Doctor Walt s Tips and Tricks # 37 Creating an Elbow Configurator Using Dynamic Face

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2 Doctor Walt s Tips and Tricks # 37 Creating an Elbow Configurator Using Dynamic Face Feature-Based Solid Modelers harp on the fact that they can be used to create fancy part configurators to make families of parts. A typical demo might be a file that let s you create 30 degree, 45 degree, 60 degree, 90 degree, etc. elbows from a single model. Now the demo of this sort of thing is really slick, but you have to invest some time creating a linked spreadsheet and/or link variables to make the entire package work. In KeyCreator, we can quickly get the same outcome without breaking a sweat. (Just one more reason why we re better!) Let s look at a quick way to use the powerful Dynamic Face Function to make an entire family of elbows from a single model. We ll build a ninety degree elbow first or you can cheat and just use the file Elbow90 that is available for download with this exercise. Start with a new file in View 2. (The Front View.) Click on the CREATE HORIZ/VERT LINE Icon. Click on the KeyIn Option and hit the ENTER Key three times to place the lines at the origin. Next, click on the CREATE CIRCLE BY DIAMETER Icon. Type 2 for the Diameter. Using the KeyIn Option, hit the ENTER Key, type 3, and hit the ENTER Key twice more. This places the circle 3 inches above the horizontal line. 2

3 Create two more circles centered on the first one. Make these circles 2.5 inches and inches in diameter. Next, click on the CREATE SPECIFIED NUMBER OF POINTS Icon. Type 6 for the Number of Points and click on the 2.5 diameter circle. Now, click on the CREATE CIRCLE BY DIAMETER Icon and type for the Diameter. Using the Point Option, create a circle at each of the points. Your screen should now look like this: Delete the 2.5 diameter circle and the six points. Now, switch to the Isometric View. (View 7.) Click on the EXTRUDE Icon. Type 0.2 for the length and hit the ENTER Key. Select the circle and the six small circles and hit the ENTER Key. Click on the rearward-facing vector. 3

4 Now, click on the REVOLVE Icon. Type 45 for the Angle and hit the ENTER key. Select the 2 inch circle and hit the ENTER Key. Click on the rearward-facing vector. Then, click on the horizontal line. Your screen should look like this: Next, click on the TRIM SOLID TO SOLID Icon. Click on the First Body Only and Selected Portion Only Options. Click on the SHELL Icon. Click on the Unite the Bodies Option at the bottom of the Box and hit the ENTER Key. Click on the outer edge of the flange and then on the elbow. Type 0.15 for the Shell Thickness and hit the ENTER Key. Select the front, circular face of the elbow solid and the rear, circular face of the elbow solid and hit the ENTER Key. 4

5 Now, switch to the Right View. (View 5.) Click on the XFORM MIRROR COPY Icon. Click on the solid and hit the ENTER Key. Use the 2 Pos Option and then using the EndEnt Option, click on the two arc ends indicated by arrows in the illustration to the right. Now, click on the BOOLEAN UNION Icon. Select the two solids and hit the ENTER Key. You have a finished solid at this point. You might want to take a minute to save the file. 5

6 Creating the Elbow Configurator Creating the configurator is a piece of cake! First, click on the DYNAMIC FACE Icon. In the Right View (View 5), drag a selection window around the entire front flange of the pipe elbow and hit the ENTER Key. A DynaHandle appears. Switch to the Isometric View. (View 7.) Position the cursor over the yellow anchor point of the Dynahandle and drag it down toward the intersection of the two lines. Right Mouse Click on the yellow anchor and select the Indicate Position Option in the menu that appears Using the Intrsct Option, click on the two lines. This positions the Dynahandle at the center of rotation for the elbow. Now, drag the the Green Rotation Vector and watch the Elbow rebuild at various angles! 6

7 If you Right Mouse Click on the Green Rotation Vector, a menu appears. Here, you can do things like make the rotation increment 15 degrees. This would make it easy to snap to 30, 45, and 90 degree angles. You can even create elbows that are greater than ninety degrees. Just click the ACCEPT Button when you have an elbow angle that you like and you ll have a new configuration. You can copy the variation to a new file or save the various configuration copies on different levels in the same file. This is just one more example of the power and simplicity of direct modeling! 7