enter this information in the Spacing tab.

Horizontal Text

The values entered for spacing are added to the default spacing. Enter this information in the Text tab.

Click the Do It button.

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Again, lines are added at X = -0.75 and Y = -2 to visualize the text alignment.

VERTICAL TEXT
Vertical Text
110 Create a new Workgroup 3. In WG:3 open the Text Creation dialog. Enter this information in the Text Flow tab.

Enter this information in the Spacing tab.

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Enter this information in the Text tab.

The text is aligned in the upper right corner of the text area as specif ied by the alignment diagram.

Text On An Arc

TEXT ON AN ARC
Switch to WG4. Enter this information in the Text Flow tab.

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Enter this information in the Spacing tab.

Enter this information in the Text tab.

Text On An Arc
112

Note that the alignment diagram is different. The Radius specif ies the size of the arc and the Angle indicates the position on the arc that the text will begin. Also, a center point for the arc must be entered (rather than an alignment point). Create the text.

Free-Form Exercises

The arc and line are drawn to illustrate the radial text area specif ied with the Angle, Radius and Center Pt. values entered. The text is positioned along the outside of the arc and is positioned along the center of the line as specif ied by the angle.

EXERCISE 6: GEAR CREATION

CREATING A GEAR
In this exercise we will create an involute spur gear. We will walk through the steps. The gear has the following known metric dimensions. Outside Diameter: 11.666mm Pitch diameter: 10mm Inside Diameter: 7.916mm Pressure Angle: 25 Number of Teeth: 12

Typically, the Pitch Diameter and the Number of Teeth are known values. We will use these values to obtain the value for the Diametral Pitch. Diametral Pitch = # Teeth Pitch Diameter (Diametral Pitch: 12 10 = 1.2) Create a new part. Open the Shape sub-palette.

Creating a Gear

Open the Gear dialog. Set the Pressure Angle to 25. Set the Orientation to External and the Gear Type to Gear. Input the Diametral Pitch value. Input the Full # Teeth amount. The other Pitch setting are automatically calculated.

Input the Involute Curve settings as shown.

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Click the Calculate button. The formulas for calculating the Addendum and Dedendum: Addendum = (Major Diameter Pitch Diameter) 2 Dedendum = (Pitch Diameter Minor Diameter) 2

Click Do It to generate the shape of a single tooth. Do not deselect the tooth geometry.

Creating a Gear
From the Modify menu select Dup And... 114

Free-Form Exercises

The 2D rotate is automatically selected and has calculated the number of times to repeat the geometry to create the complete gear. Additionally, when you create the duplicated geometry is automatically connected for you.

Click the Do It button.

Creating a Gear

EXERCISE 7: OVERLAPPING FEATURES

A good understanding of connections and connector points is necessary to become prof icient. While connecting a shape is a simple process, this exercise details how to create a connected shape when individual features overlap one another.

115

Free-Form Exercises

OVERLAPPING CONNECTIONS
Circles
The part is a simple shape. It consists of six circles and no lines.

Overlapping Connections
116

There are three 0.5" radius circles and three 2.0" radius circles. Each circle (or line) only exists between its two connection points. While the three 2.0" circles have the same center point and radius, they are still three separate circles in the system. Most importantly, each of the three 2.0" circles must be fully connected (have two connector points) before the next 2.0" circle can be drawn (the following pictures have the Labels function of the system turned on in order to make things more clear). Set up the part and workspace size. Create P1 (point 1) at X0Y0. Use the Bolt Circle button to create the other three points on a two-inch radius.

Free-Form Exercises

Create three 0.5 circles around P2, P3, and P4.

Create one 2.0 circle around P1.

Overlapping Connections
117

C4 is one of the three 2.0 circles needed. Putting two more circles on top of C4 makes it diff icult to tell which one you are clicking on. The best approach for all shapes is to work around the shape in a specif ic direction (clockwise or counter-clockwise), adding features and connections as you go. In this example, you can use C4 as any one of the three circle segments (or arcs). The key idea is to fully connect C4 before adding another 2.0 circle to the workgroup. Starting with C1, well proceed clockwise around the shape.

Free-Form Exercises

Lets connect C4 between C1 and C2. Use the Point button or the Connect/Disconnect button (or press the number 8) to f ind the intersections between C4 and C1. Select the point shown.

Overlapping Connections
118

P5 is drawn at the selected intersection of C1 and C4. Now connect C4 to C2. Use the Point button again.

Free-Form Exercises

Connect C4 to C2 by selecting the point shown.

P6 is drawn at the selected intersection of C2 and C4, completing the connection for this feature.

Overlapping Connections

Add the next 2.0 circle around P1 or duplicate C4.

C5 now overlaps the arc C4. Selecting C5 where it overlaps C4 will only select C4. The system will always select the lowest-numbered circle in the overlapping area. The selection order of geometry that overlap are as follows: points, lines, then circles. If you click C5 where it does not overlap C4, C5 will be selected and highlighted as a full circle.

119

Free-Form Exercises

Connect C5 to C2 using the point shown.

Overlapping Connections
120

P7 is drawn at the selected intersection of C2 and C5. It is the second connection for C2, therefore completing this feature. Use Reverse Arc (Ctrl+T) if necessary. Now connect C5 to C3 using the point shown.

Free-Form Exercises

P8 is drawn at the selected intersection of C3 and C5.

Create the last 2 circle around P1.

Overlapping Connections

Connect C6 to C3 using the point shown.

