Advanced assembly commands

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Wrap Assembly

Zones

Linked Exterior

Representations

Simplify Assembly

Scripts

Wrap Assembly
Use the Wrap Assembly command to enclose selected assembly geometry in a solid envelope of planar faces.
The Wrap Assembly feature is created in the work part. You can add the feature geometry to a reference set,
and use this reference set to replace the detailed geometry when you are doing work where it is sufficient to see
the approximate volume enclosed by the wrapped geometry

The unwrapped assembly

The wrapped assembly

Where do I find it?
Application

Assemblies

Prerequisite

Role with full menus

Menu

Assemblies Advanced Wrap Assembly

Wrap Assembly dialog box

Geometry
Lets you select objects: solids, sheets, curves, or points, to be wrapped.
Selected objects should not be coplanar.

Select Object
Splitting Planes

Specify Plane

Lets you select geometry to define splitting planes to subdivide the model and make the wrap
feature more precise.
Displays the Plane dialog box.

Full Plane Tool

Associative
Plane

Associative planes are restricted to the work part only.

Select the check box to make the plane associative.
Adds the currently selected set of geometry as splitting plane definitions.

Add New Set

List

Displays and numbers the defined planes.

Removes a selected plane from the list.

Remove
Settings
Associative

Clear the check box to create an unparameterized body.

Select the check box to create an associative body.
Determines how to close gaps between offset faces and applies an offset to faces when
calculating the envelope.

Close Gaps

Sharp: Planar face is extended until it meets adjacent faces.

Beveled: Planar faces are added in gaps to create a beveled effect.
Bevels are not narrower than the distance tolerance. Gaps smaller than this are closed
using sharp edges.

No Offset: Faces are not offset. This is faster, but the resulting wrap usually does not
enclose originally selected geometry.

Additional
Offset

Sets an additional offset distance that is added to the faces of the resulting body.

Split Offset

Sets a positive offset to each side of the splitting plane.

Effectively, each plane becomes two overlapping splitting planes, guaranteeing that the result on
each side of the splitting will overlap and will reunite without a non-manifold condition. This is
useful when the data on each side of the plane meets at a single point.
Specifies how detailed the result should be.
Sets the value used to generate points that are used to calculate the envelope.
Distance
Tolerance

For curves, this value equates to the maximum chordal deviation.

For bodies, this equates to the maximum facet to surface deviation.
Defaults to one hundred times the part distance tolerance.

Preview
Temporarily displays the results in the graphics window.
Show Result
Removes the temporary display from the graphics window.
Undo Result

Wrap Assembly notes

Interpart links

You must select the Allow Associative Interpart Modeling customer default to create associative wrap
features.
Associative Wrap Assembly features update when changes are made to the input geometry.

If wrapped geometry is edited, you may see the broken link icon beside the Assembly Wrap feature in
the Part Navigator.

The Delay Interpart Updates option affects Wrap Assembly features.

Updating the feature when interpart links are broken causes the feature to no longer be associative to its
input geometry. The feature uses the body from the last successful update, and does not reflect current
changes made to the input geometry. If the link was not explicitly broken, an update warning is issued in
the Edit During Update dialog box.

Splitting planes

Use splitting planes that divide the model into smaller pieces.
Each plane must contact and split at least one piece of geometry.

Datum planes can be selected from anywhere in the assembly.

A plane which does not split any data a subdivision is ignored.

If multiple nonparallel planes are specified, the planes subdivide each other.

Input for planes created with Full Plane Tool is restricted to the work part. These planes are displayed as
numbered temporary planes in the graphics window.

Linked Exterior
Linked Exterior extracts the exterior faces of an assembly into a LINKED_EXTERIOR feature.
You can extract all faces, or a selection of them. You can edit your selection of faces before extracting them.
Adjacent faces from the same body are joined into a single body that is similar to a linked region. (Adjacent
faces from different bodies are not joined.) NX does not attempt to sew separate regions into a single body,
because the faces may be disjoint or may meet at a "T", making sewing impossible.
A face that is partially interior and partially exterior is not split.
Where do I find it?
The linked exterior functions are located at:

Assemblies Advanced Linked Exterior

Linked Exterior dialog box options

Selection Steps
Lets you select the bodies from which the exterior envelope will be extracted.
Candidate
Bodies
Lets you identify the exterior faces. You can use one of the automated selection methods
(Hidden Lines or Rays), or you can manually select or deselect faces in the candidate bodies.
Exterior Faces
Hidden Line
Direction

If you are using the hidden line automatic selection method, this option lets you specify the
hidden line direction (used when Views in the lower changeable window is set to Specified
Direction).
If you are using the ray automatic selection method, this option lets you specify the ray origin
(used when Rays in the lower changeable window is set to Specified Origin).

