PTC AC ADE MIC PR OGR AM

How to Model Almost Anything

C OPYR I GH T © 20 15, PT C I N C.

N OT ICE OF RI GH TS

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countries. You may reproduce and transmit in any form (electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise) all parts of this curriculum/tutorial for educational
or informational purposes only. All credit and trademark notices must accompany such
reproduction made in whole or in part.

This permission does not extend to the reproduction or use of the PTC logo in any form
(electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) except solely as the
case may be during reproduction or use of this curriculum.

TR AD EM AR KS

PTC, the PTC Logo, PTC Creo, PTC Mathcad, PTC Windchill, and all PTC product
names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of PTC and/or its subsidiaries in
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AC KN OWLE D GEM EN TS

This set of curriculum was written and developed by the PTC Academic Team which
included Dr. Jordan Cox, Chris Carr, Mark Cheli, Ayora Berry, Alex Cazacu, Alyssa Walker,
Kari Karwedsky, and Abdul Abdulkarim. Teachers in the Massachusetts STEM Certificate
Program also contributed by reviewing and testing the exercises contained therein.

1
2
Introduction

3
4
Overview
How to Model Almost Anything 3rd Edition

Introduction
Product development is one of the most important activities that modern
society engages in. It brings goods and services to improve the quality of
life of people throughout the world. Preparing the next generation of
innovators to be creative and familiar with best practices in product
development is the purpose of this curriculum.

This curriculum is structured to provide as much exposure to industry best

practices and to the variety of models and activities that occur in product
development as is possible. There are 12 exercises and each exercise is
typically organized with a hands-on activity to explain the concepts, then
a practice model to enforce the learning of the concepts and then a final
skills assessment activity that provides another model to demonstrate the
acquired skills.

Teachers who are in the classroom are the best practitioners for
determining how to integrate curriculum like this into the normal
classroom curriculum so that it can enhance and reinforce the standards
based curriculum that is being taught. This curriculum is engaging and
inspiring and gives students hands-on, active learning experiences. It has
been developed and tested in real classrooms and shown to engage and
inspire students.

PTC Inc. proudly provides this curriculum as a part of its academic

outreach programs in an effort to help inspire and engage the next
generation of engineers, scientists, technicians and mathematicians. PTC’s
award winning “Engineering of the Future” program has impacted
students and teachers all over the world. It is our hope that this new set of
curriculum will continue to prepare the next generation of workforce for
our customers and help improve the quality of life across the globe.

5
 Model Structure
Solid Modeling Model Analysis

Learn about solid modeling as the The purpose of models is explored

Concepts of product model assemblies and
language of product development. through calculating mass properties and
part models are presented.
completing mechanism simulations.

Assembly Constraints Assembling Systems Assembling Mechanisms

The basics of assembly modeling Learn about systems engineering and how Kinematics and mechanisms are presented
are presented and components to to sub-divide products into sub-systems through gear trains. Mechanism coupling
simple models are added. and model them with sub-assemblies. and simulation are also a part of this
exercise.

Concept Development Creating Parts & Assemblies

Preliminary Design

Learn about new part creation with Part creation and assembly modeling of
New part creation is continued and
a candy product development products is explored through the creation
challenge. An introduction to expanded where multiple part creation
of simple Geneva mechanisms. Part
operations are taught in the context of
drawings is presented as well. drawings are also covered.
creating a next generation water bottle.

Advanced Modeling A Virtual Laboratory Calculating Stress & Deflection

Advanced modeling operations are

explored to create more
Simulations using 3D contacts are explored
complicated geometry. Sweep and
where gravity and the coefficient of Stress analysis on robot parts are
Blend features are covered in
restitution are modified to demonstrate 3D introduced to explain forces and force
depth.
motion. balances in static structures.

6
Getting Started

Curriculum Files
This curriculum has a variety of different files associated with it that are
required for many of the exercises. Most of these files are the actual part
and assembly files that will be used.

Please download the files from here before starting:

http://apps.ptc.com/schools/How_to_model_almost_anything.zip

Once downloaded, you must first extract the files to your desired
location before using them for the exercises.

Required Software
PTC Creo 3.0
PTC Creo 3.0is a suite of different applications. For this curriculum we will
focus on PTC Creo Parametric, and a few exercises will use PTC Creo
Simulate.

Note: This curriculum unit is not backwards compatible with previous

editions of PTC Creo.

If you need a copy of the software, keep in mind that it is always FREE to
K-12 students and educators. Please see the below link to register for
your copy:

www.ptc.com/go/creoforstudents

Download and installation instructions will be included on the webpage

after you submit your registration.

7
 Configuration (Important!)
PTC Creo has hundreds of different configuration options that allow the
user to tailor its behavior based on what they need most. In large
companies, the CAD Administrator will set up these options so everyone’s
CAD system works consistent with the company requirements.

To make this curriculum and your introduction to PTC Creo easier we have
developed a set of custom configuration and user interface options for
you. If you do not apply this configuration, then the instructions will
not match your screen.

For information on how to download and install this PTC Creo

configuration, please see the below guide:

http://apps.ptc.com/schools/references/config_creo_schools.pdf

Need Help?
If you find yourself stuck at any point during the curriculum, please feel
free to reach out to our experts at PTC.

For questions where you are stuck or would like more information on a
particular topic, make a new post on our Schools community. Please
remember to include any relevant screenshots, page numbers, etc. A link
is included below:

http://communities.ptc.com/community/academic-program/schools-
program

For technical support questions, please make a new post on our Academic
Support community. A link is included below:

http://communities.ptc.com/community/academic-program/support

8
 Exercise 1
Solid Modeling
9
10
Solid Modeling

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO CREATE MODELS OF PARTS AND

PRODUCTS

Introduction
One of the greatest developments evolving out of the computer age is
the development of 3-dimensional modeling of parts and products. This
makes it easier for designers and engineers to create new parts and
products. SOLID MODELING IS THE LANGUAGE OF PRODUCT
DEVELOPMENT. When a company decides to develop a new product
the ideas must be created as solid models in order for the
ideas to become real products.

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 Since solid modeling is the language of product development it is
important to learn how to use it to express new ideas. So let’s get started!

Exercise 1: Exploring Models of Products

At the end of this exercise you will be able to:

 Set the working directory and open a model;

 Understand the PTC Creo Screen;
 Recognize the coordinate system and know how to show/hide
datums;
 Operate the graphic area view and display options of a model;
 Define a part and an assembly;
 Open a part from an assembly;
 Use display styles and apply colors to surfaces.

Let’s start by opening a model of a deep sea submarine and exploring the
parts and procedures of a solid model.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double-clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding
PTC Creo Parametric, and
selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group,

click Select Working Directory .

This allows you to set the folder that

PTC Creo Parametric will use to open
and save files.

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3. Navigate to the How to Model
Almost Anything folder:

 Double-click the
Deep_Sea_Sub folder.
 Click OK.

4. From the Home tab, click Open :

 Double-click deep_sea_sub.asm

5. You now have the deep sea sub

model open in Creo.

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 3D solid models are mathematical models of real or virtual parts and
products. In this section, we will look at the anatomy and elements of
solid models, explore how solid models are organized, and introduce you
to the solid modeling tool “PTC Creo.” Before you begin to develop a
model, it is important to understand what 3D solid models consist of and
how they are constructed.

Characteristics of a Solid Model

3D solid models are constructed by adding and subtracting geometric
volumes to create the final shape of a part or product. This use of “sums”
of geometry has become a language for representing ideas for new parts
and products. Let’s begin by exploring the anatomy – or elements – of a
solid model.