P9 is drawn at the selected intersection of C6 and C3.

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Free-Form Exercises

Connect C6 to C1.

Connect C6 to C1 using the point shown.

Overlapping Connections
P10 is drawn at the selected intersection of C6 and C1, creating fully-connected geometry. The shape is now complete. Choose View > Labels for a clearer view. Remember that the directions and methods used in the system to create a shape have no effect on how the shape is machined. The cut can begin anywhere, stop anywhere, and cut in any direction. The tool 122

Free-Form Exercises

can cut outside, inside, or on the shape. This will be covered in more detail in the Lathe and Mill manuals.

123

Overlapping Connections

Overlapping Connections
Free-Form Exercises

124

GEOMETRY EXPERT EXERCISES

Geometry Expert Exercises

CHAPTER 4 : Geometry Expert Exercises

The exercises contained in this chapter are designed to introduce you to the basic concepts of geometry creation using Geometry Expert. Part dimensions for each of these exercises can be found in the Part Prints section on page 195. Lathe examples can be completed with Mill, and vice-versa. Exercise 1: Shaft on page 127 Exercise 2: Chassis on page 138 Exercise 3: Shuttle on page 155 Exercise 4: Lathe Tutorial on page 160 Exercise 5: Doodle on page 166

EXERCISE 1: SHAFT
HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL LINES
In the f irst exercise, we will create a simple shaft containing only horizontal and vertical lines. Because of the feature type defaults and automatic angle toggling, the creation of a simple shaft can be done very quickly with Geometry Expert. Refer to Shaft on page 201 for this exercise. Open the Documents dialog. Create a Horizontal Lathe MDD part with the following dimensions. Select inch and Diameter for the dimension style. Define the workspace stock as shown. The stock values entered are slightly larger than the part dimensions, making all of the geometry visible within the stock outline.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Open the Geometry palette.

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Geometry Expert Exercises

Open the Geometry Expert. The f irst row (current row) is highlighted in black because the row needs more information in order to def ine the feature. Notice that when Geometry Expert opens, the feature type selected is a line, and the angle value is 90. The feature we will start with is the vertical line at Z0.

Input the value shown.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

When def ining either horizontal or vertical lines, it is only necessary to enter a half point (a value for one axis) for the line point. When only one coordinate value is entered, it is referred to as a half point. In certain cases only a horizontal (H) or vertical (V) coordinate value is needed in order to def ine the feature. For more information on half points, refer to Half Points on page 39. Once enough data to create a feature is entered the row is highlighted in yellow. Press Enter. This will create the line and a new row, highlighting the most logical cell to enter data for the feature type selected. The second row is a line feature type and the angle is switched automatically to a horizontal line. Input the value shown and press Enter.

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Geometry Expert Exercises

Since the purpose of Geometry Expert is to create a single shape, connections are assumed. Therefore, when features do not have a point of connection an error message will be displayed. Input the value shown and press Enter. Notice that the line angle has again switched to a vertical angle.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Input the value shown and press Enter.

129

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter. Once a feature has been drawn on the screen, a reference number is assigned and entered in the Ref column.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Input the value shown and press Enter. 130

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Input the value shown and press Enter.

131

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

132

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Input the value shown and press Enter.

133

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

134

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

Input the value shown and press Enter.

135

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

136

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Select the Close Shape feature type (Alt+6).

Geometry Expert Exercises

The Close feature type connects the f irst and last feature at their point of intersection.

Horizontal and Vertical Lines

The shaft is complete and fully connected. Save this part.

137

Geometry Expert Exercises

EXERCISE 2: CHASSIS
CHAMFERS AND FILLETS
In this exercise, we will introduce adding different feature types such as f illets and chamfers. Refer to Part Print #2: Chassis for this exercise . Open the Documents dialog. Create a 3 Axis Vertical Mill part with the following workspace stock dimensions. Select inch for the measurement type. Open the Geometry palette.

Open the Geometry Expert. Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

138

Change the feature type to a Fillet (3rd button) as shown.

The feature type can be selected using keyboard shortcuts. For example pressing Alt+3 is the same as selecting Fillet feature type.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown. Only a radius value is required when creating f illets. Notice the prompt. This row will create a Fillet between the preceding and following features. Fillets and chamfers are entered between the two features they connect with. Fillets and chamfers can only be created between two intersecting features at their point of intersection.

Press the Enter key. Since there isnt enough information to def ine the complete Fillet nothing is drawn. When the next feature is completely connected and trimmed the Fillet will become complete and be created. Fillets, Chamfers and tangent features are completely dependent on the features that they exist between and can only be seen once the features they are created from are completely def ined.

Input the value shown and press Enter. The two lines drawn are connected.

Chamfers and Fillets

Change the feature type to a Chamfer (Alt+2).

Input the value shown. Chamfers created in Geometry Expert are dimensioned according to the Side length. To create chamfers that are

139

Geometry Expert Exercises

dimensioned differently, use the Chamfer palette in the free-form CAD tools. Press the Enter key. Again, the chamfer will be drawn when the features it exists between are fully connected. Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

140

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3).

The radius value for the f illet will default to the previous radius entered for a f illet. Therefore, you dont need to enter a radius value. Press the Enter key. Input the value shown and press Enter. The chamfer is now drawn because the preceding and following lines are fully connected.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+2) and press Enter.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

The f illet is now drawn because the preceding and following features now have two connector points. Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+2) and press Enter. 141

Geometry Expert Exercises

The length value for the chamfer also defaults to the previous value entered.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

142

While we could continue making f illets and chamfers in this manner, from this point on, we will only create the horizontal and vertical lines. Then, we will use the free-form CAD tools to create the remaining f illets and chamfers. Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

Input the value shown and press Enter.

