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    NX 12 For Beginners
    NX 12 For Beginners
    NX 12 For Beginners
    Ebook760 pages5 hours

    NX 12 For Beginners

    By Tutorial Books

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    About this ebook

    NX 12 For Beginners introduces you to the basics of NX 12 by using step-by-step instructions. You begin with brief introduction to NX 12 and the User Interface, ribbon, environments, commands, and various options.

    Within a short time, you will learn to create 2D sketches that form the basis for 3D models. You will learn to sketch on three different planes (Front, Top and Right planes). You will use various sketching tools such as line, rectangle, circle, and so on. You will also learn to modify sketches using tools such as trim, extend, fillets, and so on. Learn to use geometric constraints and dimensions to achieve a definite shape and size of the sketch.

    Sketches are converted into 3D features such as Extrude, Revolve, and so on. You combine or subtract features to achieve the final part. You can also add placed features (sketch less features) such as Fillets, and Holes to the 3D geometry. You explore mirroring and patterning commands to create repetitive features.

    You will learn to use some additional modeling tools and work with multi-body parts. Learn to modify part geometry by editing sketches and feature parameters. You explore Synchronous Modeling tools to modify the Part geometry by modifying its faces.

    You build assemblies after creating parts. There are two methods to build assemblies: Bottom-up and Top-down. In the Bottom-up method, you bring all the parts together and add constraints between them. In the Top-down method, you create parts in the assembly level. You explode assemblies to show the manner in which they were assembled.

    You create Drawings of the parts and assemblies. You insert part views and add dimensions and annotations to complete the drawing. In case of assembly drawings, you insert assembly views, add Bill of Materials, Balloons, and Revision table.

    The Sheet Metal design chapter covers various tools used to build sheet metal parts from scratch. You will also learn to convert an existing part geometry into sheet metal part. You also create flat patterns and 2D sheet metal drawings.

    The Surface design chapter covers the surface modeling tools that are used to create complex shapes.

    The NX Realize Shape chapter covers the freeform modeling tools.

    Table of Contents

    . Getting Started with NX 12

    2. Sketch Techniques

    3. Extrude and Revolve Features

    4. Placed Features

    5. Patterned Geometry

    6. Additional Features and Multibody Parts

    7. Modifying Parts

    8. Assemblies

    9. Drawings

    10. Sheet Metal Design

    11. Surface Design

    12. NX Realize Shape

    If you are an educator, you can request a free evaluation copy by sending us an email to [email protected]

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTutorial Books
    Release dateMay 25, 2018
    ISBN9781386081517
    NX 12 For Beginners

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      Book preview

      NX 12 For Beginners - Tutorial Books

      Introduction

      Welcome to the NX 12 for Beginners book. This book is written to assist students, designers, and engineering professionals. It covers the important features and functionalities of NX using relevant examples and exercises.

      This book is written for new users, who can use it as a self-study resource to learn NX. In addition, it can also be used as a reference for experienced users. The focus of this book is part modeling, assembly modeling, drawings, sheet metal, and surface design.

      Topics covered in this Book

      Chapter 1, Getting Started with NX 12, introduces NX. The user interface and terminology are discussed in this chapter.

      Chapter 2, Sketch Techniques, explores the sketching commands in NX. You will learn to create parametric sketches.

      Chapter 3, Extrude and Revolve features, teaches you to create basic 3D geometry using the Extrude and Revolve commands. 

      Chapter 4, Placed Features, covers the features, which can be created without using sketches.

      Chapter 5, Patterned Geometry, explores the commands to create patterned and mirrored geometry.

      Chapter 6, Additional Features and Multibody Parts, covers additional commands to create complex geometry. In addition, the multibody parts are also covered.

      Chapter 7, Modifying Parts, explores the commands and techniques to modify the part geometry.

      Chapter 8, Assemblies, explains you to create assemblies using the bottom-up and top-down design approaches.

      Chapter 9, Drawings, covers how to create 2D drawings from 3D parts and assemblies.