Model Anatomy
A solid model is really a sophisticated mathematical set of equations
represented in software; however, you hardly ever have to work with
those equations. You are able to create and modify solid models simply
by working with two representations of the model: a procedural
representation and a graphical representation.

The procedural representation is like a list of instructions, which will

produce the solid model when followed. It is called a “Model Tree.” It
doesn’t look much like a tree in this view because it is just a list. However,

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 when we graph the procedural representation with respect to
dependencies, it becomes a “tree” graph.

6. In the model tree, notice the

procedural representation of
the model.

Notice that there are three sections to

the model tree. The tree begins at the
top with datums (coordinate systems &
planes) that are important to the model.
Next is the list of all of the parts in the
model. The model is sort of like a big
sum of all of the parts. Finally, there is
the insert location which is the place
where a new part can be added. It turns
out that the order in which things are
added is important.

The graphical representation is what

the solid model looks like. That is easy to understand. You will use both of
these representations when building or modifying solid models.

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 Coordinate Systems
All geometry is built in reference to a global coordinate
system. It is usually referred to as the “origin”. This is
simply a point in space that is recognized as the
starting point or (0,0,0) location. This point is usually represented by three
crossing lines as shown. Product models may have several origins, one for
each part in the assembly.

There are also other types of references that are used in solid models such
as planes, axes, and points. All of these references are called datums and
are typically referred to
specifically as “datum planes,
datum points, and datum
axes.”

A default set of datums

includes the origin coordinate
system and the three
coordinate planes (FRONT: X-
Z, RIGHT: Y-Z, TOP: X-Y). Axes
can be defined at the
intersection of any two of
these planes.

Carefully selecting what datums you use as references for creating

geometry will make sure that your model is robust (i.e. doesn’t break or
fail) and helps ensure that you will be able to create all the different
aspects of your model as easily as possible. We’ll show you how to plan
these datums and references later and also show you how to create them
in PTC Creo.

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7. In the graphics area, notice the datum
planes, coordinate systems, and spin
center are displayed in the model.

8. From the In Graphics toolbar:

 Click Datum Display Filters and

disable the display of all datum
features

9. The graphical display of the submarine should

now be easier to see since the datums are no
longer displayed.

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 The Art of Solid Modeling
PTC Creo is a suite of tools that helps you build 3D models. One of the
tools that we will use to create solid models is called PTC Creo Parametric.
PTC Creo Parametric is like a virtual art studio where you can build 3D
solid models.

It can be helpful to think of PTC Creo Parametric as a virtual studio made

up of different rooms as shown below. There are many different modes or
rooms within PTC Creo Parametric where different functions can be
completed. Within each of the modes, the tool sets are different. Moving
from one mode to another is an important part of PTC Creo Parametric.

When creating part and assembly models, we will use the 3D Part
Modeling mode and the 3D
Assembly mode. We will also use
a 2D Sketch mode in order to
create features. Later on we will
explore some of the other
capabilities.

The other unique aspect of PTC Creo Parametric is the amount of user
interaction that is
required in creating

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geometry. When you think about how you would use your hands, fingers,
and all types of tools if you were creating or sculpting in an art studio, you
can understand why it requires so much user interaction in creating
geometry. Because PTC Creo Parametric is software, the only means of
user interaction is through the buttons and motion of the mouse and
keyboard. You will find that you will use more buttons and button
combinations in interacting with PTC Creo than probably any other
program you have used.

Tour of the PTC Creo Screen

Before we start working in PTC Creo Parametric we should take some
time to understand the user interface and methods to navigate and view
models.

The PTC Creo Parametric user interface is the now familiar Windows
Ribbon environment. The Windows Ribbon makes it easy to navigate
functions arranged in tabs and groups. The different parts of the main
ribbon are shown below. Take some time to familiarize yourself with the
various menus as these will be used throughout this modeling activity.

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 Orienting the View in Creo Parametric
PTC Creo Parametric offers easy-to-manipulate model views so that
engineers can view their designs from different perspectives.

Hold down the middle

Rotate mouse button and Middle-Hold + Drag
move the mouse.

Use the middle mouse

button to scroll
forward or backward.
To zoom into a
Middle-Scroll:
Zoom specific location of
Forward = Out
in/out your model, move
Backward = In
your mouse to that
location before
scrolling the mouse
wheel.

Hold Shift, then press

and hold the middle
Pan mouse button. Moving Shift + Middle-Hold + Drag
the mouse will then
pan the view.

Display Options in Creo Parametric

PTC Creo Parametric also has a number of predefined display settings and
views to help you visualize your design.

Click to refit your model in the main graphics area. If you

Refit
somehow “lose” the graphic display of your model, clicking
Window
this button will usually get it back for you.

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 Creo Parametric has a number of pre-defined saved views
Named
which enable you to view your model in different
Views
orientations such as BACK, BOTTOM, FRONT, and TOP.

The display of datum features can be toggled on Planes

and off from the datum display toolbar.
Axes
Datum
Display Points
Coordinate
Systems

Wireframe
The display of your model can be quickly set
Hidden Line
from the model display toolbar.
Model No Hidden
Display
Shading
Shading With
Reflections

This was a brief introduction to the PTC Creo Parametric User Interface. As
you progress through this activity you will explore and use many more
functions within PTC Creo Parametric.

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 10. Move your cursor over the center of
the sub and then:

 Roll the middle-mouse wheel

away from you to zoom out.
 Roll the middle-mouse wheel
towards you to zoom in.

Creo zooms in or out from the

location of your cursor when you
roll the mouse wheel. To zoom in
near your sub’s engines, move your
cursor there before rolling the
mouse wheel.

11. Hold down the middle-mouse

wheel and drag your mouse to spin
the sub.

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12. Hold down the SHIFT key and
middle-mouse wheel while you
drag your mouse to move or “pan”
your model.

13. When there are parts of the model

that can move – like the arms, lights,
and engines of the sub – press and
hold down the CTRL and ALT keys
while left-clicking and dragging the
parts to move them.

Sum of Parts
When modeling a product or assembly, most of the model tree consists of
a list of parts. These parts can be single parts or sub-assemblies of parts
(sort of like a model inside of a model). This means that there are
relationships between the parts in the list. All of the parts in a model are

23
 the children of that model. The top-level model is the parent. These
relationships are referred to as Parent-Child relationships and represent
which models own what parts.

It is these types of relationships that turn the model tree from a list into a
tree. These relationships will become important to you as you build your
own models.

14. To the left of the graphics display,

locate the Model Tree.

15. Identify the three parts: Datums,

Parts, and Insert Here location.

16. Place the cursor over the

BODY.ASM component in the
model tree and notice that it causes
the graphic model of the body to
be highlighted.

You can explore each of the parts in

the product model this way. Notice
that if you place the cursor on the
graphical model, the parts will
highlight and the corresponding
entries in the model tree will be
underlined.

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17. In the model tree, right-click on BODY.ASM and select
Open from the pop-up menu.

To open a pop-up menu, you must select something

and then hold down your right-mouse button.

You have opened the part model

of the body of the Deep Sea
Submarine. You can see that the
model tree only includes the parts
that make up the body.

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 18. From the Schools tab, Models group, click
on Windows:

 Notice that you now have two windows

open and that the BODY.ASM window
is the active one since it has a check
mark by it.

This is how you manage multiple models

when you have more than one window
open. The view tab allows you to switch
between windows or models. The check
mark indicates which window is active. You
can only make changes to a model in the
active window.

19. In the Model Tree, left click the gray

triangle next to INNER_SPHERE.prt to
see a list of its features.

Sum of Features
So far we have talked about how models of products or assembly models
are made up of a collection of parts. What about the model of a single
part? It isn’t a collection of parts; instead it is a collection of geometric
features.