143

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

144

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

Input the value shown and press Enter.

145

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

146

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

Input the value shown and press Enter.

147

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

148

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

Input the value shown and press Enter.

149

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

150

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

Input the value shown and press Enter.

151

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

152

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Chamfers and Fillets

Select the Close Shape feature type for the last row.

Close Geometry Expert. Ctrl+click the outside corners as shown. If you accidentally click something that you didnt want to and it becomes selected, click it again to deselect it.

Open the Fillet/Chamfer sub-palette.

Select the Fillet mode. Input the value shown and press Enter.

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Geometry Expert Exercises

Fillets are created at all of the selected corners.

Ctrl+click the inside corners as shown. Open the Fillet/Chamfer sub-palette.

Select the Chamfer - Side mode. This is the mode that Geometry Expert uses when creating chamfers.

Chamfers and Fillets

154

Input the value shown.

Click the Single Line button. The Chassis is now complete.

Save the file.

Geometry Expert Exercises

EXERCISE 3: SHUTTLE
ARCS AND ANGLED LINES
In this exercise, we will create a slightly more complex shape containing arcs and angled lines. This exercise will also introduce how the Select Feature dialog works. Refer to Shuttle on page 199 for this exercise. Create a horizontal lathe part with the following workspace stock dimensions. Select the Radius option for the X dimension style.

Mill Users
If you want to create this as a Mill part, input the stock values shown. The images shown in Geometry Expert will be slightly different. The horizontal values shown are entered as Z coordinates and the vertical values are entered as Xr coordinates. If you are working in Mill, the horizontal values are entered as X coordinates and the vertical values are entered as Y coordinates. Open the Geometry Expert. Select Counter-Clockwise Arc or press Alt+5 for the first feature. Remember, the feature type can also be selected using keyboard shortcuts [Alt+(1-7)]. Input the values shown and press Enter.

Arcs and Angled Lines

Input the values shown and press Enter.

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Geometry Expert Exercises

There are two possible points of intersection between the line and the circle. When this is the case, the Select Feature dialog will appear.

Select the right point shown and click the OK button. You can now continue creating connected features in Geometry Expert.

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Arcs and Angled Lines

156

Delete the angle value and press Enter. Notice the prompt. Although this row contains no data other than the feature type, following features will provide the system with the required information to def ine and draw this line. It will not be created until all necessary information has been entered. This is an example of a floating feature. The next rows feature type will default to a clockwise arc.

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

The previous line and the arc are drawn. Input the values shown and press Enter.

A half end point is valid in this case. As the prompt indicates, the system will calculate the other endpoint coordinate with the information it has and draw the endpoint on the screen. An endpoint is necessary on this line because the following arc is not tangent to this line. The end point of the preceding feature will be used as the start point of the circle. Note that it is important the angle value entered indicate the proper vector direction of the line because the next feature is an arc.

Arcs and Angled Lines

Select Clockwise Arc feature type (Alt+4).

Input the value shown and press Enter. This is another example of a floating feature, this time a circle. The circle will be drawn once we def ine the next feature. The system uses the information from the previous row (in this case the endpoint) and the information from the following row (which will provide a tangency point) to draw the arc.

Input the values shown and press Enter.

157

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Input the values shown and press Enter. Select the Close Shape feature type (Alt+6). There are two possible intersection points, so the system will ask you to select which intersection point should be used. There is an option in the Edit menu which allows you to change the intersection point chosen in the select features dialog once the connection has been made. This Edit menu item toggles between Use Intersection #1 and Use Intersection #2.

Select the right point shown and press Enter. Resize Geometry Expert so all rows are visible.

Arcs and Angled Lines

Select the cell shown. Notice that the row becomes highlighted and is the current row. Also, the arc that is def ined by this row is now selected. Change the radius value to 0.4 and press Enter. The radius is adjusted and maintains the connections. 158

Geometry Expert Exercises

EXERCISE 4: LATHE TUTORIAL

Make sure that you save this f ile in a place where you can easily access it, because it will be used in the machining tutorial found in the Lathe manual. This part is also created in the Free-Form CAD Exercises.

LATHE TUTORIAL

Create an inch lathe part with the following workspace stock dimensions. Choose Diameter for the X Dimension Style. Open the Geometry Expert. Input the value shown and press Enter. Select the Chamfer feature type (Alt+2).

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Lathe Tutorial

This chamfer will be drawn when we close the shape. Input the value shown and press Enter.

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3). 159

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter. This Fillet will be drawn when the next feature is def ined.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3) and press Enter. The radius defaults to the last entered value.

Input the values shown and press Enter. Input the value shown and press Enter. Both f illets are created because the preceding and following features are fully connected.

Lathe Tutorial
160

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3) and press Enter.

Enter the angle and line point value shown and press Enter.

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3) and press Enter.

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Lathe Tutorial

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3) and enter the radius value shown and press Enter.

161

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3) and press Enter to accept the default value shown.

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Lathe Tutorial
162

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Input the value shown and press Enter. Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3)

Change the radius and press Enter.

Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the values shown and press Enter.

Select the Fillet feature type (Alt+3) and press Enter. The radius defaults to the last entered value.