Ray Origin
Upper changeable window
Vector Method Appears only when the Hidden Line Direction selection step is active and Views (in the
lower changeable window) is set to Specified Direction.
Helps you define the hidden line direction by specifying how the vector that determines the
direction is defined.
Select Using menu

Select Using

Lets you specify an automated method for selecting faces. You can then manually select
additional faces, or deselect ones that are selected.

Hidden Lines

Rays
Lower changeable window
Select All
Appears when the Candidate Bodies selection step is active.

Chordal
Tolerance

Selects all the bodies in your model, from which faces will be extracted (based on the other
options you choose in the Linked Exterior dialog box).
Appears when the Exterior Faces selection step is active.

Resolution

Lets you specify the chordal tolerance.

Appears when the Exterior Faces selection step is active and Select Using is set to Hidden
Lines.

Views

Lets you specify the resolution of the resultant sheet bodies, between Coarse and Very Fine.
Appears when the Exterior Faces selection step is active and Select Using is set to Hidden
Lines.

Rays

Lets you specify the views.

Appears when the Exterior Faces selection step is active and Select Using is set to Rays.

Select Faces

Lets you specify how the ray origin is defined.

Appears when the Exterior Faces selection step is active.

Lets you execute the hidden lines or rays automated selection.

All But Selected Appears when the Exterior Faces selection step is active.
Reverses a selection, so currently-selected faces become deselected, and nonselected faces
become selected. This is useful when you want to select all the faces with a few exclusions.
Other options
Group

Lets you group the bodies that are created in any of the following ways:

None
One Group

By Component
Mass Properties Calculates the cumulative mass properties for all the original solids during each update, and
saves the results. All the solids in the candidate bodies are used, and all the sheet bodies are
ignored.

Mass properties are always calculated after all features, regardless of the At Timestamp
setting.
Delete Holes
At Timestamp

Mass properties appear in the InformationFeature report.

Deletes holes by removing interior edge loops from the resulting sheet bodies. An interior loop
is removed only if a sheet body with a single surface can fill in the hole.
Creates the LINKED_EXTERIOR feature at the current timestamp.
When the At Timestamp check box is not selected, the feature is created after all existing

Hide Original
Create NonAssociative

Confirm Upon
Apply

features.
Hides the original candidate bodies after the feature is created.
When this check box is selected, the features that are created are unparameterized.
Note If interpart links are not enabled in the customer defaults file, this option is
automatically selected and cannot be deselected. You will receive a warning message in
this case.
Lets you preview what the results will look like, assuming you click Apply instead of OK
when you are ready to create the feature.
The Confirm Upon Apply dialog box lets you do any of the following:

Accept the results by clicking OK.

Reject the results by clicking Back or Cancel.

Further analyze the results by choosing an analysis option (Interference, Examine

Geometry, Deviation, or Section Analysis).

See the Shape Studio Help for more information about Section Analysis, and see the NX
Analysis Help for more information about the other analysis options.

Automated selection methods (Linked Exterior)

There are two types of automated selection methods to help you select target bodies for the linked exterior: the
hidden lines method and the ray method. Before you can choose an automated selection method, you must do
the following:

1. Select at least one candidate body from which faces will be extracted (i.e., the first selection step,
Candidate Bodies). After you have selected at least one body, the other selection steps will become
active.
2. Choose the second selection step, Exterior Faces. This makes the Select Using option become active.
3. Choose either Hidden Lines or Rays in the Select Using option to specify which automated selection
method you want.
You can then use the other options on the Linked Exterior dialog box to refine the selection method, including
returning to the Candidate Bodies selection step to select more objects. When you are finished, click OK or
Apply, and NX performs the automatic selection according to the options that you defined.
After NX finishes selecting the bodies, you can modify the selection by doing any of the following:

Manually deselect targets

Manually select additional targets

Run another automated selection method.

The options in the two changeable windows on the Linked Exterior dialog box vary, based on which method
you choose.
Hidden Lines method
Uses a hidden line drawing to determine the visible faces, from which the faces will be selected when you run
the hidden line solution.
Note The Hidden Line Direction selection step, which makes the Vector Method option menu appear in the
upper changeable window, is used only if you set Views to Specified Direction (in the lower changeable
window).
When you set Select Using to Hidden Lines, these options appear in the lower changeable window:
Chordal
Tolerance

Resolution

Views

Used to draw hatch lines and edges on the model. The larger the tolerance, the faster the hidden
line solution will run.
Warning If the tolerance is too big, some internal faces may be seen (and will therefore be
considered external and be selected as well). This occurs because too-coarsely drawn
edges allow viewing leaks around themselves.
Determines the number of parametric hatch lines drawn. (Coarse draws the least lines, Very Fine
the most.) Drawing more hatch lines increases the likelihood that exposed faces will not be
overlooked, but it also increases the performance time.