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Geometric features are “chunks” of geometry that make up the model of
the part. If we look at the model tree of a part model we will see these
features.

Part models are different from assemblies or models of products

(collections of parts). Part models can have positive and negative features.
The features – or chunks of geometry – can add solid geometry or can
subtract solid geometry.

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 20. From Schools tab, click Close to close the
model of the body.

Display Styles
There are several different display styles that you can use to better
explore your models. These display styles allow you to show the model as
a solid or an outline where only the edges are displayed. Try each of these
styles so that you are familiar with them. It is also possible to change the
colors of the model.

21. From the In-Graphics toolbar, click

Display Style.

Notice that there are six different

display styles for the graphical
representation of the model.

22. Try each of the styles and see how it

changes the model display.

23. Choose whichever display style you

prefer to work with.

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24. From the Schools tab, Display
group, click the drop-down menu

under Appearance Gallery.

25. Select a color and then left-click on

the part you wish to change to that
color.

In an assembly model you can only

change the color of an entire part. If
you want to change the color of a
portion of a part, then you must
open the part model and make the
changes in that new window.

26. In the Select dialog box in the

upper-right corner of your screen,
click OK.

Notice that the color of the part you

selected has been entirely changed.

If you want to change the color of

different portions of a part you
must open the part model.

27. From the Schools tab, click Close to

close the Deep Sea Sub.

28. From the Home tab, Data group, click

Erase Not Displayed. Click OK to clear the
session from memory.

This clears the assembly model and parts

models from the internal memory of the
computer so that you can open new models.

All of the files are still in the folders on your

computer.

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 Review
So let’s review; there are two types of solid models: an assembly model,
which is a collection of part models for modeling products, and part
models, which are collections of positive and negative chunks of
geometry called features.

There are two types of representations for these models: procedural

(model tree) and graphical. We will use both in creating and modifying
these models.

There are references used in the creation of the models called datums.
These consist of coordinate systems, datum points, datum planes, and
datum axes.

PTC Creo Parametric is like a virtual art studio with different rooms that
correspond to the different modes within PTC Creo Parametric for doing
sketches, 3D modeling, assembly, etc.

You use your mouse to orient models in PTC Creo Parametric. Scrolling
the middle mouse wheel zooms in and out of the model. Pressing down
the middle mouse button and moving the mouse rotates the model.
Pressing the Shift key while holding down the middle mouse button and
moving the mouse pans the view.

Before we open a new model, let’s review what we did with the Deep Sea
Sub:

1. Set the Working Directory (Steps 2-3)

2. Opened the assembly model (Step 4)
3. Turned off the datum displays (Step 8)
4. Zoomed, rotated, and panned the model (Steps 10-13)
5. Moved the arms of the deep sea sub (Step 13)
6. Used the model tree to highlight each part in the
assembly (Step 16)
7. Opened one of the part models (Step 17)
8. Closed the part model (Step 20)
9. Changed the display style of the graphic representation (Step 21)
10. Change the color of a single part (Steps 24-26)
11. Closed the sub and erased the session from memory (Steps 27-28)

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 Practice Exercise
Let’s try each of these steps again with a different model.

1. Set your working directory

to the Quadcopter folder
and open the
quadcopter.asm model.

2. Try repeating all of the

steps you did with the
Deep Sea Sub using the
instructions for reference.

3. Try moving the propellers

since the Quadcopter
doesn’t have any arms.

Now that you have reviewed and practiced each of the steps with a new
model, see if you can answer these questions:

1. What is the purpose of setting a working directory?

2. How do you open a model file in PTC Creo Parametric?
3. How do you turn off the display of the datums?
4. Explain how to zoom, rotate, and pan a model.
5. How do you move any of the moving parts in a model?
6. How do you identify in the model tree the parts you see in the
graphical display?
7. Can you open any of the parts in the assembly model in a new
window? How?
8. How do you close a model and its associated window?
9. How many different display styles are there for a model? What do
they look like?
10. Explain how you change a part’s color.
11. After you close a model, why do you need to erase it from
memory and how do you do it?

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 FINAL ASSESSMENT

You will be working with the glider.asm model in the Glider folder. Do the following steps. At the end
of each step do a screen capture and save the picture using the step number as its name. Your screen
images do not have to match EXACTLY the pictures shown. The pictures shown are to help as
references.

1. Set the working directory

and open the model. Turn
off the display of the
datums.

2. Open the cockpit and move

the control stick to watch
the ailerons move.

3. Open the landing gear

doors underneath the
cockpit and deploy the
landing gear.

32
4. Change the color of the
tail.

To select the entire tail, you

will need to highlight it in
the model tree.

5. Open the landing_gear.asm

model.

6. Close the landing gear

model.

7. Highlight the tail in the

model tree so that it is
highlighted in the graphical
representation.

8. Change the display style to

Hidden.

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 9. Close the model and erase
it from memory.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

34
 Exercise 2
Model Structure
35
36
Product Models and Part
Models
Product – or assembly – models are collections of part models. A part
model is a sum of positive and negative features or chunks of material as
shown below:

These two types of models allow

designers to create part models of all
the parts that make up a product and
then assemble them into the model of a product. This “cool” bike was
made by creating part models of the wheels, frame, pedals, seat, handle
bars, etc. and then combining them into an assembly model that
represents how the bike will look and operate as a complete product.

37
 1. Start PTC Creo Parametric
by double-clicking on the
icon or by going to the Start
Menu, finding PTC Creo
Parametric, and selecting
it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click

Select Working Directory .

This allows you to set the folder that PTC

Creo Parametric will use to open and save
files.

3. Navigate to the How to Model Almost

Anything folder:

 Double-click the Cool_Bike folder.

 Click OK.

38
4. From the Home tab, click Open

 Double-click
cool_bike_top_assembly.asm.

5. From the In Graphics toolbar:

 Click Datum Display Filters and disable the

display of all datum features.

Parts and Solid Modeling Operations

Part models represent the “solid” material that makes up a part. The solid
material could be made of anything like plastic or metal. In the computer,
this solid material is represented by volumes that are assigned material
properties like density and material type. Building part models using
volumes is referred to as “Solid Modeling.” Creating the volumes that
represent solid material is accomplished by creating features – or subsets
of volume that are added and subtracted to make the final part volume.

For example, the bike frame is constructed by creating an initial volume (a

positive feature) and then cutting away portions of that volume using
subsets of negative volume (a negative feature) to create the final shape.

39
 As discussed previously, part models are collections of positive and
negative features. Let’s talk about features and how they are constructed.
Features are “chunks” of geometry that can be positive or negative. They
are simply volumes. When constructing the model of a part, volumes are
added or subtracted to create the final shape. This is much like using
Venn diagrams to create set theoretic sums.

The “sets” in our solid modeling context are collections of points within a
volume. Each volume represents a different set of points and these
volumes can be unioned, differenced, or intersected. First, we must

40
construct the volumes. Then we can apply the set theoretic operations of
union and difference.

Constructing Volumes or Features

You are probably familiar with primitive geometric shapes, such as
spheres, cubes, and pyramids. Since these are 3D shapes, they have a
defined volume. Analyzing these 3D shapes, you will notice they are
constructed from extending 2D sketches into 3D. This is the process we
will use when creating features in PTC Creo Parametric, which will result in
forming our models. There are four basic operations for doing this and
we will look at each one.

First of all, we must start with a 2D sketch. There are special requirements
for creating a robust 2D sketch which we need to follow:

1. 2D sketches must be on the same plane.

2. 2D sketches must be closed, meaning there are no openings in
the sketch.
3. 2D sketches should not have any dangling edges or free
floating geometry.