Lathe Tutorial

Input the values shown and press Enter. This line must be def ined with an endpoint because the next feature is an arc that not tangent. Anytime an arc is not tangent to the previous line, the arc needs to have a start point.

Select the Clockwise Arc feature type (Alt+4).

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Geometry Expert Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter. Notice the prompt.

Implicit Angle Tangent Line

Input the values shown and press Enter. An angle value of 0 must be entered for this line because it is connected to an arc, and we must indicate the exact direction of the line. Line direction is determined by the angle value. Since we def ined this line in the counter clockwise direction of the shape the direction. We could have def ined the part in the clockwise direction and the angle value would have been 180. Selecting the Close Shape feature type (Alt+6).

Lathe Tutorial
Notice that the chamfer we created at the beginning has been drawn because the lines it is between are now fully connected. Save this part. 164

Geometry Expert Exercises

EXERCISE 5: DOODLE
In this exercise, we will show how the Geometry Expert can aid in f ixing a rough sketch of the part geometry using the mouse line tool. Refer to Doodle on page 203.

EDITING FREE-FORM GEOMETRY

Again this part can be done with either the Mill or Lathe workspace stock def inition. Create an inch lathe part with the following workspace stock dimensions. Select Diameter for the X dimension style. Open the Geometry palette. Open the Line sub-palette. (2)

Editing Free-Form Geometry

Select Mouse line. We will start sketching the part from the vertical line at Z -6.25. Dont worry too much about the coordinates shown in the Mouse Line dialog, the dimensions will be adjusted using Geometry Expert. DO NOT draw the chamfer on the part. We will insert that in the spreadsheet.

Click near the location of point 1. Click near the location of point 2. Continue creating the part following the part print until the shape is closed.
1 2 3 4

This is a very quick process because we arent concerned with proper dimensions. We only need an approximate shape or have the same number of features (excluding the chamfer). Open the Geometry Expert.

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Geometry Expert Exercises

LOADING FREE-FORM GEOMETRY

Double-click the first line we created as shown. All connected features will be loaded into the spreadsheet with dimension values. The f irst feature listed in the spreadsheet will be the feature that you clicked on to load the shape. All the other features will be listed in creation order from that f irst feature. Scroll to the top of the Geometry Expert. If you selected the line shown above, the f irst feature should be a line with an angle close to 90 around Z -6.25. If your reference numbers dont exactly match those shown in the pictures, dont worry about it.

Loading Free-Form Geometry

166

Click in one of the cells in the first row. Change the values as shown and press Enter. The row can also be entered by moving to another row in the with the arrow keys or the mouse. Once the geometry matches the selected row the Enter key wont select the next row. The feature will change according to the new dimensions. To move down to the next row in the spreadsheet you must use the arrow keys or click the cursor in a cell of another row. The

Change the second feature as shown and press Enter. Continue to adjust the part dimensions in this manner. You may select the geometry or the row and edit the values to match the part print. Because of the existing connections and locations of points, when you make some of the adjustments it may look like something is wrong; the features and overall shape may not look the way it should. Dont worry, keep going through and changing the dimensions and Geometry Expert will adjust the shape correctly. You may f ind that editing all horizontal lines before going on to the vertical lines may be faster. If somehow the Geometry Expert fails in some way, you may have to f ix the geometry with the mouse line and connect button. Geometry Expert will not be able to regenerate some broken connections.

Geometry Expert Exercises

When f inished the Geometry Expert should appear as shown. Notice that the close shape row is already in the spreadsheet. It was entered in the spreadsheet when we loaded the shape because it was a closed shape. Your part should now have accurate dimensions.

INSERTING A ROW
Select the line at Z = 0.

Inserting a Row

Choose Edit > Insert row (Alt+I). A row with no information other than the feature type, which is a line, will be inserted in the spreadsheet above the current row. Notice the new row is now the current row.

Select the Chamfer feature type (Alt+2). Input the value shown in the inserted row and press Enter.

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Geometry Expert Exercises

The chamfer will immediately be drawn because it is being created at the intersection of two features that have already been connected. Try sketching any shape and adjusting the dimensions. If any problems occur, the Error Balloons and Prompting information should indicate what needs to be done. You may also combine Free-Form tools with the Geometry Expert, which we will cover in the next section.

Inserting a Row
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Inserting a Row

Geometry Expert Exercises

Inserting a Row
170

COMBINATION EXERCISES

Combination Exercises

CHAPTER 5 : Combination Exercises

The exercises contained in this chapter use both Geometry Expert and the free-form CAD tools to create part geometry. In the f irst exercise, we will demonstrate how to change shapes created in Free-form Geometry. In the second exercise, we will re-create the Mill Tutorial part using primarily Geometry Expert, but we will need to use the free-form CAD tools to create some construction geometry. Exercise 3: Gear Housing on page 190 is a more advanced example, and should be done once you feel comfortable with both Geometry Expert and free-form CAD. Exercise 1: Using Geometry Expert to Modify Shapes on page 173 Exercise 2: Mill Tutorial on page 178 Exercise 3: Gear Housing on page 190

EXERCISE 1: USING GEOMETRY EXPERT TO MODIFY SHAPES

In Part A of this exercise, we will load the Mill Tutorial part. If you did not create the Mill Tutorial part, skip to Lathe Tutorial on page 176.