      Chapter 10, Sheet Metal Design, covers how to create sheet metal parts and flat patterns.

      Chapter 11, Surface Design, covers how to create complex shapes using surface design commands.

      Chapter 12, NX Realize Shape, helps you to create complex shape using freeform modeling.

      Chapter 1: Getting Started with NX 12

      Introduction to NX 12

      NX 12 is a parametric and feature-based system that allows you to create 3D parts, assemblies, and 2D drawings. The design process in NX is shown below.

      4.jpg

      In NX, parameters, dimensions, or relations control everything. For example, if you want to change the position of the hole shown in figure, you need to change the dimension or constraint that controls its position.

      1.jpg

      The parameters and constraints that allow you to have control over the design intent. The design intent describes the way your 3D model will behave when you apply dimensions and constraints to it. For example, if you want to position the hole at the center of the block, one way is to add dimensions between the hole and the adjacent edges. However, when you change the size of the block, the hole will not be at the center.

      2.jpg

      You can make the hole to be at the center, even if the size of the block changes. To do this, you need to delete the dimensions and apply the Midpoint constraint relationships between the hole point and the horizontal and vertical edges. Now, even if you change the size of the block, the hole will always remain at the center.

      4.jpg

      The other big advantage of NX is the associativity between parts, assemblies and drawings. When you make changes to the design of a part, the changes will take place in any assembly that it is a part of. In addition, the 2D drawing will update automatically.

      5.jpg6.jpg

      Starting NX 12

      To start NX 12, type NX 12.0 in the search box available on the taskbar. Select NX 12.0 from the search results; the NX 12.0 application window appears.  On the Application Window, click Home > New to open the New dialog. On this dialog, click the Model template, and then click OK. The files created in NX have an extension .prt.

      User Interface

      The following image shows the NX 12 application window.

      Various components of the user interface are:

      Quick Access Toolbar

      This is located on the top left corner. It has some commonly used commands such as Save, Undo, Redo, Copy, and so on. You can add more commands to the Quick Access Toolbar by clicking on the down-arrow next to it, and then selecting commands from the pop-up menu.

      File Menu

      The File Menu appears when you click on the File button located at the top left corner of the window. The File Menu has a list of self-explanatory menus. You can see a list of recently opened documents under the Recently Opened Parts section. You can also switch to different applications of NX using the File Menu.

      Ribbon

      A ribbon is a set of commands, which help you to perform various operations. It has tabs and groups. Various tabs of the ribbon are:

      Home tab

      This ribbon tab contains the commands such as New, Open, Help, and so on.

      Home tab in the Model template

      This ribbon tab has the commands to construct 2D and 3D features.

      Analysis tab

      This ribbon tab has the commands to measure objects. It also has commands to analyze the draft, curvature, and surface of the model geometry.

      Home tab in Sketch Task environment

      This ribbon tab has all the sketch commands. It is available in a separate environment called Sketch Task environment.

      Tools tab

      This ribbon tab has the commands to create expressions, part families, movies, fasteners.

      View tab

      This ribbon tab has the commands to modify the display of the model and user interface.

      Render tab

      This ribbon tab has the commands to generate photorealistic images.

      Assemblies tab

      This tab contains the commands to construct an assembly.

      Drafting template ribbon

      In the Drafting template, you can generate orthographic views of the 3D model. The ribbon tabs in this template contain commands to generate 2D drawings.

      Sheet Metal ribbon

      The commands in this ribbon help you to construct sheet metal components.

      Some tabs are not visible by default. To display a particular tab, right-click on the ribbon and select the tab name from the list displayed. 

      You can also add a ribbon tab by opening the Customize dialog.

      Ribbon Groups and More Galleries

      The commands on the ribbon are arranged in various groups depending upon their use. Each group has a More Gallery, which contains additional commands. Click on the More option of a group to display the gallery.