Coarse
Normal

Fine

Very Fine
Specifies the directions used in the hidden line solution.

Six Standard

Eight Isometric

All Fourteen Views

Current View

Specified Direction
Selects all the visible faces.

Select Faces

All But
Selected

Note You can interrupt the process by choosing Stop in the Work in Progress dialog box on
Windows platforms, or <Ctrl><Shift>L on non-Windows platforms.
Inverts the set of selected faces (i.e., the faces that were selected are now deselected, while all the
faces that were not selected are now selected). You can use this option to select the interior faces
instead of exterior ones.

Views
The hidden line selection will be applied in the directions that you choose. The more directions that are used,
the more time is required to run the solution.
Six Standard
Eight
Isometric
All Fourteen
Views
Current View
Specified
Direction

Each positive and negative axis of the WCS.

The eight isometric angles relative to the WCS.
The six standard views and the eight isometric views.
The current viewing direction only.
The direction that you specify with the help of the Vector Method option menu, which appears
in the upper changeable window when you choose the Hidden Line Direction selection step.
See the Common Tools Help for more details about the options on the vector method.

Ray method
Lets you determine exterior faces by firing rays at the model.
Note The Ray Origin selection step, which makes the Point Method option menu appear in the upper
changeable window, is used only if you set Rays (in the lower changeable window) to Specified Origin.
When you set Select Using to Rays, the following options appear in the lower changeable window:
Chordal
Tolerance

Used to determine whether the ray will hit the face near an edge or silhouette. The larger the
tolerance, the faster the ray solution will run.

Rays

Warning If the tolerance is too big, some internal faces may be seen (and will therefore be
considered external and be selected as well). This occurs because too-coarsely drawn
edges allow viewing leaks around themselves.
Determines the direction that rays are fired at each face:

Along Face Normals

Above Face Normals

Specified Origin
Select Faces Executes the ray selection method, which selects all faces hit by the rays.

All But
Selected
Rays
Along Face
Normals
Above Face
Normals
Specified
Origin

Note You can interrupt the process by choosing Stop in the Work in Progress dialog box on
Windows platforms, or <Ctrl><Shift>L on non-Windows platforms.
Inverts the set of selected faces (i.e., the faces that were selected are now deselected, while all the
faces that were not selected are now selected). You can use this option to select the interior faces
instead of exterior ones.
Fires a ray at the center of each face along the face normal. The ray emanates from outside the
bounding box of the candidate bodies.
Similar to the Along Face Normals option, except that the origin of the ray is slightly elevated
away from the center of the candidate bodies. This usually helps select faces hidden by
protrusions such as pads or bosses.
Uses the ray origin that you specify using the Point Method options, which appear in the upper
changeable window when you choose the Ray Origin selection step.
See the Common Tools Help for more details about the point options on the Point Method menu.

LINKED_EXTERIOR Feature
The LINKED_EXTERIOR feature consists of one or more sheet bodies extracted from the exterior faces of the
assembly, or the faces that you defined.
Adjacent faces from the same body are joined into a single body that is similar to a linked region. (Adjacent
faces from different bodies are not joined.) The system will not attempt to sew separate regions into a single
body, because the faces may be disjoint or may meet at a "T", making sewing impossible.
A face that is partially interior and partially exterior is not split.
Group
Optionally, the bodies in the LINKED_EXTERIOR feature may be placed into one or more groups, which can
then be used for selection. The options for grouping (the Group option menu on the Linked Exterior dialog) are:
Group Options
None
No grouping is performed
One Group
All bodies are placed in a single group named LINKED_EXTERIOR_(feature #)
By Component Bodies are placed in separate groups named after the lowest level component they were
extracted from:
(component name)_(instance #)

The feature maintains the groups that you have requested, adding bodies that are created during editing to the
appropriate group.
Editing a LINKED_EXTERIOR feature
You can edit a LINKED_EXTERIOR feature in the same ways as other modeling features. For example, enter
the Modeling application, and then choose EditFeatureEdit Parameters. When the Edit Parameters
dialog box appears, select the LINKED_EXTERIOR feature in the dialog box and choose OK. The editing
version of the Linked Exterior dialog box appears.
The editing version of the Linked Exterior dialog box looks like the creation version, except that Create NonAssociative, Hide Original, and Confirm Upon Apply do not appear. All other options behave the same way
as in the creation dialog box.
Because editing the LINKED_EXTERIOR feature may create or modify some of its subordinate regions, it is
not possible to use the Edit During Update (EDU) options to edit the feature, although you may suppress or
delete the feature during update.
See the Modeling Help for more information about editing features, including the EDU options.
Subordinate regions
The LINKED_EXTERIOR feature behaves like a single feature, although it may contain multiple bodies. Its
subordinate linked regions cannot be edited, deleted, suppressed, or queried as individual features; you must
perform these operations with the entire feature.
Links to the subordinate regions can be viewed, broken, or delayed for update using WAVE commands.
Note There are no links if the Create Non-Associative option was selected during the creation of the
LINKED_EXTERIOR feature.
When the feature is updated, the individual regions from the originally selected faces are updated, but the set of
faces is not recalculated. If a region becomes disjoint during the update, only the piece of sheet attached to its
first face input is created, and the following EDU warning is issued:
The set of faces for this region has become disjoint. Some faces are not extracted in region.
If you delete a subordinate sheet body that removes faces from the LINKED_EXTERIOR feature, the following
EDU warning is issued:
Subordinate sheet body has been deleted. Extracted faces will be removed from the feature parameters.