Let’s look at each of these cases:

Once we have a good 2D cross section, we can use it to create volume

using four different operations that extends it into 3D space.

Four Operations
There are four basic operations that are used to create volumes or
features.

41
 Extrude is taking a cross-section and extending it in a straight line into
3D as shown.

Revolve is taking the cross-section and revolving it about an axis as

shown.

Sweep is taking the cross-section and sweeping it along a curve as

shown.

42
Blend is taking two or more cross-sections and blending between them
along a curve.

Using these four operations, it is possible to construct a significant

number of 3D models. There are other additional operations, but since
these four can represent almost all types of 3D parts, we will work with
them first.

Boolean Addition and Subtraction

Once you have created a volume, you can then create a second volume
and add or subtract it from the first one to create a new shape. This can
continue volume after volume until you have created the final shape of
the part you desire. For example, here is a sphere and a rectangular cube.
In the first situation they are added together. In the second the
rectangular cube is subtracted from the sphere.

43
 Therefore, using the four operations for creating volumes and then
adding or subtracting them allows for a great deal of diversity in the 3D
models.

6. In the model tree:

 Right-click COOL_BIKE_FRAME.PRT
and then select Open from the pop-up
menu.
To open a pop-up menu you must first
select something and then hold down your
right-mouse button.

7. Left-click and drag the Insert Here

arrow up and release it, just under the
Extrude 5 feature.

Notice that this is the first volume in the

model tree. Since it creates solid
material, it is a positive feature.

44
8. Click to expand the Extrude 5
feature.

9. Right-click on Section 1 and

select Edit Definition.

You have entered the Sketch

mode of PTC Creo Parametric.
The 2D sketch that was
extruded to make the first
volume is now displayed.

In this mode, you are able to

make changes to any of the
parameters of the sketch.

10. Click OK to accept the cross-section

and exit out of Sketch mode.

45
 11. Drag the Insert Here arrow below Extrude 6.

Notice that Extrude 6 removes solid material. This is

a negative feature.

12. Click to expand the Extrude 6 feature.

13. Right-click on Section 1 and select Edit

Definition.

You again have access to the

section parameters and can see
how the section was created using
five line segments.

14. Click OK to accept the cross-

section and exit out of Sketch
mode.

46
15. Drag the Insert Here arrow
below Chamfer 2 at the bottom
of the Model Tree.

You can see that there are many

different features that make up
the cool bike frame model
including chamfers and rounds,
which angle or round the edges
of the volumes.

Notice also that there is a Shell

feature. A shell feature hollows
out the volume and makes the
walls of the volume thin, like a tin
can.

16. Rotate and zoom the model to

explore the different features.

Materials can also be assigned to the models to ensure that all of the
calculations and simulations are in the context of the appropriate material
properties. For example, calculating the weight of a part requires the
appropriate material density.

Now that we have the final volume for the frame

of the bike, we can assign material properties to
it so that it represents the type of material we
want to make it out of.

17. From the File tab, select Prepare, then select

Model Properties.

47
 Notice that a material has not been
assigned to this part.

18. From the Model Properties dialog

box, select change to the right of
Material.

19. From the Materials

dialog box, double-click
on a material to select it
and assign it to the
model.

20. To see the material

properties, right-click on
the material and select
Properties.

48
 The Material Definition dialog box will show the values of the
material properties including the density and other important
factors.

21. In the Material Definition dialog box, click Cancel.

22. In the Materials dialog box, click OK.

23. In the Model Properties dialog box, click Close.

Let’s change some colors on this part model to see how it is

different from changing colors in an assembly model.

24. From the Schools tab, Display group, click the drop-down

menu under Appearance Gallery.

25. Select a color by left-clicking on it.

49
 26. Move the cursor over the part model and notice how
each of the individual surfaces highlight as you move
over them.

This shows which surfaces will be selected when you

click. If you want to select more than one surface at a
time, hold CTRL on the keyboard while you click.

27. Once you have selected all of the surfaces you

want to color, click OK in the upper-right corner of
the screen.

Editing Part Models

Once a part model has been created, it is possible to edit its features and
make changes to it. Since there are two representations of the model –
the procedural representation (model tree) and the graphical
representation – it is possible to “go back in time” and walk step-by-step
through the construction of the part model to see how it was constructed.
Let’s start with a model of a “cool car” and focus on the part model of one
of the wheels.

By moving the Insert Here arrow up and down in the model tree you can
move back to the first feature and then step one feature at a time through
the construction of the model.

50
 The procedural representation is like a software program. You can make
changes to the parameters or dimensions and then the model can be
regenerated, which means that it is re-executed to incorporate all of the
changes.

28. From the Model Tree, right-click on

HANDLE_BARS and select Edit

from the pop-up menu.

51
 29. Double-click on the dimension 6.000 as
shown.

30. Change the value to 8.000 and press

ENTER.

Notice that the holes change position automatically. When

you edit the parameters, PTC Creo Parametric
automatically regenerates the procedural representation
to create the new model.

31. From the Schools tab, click Close to close the

model of the bike frame.

Notice that when you close the part file, you are
returned to the cool bike assembly model and the
color changes have been added to the model.

52
 However, if you look closely, the
changes in the hole locations
have left the handle bars
misplaced. In order to update
the model, we need to make
PTC Creo Parametric regenerate.

32. From the Schools tab, select

Regenerate to update the

model.

Notice that the handle bars are now in the

correct location.

33. From the Schools tab, click Close to close the Cool Bike.

34. From the Home tab, Data group, click Erase Not Displayed.

35. Click OK to clear the session from memory.

53
 Review
There are two types of models: part models, which are sums of positive
and negative volumes, and product models, which are assemblies of part
models.

There are four basic operations that are used to create part models:

1. Extrude – extending a 2D cross section in a straight line to

create a volume
2. Revolve – revolving a 2D cross section around an axis to
create a volume
3. Sweep – sweeping a 2D Cross section along a path to create a
volume
4. Blend – blending multiple 2D cross sections into a volume

Once the volumes are created, they are summed using Boolean algebra.
This means that the volumes can be positive (to add material) or
negative (to subtract material) and when summed they produce the final
part shape. Creating part models using volumes is called Solid Modeling.

The procedural representation of the part model is really a software

program that can be re-executed to produce a new model by changing
parameters in the volumes and then regenerating the model.

54
 Let’s review what we did with the cool bike model:

1. Set the working directory and opened the assembly model of the
cool bike. (Steps 1-4)
2. Explored a part model by moving the Insert Here arrow in the
model tree. (Steps 7-15)
3. Examined the sketches that were extruded to make positive and
negative volumes. (Steps 8-13)
4. Assigned material properties to the model. (Steps 17-23)
5. Changed the color of the surfaces of the model. (Steps 24-27)
6. Edited the parameters of the model and updated the assembly
model using the Regenerate tool. (Steps 28-32)
7. Closed the model and erased it from session memory. (Step 33-35)

Practice Exercise
Let’s try each of these steps again with a different model.

1. Set your working directory to

the Cool_Car folder and
open the
cool_car_top_level_assembl
y.asm model.

2. Try repeating all of the steps

you did with the Cool Bike
using the instructions for
reference.

3. Try opening the

COOL_CAR_BODY.PRT and
exploring how it was made as
well as assigning it a material
and changing its colors.

55
 Now that you have reviewed and practiced each of the steps with a new
model, try answering these questions:

1. What does the Insert Here arrow do when you move it up and
down in the model tree?
2. Why is it useful to move the Insert Here arrow in the model tree?
3. How do you examine the sketches that were extruded to create
the volumes?
4. How do you assign a material property to a model?
5. How do you change the colors of the surfaces of a part?
6. How is changing the color of surfaces different than changing the
color of a part in an assembly model?
7. Can you change the values of the parameters of a part? How?
8. How do you update a model when the parameters have changed?

