Activity 8.

2 Parametric Constraints
Introduction
Have you ever received an advertisement in the mail that looked like it was tailored
specifically for you? How could the company afford to spend so much time and
money entering your name and other personal information into the various locations
of the advertisement? In order to create such advertisements, the company will store
your personal information within a database. A computer will then plug specific
pieces of your personal information into various locations on a generic document
with links to the database. The same thing happens with email advertisements. This
type of work takes a great deal of preplanning to pull off, but the efforts are worth it if
a number of customers respond.

Engineers perform similar types of plug and produce operations, specifically in the
area of 3D CAD solid modeling. Numeric constraints, also referred to as parametric
dimensions, may not always have a fixed number value. Some objects must be
customized, like a tailored suit or dress. If you were to return to one of your
elementary school classrooms, you would think that someone took normal-sized
furniture and uniformly scaled it down. That could very well have been the case. If
designed correctly in a 3D CAD solid modeling program, the furniture that you
interact with as a young adult can be scaled down by changing one or more
dimensions. Companies are beginning to build this type of design flexibility into their
internet-based customer ordering systems. If the customer enters specific
dimensional values, colors, and sometimes materials into the online database, the
computer updates the sizes and features of the various associated parts, and then
places and delivers an order to the company staff. This is only one example of the
power of parametric modeling.

In this activity you will learn how algebraic formulas can be used to replace numeric
values in a 3D CAD solid model.

Equipment
Computer with 3D CAD solid modeling software
Engineering notebook
Number 2 pencil

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Procedure

1. Study the image below and table on the next page. Complete the following tasks.

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 Dimension Description Geometric Relationship Parametric Equation Value
d0 Overall Plate Depth Origional Measurement N/A 3 in.
5:3 ratio; overall plate
d1 Overall Plate Width width to overall plate d0*(5/3) 5
depth
20 times smaller than
d2 Plate Thickness d1/20 .25
the overall width
perpendicular to the
d3 Plate Taper Angle top and bottom plate D0*(0) 0
surfaces
the overall plate
d4 Slot Width d0/2 1.5
depth
4/5 of the overall plate
d5 Slot Width Location D1*(4/5) 4
width
1/3 of the overall plate
d6 Slot Depth Location D0*(1/3) 1
depth
same as the plate
d7 Slot Radius d2 .25
thickness
same as the plate
d8 Slot Extruded Height D2 .25
thickness
same as the plate taper
d9 Slot Taper Angle d3 0
angle
of the overall plate
d10 Hole Width Location D1*(1/4) 1.25
width
2/3 of the overall plate
d11 Hole Depth Location D0*(2/3) 2
depth
d12 Hole Diameter twice the slot radius 2*d7 .5
d13 Hole Extruded Height same as the slot height D8 .25
same as the slot taper
d14 Small Hole Taper Angle d9 0
angle
a. Use the given information to fill in the missing parametric equations and missing numeric values for each parameter in the
table below.

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1. Sketch a rectangle.
Dimension the depth first (d0)
and then the width (d1).
b. Use your parametric equations to create the object above in a 3D CAD solid modeling program per the instructions below.
Be sure to use the same parameter names for each dimension as identified in the table in number 1 above. The only
numeric values that you should enter are 3 inches for dimension d0, and 0 for dimension d3. All other parameters should
be defined using a formula. When finished, save the file and identify its name and location in your student folder. NOTE:
2. Extrude the rectangle the
The hole (diameter d12) was created using the CIRCLE tool.
appropriate distance (d2)
File
using name: ______________________
a formula. Note that a Location: _________________________
parameter will automatically
be assigned for the taper
angle (d3) of the extrusion. c. Record the physical properties of the part below.
The default taper angle is Volume: _________________ Surface Area: __________________
zer0 degrees.

d. Change the overall plate depth to 1.5 inches, that is d0 = 1.5 in. Be
3. Sketch and dimension the slot prepared to demonstrate the change to your teacher.
on the top surface of the plate
i. Describe what happens to the plate and the features when you revised
using the parameter names
the dimension.
shown and the appropriate
formulas. Be sure that the
semicircular ends of the slot
are tangent to the straight
edges of the slot. ii. Record the physical properties of the part after it is resized.
Volume: ________________ Surface Area: __________________

4. Extrude Cut the slot the

appropriate distance (d8).
Again, a parameter will
automatically be assigned for
the taper angle of the
extrusion (d9).

5. Sketch and dimension a circle

on the top surface of the plate
to represent the hole using 2012 Project Lead The Way, Inc.
the parameter names shown Introduction to Engineering Design Activity 8.2 Parametric Constraints Page 4
and appropriate formulas.
2. An aluminum (density 2.710 g/cm3) part is represented in the image below. This part must be created using
parametric constraints so that it can be quickly and accurately resized when necessary. Complete each of the follow
tasks.

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a. What drawing views are displayed above? How does each view help describe the part?

b. Create the part as a 3D CAD solid model. Use the following parametric constraints to dimension the model.

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 D0The overall height of the part is 2 inches
D1The top width is 0.5 inches
D2The right height is inch less than half of the overall height
D3The overall width is 50 percent larger than the overall height
D4+5The depth is 0.25 inches greater than the overall height
D6The upper hole diameter is 1/8 in. larger than the top width
D7The lower hole diameter is 1/16 in. less than the upper hole diameter
D8The edge distance (the distance from the outside circumference of the hole to the edge of the part) from the
lower hole to the right edge of the part (along the inclined plane) is 1/8 in. greater than one quarter of the
upper hole diameter (see drawing). Note that you will dimension to the hole center in the model but are given
a constraint on the edge distance. Call the distance from the lower hole center to the right edge right to hole
center distance in the parameter table.
D9The hole centers are aligned at the same distance from the back edge of the included plane. The hole
center-to-center distance is 1/8 in. less than half of the overall width.
D10The distance from the back edge to the hole centers is one third of the part depth.
D11The hole depth of both holes is half the diameter of the lower hole
D12The notch width is 35 percent of the overall width
D14+15The notch depth is always 0.25 inches.
D13The notch is centered in the front face from left to right. The notch location is the distance from the right
face to the right edge of the notch (see drawing).
D16The inside vertical edges of the notch are filleted to a fillet radius of the top width.
D17The shell thickness is half of the hole depth.
c. Edit the parameter table for your part in the 3D CAD solid modeling software in order to identify each dimension
that is underlined in the constraints list. That is, either rename a parameter to match each underlined label

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 (Example 1, below) or add each underlined dimension label in the comment column in the appropriate row
(Example 2, below).

Example 1:

Example 2:

d. Find the following physical properties of the part as described above.

Overall Width: _____________
Right to Hole Center: ______________
Hole Center-to-Center: __________________
Volume: _________________
Surface Area: ___________________
Mass: __________________
e. Change the overall width of the part to 3.5 inches and the top width to 3/8 in. Be prepared to demonstrate the
change in the part within the software for your teacher. Find the following physical properties of the resized part.
Overall Width: ____________________

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 Right to Hole Center: __________________
Hole Center-to-Center: ___________________
Volume: __________________
Surface Area: _________________
Mass: _______________________
f. What view would be helpful in order to show and properly dimension the shell thickness?
Conclusion
1. What is the difference between a numeric and a geometric constraint?

2. What advantages are there to using parametric equations instead of numeric values?

3. What disadvantages are there to using parametric equations for numeric values?

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4. Describe a situation in which using parametric equations to dimension an object would be helpful.

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