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Introducing the Mechanical Desktop

In this chapter
This chapter introduces you to Mechanical Desktop 2.0 and helps you to get started whether you are using the Desktop for the first time or upgrading from an earlier release. The new features are highlighted here and described in depth in the online Help. The fundamentals of parametric modeling are illustrated, with references to the tutorials in this manual and to online Help topics. After you have read this chapter, you will be able to find the information you need so that you can get to work. I I I I Where to start New features Fundamentals The Mechanical Desktop interface

Where to Start
Before you begin, you should be familiar with AutoCAD. This release of the Mechanical Desktop is built on AutoCAD Release 14. If you need information about using AutoCAD Release 14, see the AutoCAD online documentation available from the Help menu. Whether you are building your first solid part or making a complex assembly, you should find all the information you need in the printed and online documentation.

Printed and Online Documentation

To familiarize yourself with the Mechanical Desktop, be sure to read the section Fundamentals of the Mechanical Desktop on page 19. This section describes the modeling paradigm of the Desktop so that you can conceptualize, design, draw, and document your mechanical product. The tutorials in chapters 3 through 14 in this manual demonstrate this paradigm in detail. The online Help provides conceptual information for all the new features. These concepts are listed on the Help Contents tab, and they are also accessible from the step-by-step How to... procedures. Some of the most useful new features are described briefly in New Features on page 11. The online Help is your source of information about all of the new features in this release. You can easily find illustrated step-by-step procedures listed in the Help Contents or you can search for them in the Help Index. Concepts that are difficult to visualize are illustrated with videos. To access Help and to find out more about it, see Using Help on page 25. You will find the commands and system variables documented in online Help. The Mechanical Desktop Interface on page 24 describes the options for accessing the commands that you use for creating your models. The topics in Hot Tips in Help will maximize your productivity and efficiency. The Desktop Browser on page 11 and The Assembly Catalog on page 15 describe two powerful new features that will increase your productivity and efficiency as you create assemblies and scenes.

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Migrating Drawings from Previous Releases

In previous releases of the Mechanical Desktop, part files could contain multiple parts. Now, a part file is defined as a file that contains only one part, while an assembly file may contain multiple parts or subassemblies. To migrate parts from a part file with more than one part, you need to follow specific procedures. For more information, see Handling Legacy Data in online Help.

New Features
Mechanical Desktop 2.0 provides advanced 3D modeling capabilities, powerful 2D drafting tools, and a new interface that will increase your productivity as you design your mechanical models. When you work with the Mechanical Desktop, you can choose the Single Part environment or the Part/Assembly environment. With the Single Part environment, you create a Single Part, save it as a drawing file, and use it later in an assembly. To create multiple parts, assemblies, scenes, exploded views, and extended bills of materials (BOMs), you work in the Part/Assembly environment.

The Desktop Browser

The Desktop Browser is a powerful graphical interface that gives you the flexibility to create and modify your designs as you work. When you start the Mechanical Desktop for the first time, the Browser is docked at the left of the screen. For specific procedures about managing your designs, see Working with the Browser in online Help. For more information about moving the position of the Browser on your screen, see the online Help topics, Expanding and Collapsing the Desktop Browser and Quick Access Icons under Hot Tips.

The Part/Assembly Environment

When you start the Mechanical Desktop, the Part/Assembly environment is the default, and the Browser displays three tabs: Assembly, Scene, and Drawing. With these tabs, you can create multiple parts, assemblies, scenes, BOMs, and documents.

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In the Part/Assembly environment there are five icons at the bottom of the Browser. The two at the left are quick filters. The first icon, the Part filter, controls the display of part instances and their features. If the Part filter is selected, only parts and their features are visible in the Browser. If it is not selected, assembly constraints are also visible. The second icon is the Assembly filter. If selected, only the assembly constraints attached to your parts are visible. These filters make it easy for you to visualize your data while you are performing various functions.

part filter assembly filter Assembly Catalog update part update assembly

The middle icon provides immediate access to the Assembly Catalog, a powerful new interface for attaching and localizing external part files as well as instancing both external and local parts to your current model. The two icons at the right update modifications to either the part or the entire assembly. Scene mode has one icon, for updating the changes you have made to your current scene.

update scene

Drawing mode has two toggle icons: by selecting the one on the left, you suppress automatic updates of drawing views. The icon on the right determines whether hidden line calculations are automatically performed if you make any changes to your parts.