Simplify Assembly
Use the Simplify Assembly command to:

Create a single, closed, lightweight solid that represents one or more relatively complex components in
an assembly.
Preserve complex exterior details and remove interior details.

Reduce the computer memory required when a dimensionally accurate lightweight representation of an
assembly is adequate.

Before simplification
The screw and handles were not selected for this simplified assembly.

After simplification
The Simplify Assembly dialog box has a series of pages that you use to perform specific tasks.
Welcome page
Displays a brief overview of the Simplify Assembly process.
Link bodies page
Links selected bodies in components or the work part to use as a basis for the simplified assembly
model.
Unite & isolate page
Lets you unite bodies, close gaps, and remove unwanted geometry.
Heal boundaries page
Lets you define the boundaries between interior and exterior faces.

Closes holes automatically, where possible.

Leak check page
Checks whether the body is closed, so that interior faces are completely closed off from exterior faces.
Remove interior page
Removes the interior faces and closes openings at the boundaries.
Lets you remove parameters.
Where do I find it?
Application

Assemblies

Prerequisite

Role with full menus

Menu

Assemblies AdvancedSimplify Assembly

Simplify an assembly and skip a leak check

This example adds six linked handle bodies to a simplified body. Covering methods include Body From 3D
Profile and Bounding Sphere. A leak check is not performed.

1. Choose AssembliesAdvancedSimplify Assembly.

Tip The Part Navigator lists solid bodies and linked bodies as they are created.
2. On the Welcome page, click Next.
The

Link Bodies page opens.

3. In the Blank group, select All Data.

4. Select the bodies to be simplified.
5. Click Next.

The

Unite & isolate page opens.

6. In the Covering Bodies group, click Body From 3D Profile

.
7. Select a profile built from edges or curves and be a single closed loop.

8. Click Next.
9. Specify the sweep direction.
10. Click Next.
11. From the Surface list, select a surface type.
12. In the Depth group, set the Start and End values.

13. In the Expand box, set a value.

14. Click Next.

15. Select one target body.

16. From the Boolean list, select Unite

17. Click Unite all

and click Next.

and select the bodies you want to unite.

18. Click Next.

In this example, the status line states that six bodies are united into 5 resulting bodies, so you know that
additional covering bodies are required.
19. In the Covering Bodies group, click Bounding Sphere
.
20. Select points that you want to include inside the bounding sphere.

21. Set an Additional Offset value.

22. Click Next.

23. Select the target body.
Tip If you do not select a target body, the bounding sphere is created as a separate body from your
assembly.

24.
25. From the Boolean list, select Unite

26. Click Next.

27. Create additional covering bodies, as required.
28. Click Unite All
The

, select all bodies, and click Next twice.

Heal boundaries page opens.

29. Select an exterior face of the body to be simplified and click Next.
30. Select the Hide Other Bodies check box and click Next two times.
The

Leak check page opens.

31. Select Skip Leak Check and click Next.

32. Click Next.
The Remove interior page opens.
33. Select he Hide Other Bodies check box and click Next.
The

Remove interior page opens.

When there are no interior faces, the page states that.

34. Click Next.
35. Select the Remove Parameters check box and click Finish.
36. On the Remove Parameters message, click OK.

Simplify an assembly that passes a leak check

This example adds four linked pump bodies to a simplified body. Covering methods include Extrude, Body
From Outline and Plug Circular Holes. The Leak check is performed and it passes.

1. Choose AssembliesAdvancedSimplify Assembly.

2. On the
The

Welcome page, click Next.

Link Bodies page opens.

3. Select the bodies to be simplified.

4. In the Blank group, select All Data.

5. Click Next.

The

Unite & isolate page opens.

6. Click Unite All

.
7. Select all bodies and click Next.

8. Click Extrude Dialog

and create a covering body to fill the gap between the two remaining bodies.