56
 Final Assessment

You will be working with the cool_plane.asm model in the Cool_Plane folder. Do the following steps.
At the end of each step take a screen capture and save the picture using the step number as its name.
Submit these pictures for grading.

1. Set the working directory and open

the model. Turn off the display of the
datum.

2. Open the COCKPIT.PRT and move the

Insert Here arrow up under the first
revolve.

3. Examine the sketch that was revolved

to create the cockpit volume.

57
 4. Move the Insert Here arrow back
to the bottom of the Model Tree.

5. Assign plastic_acrylic material

properties to the model of the
cockpit.

6. Change the color of the outside

surface of the cockpit.

58
7. Change the value of the
parameter of Extrude 3 so that it
places the hole 0.60 units from
reference point.

8. Close the cockpit model and

update the Cool Plane assembly
model so that the tail assembly
fits into the hole correctly.

9. Close the Cool Plane assembly

and erase it from the session
memory.

Congratulations!!! You have completed this exercise.

59
60
 Exercise 3
Model Analysis
61
62
 Model Analysis & Simulation
USING MODELS TO UNDERSTAND FORCES, MOTION, & PROPERTIES

Model Analysis
When products are being developed in a product development process, a
necessary step is to predict how they will perform in the real world. One
of the objectives in building models of parts and products in PTC Creo is
to discover how they might function in the real world, BEFORE they are
actually built. Once a model has been created, it can be interrogated to
learn length, width, surface area, volume, angles, diameters, etc. These
types of measurements help designers determine whether their proposed
designs will fit in a given location, will be too heavy or too light, or will
cost too much.

Let’s get started looking at measurements in PTC Creo.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double-clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding
PTC Creo Parametric, and
selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click

Select Working Directory .

Remember that this allows you to set

the folder that PTC Creo Parametric will
use to open and save files.

63
 3. Navigate to the How to Model
Almost Anything folder:

• Double-click the Ornithopter

folder.
• Click OK.

4. From the Home tab, click Open :

• Double-click
top_level_assembly.asm.

5. Notice that the datum planes

are displayed.

6. In the model tree, notice the

procedural representation of
the model.

64
7. From the In Graphics toolbar:

• Click Datum Display

Filters and disable the

display of all datum
features.

This is a model of Da Vinci’s

Ornithopter.

If the model of the Ornithopter were to be made of wood, it would be

helpful to know how much total wood would be required to determine
the cost of the final kit. PTC Creo can calculate the total volume of an
assembly like this very quickly.

8. From the Analysis tab, Measure

group, click Measure.

9. In the Measure dialog box, select

Volume.

65
 10. Select the entire assembly by left clicking on
TOP_LEVEL_ASSEMBLY.ASM in the Model Tree.

11. The total volume of the

Ornithopter will now be displayed.

If each part was made out of the same type of wood, the cost of the entire
kit of materials would then be:

Total Cost = (45.2584 in3)*(Price of Wood $/in3)

This is very useful for predicting the cost of manufacturing products.

It is also possible to determine length, width, diameter, angle, etc. Let’s try
measuring some of these values.

66
12. From the Measure dialog box,
click Length.

13. Measure the length of one of the

edges in the Ornithopter by left-
clicking on it as shown.

14. From the Measure dialog box,

click Angle.

15. To measure the angle between

two edges, left-click on the first
edge and then press and hold the
CTRL key while left-clicking the
second edge.

16. From the Measure dialog box, click

Diameter.

17. Left-click on the outer edge of one of the

gears to measure its diameter.

67
 18. From the Measure dialog

box, click Area.

19. Left-click on a flat surface to

measure surface area.

20. Close the Measure dialog box by

clicking the X in the upper right-hand
corner.

There are other properties that are important in understanding how a

product will behave in the real world. For example, the center of gravity of
a product represents the point at which all its mass seems to be acting.
This is important for tipping studies. If the center of gravity is too high
with respect to the overall shape of the product, there may be a chance
that the product will tip over. PTC Creo can calculate the center of gravity
of a model mathematically.

68
 It is very difficult to calculate the center of gravity without a computer
model even if you were to build it out of real materials.

There are other properties that are related to the mass of the product and
are therefore called “mass properties.” These include volume, weight,
moments of inertia, etc. All of these can be calculated for a given part or
assembly.

21. From the Analysis tab, Measure

group, select Mass Properties.

22. In the Mass Properties dialog box, click Preview.

69
 Notice that the volume,
surface area, average
density and mass have all
been calculated. You can
scroll down to see the
other properties. Note that
the center of gravity is
displayed as a coordinate
system in the graphics area.

23. Click OK to close the Mass Properties dialog box.

All of these mass properties depend on the material you will make the
parts out of. Therefore, it is easy to explore the differences by changing
the materials. This can be helpful in determining which materials to use
when building the product.

Units become important as well. It is easy to translate a model from one

set of units to another.

70
24. From the File tab, select Prepare, and then click
Model Properties.

25. From the Model Properties

dialog box, click change next to
Units.

The Units Manager dialog box will allow you to change the
units of your model. For now we’ll keep the original units.

26. Click Close in the Units Manager dialog box and Close the
Model Properties.

Simulation of the Real World

Now that we are able to measure the shape and size as well as the mass
properties of a product, we can simulate how the product will behave in
the real world. To simulate, we need to move to a different mode within
PTC Creo Parametric.

71
 27. From the Schools tab, click
Mechanism.

This moves you into the

mechanism mode which is a
virtual laboratory where you can
perform different experiments
with the model.

Notice that new symbols

appear on the model that
represent motion joints and
gear connections.

There is a new part to the Model Tree called the Mechanism

Tree. This contains all of the elements you will need to do
simulations.

28. In the Mechanism Tree, expand ANALYSES by clicking on the

gray arrow next to it.

29. Right-click Wing_Flapping (KINEMATICS) and select

Run.

This will start the simulation and PTC Creo Parametric will
calculate all the positions for the flapping of the wings.

72
30. Once the simulation is complete, expand the PLAYBACKS.

31. Right-click Wing_Flapping and select Play.

Collecting Data
Now that you have calculated a simulation of the wings flapping, it will be
valuable to collect data that can be used to analyze the motion of the
wings in terms of position, velocity and acceleration. Fortunately, since the
simulation was done in the computer, it is possible to take data at any
point on the model.

32. In the Animate dialog box, click Play to start the

animation and use the slider to speed up or slow
down the playback.

You can also capture the simulation as a video using

the Capture button so that it can be played outside of
PTC Creo.

33. Click Close.

73
 34. From the Mechanism tab,

Analysis group, select

Measures.

35. In the Measure Results dialog box, click

Create new measure.

36. In the Measure

Definition dialog box,
change the name to
Position.

37. Left-click on a point at

the end of the wing as
shown and click OK.

74
38. Create another measure by clicking on Create new
measure again and then changing the name to
Velocity.

39. In the drop-down menu under Position, change the

type to Velocity.

40. Left-click on the same point on the end of the wing

and click OK.

41. Repeat steps 37 – 39 to create a measure called

Acceleration and change the type to Acceleration.

42. Click on the same point on the end of the wing and
then click OK.

75
 43. In the Measure Results dialog box, select all three data measures
by holding down the CTRL key and left-clicking on all three.

44. Under Result set, left-click on Wing-Flapping to select it.

45. Click Graph in the

upper part of the
Measure Results dialog
box to see the results.

76
46. Close the Measure Results
dialog box.

Keep the Graphtool open

while closing.

47. In the Mechanism Tree, right-click on

Wing_Flapping under PLAYB ACKS and
select Play.