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automatic drawing view updates suppressed automatic hidden line calculations suppressed

Single Part Environment

The Single Part environment supports only single part files. If you are working in the Single Part environment, the Browser provides two tabs: Part mode and Drawing mode. In Part mode, only one button is available at the bottom of the Browser, to update any changes you have made to your part.

update part

In Drawing mode, you can control automatic updating of your drawing views, or your parts.

automatic drawing view updates suppressed automatic hidden line calculations suppressed

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Modifying Designs with the Desktop Browser

Whether you are accustomed to using toolbars or menus to access commands, the Desktop Browser is recommended for modifying your designs. Its graphical interface and flexibility make it invaluablefrom designing a simple part, to manipulating large assemblies, to producing final documentation. The Desktop Browser integrates all of your work into one visual controller. It centralizes all modifications to your model and provides quick access to many of the functions you need to finalize your design. You can create and modify part or subassembly definitions, scenes, and drawing views; edit, rename, copy, or delete parts and their features; activate parts, subassemblies, assemblies, and scenes; and control the visibility and properties of your models. To modify existing information, move your mouse over the object to be modified and right-click to bring up a menu of options.

To create new part and subassembly definitions, or to control the Browser Filter, right-click the window background within the Browser to bring up a menu of options.

Use the Browser Filter to globally control the visibility of objects associated with parts, assemblies, or scenes.

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For procedures about using the Desktop Browser, see Working with the Browser in online Help. Use the tutorials in chapters 3 through 11 to familiarize yourself with the Desktop Browser.

Viewing Enhancements
New viewing capabilities are available from the Desktop View toolbar. With this release, you will find a drag-and-drop interaction as you rotate, pan, or zoom your drawing. You can now sketch and edit directly on shaded images, as well as display edges on shaded images. You can lock viewports, rendering in one view and editing in another. Complete material properties are now used, including translucency.

The Assembly Catalog

The Assembly Catalog provides easy access to all of your external and local part and assembly files. With the Assembly Catalog, you can reference your external files, localize them, and create as many instances in your current drawing as you need, whether they are externally referenced or localized. You can also externalize local parts for use in other assemblies. For specific procedures, see Using the Assembly Catalog in online Help. The Assembly Catalog has two tabs: External and All. The External tab lists all the Mechanical Desktop parts and assemblies found in the directories that you have specified. You can attach or remove directories and subdirectories and instance parts and assemblies into your current drawing.

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The All tab lists all of the externally referenced files on the left and all of the locally defined parts on the right. You can create additional instances, and localize parts or assemblies. You can also perform other functions on both externally referenced and localized parts and assemblies. See Using the Assembly Catalog in online Help for procedures you can perform in the Assembly Catalog. Several videos are also included to illustrate these procedures. Use the tutorials in chapters 8, 10, and 11 to become familiar with the Assembly Catalog.

Intelliconstraints
The Mechanical Desktop now features intelligent assembly constraints: mate, insert, angle, and flush. Using these constraints is very intuitive. You have complete flexibility with object cycling and the use of selection sets in each of these commands. As you select the objects to constrain, an animated cursor appears on your screen. If cycling through the objects on screen is permitted, the animated cursor indicates rotational arrows.

rotational arrows

If flipping a direction is permitted, the animated cursor indicates left/right arrows.

left/right arrows

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If you have a selection that is difficult to define, you can create a selection set from the existing geometry. For example, you need a plane that is defined by an axis and a point. You can make these selections in any order, and the plane will be defined. You also have the option of flipping the normal before the selection process is completed. You have the opportunity to work with the intelligent constraints in the tutorial in chapter 8. The Mechanical Desktop also allows flexibility in the order in which you constrain your parts and subassemblies. The base part, or subassembly, also called the grounded part, or subassembly, is the first one that you define in your drawing. Any other part or subassembly can be constrained to it, in any order. However, it is important to constrain parts and subassemblies in a logical manner.