9. Create additional extruded covering bodies, as required.

10. Click Body From Outline

.
11. Clear the Orient View to CSYS check box, so that the view is not oriented to the CSYS.
12. Define the plane of the CSYS.

13. Click Next.

14. Select a series of points to define the planar outline.
Tip The outline is not associative.

15.
Note Each point is projected to the plane and connected to the previous point to create the outline. The
first and last points are automatically connected.
16. In the Start and End boxes, type the values.
The outline is extruded normal to the plane to form the covering body.
17. Click Next.
18. Select the target body.

19. From the Boolean list, select Unite

and click Next.

20. Click Unite All

21. Select all bodies and click Next.

Tip The status states the numbers of united bodies and resulting bodies.

22.
23. Click Plug Circular Holes

24. In the Hole Diameter Less Than and Recess Distance boxes, type values.
25. Select the Planar Plug Preferred check box.
26. Select all bodies.
27. Click Next.

28. Deselect any faces you do not want plugged and click Next two times.
The

Heal boundaries page opens.

29. If multiple bodies exist, select the Hide Other Bodies check box to hide bodies that are not attached to
the selected face.
30. Select a face that will be on the exterior of the simplified body.

Note The face is used to distinguish the set of exterior faces from the set of interior faces.

31.
32. Click Next.
33. From the Filter list, select a filter type.
34. Select one or more faces on the interior of the body.

35. Click Next.

The

Leak check page opens.

Tip When you reach the Leak Check page, all interior faces should be isolated from all exterior faces.
36. On the page, select Leak Check.
37. Click Next.
38. Select the Check interior faces during update check box.
39. Select one or more faces on the interior of the body.

40. Click Next to begin the leak check.

The Leak check page tells you if the leak check passed or failed.
41. When the leak check passes, from the Highlight group, select Interior Faces and Exterior Faces.

The

Remove interior page opens.

42. Click Next to remove interior faces.

The Remove interior page states the number of removed faces and the number of faces remaining.
43. Select the Remove Parameters check box.
44. Click Finish.
45. On the Remove Parameters message, click OK to continue to remove parameters.

Simplify an assembly that fails a leak check

This example adds six linked valve bodies to a simplified body, uses the Plug Circular Holes covering method,
and performs a Leak check. When the leak check fails, an additional covering body is added, so that the Leak
check passes.

1. Choose AssembliesAdvancedSimplify Assembly.

2. On the
The

Welcome page, click Next.

Link Bodies page opens.

3. Select bodies to include in the simplified assembly.

4. In the Blank group, select All Data.
5. Click Next.
The

Unite & isolate page opens.

Tip Bodies are still separate after being linked.

6. In the Covering Bodies group, click Plug Circular Holes

7. In the Hole Diameter Less Than box, type a value large enough to plug all of the smaller holes.
8. In the Recess Distance box, type a value.
9. Select the Planar Plug Preferred check box.
10. Select the bodies to be plugged.
11. Click Next and deselect holes you do not want plugged.

12. Click Next to plug the holes.

13. Click Unite All

14. Select the bodies.

15. Click Next to unite the bodies.

16. Click Next.

The

Heal boundaries page opens.

17. Select an exterior body face.

18. Click Next.

19. Set the Filter as needed.
20. Select the objects to close off boundaries.

21. Click Next.

the

Leak check page opens.

22. Select Leak Check and click Next.

23. Select the Check interior faces during update check box.
24. Select a face on the interior of the body.

25. Click Next.

The Leak check page states, Fail: Exterior is not isolated from the interior.
26. In the Highlight group, click Leak Path to view the leak path found.

27. Click Create Partially Shaded Leak Path.

28. Select the Delete Leak Path Sheet Body check box and click Next.
The

Remove interior page opens.

29. Click Next twice.

30. On the Error message that states the simplification failed, click OK.
31. Clear the Remove Parameters check box.
32. Click Finish.
33. In the Part Navigator, right-click Simplify Assembly and choose Edit Parameters.
34. On the left pane of the Simplify Assembly dialog box, right-click Unite & isolate and choose Add.
35. Create another covering body, so that the leak check passes.

Unite & isolate page

Option

Description
Brings up the Extrude dialog box, to create an extruded covering body.
Note See the Modeling Help for more information about the Extrude command.

Extrude Dialog

Lets you plug circular holes smaller than a specified diameter and specify a recess value.
Plug Circular Holes
Lets you create a covering body from a closed linear outline in a plane.
Body From Outline

You can select or define a single plane.

Lets you select points to create a bounding sphere.

Bounding Sphere
Lets you create a covering body using a single loop, non-planar profile built from edges or
curves.
Body from 3D
Profile
Option

Description
Unites selected linked bodies into as few solids as possible.

