Cadalyst - September 2007 - (Page 30)

cadlabsreview Figure 4. Solid Edge v20 can add balloons to a drawing that are tied directly to the BOM. When a part is eliminated from the assembly, the balloon will go too. Note the watermark that indicates an inactive view. Figure 3. By grouping related components, you can organize your tree. This feature also works with modeling features. can build your zone by picking parts to act as the boundary, and you can display your zone box so you’ll know how close you are to the edge of where you want to be. You can move/copy subassemblies as single elements the way you would AutoCAD blocks. I also like that you can collect all component instances into groups with subgroups (for example, transmission, engine, cockpit, etc. [figure 3]). Luck of the Draw(ing) Solid Edge has always worked to help users with AutoCAD 2D migration. It has a very impressive approach. UGS PLM Software feels that 2D drafting is now a commodity item and that it should be available to everyone. So last year, they began offering Solid Edge 2D as a free download. That’s right — free! And it’s no stripped-down subversion either. It’s Solid Edge v20’s full drafting package. And wow! What you can do with it! When you call up a drawing in Solid Edge v20 2D Drafting, it appears immediately. It can open and view drawings instantly because it saves 2D geometric views and doesn’t need the 3D model. That also makes it easy to send drawings to people. You only need to send one file. For drawings of large assemblies, that capability could really save you. Another way you can save some time is by using active versus inactive views. If you make a view inactive, it’s essentially just a picture of the view; edits aren’t allowed. 30 September 2007 | cadalyst | www.cadalyst.com You also can’t detail an ISO view when it’s in inactive mode. Solid Edge v20 will let you automatically add balloons that directly reference the BOM (figure 4). If you don’t want to see a balloon on every instance of a component (you might have 500 screws of the same size), you can always delete those you deem superfluous. When I was in drafting school (yes, I started out on the drafting board), my teachers taught me that it was good etiquette to put gaps in my extension lines so they wouldn’t cross directly over another dimension’s. In Solid Edge v20, the dimension line breaks are interactive. They let you dictate which will pass over which. You can also use goal seeking to zero in on numbers you need to hit. For instance, you need to use a certain length of chain. You can assign variables to specify which values may be changed to satisfy whatever goals you’ve set. If your sprockets are already defined, then the only things that can change are their placements. You can tell Solid Edge v20 to optimize for your stated goal. It will run through all the possibilities and present you with choices. In 2D drafting, you can add product manufacturing information pulled directly from the model. You also can create tabulated drawings for families of parts. But Wait, There’s More . . . As with each version of Solid Edge, any review has insufficient space to cover all of the new and special features. Check out Solid Edge v20. At the very least you should download the 2D program — did I mention it’s free? For more information about Solid Edge v20, visit www.ugs. com/solidedge. The software’s ballpark price is $4,995. Highly Recommended. c Mike Hudspeth, IDSA, is an industrial designer, artist, and author based in St. Louis, Missouri. http://www.ugs.com/solidedge http://www.ugs.com/solidedge http://www.cadalyst.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Cadalyst - September 2007

Contents Editor's Window Techtrends: Resurrecting an Unforgettable Second Living Large UGS Solid Edge v20 Adobe Acrobat 3D v8 Adobe Photoshop CS3 Extended CAD Manager: Managing 2D and 3D in the Same Office MCAD Modeling: Where is MCAD Going? AEC in Focus: Automated Estimating and Scheduling Using BIM CAD Cartoon Issue Indexes CADfidential

Cadalyst - September 2007

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