Feature Reorder
Features can now be reordered within parts. For example, you have created a part with a hole in it but later decide to add an extrusion to the part. You want the hole in the original part to extend through the extrusion. Instead of deleting the original hole and redefining it, you can simply reorder it in the Desktop Browser. Select the hole feature and drag it down under the new extrusion. The part is then updated automatically to show the hole passing through the entire part. For concepts and procedures about reordering parts, see Reordering Features in online Help.

Fillet Enhancements
This release of the Mechanical Desktop includes major enhancements to the fillet feature command. Combinations of fixed width, linear, and variable radius fillets can be performed without having to restart the command. Editing of fillets, as with any part feature, is as easy as right-clicking the feature within the Desktop Browser. For concepts and procedures about the fillet enhancements, see Filleting Parts in online Help.

Copy Feature
Part features can now be copied from one location on the active part to another, or from one part to another. You have the option of flipping the new feature. You can also choose to edit the new feature without affecting the original. For concepts and procedures, see Copying Features in online Help.

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Shelled Parts
The Mechanical Desktop gives you the ability to generate a hollow part, using the new shell command. You can specify a constant wall thickness for all faces, or you can override the wall thickness for selected faces. You can also exclude faces from the shell by selecting them. Use the tutorial in chapter 7 to create and edit a shelled part. See also Creating Shelled Features in online Help.

Combined Parts
Parts can now be parametrically combined. You can perform Boolean operations such as cut, combine, and intersect on the combined parts. Both parts used to create the new combined part can also be edited at any time because the Boolean operation is parametric. Use the tutorial in chapter 9 to combine parts with parametric Boolean features. For detailed concepts and procedures, see also Combining Parts in online Help.

Table-driven Parts
You can also control a part using information from an external spreadsheet. By defining dimensions using variables, you can then set up a spreadsheet with various versions of the part. After the spreadsheet is linked to your drawing, you can easily resize your part by selecting the version you need. For concepts and procedures, see Creating Table-driven Parts in online Help.

Dimensioning Improvements
Mechanical Desktop 2.0 gains a new dimension formatter and four new dimensioning commands: join, align, insert, and break. You may change the properties of existing dimensions and see them reflected in real time on your drawing as you use the dialog boxes to make your selections.

Mechanical Symbology
Improved drawing annotation capabilities are provided in the following key areas: datum targets, datum identifiers, feature control frames, feature identifiers, and surface texture and welding symbols. AutoCAD treats all of the new symbols as intelligent objects. These symbols comply fully with international drafting standards.

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Fundamentals of the Mechanical Desktop

The Mechanical Desktop provides the power of parametric design. With parametrics, you define your model according to the size, shape, and positional relationships of its parts. Another advantage of the Mechanical Desktop is that it is built with AutoCAD, which immediately reduces the learning curve usually associated with using a new design product. The power of AutoCAD, coupled with the complementary design tools of the Mechanical Desktop and its Mechanical Application Initiative (MAI) partners, make the Mechanical Desktop a compelling design solution.

Part Modeling
Many mechanical designs consist of complex assemblies made from angular shaped parts. This type of design work can be made easier by part and assembly modeling capabilities that are well integrated. The Mechanical Desktop is a 3D parametric solid modeler with both part and assembly modeling abilities. You can use the Mechanical Desktop to model piece parts and then combine them into more complex assemblies. With the Mechanical Desktop, you design a part by sketching its component shapes and defining their size, shape, and interrelationships. By successively creating these shapes, called features, you construct the part in a building block fashion.

sketched shape

first feature

many features

Because the Mechanical Desktop has parametric features, you can change one feature and all related features are automatically updated to reflect the change and its effects throughout the part. The Mechanical Desktop can be used to create angular shaped parts, to which you can apply 3D surfaces to create hybrid parts consisting of a mixture of angular and curved shapes. The Mechanical Desktop provides the ability to create model designs with shapes of varying types.

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You can apply surfaces to Mechanical Desktop parts and use them to cut material from a solid to create the hybrid shapes that your design requires.

before surface cut

after surface cut

Follow the same general modeling process for each part:

I I I I I

Plan the part. Create the base feature. Create the remaining features. Analyze the part. Modify the features as necessary.

Use the tutorials in chapters 3, 4, 5, and 6 to practice these techniques.