MILL TUTORIAL
Changing the Shape
Open the Mill tutorial part. A part f ile can be opened in several ways. The most simple method is using the Open command in the File menu or in the Documents dialog. More advanced methods include the shortcut Ctrl+O or drag and dropping f iles. A f ile can be dropped in a running version of GibbsCAM or on an icon (including a shortcut icon). See the Getting Started manual for more information on the basics of using the system. Choose File > Save As... Save the file with a new name. Open the Geometry Expert.

Mill Tutorial

Double-click the large arc shown.

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Combination Exercises

The exterior shape is loaded into the Geometry Expert. Note the features of the boss are not loaded because the boss was not part of the shape selected. Select the first row, the 2 circle.

Change the radius and press Enter. The features connected to the arc have changed. The features tangent to the arc have adjusted accordingly.

Select the line as shown.

Mill Tutorial
Change the angle value as shown and press Enter. The feature changes according to the new dimension entered. Both of the changes we have made here have maintained the continuity of the shape without breaking it into individual geometry. Shapes are broken when features do not have any points of intersection or tangency. Geometry Expert will display an error message to indicate that the feature has no intersection with the previous feature. 174

Combination Exercises

Select the arc shown.

Change the radius value and press Enter.

When you attempt to enter the row, an error message will come up in the spreadsheet indicating that the previous feature cannot intersect. The circle will be re-drawn with the new radius in yellow, indicating that it is not a fully connected feature.

Mill Tutorial

Undo the change (Ctrl+Z). The shape will re-connect.

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Combination Exercises

LATHE TUTORIAL
Changing the Shape
Open the Lathe tutorial part. Before changes are made to the part, we will make a copy of the f ile. Because we are going to use this part geometry for the machining tutorial in the Lathe manual, we need to keep a copy of the f ile that will not be changed. Choose File > Save As... Save the file with a new name. Open Geometry Expert. Double-click the line shown.

Lathe Tutorial
176

Select the first row. The f irst row is a 270 line at Z -4.9.

Change the Z value as shown and press Enter. The geometry will change according to the new dimensions entered. The features connected to that line are also changed to maintain the proper connections.

Select the arc shown.

Combination Exercises

This row now becomes the selected row. Inversely, selecting the row would highlight the feature being def ined on the screen. Change the radius value as shown and press Enter. Again, the shape will change according to the new dimensions entered. Both of the changes we have made have maintained the continuity of the shape. Click the arc shown.

Lathe Tutorial

Change the radius value as shown and press Enter.

When you attempt to enter the row, an error message appears indicating that the previous feature cannot intersect.

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Combination Exercises

The arc will be re-drawn with the new radius value even though it cannot connect. Notice that it is now yellow, indicating that it is not a connected feature.

Undo the change (Ctrl+Z). The shape will re-connect.

Mill Tutorial
178

EXERCISE 2: MILL TUTORIAL

MILL TUTORIAL
Refer to Mill Tutorial on page 197 for this exercise. Create a new vertical mill part with the following workspace stock dimensions. Open the Geometry Expert button. In this exercise it is important that the direction of the lines and the circles that we create follow the path of the shape correctly. We will start with the 0.5 radius circle in the upper right corner and proceed around the part in a counter-clockwise direction. Make sure that you pay close attention to the feature type selections made and the values entered. Select the Counter-Clockwise Arc feature type (Alt+5). Input the values shown and press Enter.

Combination Exercises

The only information provided on the part print about the next line is that it is tangent to the circles it is connected to.

Delete the angle value and press Enter. When this floating line is entered the next row will default to a clockwise arc feature type; however, we need a counter-clockwise arc.

Mill Tutorial

Change to the Counter-Clockwise Arc feature type (Alt+5). Input the values shown and press Enter.

Both the circle and the line are drawn.

Select Clockwise Arc feature type (Alt+4).

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Combination Exercises

Input the radius value shown and press Enter.

This circle is a floating feature. Select the Counter-Clockwise Arc feature type (Alt+5). Input the values shown and press Enter. A centerpoint must be entered for this circle because the preceding feature is a floating arc and depends on this circle for its creation. Therefore, this feature must be fully def ined.

Mill Tutorial
At this point we need to use the free-form CAD tools to create the next line because construction geometry is required. We will create the geometry necessary using free-form CAD, and then reload the shape into Geometry Expert to complete the shape. Close Geometry Expert. Open the Point sub-palette. (1) Select Explicit point. (1) Input the values shown and press Enter. Open the Circle sub-palette. (3) 180 Select Radius & Center Point. (1)

Combination Exercises

Select the point shown. Input the value shown and press Enter.

Extracting a Center Point of a Circle

Open the Point sub-palette. (1)

Select Center Point.

This option creates a point at the center of a selected circle. Select the circle shown and press Enter.

Mill Tutorial

Open the Line sub-palette. (2)

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Combination Exercises

Select the point and circle shown and press Enter.

Select the line shown and press Enter.

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182

Open the Line sub-palette. (2)

Select Parallel line. Select the line we just created.

Combination Exercises

Input the value shown and press Enter.

Select the left line as shown and press Enter.

Connect the circle and line shown.

Mill Tutorial

Select the bottom point and press Enter.

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Combination Exercises

Double-click the circle shown.

Click the Trash button. Now we will load the shape back into Geometry Expert to create the remaining features.

Mill Tutorial
Open the Geometry Expert. Double-click any feature. Because this shape was created using Geometry Expert, it will be reloaded in the same order as when it was created. The line we just created is the last feature. 184

Combination Exercises

Create a counter-clockwise arc (Alt+5) with the values shown.