48. Use the buttons in the Animate dialog box

to play the animation. A red bar shows the
location in the plot of the data.

77
 49. Close all of the dialog boxes and select Don’t Save to exit out of
Mechanism mode.

50. From the Schools tab, click Close to close the Ornithopter.

51. From the Home tab, Data group, click Erase Not Displayed.
Click OK to clear the session from memory.

Review
Let’s review what we have been able to do with the Ornithopter model:

1. Measured the total volume, lengths, angles, diameter, and surface

area of parts in the model (Steps 8-20)
2. Calculated the mass properties and center of gravity of the model
(Steps 21-23)
3. Learned how to change the units of the model (Steps 24-26)
4. Simulated motion of the wings flapping by running a simulation
(Steps 27-31)
5. Collected data from the simulation and graphed it (Steps 31-48)

These measurements, simulations, and data collection are very powerful

tools that help designers create new products.

78
 Practice Exercise
Let’s try each of these actions again but with a new model.

1. Set your working directory to the Jet_Pack folder

and open the jet_pack.asm model.

2. Try repeating all of the steps you did with the

Ornithopter using the instructions for reference.

3. The simulation will activate all of the motion in the

model so the wings, arm controls, and heads-up
displays will move. You can take data on any of
them.

Now that you have had a chance to practice each of the steps in the
simulation exercise with a new model, try answering these questions:

1. Why is a model useful for making measurements and how do you

make those measurements in PTC Creo?
2. What types of measurements can you make in PTC Creo?
3. Do you have to select all of the parts separately in order to
calculate the TOTAL volume of the assembly? How can you select
the entire assembly?
4. What are mass properties and why are they important in the
design of a product?
5. How do you change the units of a model?
6. What is simulation and how is it important in the design of a
product?
7. How do you collect data from a simulation?

79
 Final Assessment

You will be working with the 0_FTC-Robot.asm model in the FTC Robot folder. Do the following steps.
At the end of each step take a screen capture and save the picture using the step number as its name.

1. Measure the total volume of

the robot

2. Calculate the center of

gravity of the robot.

80
3. Show how to change the
units of the model.

4. Run the simulation called:

“Robot” and click OK.

81
 5. Take data for the position of
the top of the hooks and
plot the data.

Congratulations!!! You have completed this exercise.

82
 Exercise 4
Assembly Constraints
83
84
Assembling Product Models
CREATING PRODUCT MODELS BY ASSEMBLING PARTS AND
SUBASSEMBLIES

Product Models
Assembling parts and subassemblies into a complete model of a product
is a part of the product development process. It is the integration of all of
the parts and pieces that make up a product.

Defining how parts come together in an assembly requires

the application of constraints that reduce the degrees of
freedom of a part. There are 6 degrees of freedom for any
given part. Three of these degrees follow the translation
axes and they are forward to back, side to side, and up and

85
 down movement. The other three follow rotation axes and rotate around
the X, Y, and Z axes.

Constraints are applied to reduce the degrees of freedom so that parts

are oriented to each other in the appropriate ways. It’s easier to
understand as you do it, so let’s get started.

We’ll begin by applying some basic constraints to an easy model and then
move on to more complex examples. The process of assembling product
models is called system integration and is an important part of product
development.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding
PTC Creo Parametric, and
selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group,

click Select Working Directory
.

Remember that this allows you to

set the folder that PTC Creo
Parametric will use to open and
save files.

86
3. Navigate to the How to Model
Almost Anything folder:

 Double-click the
Peg_Block_Assembly folder.
 Click OK.

4. From the Home tab, click New :

 Change the type of file to

Assembly.
 Type in “Peg_assembly” for the
file name.
 Click OK.

5. From the In Graphics toolbar:

 Click Datum Display Filters and

disable the display of all datum
features.

87
 6. From the Schools tab,

Assembly group, click

Assemble.

7. Select assembly_block.prt
and click Open.

The part will follow your cursor until

you left-click to drop it in the
Graphics Area.

8. Left-click anywhere in the Graphics

Area to drop the part.

The Orientation Sphere helps you

reposition a part once you have
dropped it.

88
 The first part in an assembly doesn’t
have any other parts to reference,
so it needs to be locked to the
origin.

9. From the Automatic pull-down

menu, choose Default.

Default locks the model to the

origin. If the first part is not placed
as default, then any kinematic
constraints will not function
properly

Notice that the part has changed

color, the orientation sphere has
disappeared, and it has the
“STATUS” of Fully Constrained.

10. Click the green checkmark to

complete placing the component.

Now that the first part is in place we can assemble other parts to it. If we
were to assemble a peg into one of the holes in the block it is intuitive
that we would insert it into the hole until it comes to rest. On a computer
it is less intuitive. We need to place constraints on the peg until it comes
to rest with the right placement.

89
 The first constraint we would use is to make the axes of the peg and the
hole coincident so they would line up. You can think of coincident as
another word for “touching”. Next we would need to make the underside
of the head of the peg coincident with the top of the block.

Assigning assembly constraints consists of selecting two surfaces at a

time. The first assembly constraint in this case would require us to select
the cylinder of the peg and the inside cylinder of the hole. PTC Creo
interprets the selection of those two surfaces as a coincident constraint
and aligns the axes.

The second assembly constraint would involve selecting the underside of

the head of the peg and the top of the block. Once again PTC Creo
interprets that to be a coincident constraint and aligns the flat surfaces.

Let’s do this in PTC Creo so you can see it happen.

90
11. Click Assemble:

 Select assembly_peg.prt.
 Click Open.

12. In the graphics area, click to place the peg

above your block as shown.

13. In the ribbon, click the Placement

tab to open it.

The Placement tab documents the

constraints as you create them. It
also allows you to edit the
constraints if you want to change
them.

The next step is to select the two appropriate surfaces to create a

constraint. PTC Creo helps you by highlighting the surfaces your cursor is
on so that you know what surface you would select if you were to left-
click.

91
 It is important to note that each click of the mouse tells PTC Creo to use a
new surface to make a constraint. You need to be careful not to click
unnecessarily. Only click to select the appropriate two surfaces.

14. If necessary, zoom in

on the peg.

15. Place your cursor on

the cylinder of the
peg and left-click
once to select it as
shown.

16. Hold SHIFT, middle-

click, and drag to pan
your model until you
can see your block.

17. Place your cursor on

the blue cylindrical
surface of the block
and left-click once to
select it.

You will notice that

the axes align
automatically.

92
 Notice that there is now a
coincident constraint under
the Placement tab with two
surfaces listed underneath it.

Also notice that four of the degrees of

freedom have been grayed out, indicating
that there are only two degrees left: up and
down (the green arrow), and rotation (the
green arc).

18. Middle-click and drag to rotate your

model so you can see the underside
of the peg.
19. Left-click on the flat bottom surface
to select it.

93
 20. Rotate your model again so you can see
the top of the block.
21. Left-click on the top yellow surface to
select it.

Notice that initially PTC Creo

defines a Distance constraint
between the peg and the
block. We need a Coincident
constraint.
22. Under the Placement tab,
open the drop-down menu
next to Distance and select
Coincident.

94
23. Click Complete Component .

Congratulations! You have successfully assembled your first two parts.

Assembly models are created by assembling each part one at a time until
the complete product model is constructed. If we know ahead of time
how parts will interact, we can set up prearranged constraints so that the
assembly process is easier. In the case of the peg and the block, the
selection of the cylindrical surface of the peg and the flat underside of the
top of the peg can be automatically predefined so that as you assemble
the peg you only need to click on the blue cylinder of the hole and the
yellow flat surface of the block. We’ll show you how this is done with a
new assembly model.