Assembly Modeling
You create assemblies from parts, either combined individually or grouped in subassemblies. The Mechanical Desktop builds these individual parts and subassemblies into an assembly in a hierarchical manner according to relationships defined by constraints.

exploded assembly

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As in part modeling, the parametric relationships allow you to quickly update an entire assembly based on a change in one of its parts. You can also use the Mechanical Desktop to create subassembly and assembly models from previously made parts. You can build 3D solid assembly models from two or more parts or subassemblies. Like part features, parts and subassemblies act as building blocks.

The general process used to build assemblies and subassemblies is similar to that for building parts:
I I I I I

Lay out the assembly. Create the base part. Create and attach the remaining parts. Analyze the assembly. Modify the assembly as necessary.

Use the tutorials in chapters 8, 10, and 11 to practice these techniques.

Surface Modeling
If you are developing products that require the design of stamping dies, castings, or injection molds, surface modeling capability is important. The Mechanical Desktops surfacing tools can create complex models from freeform shapes. These tools meet design requirements when free-form surfaces are needed to represent contoured and sculpted surfaces, such as those found in the interiors and exteriors of automobiles.

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Surfaces created with the Mechanical Desktop are based on NURBS (nonuniform rational B-spline) curves that serve as wireframes and can be manipulated into different surface types. Create your design by combining these different surfaces into fewer, but more complex, surfaces.

Some design processes create wireframe models as part of the conceptual design work. Creating surfaced versions of these models provides many benefits for subsequent design and manufacturing activities, such as the generation of sections for engineering and packaging studies, input for finite element modeling and analysis, and input for rapid prototyping equipment.

Use the Mechanical Desktop to convert your wireframe models into surfaced models by using the following general modeling process:
I I I I

Acquire the wireframe model. Study the wireframe model. Create and verify the needed surfaces. Output the surface model.

Use the tutorials in chapters 12, 13, and 14 to practice surface modeling techniques.

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Design Documentation
Often, drawings and documentation are the true products of design because they guide the manufacture of a mechanical device. Because the Mechanical Desktop tools reside within AutoCAD, a full set of drawing capabilities is available. But the Mechanical Desktops documentation abilities do not end there. The Mechanical Desktop adds an important dimension to drawing creation: it does most of the work for you. Traditional 2D orthographic, isometric, auxiliary, section, and detail views of parts and assemblies can be automatically created. The Mechanical Desktop creates these views complete with dimensions derived from the models. You can then add annotations or more dimensions. Because the views are derived from the models, the Mechanical Desktop updates them as you make changes to your models. These Desktop drawing features save you time so that you can focus on providing more consistent, complete, and useful documentation that better supports the manufacturing process. Another feature of the Mechanical Desktops documentation tools is the ability to create exploded scenes of assemblies complete with associated BOMs that are parametrically updated as the assembly changes. The Mechanical Desktop helps you create part drawings, assembly drawings, and BOMs to document your design. Create design documents by using the following general process:
I I I I

Create your parts. Create assemblies using your parts. Create scenes and BOMs. Create design drawings using views of your parts and assemblies.

Use the tutorials in chapters 5 and 11 to practice these techniques.

Data Exchange
The design cycle is a long and complex process that can be served by tools from many computer-aided design (CAD) vendors. Because you may want to complement the use of the Mechanical Desktop tools with other CAD software, the Autodesk IGES Translator (AIT) is contained within the Mechanical Desktop. The Initial Graphics Exchange Specification (IGES) is the ANSI standard for data exchange between CAD systems and is supported by many CAD vendors.

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The AIT complies with the latest version of IGES and related standards. It supports both the United States Department of Defense Continuous Acquisition and Life-cycle Support (CALS) initiative and the Japanese Automotive Manufacturers Association (JAMA) subset of IGES. Besides creating and maintaining a flexible CAD tool environment, the AIT preserves the investment you have made in legacy data from previous designs developed with other CAD systems. The AIT supports the following types of design objects:
I I I

2D and 3D wireframe geometry Ruled, parametric, and NURBS surfaces Mechanical Desktop and AutoCAD native solids, and IGES boundary representation (BREP) solids

The Mechanical Desktop Interface

This section describes the main components of the Mechanical Desktop interface, explaining the various ways to execute commands and to use the online Help. When you install the Mechanical Desktop, four toolbars and the Desktop Browser are displayed.
I