Unite All

Plug Circular Holes page

Option

Description

Hole Diameter
Less Than

Sets a hole diameter limit. Circular holes smaller than the specified diameter are plugged.

Recess Distance

Sets a distance for a plug recess.

For cones, the diameter relates to the widest part of the cone.

If a recess distance is greater than the hole depth, it is reduced to whatever is possible.
Planar Plug
Preferred

Specifies that planar plugs are formed.

A planar cap is slightly recessed if the opening is non-planar.
Note The opening of the hole can be any 3D profile. The system attempts to cap the hole
with the surrounding faces, but may use a simpler cap if this is not possible.

Body From Outline page

Define the CSYS plane
Option
selection point icon

Description
Changes as you select the plane's three points that define the origin, the X axis, and the Y
axis.
Lets you specify the CSYS.

CSYS Constructor

Note The covering body is associated to the plane of the CSYS.

Orient View to CSYS Clear this check box if you do not want to orient the view to the plane of the CSYS.
Select this check box to orient the view to the plane of the CSYS.
Define the outline of the covering body
Option

Description

Remove Last Point Removes the last point you selected from the outline, and updates the extruded covering
body.
You can select this option more than once, until no points are left.
Clear All Points

Removes all points, so that you can start over to specify points.

Depth

Sets the Start and End distances for the covering body.
Define the target body and Boolean

The target must be one of the bodies for the simplification.

Note Without a selected target body, the covering body is created as a separate body.
Boolean operation

Sets how the covering body is to be combined with the target body.
See the Modeling Help for more information about Boolean operations.

Bounding Sphere page

Select bounding sphere points
Option
Remove Last Point

Description
Removes the last point.
Updates the previewed bounding sphere.

Clear All Points

Removes all points, so that you can start over.

Additional Offset

Sets an additional offset value that enlarges the radius of the sphere.
Define a target body and Boolean

Option

Description

Boolean operation

Sets how the bounding sphere will be joined with the target body
Note See the Modeling Help for more information about Boolean operations.

Body From 3D Profile page

Select the profile
Option

Description

Close Profile

Closes an open selected profile with a line.

Define the sweep direction
Option

Description

Define Sweep Direction

Lets you specify the vector direction for the sweep.

Reverse Direction

Reverses the direction of the currently defined vector.

Define the capping surface type and sweep depth

Option

Description

Surface Sets the surface type for capping the covering body.
Only available when the profile is from the edges of a single body.

Depth

Planar Plug

Planar Gasket fills gaps between bodies.

Sets the Start and End distances for the covering body.

Expand Expands the body perpendicular to the sweep direction to ensure a tight fit in the target body.
Note If the body cannot be expanded to the set value, the input is rejected and a message appears.
Define a target body and Boolean
Option
Boolean operation

Description
Defines how the covering body will be combined with the target body.
If no target body is selected, the covering body is created as a separate body.
Note See the Modeling Help for more information about Boolean operations.

Bounding Sphere page

Select bounding sphere points
Option
Remove Last Point

Description
Removes the last point.
Updates the previewed bounding sphere.

Clear All Points

Removes all points, so that you can start over.

Additional Offset

Sets an additional offset value that enlarges the radius of the sphere.
Define a target body and Boolean

Option
Boolean operation

Description
Sets how the bounding sphere will be joined with the target body
Note See the Modeling Help for more information about Boolean operations.

Heal Boundaries page

Identify seed face
Option
Hide Other Bodies

Description
Appears only if multiple bodies exist.
Select the check box to hide bodies that are not attached to the selected exterior face.
Identify boundaries

Option
Filter

Description
Sets the selection filter.

Leak Check page

Run or skip the leak check
Option

Description

Leak Check

Sets the leak check to be performed.

Skip Leak Check

Sets the leak check to NOT be performed.

Selection of faces for leak checks

Option
Check Interior Faces During
Update

Description
Select this check box to verify during each update that the selected interior
faces are removed.

Leak Check test passes page

Option

Description

Appears when a leak check passes and no path from the exterior face to the interior face is found.
Highlight

Highlights set of faces to analyze whether each face ended up in the set that you wanted.

Exterior Faces Highlights either the exterior face set or the interior face set, depending on faces originally
selected.
Interior Faces Highlights isolated interior pockets.
Available only if there are isolated interior pockets when a leak occurs.
Leak Check test fails page
Option

Description

Appears when the leak check fails and a path is found.

Highlight

Available only if there are other isolated interior pockets when a leak
occurs.
Exterior Faces Highlights exterior faces.
Interior Faces Highlights isolated interior pockets.
Leak Path Highlights the leak path.

Create Partially Shaded Leak

Path

Creates and displays a partially shaded sheet body along the leak path.