Delete the angle and press Enter. This will create a tangent floating line.

Create a counter-clockwise arc (Alt+5) with the values shown.

Mill Tutorial

Create a clockwise arc (Alt+4) with the values shown. This will create a tangent floating arc.

Create a counter-clockwise arc (Alt+5) with the values shown.

185

Combination Exercises

Create a line with the values shown connected through the point shown.

Mill Tutorial
186

Combination Exercises

Create a clockwise arc (Alt+4) with the default value. Close the shape. (Alt+6) In order to create the center boss, we will need to close Geometry Expert and start a new shape because the boss is not connected to the outside wall of the shape. The boss will also be created using a combination of free-form CAD tools and Geometry Expert.

Mill Tutorial

Boss Geometry
Open the Point sub-palette. (1)

Select Explicit point. (1) Input the coordinates shown. Click the Single Point button. Open the Point sub-palette. (1)

Select Polar Point point. Select the point at the origin as shown. Input the values shown. Click the Single Point button. Open Geometry Expert.

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Combination Exercises

Select the Clockwise Arc feature type and input the values shown and press Enter.

Mill Tutorial
188

Delete the angle of the row and press Enter. We will enter the coordinates of the centerpoint of the next arc by using the Interrogation cursor. Clicking on a feature or point while holding down the Alt or Shift+Alt keys, the appropriate value for the active cell will be entered in the spreadsheet. The Shift+Alt shortcut will interrogate all the properties of a given point. The Alt key alone will interrogate the properties for just the active cell.

Input the radius value shown and then place the cursor in the CP X cell, making it the active cell. Alt-click the point shown.

The X coordinate for that point will be entered.

Combination Exercises

Move to the centerpoint Y coordinate. While holding down the Alt key, click the point again and press Enter. By using the Shift+Alt interrogation option, this step could be bypassed. You may delete the values and redo the last steps using the Shift+Alt modif ier to see how using each method may be useful.

Mill Tutorial

Delete the angle of the next row and press Enter.

Close the shape. (Alt+6) The geometry is now complete. You may use either Mill Tutorial geometry for the Mill manual.

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Combination Exercises

EXERCISE 3: GEAR HOUSING

ADVANCED TUTORIAL
About the Part
This is a rather complex part as far as geometry creation is concerned. You should only do this exercise after you have completed the exercises in both the Geometry Expert and free-form CAD chapters. Step-bystep instructions are not provided in this exercise. Instead, some very general guidelines will be outlined, and problem areas will be highlighted and discussed. If you f ind this exercise to be too diff icult, we recommend that you go back and create either the Mill or Lathe part again, but dont use the step-by-step instructions. Instead, work from the part print and use the tutorial text as an aid if you get stuck. This part provides a good example of determining when Geometry Expert or free-form CAD should be used to create certain shapes depending on how the part is dimensioned. This exercise also highlights the differences between arcs and f illets and the issues involved with forward tangencies in Geometry Expert. Refer to Gear Housing on page 204 for this exercise. This part print has four areas that are circled and labeled. These are the particularly diff icult areas that will be highlighted in this exercise. This part is composed primarily of three closed shapesthe outside wall and two inside pockets. The outside wall, shown, can be created most eff iciently using Geometry Expert. The entire outside shape can be created with Geometry Expert, except for one point that must be created using the free-form CAD tools. The centerpoint for one of the outside arcs must be created in CAD; the dimensions of that point can then be interrogated.

Advanced Tutorial
190

Combination Exercises

A combination of Geometry Expert and free-form CAD is the best method for creating the larger inside pocket shown. The line labeled D must be created in CAD because it is def ined as being tangent to a circle that is not part of the closed shape that contains line D.

The smaller inside pocket shown is best created using only the free-form CAD tools because most of the features that compose this shape are dimensioned with construction geometry.

Advanced Tutorial

For the outside shape, you should begin with the designated Start Feature (1.466" R arc), and proceed around the shape in a clockwise direction. In this exercise, it will be very important to read the prompting information, and to also make sure that the directions of the arcs and lines are correct. Remember, line direction is indicated by the angle value.

Outer Shape
Area A is highlighted as a diff icult section because this portion of geometry requires that a floating line (line def ined with only an angle) be tangent to the following feature, but not the previous feature. This is an example of a forward tangency. 1. 2. 3. 4. Start Feature 1.466 R 0.200 R (TYP) 0.187 DIA (TYP)

191

Combination Exercises

After creating the f irst arc, the second feature (0.2" radius) must be created as a counter-clockwise arc rather than a f illet. A f illet cannot be used in this case because the system cannot calculate the f illet until the intersection between the preceding arc and following line is complete. Because we only know the angle value of the following line the 0.2" radius must be def ined as an arc so that the following line has the necessary tangency points for its calculation. An arc with only a radius value will be created tangent to the preceding and following features. These two features do not have to intersect, and the arc with a radius value can be used to calculate following features. If there was no radius between the f irst arc and the floating line, it would be necessary to enter an arc with a radius of 0 in the spreadsheet in order for the system to correctly calculate the tangency of the following line. Area B is highlighted because the centerpoint for the arc must be created using the free-form CAD tools and then loaded into the Geometry Expert.