95
 Also, there are other types of constraints that we can use when
assembling to allow parts to move with respect to each other. These new
types of constraints are called kinematic constraints. So let’s try a little
more complicated model.

1. From the Quick Access Toolbar, click Close to close

the Peg Assembly.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click Erase Not

Displayed.

3. Click OK to clear the session from memory.

4. From the Home tab, Data group,

click Select Working
Directory.

5. Navigate to the How to Model

Almost Anything folder:

 Double-click the Lego_Truck

folder.
 Click OK.

96
6. From the Home tab, click
Open:

 Select truck_top_level.asm.
 Click Open

7. Click Assemble:

 Select
front_wheel.asm.
 Click Open.

8. In the graphics area,

click to place the wheel
near the truck as shown.

Notice that there are two constraints

that have been predefined. This
means that you just need to choose
the corresponding surfaces to place
the wheel.

9. If necessary, zoom in on the front

axle.

10. Left-click on the blue cylinder of the

axle.

11. Left-click on the yellow base of the

axle.

97
 The wheel is now assembled in the right
orientation.

12. Click Complete Component .

13. On your keyboard, hold down

CTRL + ALT and left-click and
drag the wheel to spin it.

The wheel spins around the

axle because we used a
kinematic constraint when we
assembled it.

98
 There are still a few parts
missing from the truck, let’s
finish assembling them now.

14. Click Assemble:

 Select engine_cover.asm.
 Click Open.

15. In the graphics area, click to

place the engine cover near
the truck as shown.

When you constrain a part with a curved surface (such as putting on the
wheels) the first step is to align the two axis’s. The alignment of these axis
constrains two of the translation axis and two of the rotation axis. This
eliminates 4 of the 6 degrees of freedom. Usually you only need to
constrain 2 more surfaces before the part is fully constrained.

When you are constraining a part with a flat surface (such as placing
bricks on top of each other) you must apply an additional constraint. The
alignment of flat surfaces only constrains 1 translation axis and 1
rotational axis. This only eliminates 2 of the 4 degrees of freedom. To
finish the constraint we will need to apply 3 total constraints which pair up
6 surfaces.

99
 Again we have applied the
constraints on part for you.
You just need to click on the
surfaces on the assembly to
complete the placement.

16. Click the blue surface first,

the yellow surface second,
and the green surface third.

The engine cover is now

assembled in the right
orientation.

17. Click Complete Component

.

18. Using what you have

learned, finish assembling
the trucking by putting on
two front_light.prt

If you are having trouble,

refer back to steps 7-12.

100
Congratulations, you have
finished assembling the Lego
Truck!

Review
Let’s review what we have been able to do in PTC Creo to this point:

1. Creating a new assembly (Step 4)

2. Assembling to first part into an assembly (Step 6-10)
3. Using the default constraint (Step 9)
4. Assembling a static component into an assembly (Step 11-23)
5. Defining a coincident constraint (Step 14-17)
6. Modifying a constraint type (Step 22)

Now that you have had a chance to practice each of the steps in the PTC
Creo, try answering these questions:

1. What are constraints and how are parts assembled in PTC Creo
Parametric?
2. What are degrees of freedom? How many are there?
3. How do you know if a degree of freedom has been constrained?
4. What do you always do to the first part in an assembly?
5. How do you make an assembly constraint? What do you click on?
6. What do we call a constraint that allows parts to move with
respect to each other?

101
 Practice Exercise
Let’s see if you can use the skills learned thus far to put together the
glider model from Exercise 1.

1. Set your working directory to the

Glider_Assembly folder.

2. Click New .

 Change type to Assembly.

 Type “Glider_top_level” as the

name.

3. Assemble fuselage_assembly.asm
with a default constraint

If you are having trouble, refer

back to steps 7-10 of the peg and
block activity.

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4. Assemble wing_left.asm,
wing_right.asm, and tail.asm to
the glider.

Assemble by clicking the blue,

yellow and then green surfaces.

If you are having trouble, refer

back to steps 14-17 of the Lego
truck activity.

5. When you have finished

assembling the parts you should
have a completed glider!

FINAL ASSESSMENT
Begin by opening the Mars rover model in PTC Creo Parametric and
follow the instructions here:

1. Open mars_rover.asm (Located in

the Mars_Rover folder of How to
Model Almost Anything) in PTC Creo
Parametric.

103
 2. Assemble the antenna (antenna.prt)
to the rear left hole of the rover.

3. Assemble the Radar Subassembly

(radar_subassembly.asm) to the
rear right hole of the rover.

4. Assemble the Eye Pole Subassembly

(eye_pole_subassembly.asm) to the
front hole of the rover.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

104
 Exercise 5
Assembling Systems
105
106
Sub-assemblies & Product
Models
CREATING SUBASSEMBLIES AND FULL PRODUCT MODELS

Creating Sub-assemblies
An important part of modeling products is to determine the sub-systems
that make up the product and the corresponding sub-assembly models.
This can often be represented using tree graphs.

Here is an example tree graph of the DaVinci Ornithopter showing the

various sub-systems that make up the product. Each of the sub-systems
can be modeled as a separate assembly model within PTC Creo.

107
 Let’s begin by examining a toy car product model and dividing it up into
its appropriate sub-assemblies.

Consider a toy car model as shown in its exploded state. What parts
should be grouped into sub-systems?

Each wheel and tire could be a sub-system and then two wheel-tire sub-
systems connected to an axle could be another sub-system. The chassis
with two of the wheel-tire-axle sub-systems could be another sub-system.
Finally, the windows could be grouped with the car body to create a sub-
system. The final assembly could then just be assembling the chassis sub-
system with the motor mechanism and the car body sub-system.

108
 If we create an assembly file for each of the sub-systems, our product
model will match our sub-system strategy. So let’s begin.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double-clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding
PTC Creo Parametric, and
selecting it.

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 2. From the Home tab, Data group, click
Select Working Directory .

Remember that this allows you to set the

folder that PTC Creo Parametric will use to
open and save files.

3. Navigate to the How to Model

Almost Anything folder.

 Double-click the Car folder.

 Click OK.

4. From the Home tab, click New :

 Change the type of file to Assembly.

 Type in “Wheel_Subsystem” for the
file name.
 Click OK.

110
5. From the In Graphics toolbar:

 Click Datum Display Filters and

disable the display of all datum
features.

6. From the Schools tab, Assembly group, click

Assemble.

7. Select Wheel.prt and click

Open.

The part will follow your cursor until you left-

click to drop it in the Graphics Area.

8. Left-click anywhere in the Graphics Area to

drop the part.

The Orientation Sphere helps you reposition a

part once you have dropped it.

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 The first part in an assembly doesn’t
have any other parts to reference,
so it needs to be locked to the
origin.

9. From the Automatic pull-down

menu, choose Default.

Default locks the model to the

origin.

Notice that the part has changed

color, the orientation sphere has
disappeared, and it has the
“STATUS” of Fully Constrained.

10. Click The green check mark .

112
 Now that the wheel is in place, let’s add
the tire to it. We will need two
constraints to align the tire to the wheel.
The first constraint will be to align the
axes of each and the second will be to
align the edge of the wheel to the edge
of the tire.

11. Click Assemble:

 Select Tire.prt.
 Click Open.

12. In the graphics area, click to place the tire

next to the wheel as shown.

13. In the ribbon, click the Placement tab to

open it.

The Placement tab documents the

constraints as you create them. It also allows
you to edit the constraints if you want to
change them.

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 Since there are no predefined constraints in this model, you will need to
select two surfaces to define each of the constraints. To begin let’s select
two cylindrical surfaces to align the axes of the tire with the wheel.

14. If necessary, zoom in on the

tire.