Delete Leak Path Sheet Body

Select the check box to delete the sheet body after moving to the next page.

Remove Interior page

Preview page
Option

Description

If there are no interior faces, a message states that.

Next

Removes interior faces.

Results page
Option

Description

Appears after the faces that will be kept are accepted by selecting Next, which removes interior faces.
Displays the number of removed faces.
Remove Parameters

Creates an unparameterized body.

Simplify Assembly editing notes

During the creation of a Simplify Assembly feature, the left pane of the dialog box shows completed
steps. An arrow indicates the current step.

Parameterized Simplify Assembly features can be edited with shortcuts available on each node.
o Link bodiesEdit
o

Unite & isolateAdd

Over any covering body Edit, Delete, and Info

Heal boundariesEdit

Leak checkCheck

Remove interiorRemove Interior and Delete

Zones
Use the Zones command to partition an assembly into meaningful regions bounding by boxes or planes.

Zones are:

Created in the displayed part with reference to its absolute coordinate system.
Named uniquely with upper case letters.

Available for use in component groups.

Where do I find it?

Application

Assemblies

Prerequisite

Advanced Assemblies

Menu

AssembliesAdvancedZones

Automatically create box zones

Note Use similar steps to create plane zones.
1. Choose AssembliesAdvancedZones.
2. In the Zones dialog box, click Auto-Generate Zones

3. In the Choose Zone Type dialog box, click Boxes.

4. In the Auto-Generate Box dialog box, type the number of box zones in the X, Y, and Z directions.
5. (Optional) In the Name Prefix box, type a name to replace the default name.
6. Select Use Existing Part Volume.
7. Click OK.
The zones are listed in the Zones dialog box.

8. (Optional) From the list of zones, select one of the zones.

o

Click Delete

Click Rename

Click Edit

to delete the zone.

to edit the name of the zone.
to change parameters of the zone.

9. On the Zones dialog box, click Cancel.

Zones dialog box links

Zones dialog box

Auto-Generate Box dialog box

Auto-Generate Plane dialog box

Zone Creation Method dialog box

Edit Zone dialog box

Transformations dialog box

Zones dialog box

Option
Displayed Part

Description
Displays the name and type of existing zones.
Opens the Edit Zone dialog box that lets you edit the selected zone.

Edit
Lets you divide the assembly into a regular set of box or plane zones.
Auto-Generate
Zones

Opens the Choose Zone Type that lets you select the type of zone to create:

Boxes: Useful for irregular assembly shapes or an assembly of well understood

dimensions. Opens the Auto-Generate Box dialog box.

Planes: useful for a growing assembly or one which is long in one direction. Opens
the Auto-Generate Plane dialog box.

Opens the Zone Creation Method dialog box that lets you select a method to create a box
zone.
Create Box Zone
Opens the Plane dialog box that lets you define a plane zone.
Create Plane
Zone
Deletes one or more selected zones.
Delete
Lets you rename a selected zone.
Rename

Auto-Generate Box dialog box

Option
Box Count in X
Direction

Description
Sets the number of box zones in the X, Y, and Z directions.

Box Count in Y
Direction
Box Count in Z
Direction
Name Prefix

Sets the prefix name for zones. NX adds a number that indicates the order of creation.

Use Existing Part Sets the volume of box zones to be based on the existing part volume.
Volume
Use Specified
Volume

Lets you set the dimension and origin for box zones.

Specify Volume to Available when Use Specified Volume is selected.

be Zoned
Opens the Enter Values dialog box where you set X, Y, Z lengths of the current set of box
zones, and the Point dialog box where you specify the origin of the current set of box zones.

Auto-Generate Plane dialog box

Option

Description

Plane Count in Z Direction Sets the number of plane zones to create.

of WCS
Name Prefix

Sets the name for zones. NX adds a number that indicates the order of creation.

Use Existing Part Z

Displacement

Sets the displacement of plane zones in the Z direction, based on the displacement
of the part.

Use Specified Z
Displacement

Lets you set a distance between plane zones in the Z direction and an origin point
for the Z location of the first plane in the set.

Z Displacement to be
Zoned

Available when Use Specified Z Displacement is selected.

Sets the value in the Z direction for the distance between plane zones.

Zone Creation Method dialog box

Option

Description

Edge Lengths,
Corner

Lets you set X, Y, and Z lengths for a box zone and specify the minimum X, Y, and Z
corner location.

Height, Two Points

Lets you set a height for a box zone and specify the minimum X, Y, and Z corner location.

Two Diagonal Points Lets you select two diagonal points to specify the size and placement for the box zone.

Edit Zone dialog box

Option
Change Box Lengths

Description
Available only for box zones.
Lets you change the X, Y, and Z edge lengths for a selected box zone.

Flip Normal

Available only for plane zones.