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192

The only information that we have on that point is that it is rotated 60 to the right of the center point of the top circle. We will need to create this point using Modify > Duplicate And... > 2D Rotate. Note that the Modify menu is disabled when Geometry Expert is open. In order to draw the center point of the top circle, you will need to extract the center point. Reload the Geometry Expert and load the shape. Interrogate the coordinates of the point as the centerpoint of the next arc.

Combination Exercises

Inner Shapes
Areas C and D are interrelated in that the line designated in area D must be tangent to the arc in area C.

It is recommended that the larger inside pocket (of which line D is a component) be created using a combination of Geometry Expert and free-form CAD. The reason the entire shape cannot be created using Geometry Expert is that line D is dimensioned as being tangent to an arc that is not part of its shape, the circle contained in area C. It is best to create the shape in Geometry Expert starting with the 1.340 R arc, and proceeding around in a clockwise direction. When you get to line D, you will need to close the spreadsheet and use the free-form CAD tools.

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Combination Exercises

Advanced Tutorial
194

PART PRINTS

Part Print 1: Mill Tutorial

197

Part Print 2: Lathe Tutorial

198

Part Print 3: Shuttle

199

Part Print 4: Gear

200

Part Print 5: Shaft

201

Part Print 6: Chassis

202

Part Print 7: Doodle

203

Part Print 8: Gear Housing

204

APPENDIX

Appendix

CHAPTER 7 : Appendix
GibbsCAM has two interface levels, Level 1 and Level 2. Level 2 is the default and provides a more complete, feature-rich environment. Level 1 is a simpler interface that some users may prefer if they do not need all the options or flexibility that Level 2 offers. You may think of Level 1 as a training interface that hides the more complicated features. This section details the different interface options found in Level 1.

INTERFACE
The interface is different in Level 1. The Taskbar is not present, the Top Level Palette is simpler, and the CAM and Machining palettes do not have as many options.

Workgroups
To access different workgroups in Level 1 the Workgroup list and information dialogs are located on the geometry palette.

NOT INCLUDED IN LEVEL 1

Level 1 can be displayed with any MDD but is truly only useful with generic lathe or 3-axis mill MDDs. All other MDDs require access to items not present in Level 1. Additionally, there are several things that cannot be done in the Level 1 interface. Any surfaces or solids manipulation as described in any of the solids manuals which includes 207

Appendix

Global Tolerance settings Surface Machining Solids will not be visible or selectable until switching to Level 2.

Rotated Coordinates as used in Advanced CS, Mill/Turn or Multi-Task Machining All Coordinate system options are hidden in Level 1, including the grid, lists and palette.

Advanced Contour and Roughing options Stay In Stock Material Only Advanced Entry And Exit Hit Flats Open Sides - limited to f ixed parameters based on tool size

Access to some workspace context menus is disabled.

208

INDEX

Index

NUMERICS
2d Rotate: 46

A
Active Workgroup: 44 Air Geometry: 12 Arc, Alternate Solutions: 41 Auto Clearance: 45 AutoShape Curve: 28 Ellipse: 25 Gear: 26 Offset: 24 Polygon: 25 Rectangle: 24

Point, Bolt Circle: 15 Point, Center Point: 16 Point, Matrix Point: 16 Point, Mid-Point: 16 Point, Mouse Point: 17 Point, Point on Arc: 16 Point, Point-Angle: 18 Point, Polar Point: 15 Return: 13 Workgroup Selection: 44

C
CAD Combination: 9 Free-Form: 9 Free-form: 13 Geometry Expert: 9 Calculate Gear Values: 27

B
Balloons: 3 Bolt Circle Creation: 15 B-Spline: 29 Button AutoShape, Cam: 28 AutoShape, Ellipse: 25 AutoShape, Gear: 26 AutoShape, Offset Shape: 24 AutoShape, Polygon: 25 AutoShape, Rectangle: 24 AutoShape, Text Creation: 21 Cam: 28 Circle, Point & Center Point: 19 Circle, Radius & Center Point: 19 Circle, Radius & Two Points: 20 Circle, Three Features: 20 Connect/Disconnect: 1112, 30 Geometry Expert: 37 Line, Axis: 18 Line, Between Two Points: 18 Line, Mouse Line: 19 Line, Parallel and Offset: 18 Line, Perpendicular: 18 Line, Tangent-Angle: 18

CAM: 7 Cam CW or CCW: 28 End Angle: 28 End Radius: 28 Motion Type: 28 Start Angle: 28 Start Radius: 28 Tolerance: 28 Cam Creation: 28 Center Point Creation: 16 Centripetal (curve): 30 Chamfer: 160, 169 defined by Depth: 30 defined by Length: 30 defined by Side: 30 Chamfer Creation: 30 Chamfer-Fillet sub-palette: 30 Change CS (HVD) of Visible WGs: 46 Change CS (XYZ) of Visible WGs: 46 Change to CS: 12 Chord Length (curve): 29 Circle Connecting: 12 Point and Center Point: 19 211

Index

Radius & Center Point: 19 Radius & Two Points: 20 Three Features: 20 Circle sub-palette: 19 Circle, Tangent to a Line and a Circle: 20 a Line and a Point: 20 Two Circles: 20 Two Lines: 20 Circles: 1213 Circularity Tolerance: 33 Closed Shapes: 10 Comment, Part: 53 Connect / Disconnect: 12 Connect & Disconnect Geometry: 1113, 30 Connect/Disconnect button: 12, 30 Connecting Features: 11 Connections, Breaking: 12 Connections, Multiple: 31 Connector: 9 Construction Geometry: 9 CP (Center Point): 13 Crosshair, connecting points: 32 Curve Blending Method: 29 Close Shape: 29 Control Point: 29 Curve Fit: 29 Line Fit: 29 Curve sub-palette: 28 Curve Type Centripetal: 29 Chord Length: 29 Foleys: 29 Uniform: 29