      You can add more commands to a ribbon group by clicking the arrow located at the bottom right corner of a group; a drop-down appears. Select the name of the command to be added to the group.

      Command Finder

      The Command Finder bar is used to search for any command. You can type any keyword in the Command Finder bar and find a list of commands related to it.

      Top Border Bar

      This is available below the ribbon. It has all the options to filter the objects that you can select from the graphics window. It also has some options to change the display of the model in the graphics window.

      Menu

      Menu is located on the Top Border Bar. It has various options (menu titles). When you click on a menu title, a drop-down appears. Select any option from this drop-down.

      Status bar

      This is available below the graphics window. It shows the prompts and the action taken while using the commands.

      Resource Bar

      This is located on the left side. It has all the navigator windows such as Assembly Navigator, Constraint Navigator, Part Navigator, and so on.

      Part Navigator

      Contains the list of operations carried while constructing a part.

      Roles Navigator

      The Roles Navigator has a list of system default and industry specific roles. There are two types of roles: Content and Presentation. A content role is a set of commands and ribbon tabs customized for a specific application. For example, the CAM Express role has a set of commands used for performing manufacturing operations. This textbook uses the Advanced content role.

      A Presentation role is an arrangement of the commands in the user interface. NX 12 provides you with four Presentation roles: Default, High Definition, Touch Panel and Touch Tablet roles. This textbook uses the Default presentation role. The High Definition role displays large icons suitable for 4K High definition screens. The other two roles help you to use NX on a Touch screen PC or tablet.

      Touch Panel role

      Touch Tablet role

      Dialogs

      When you execute any command in NX, the dialog related to it appears. A dialog has of various options. The following figure shows various components of a dialog.

      This textbook uses the default options on the dialog. If you have made any changes to a dialog, click the Reset button on the dialog; the default options appear.

      Mouse Functions

      Various functions of the mouse buttons are:

      Left Mouse button (MB1)

      When you double-click the left mouse button (MB1) on an object, the dialog related to the object appears. Using this dialog, you can edit the parameters of the objects.

      Middle Mouse button (MB2)

      Click this button to execute the OK command.

      Right Mouse button (MB3)

      Click this button to open the shortcut menu. The shortcut menu has some selection filters and options to modify the display of the model.

      The other functions with combination of the three mouse buttons are:

      Edit Background

      To change the background color of the window, click Menu > Preferences > Background. On the Edit Background dialog, click the Plain option to change the background to plain. Click on the Plain Color swatch. On the Color dialog, change the background color and click OK twice.

      Shortcut Keys

      NX Help

      NX offers you with the help system that goes beyond basic command definition. You can access NX help by using any of the following methods:

      Press the F1 key.

      Click on the NX Help option on the right-side of the window.

      Questions

      Explain how to customize the Ribbon.

      What is the design intent?

      Give one example of where you would establish a relationship between a part’s features.

      Explain the term ‘associativity’ in NX.

      List any two procedures to access NX Help.

      How can you change the background color of the graphics window?

      How can you activate the Box Menu?

      How is NX a parametric modeling application?

      Getting Started with NX 12 

      Chapter 2: Sketch Techniques

      This chapter covers the methods and commands to create sketches used in the part-modeling environment. The commands and methods are discussed in context to the part-modeling environment. In NX, you can create sketches in two environments: Part and Sketch task environment. You will learn to create sketches in both the environments.

      In NX, you create a rough sketch, and then apply dimensions and constrains that define its shape and size. The dimensions define the length, size, and angle of a sketch element, whereas constrains define the relations between sketch elements.

      The topics covered in this chapter are:

      Sketching in Part and Sketch Task Environments

      Use constraints and dimensions to control the shape and size of a sketch

      Learn sketching commands

      Learn commands and options that help you to create sketches easily

      Sketching directly in the Part environment

      Creating sketches in NX Part environment is very easy. You have to activate the Sketch command, and then define a plane on which you want to create the sketch. To do this, click Home > Direct Sketch > Sketch on the ribbon. Next, click on any of the Datum Planes located at the center of the graphics window. On the Create Sketch dialog, click OK to start the sketch. You can now start drawing sketches on the selected plane. After creating the sketch, click Home > Direct Sketch > Finish Sketch on the ribbon to finish the sketch.