I I

The Mechanical Desktop toolbar is a streamlined toolbar providing you with many of the commands found in the AutoCAD Standard and Object Properties toolbars, and some additional new Mechanical Desktop commands. The Desktop Tools toolbar acts as a toggle giving you quick access to Part modeling, Assembly modeling, Scenes, and Drawing Layout. The Part Modeling toolbar is the default, but, when you use the Desktop Tools toolbar or the Desktop Browser to switch modes, the toolbar representing the mode you have chosen appears. The Desktop View toolbar is designed to give you full control over how you view your models, including real-time pan, zoom, dynamic 3D rotation, and rendering commands. The Desktop Browser is docked at the left side of the screen. For more information, see The Desktop Browser on page 11.

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Help Desktop Tools toolbar Mechanical Desktop toolbar

Desktop Browser

Desktop View toolbar

Part Modeling toolbar

Using Help
Online Help contains all the information about the new features in this release. To get Help, click the ? button on the Mechanical Desktop toolbar or choose Mechanical Desktop Help Topics from the Help menu. The information in online Help has been designed for you to find solutions while you design with the software. Help is available for the different kinds of information you need: conceptual, procedural, and reference. Each category of information is linked to the others. For example, every step-by-step How To... topic is linked to its underlying key concept and to the appropriate commands. Help is full of graphics that demonstrate how the features work. The Quick Preview contains short videos that demonstrate some of the important new features. Videos for other topics are accessible through a Show Me button.

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The step-by-step procedures contain drawings that pop up when you click the ? button within the step being illustrated.

Hot Tips topics summarize the enhancements in this release that are designed to improve your productivity, to get the most out of the Mechanical Desktop. From online Help, you can access the same tutorials that are printed in this manual. Go to the Mechanical Desktop Tutorials, under the Tutorials heading. You can find any Help topic by typing a word in the Search box in the Help Index or by scanning for it in the Help Contents. The Help Index links you to all Mechanical Desktop and AutoCAD Help topics.

Issuing Commands
You can issue commands in several ways: selecting toolbar icons, selecting options from menus, entering the command name on the command line, or entering an abbreviation of the command, called an accelerator key, on the command line.

Using Toolbars
Toolbars have icons to represent frequently used commands, settings, and environments. You can choose an icon instead of selecting a command from a menu or entering its name on the command line. When you pause with the mouse selection arrow on an icon, the command action is shown at the bottom of the screen. A tooltip also appears under the mouse pointer. Click the left mouse button to select the command.

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Some icons have a subtoolbar (flyout) with related icons. If the icon has a small arrow in the lower right corner, drag the mouse to reveal the additional icons, and then select one.

To hide a toolbar, click the button in its upper left corner. To redisplay it, right-click any toolbar. In the Toolbars dialog box, find the toolbar to redisplay and click the dialog box to the left of its description. The toolbar is automatically redisplayed. To reorient the Mechanical Desktop toolbars to their default positions, choose View Desktop Tools Left. If you prefer the toolbars at the right of your screen, choose Desktop Tools Right. Along with the four toolbars, the Desktop Browser appears in a docked position at the left of your screen. You can change its shape and size by dragging it on your screen. To return it to its docked position, drag it back to the left side of your screen. If you prefer, the Desktop Browser can also be docked to the right of your screen. You may want to view larger toolbar icons. To do so, right-click any toolbar and select Large Icons at the bottom left of the Toolbars dialog box. If you choose Large Buttons and wish to display the toolbars in a docked position, either in the screen header area, above the command line, or at either side of the screen, some toolbar icons may not be visible. In that case, you may want to drag the toolbar onto the screen.

Using Menus
To select a menu option, double-click. To access a submenu, hold down the left mouse button while you navigate through the menu. When you find the command you want to use, release the mouse button. You can also access menu commands by using the keyboard. Hold down ALT while selecting the underlined letter of the menu option. For example, to select AMPROFILE from the keyboard, press ALT, then P, S, P.