Disconnecting Geometry: 12, 30 Duplicate option: 73 Duplicate Visible WGs: 45

E
Edge Loop: 33 Explicit Point Creation: 14

F
Feature Connected: 11 Definition: 11 Terminated: 12 Trimmed: 11 Unconnected: 11 Feature Type: 36 Feature Type, Geo. Expert: 37 Features: 11 Fillet button: 30 Fillet Creation: 13, 30 Fillet Radius on Rectangle: 24 Floating Feature: 157 Foleys (curve): 30 Fonts: 21, 108 Force Depth: 46

G
G-code: 53 Gear Addendum: 27 Dedendum: 27 Full # Teeth: 27 Involute Curve: 27 Involute Curve Sample Points: 27 Involute Curve Tolerance: 27 Pressure Angle: 26 Root Fillet: 27 Space Width: 27 Top Fillet: 27 Type: 27

D
Delete, workgroup: 45 Descriptor Point: 13, 82 Descriptor point: 67 Design CAD: 7 Dimension Labels: 13 212

Index

Gear Creation: 26 Geometry Chamfers: 9 Circles: 9 Connections: 11 Connector: 9 Curves: 9 Definition: 9 Fillets: 9 From Solids: 32 Lines: 9 Points: 9 Printing: 48 Terminate: 30 Geometry Creation palette: 9, 13 Geometry Expert: 9, 3536, 3839, 41 Angle/Radius: 37 Arcs vs. Fillets: 40 Auto Delete: 39 Close Shape: 137 Defaults: 39 EP Xd/Xr (Y): 37 EP Z (X): 37 Error Balloons: 39 Feature Type: 37 Fillet: 40, 161 Floating Features: 40 Half Points: 39 Inserting and Deleting: 40 Length: 38 LP/CP Xd/Xr (Y): 38 LP/CP Z (X): 38 Point Selection: 39 Prompting: 38 Reference #: 37 Rows: 40 Using: 36 Geometry Expert button: 37 Geometry Extraction: 32 Geometry, Part Geometry: 9

Hole Extraction: 33

I
Inferred Features: 14

L
Labels: 65, 81 Layer, see Workgroup Line Between two points: 18 Mouse: 19 Parallel Offset: 18 Parallel to Axis: 18 Perpendicular: 18 Tangent Feature at an Angle: 18 Through Point at an Angle: 18 Line sub-palette: 17 Line, Tangent to a Point and a Circle: 19 Two Circles: 19

M
Machine Type: 52 Material Only: 45 Material Selection: 53 Matrix Point Creation: 16 MDD (Machine Definition Document): 52 Mid-Line Point Creation: 16 Mirror: 46 Moorpark font: 108 Mouse Point Creation: 17 Mouse Position: 12 Multiple Points button: 13

N
New WG: 4445

H
Half Point: 128 Help: 3 213

Index

O
Offset Shape Creation: 24 Online Help: 3 Open: 173 Open Shape: 61 Open Shapes: 10, 12 Orientation, of gear: 27 Outline: 34 Overlapping Connections: 31

Return button: 13 Reverse Arc: 12, 41 Reverse Arcs in Visible WGs: 46

S
Scale: 46 Segment Spline: 46 Selection Mode: 13, 43, 55, 58 Shape button: 21 Shape Offset: 24 Shape sub-palette: 21 Shapes Cams: 21 Ellipses: 21 Gears: 21 Offset: 21 Polygons: 21 Rectangles: 21 Text: 21 Single Point button: 13 Smart Selection: 14 Solids: 13 Sort: 46 Splines: 9, 21, 33 Stock Size: 80, 127 Sub-Palettes: 13

P
P (Point): 13 Palette AutoShape: 21 Geometry Creation: 9, 13 Line: 17 Point: 14 Top Level: 3 Part Creation: 3 Part File: 173 Part Stock: 45 Parting Line: 33 PDFs: 3 Point on Arc Creation: 16 Point Selection dialog: 31 Point sub-palette: 14 Point, Connector: 56 Point, Tangent to Two Features: 17 Points: 910, 13 Polar Point Creation: 15 Polygon Creation: 25 Printing Preferences: 48 Printing the Part: 48 Prompting: 3

T
Tangent Features, creation: 14 Terminating Lines: 19 Terminators: 9 Text Along an Arc: 22 Flow: 23 Flow Tab: 23 Justification: 21 Multiple Line Direction: 23 Radial Alignment: 22 Setting position of: 21 Shapes: 23 Size: 21

R
R function: 12 R Geometry: 4142 Reference # (Label): 37 214

Index

Spacing Tab: 23 Straight Alignment: 22 Text Creation: 21 Text Spacing: 109 Text tab: 21 Top Level palette: 3 Translate: 46 TrueType: 21, 108

U
Uniform (curve): 29 Use Intersection: 158

W
Wall Geometry: 12 WG Info: 45 Workgroup: 44 List: 44 Workgroup Info: 13, 46 Workgroup List: 13, 46 Workgroup Summary: 47 Workgroup, duplicate: 45 Workgroups Background: 44 Workspace Stock: 127

215

Index

216