Reverses the normal vector of the selected plane zone.

Transform

Opens the Transformations dialog box that lets you move a selected zone.

Transformations dialog box

Option

Description

Translate

Lets you move the zone to a selected point, or by a specified delta distance.

Rotate About a Point

Lets you rotate the zone about a selected point.

Rotate About a Line

Lets you rotate the zone about a line that you define.

Reposition

Lets you reposition the zone.

Rotate Between Two Axes

Lets you rotate the zone between two specified axes.

Representations
Use the Representations command to manually create a lightweight representation, also known as a faceted
body or representation. A faceted representation is associated with the solid or sheet body or face from which it
was derived. Faceted bodies are often used as a lightweight alternative, and can significantly improve
performance, especially in large assemblies.
Note You can set options to instruct the software to automatically create lightweight representations of most
bodies in your assembly. See Loading assemblies for more information.
Faceted bodies are stored in the current work part when you create them. You can create representations of
bodies directly in the part that owns the body, or in an assembly that contains components with solid or sheet
bodies.
Representations are particularly useful for visualization or use with Clearance Analysis. Faceted
representations can be used for shading. You can also designate them for partial shading or translucency in the
same way you can for bodies.
Note Each facet has the same color and translucency as the face that it was created from. If you change the color

and/or translucency of a face after you have created a facet, the color and translucency of the facet does not
change. In order to have the new color and translucency reflected in the faceted representation, you must
delete and then recreate the representation.
You can control tolerance parameters such as the number of facet edges, distance tolerance, angle tolerance,
convex facets, and the number of facets.
You can select facet geometry for many NX commands. When you use seamless lightweight loading (that is,
when your Load Smart Lightweight Data customer default is active), the software automatically loads exact
data when needed to complete a command.
Tip

To find a customer default, choose FileUtilitiesCustomer Defaults, and click Find Default
Where do I find it?
Menu AssembliesAdvancedRepresentations

Define Representations dialog box

Representations in Work Part options
Create
Lets you select solid or sheet bodies or faces for faceting.
Edit Facet
Lets you edit the facet parameters for existing facets.
Parameters
Information
Displays information about an existing representation in the Information window using the
Available Representations dialog box.
Rename
Renames an existing representation using the Available Representations dialog box.
Delete
Deletes selected representations using the Available Representations dialog box. Delete is
equivalent to using EditDelete.
Disassociate
Lets you break the association with selected facets and the bodies or faces they represent,
using the Available Representations dialog box.
Other options
Session
Lets you specify parameters for new facets in the Session Parameters dialog box.
Parameters
Reference Set Options
Add
Adds selected faceted bodies to a reference set.
Remove
Removes selected faceted bodies to a reference set.
Display Members Displays members of representations that belong to a reference set.

Available Representations dialog box

The Available Representations dialog box is common to the following representations options: Information,
Rename, Delete, Disassociate, and Edit Facet Parameters. You can choose a single representation, a group of
representations (by dragging the cursor over the desired names in the selection list), or all representations in the
list. You can filter the representations based on whether they were created from bodies, faces, or both.
Available Representations dialog box options

representations list
box
Select All
Select
Highlight Facets

Lists the existing representations that you can select for an operation such as Information,
Rename, Delete, or Disassociate).
Selects all available representations.
Limits selection, if you wish, to only Bodies or only Faces.
Redraws all facets in the system color.

Only disassociated faceted bodies can be transformed (EditTransform).

Representation parameters
If you never change representation parameters, any created representations are created at an appropriate
tolerance for the size of the body or face they represent. This is usually the correct thing to do when the size of
the body is comparable to the size of the part it is being used in.
If this is not the case (for example, when creating representations of component solid or sheet bodies at the
assembly level), you should change these parameters.
Note If you change the distance or angle tolerances, you should ensure that the tolerances are appropriate by
either fitting the assembly, or zooming in or out until the components are the correct size, and regenerating
the display.
You can change the faceting parameters of your representations in three ways:

Setting the initial values of the faceting parameters with the Faceted Representations customer
defaults.
Editing the facet parameters (and overriding the customer default settings) with Edit Facet Parameters
on the Define Representations dialog box.
Editing the facet parameters (and overriding the customer default settings) for the current NX session
with the Session Parameters option on the Define Representations dialog box.

Faceted Representations customer defaults

You can control the default distance and angular tolerances for faceted representations with the Faceted
Representations customer defaults.
Tip

To find a customer default, choose FileUtilitiesCustomer Defaults, and click Find Default

The values that you set will be used unless you override them with the Edit Facet Parameters or Session
Parameters options.
Note If you do not set values in the customer defaults file, NX uses its own size-based method of determining
the distance and angular tolerances for a faceted body. You can override this tolerance with the parameters
options.