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Selecting Options from Dialog Boxes

Many commands have options within dialog boxes. As the term dialog box suggests, you interact by selecting options to make a particular setting active, display a list from which to choose an option, or enter a specific value. If a command has a dialog box, it is displayed when you access the command, regardless of whether you did so on the command line, or from a menu or toolbar icon. To get Help for using a dialog box, click its Help button. Many dialog boxes also feature Whats This? Help: click the ? button in the upper right corner of the dialog box and then click any of the controls to find out more about them.

Using the Command Line

You can directly access a command or system variable by entering its name on the command line. Many experienced users prefer this method because it is faster than using menus. However, all of the functionality for each feature of the Mechanical Desktop is available through dialog boxes. It is recommended that you use the dialog boxes instead of the command line, to insure that you have access to the full functionality of each feature. All the commands and system variables for the Mechanical Desktop and for AutoCAD are documented in online Help.

Using Accelerator Keys

Many frequently used commands are accessible using automated shortcuts known as accelerator keys. Accelerator keys are available for AutoCAD as well as for the Mechanical Desktop. WARNING! Accelerator keys are automatically loaded when you install the Mechanical Desktop. Accelerator keys specific to the Mechanical Desktop are appended to the end of the acad.pgp file. If you have created custom accelerator keys with the same letter combinations as those in the following table, they will be superseded because the last entry in the file is activated by the keystrokes. To restore your custom accelerator keys, move the definition to the end of the acad.pgp file.

To use an accelerator key to start a command 1 On the command line, enter the key(s) that correspond to the command you want to use. 2 Press ENTER, the spacebar, or the right mouse button to execute the command.

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Accelerator keys available in the Mechanical Desktop Key a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Function Draws an arc Splits an object Draws a circle Displays a perspective view Erases Fits objects to the screen Extrudes a profile Draws a horizontal construction line Freezes a layer Draws a vertical construction line Adds assembly tweaks Draws a line Moves a selection Adds a new instance, part, scene, or assembly Thaws a layer Pans the model Adds a drawing view Redraws the screen Draws a spline Creates paragraph text Undoes the last action Restores a view Toggles Drawing and Model modes Command ARC BREAK CIRCLE DVIEW ERASE ZOOM/FIT AMEXTRUDE XLINE LAYER/FREEZE XLINE AMTWEAK LINE MOVE AMNEW

o p q r s t u v w

LAYER/THAW PAN AMDWGVIEW REDRAW SPLINE MTEXT UNDO DDVIEW AMMODE

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Accelerator keys available in the Mechanical Desktop (continued) Key x y z aa bb cc dd ee ff gg hh ii jj kk ll mm nn oo pp qq rr ss tt Function Zooms out Adds an assembly trail Zooms Updates an assembly Activates an assembly Constrains an assembly Sets UCS and prompts for depth Sets object properties Zooms extents Revolves a profile Adds a hole to a part Adds dimensions to a profile Adds constraints to a profile Deletes tweaks from an assembly Edits a feature Moves and copies a selection Manages assemblies Updates a part Defines a part profile Edits a drawing view Regenerates all views Creates a part sketch plane Trims an object Command ZOOM AMTRAIL ZOOM AMASSEMBLE AMACTIVATE AMCONSTRAIN UCS DDEMODES ZOOM/EXTENTS AMREVOLVE AMHOLE AMPARDIM AMADDCON AMDELTWEAKS AMEDITFEAT MOVE and COPY AMCATALOG AMUPDATE AMPROFILE AMEDITVIEW REGENALL AMSKPLN TRIM

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Accelerator keys available in the Mechanical Desktop (continued) Key uu vv ww xx yy zz 1 2 3 4 5 55 5d 5u 6 66 6d 6u 7 77 7d 7u 8 Function Sets the UCS to view Sets visibility Sets design variables Zooms in Deletes assembly trail Realtime zoom One viewport Two viewports Three viewports Four viewports Top view Bottom view Top view, sets depth Top view with construction plane Front view Back view Front view, sets depth Front view with construction plane Right view Left view Right view, sets depth Right view with construction plane Isometric view Command UCS/VIEW AMVISIBLE AMVARS ZOOM AMDELTRAIL ZOOM/REALTIME

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Accelerator keys available in the Mechanical Desktop (continued) Key 88 9 0 [ ] = Function Isometric SW view UCS sketch view Hides Rotates left Rotates right Rotates up Rotates down Command

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