      Sketching in the Sketch Task environment

      The Sketch Task environment is used to create sketches only to complete a specific task. For example, if you want to create a sketch to construct an Extrude feature, activate the Extrude command (On the ribbon, click Home > Feature > Extrude), and then click on a Datum plane. The Sketch Task environment will be active. You will notice that the Profile command is also activated, by default. You can start sketching lines or select any other sketching command. After completing the sketch, click Home > Sketch > Finish on the ribbon to come out of the Sketch Task environment.

      Draw Commands

      NX provides you with a set of commands to create sketches. These commands are located on the Direct Sketch panel of the Home ribbon.

      The Profile command

      This is the most commonly used command while creating a sketch. To activate this command, click Home > Direct Sketch > Profile on the ribbon. As you move the pointer in the graphics window, you will notice that a box is attached to it. It displays the X and Y coordinates of the pointer. To create a line, click in the graphics window, move the pointer and click again. After clicking for the second time, you can see that an end point is added and another line segment is started. This is a convenient way to create a chain of lines. Continue to click to add more line segments. You can right-click in the graphics window and click OK, if you want to end the chain. You will notice that the Profile command is still active. You can create another chain of line segments or press Esc to deactivate this command.

      Tip: To create a horizontal line, specify the start point of the line and move the pointer horizontally; a dotted horizontal line appears. Click the on the dotted line to create a horizontal line. In addition, the Horizontal constraint is applied to the line. You will learn about constraints later in this chapter. Likewise, you can create a vertical line by moving the pointer vertically and clicking.

      The Profile command can also be used to draw arcs continuous with lines. Click the Arc icon on the Profile dialog to draw this type of arc. The figure below shows the procedure to draw arcs connected to lines. To switch from tangent arc to normal or vice-versa, move the pointer to the end point of the previous line.

      To delete a line, select it and press the Delete key. To select more than one line, click on multiple line segments; the lines will be highlighted. You can also select multiple lines by dragging a box from left to right. Press and hold the left mouse button and drag a box from left to right; the lines inside the box boundary will be selected.

      The Arc command

      This command creates an arc using two methods: Arc by 3 Points and Arc by Center and Endpoints.

      The Arc by 3 Points method

      This method creates an arc by defining its start, end, and radius. Activate the Arc command (click Home > Direct Sketch > Arc on the ribbon). On the Arc dialog, click the Arc by 3 Points button, and then click to define the start point of the arc. Click again to define the end point. After defining the start and end of the arc, you need to define the size and position of the arc. Move the pointer and click to define the radius and position of the arc.

      The Arc by Center and Endpoints method

      This method creates an arc by defining its center, start and end. Activate the Arc command and click Arc by Center and Endpoints. Click to define the center point. Next, move the pointer and you will notice that a dotted line appears between center and the pointer. This line is the radius of the arc. Now, click to define the start point of the arc and move the pointer; you will notice that an arc is drawn from the start point. Once the arc appears the way you want, click to define its end point.

      The Rectangle command

      This command creates a rectangle using three different methods: By 2 Points, By 3 Points, and From Center.

      The 2 Points method

      This method creates a rectangle by defining its diagonal corners. Activate the Rectangle command (On the ribbon, click Home > Direct Sketch > Rectangle). On the Rectangle dialog, click By 2 Points and click to define the first corner. Drag the pointer and click to define the second corner. You can also type-in values in the Width and Height boxes attached to the pointer.

      The 3 Points method

      This method creates an inclined rectangle. The first two points define the width and inclination angle of the rectangle. The third point defines its height.

      The other procedure to create a 3 Points rectangle is to specify the first corner. Next, type-in a value in the Angle box. Press the Tab key and type-in values in

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