15. Place your cursor on the

cylindrical surface on the
inside of the tire, and left
click as shown.

You may find it easier to see

component in separate

window.
This will open a new smaller
window with only the
component that will be easier
to see and manipulate.
There is also a way of
showing the new component
only in this window, not in
the main window.

114
16. Hold SHIFT, middle-
click, and drag to pan
your model until you
can see the wheel.

17. Place your cursor on

the cylindrical surface
of the wheel and left-
click once to select it.

You will notice that the axes

align automatically.

Notice that there is now a

coincident constraint under
the Placement tab with two
surfaces listed underneath it.

115
 Also notice that four of the degrees of
freedom have been grayed out,
indicating that there are only two
degrees left: up and down (the red
arrow), and rotation (the red arc).

18. Middle-click and drag to rotate your

model so you can see the side of
the tire with a larger opening.

19. Place your mouse on the inside flat

surface of the tire and left click to
select.

116
20. Rotate your model again so you can see
the inside surface of the wheel.

21. Left-click on the rim surface that is

colored blue to select it.

Depending on how you have

arranged the wheel and tire
PTC Creo will most likely
create a distance constraint.

22. Under the Placement tab or

in the dashboard open the
drop-down menu next to
Distance and select
Coincident.

If, by mistake, you made an

unwanted select of a surface
you may right-click on it and
chose Remove.

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 Your wheel-tire assembly
should look like this. The Flip
option allows you to change
the orientation of flat surface
constraints since there are
two possible options for each
flat surface constraint.

23. Click green check mark .

24. Now save this sub-assembly by

clicking Save under the File menu
and then click OK in the dialog box.

25. Finish by selecting Close under the

File menu.

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 Congratulations! You have successfully created your first sub-assembly.
Now let’s continue and create the axle sub-assembly.

26. From the Home tab, click New :

 Change the type of file to

Assembly.
 Type in “Axle_Subsystem” for
the file name.
 Click OK.

27. From the Schools tab,

Assembly group, click

Assemble.

28. Select axle.prt and click

Open.

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 The part will follow your cursor until you left-click to drop it in
the Graphics Area.

29. Left-click anywhere in the Graphics Area to drop the part.

The Orientation Sphere helps you reposition a part once you

have dropped it.

The first part in an assembly doesn’t

have any other parts to reference,
so it needs to be locked to the
origin.

30. From the Automatic pull-down

menu, choose Default.

Default locks the model to the

origin.

Notice that the part has changed

color, the orientation sphere has
disappeared, and it has the
“STATUS” of Fully Constrained.
31. Click on the green check mark .

Now that the axle is in place, let’s add the wheel sub-system to it. We will
again need two constraints to align the axle to the wheel sub-system. The
first constraint will be to align the axes of each and the second will be to
align the edge of the axle to the inside edge of the wheel subsystem.

120
32. Click Assemble:

 Select wheel_subsystem.asm.
 Click Open.

33. In the graphics area, click to place the

wheel sub-assembly next to the axle.

34. In the ribbon, click the Placement

tab to open it.

The Placement tab documents the

constraints as you create them. It
also allows you to edit the
constraints if you want to change
them.

Since there are no predefined constraints again in this model, you will
need to select two surfaces to define each of the constraints. To begin
let’s select two cylindrical surfaces to align the axes of the wheel sub-
assembly with the axle.

35. Place your cursor on the cylindrical surface inside the

wheel sub-assembly and left-click once to select it as
shown.

The surface numbers (Surf:F10(EXTRUDE_3)) may not

match your model and that is OK. Just find the right
surface visually and select it.

121
 36. Place your cursor on the
cylindrical surface of the axle
and left-click once to select it.

You will notice that the axes

align automatically.

37. If necessary, left click and

drag the blue arrow in the
orientation sphere to move
the wheel off the axle as
shown.

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 In order to change the
highlighted surface you
may right-click on it.
This way you may select
a surface from behind
the surface highlighted.
You also may long
right-click on a surface
to get the menu with
next/previews/pick from
list options in order to
select the wanted
surface of a complex
model.

38. Rotate and zoom to

select the inner flat
surface of the wheel as
shown.

123
 39. Middle-click and drag to rotate your
model so you can see the end of
the axle.

40. Place your mouse on the flat end

and left-click to select it.

41. Change the distance constraint to

coincident using the pull down menu in
the Placement tab.

42. Click on the green check mark .

43. Repeat this procedure to place a

second wheel sub-assembly on
the other side of the axle.

44. Because PTC Creo remembers

how you constrained the first
wheel sub-assembly, you will
only need to select the axle
cylinder and the end of the axle.

You may have to Flip the second

constraint to make sure the
wheel is oriented correctly.

124
45. Now save this sub-assembly by
clicking Save under the File menu
and then click OK in the dialog box.

Now that we have completed the axle sub-assembly, let’s move on to the
chassis sub-assembly. Notice that because we created the wheel sub-
assembly when we constructed the axle sub-assembly we could use the
wheel sub-assembly twice. We will do the same thing when we create the
chassis sub-assembly.

46. From the Home tab, click New :

 Change the type of file to

Assembly.
 Type in “Chassis_Subsystem”
for the file name.
 Click OK.

125
 47. From the Schools tab,

Assembly group, click

Assemble.

48. Select chassis.prt and click

Open.

The part will follow your cursor until

you left-click to drop it in the
Graphics Area.

49. Left-click anywhere in the Graphics

Area to drop the part.

The Orientation Sphere helps you

reposition a part once you have
dropped it.

126
50. From the Automatic pull-down
menu, choose Default.

Remember that Default locks the

model to the origin.

Notice that the part has changed

color, the orientation sphere has
disappeared, and it has the
“STATUS” of Fully Constrained.
51. Click the green check mark .

The surfaces you will need to use in assembling the axle sub-systems to
the chassis have been highlighted with yellow and blue colors. Because
you want the wheels and axles to spin in the chassis you will need to use a
kinematic constraint called a “Pin” joint. A pin joint is similar to the
constraints you have been using. It is found under the User Defined pull
down menu in the assembly dashboard. Let’s walk through the first axle
placement and then you can do the second one.

127
 52. Click Assemble:

 Select axle_subsystem.asm.
 Click Open.

53. In the Graphics area, left click to place the

axle sub-assembly next to the chassis.

54. In the ribbon, click the Placement

tab to open it.

Because we want the axles to spin, we will use the Pin constraint under
the User Defined pull down menu.

55. Open the pull down menu under

User Defined and select Pin.

128
56. Place your cursor on
the cylindrical surface
of the axle and left-
click once to select it
as shown.

57. Place your cursor on

the cylindrical surface
of the groove in the
chassis and left-click
once to select it.

You will notice that

the axes align
automatically.

129
 58. Select the surface inside the
wheel.

59. Rotate and zoom so

that you can see and
select the flat surface on
the side of the chassis
as shown.

130
60. Change the Coincident constraint to
a Distance constraint

61. Set the Offset value to .125 and

then press Enter.

62. Click the green check mark .

63. Test to see that the wheels spin by

pressing and holding CTRL-ALT and
left-clicking and dragging on the wheels
to spin them.

64. Repeat this procedure to

place a second axle sub-
assembly on the other side of
the chassis.

Because PTC Creo remembers

how you constrained the first
axle sub-assembly, you will
only need to select the yellow
groove and the blue side of
the chassis.

131
 65. Now save this sub-assembly by
clicking Save under the File menu
and then click OK in the dialog box.

66. Finish by selecting Close under the

File menu.

When you save this sub-assembly

PTC Creo may warn you that the
model is not regenerated. This is
because of the kinematic
constraints. Regenerating the model
will place the wheels back in the
original position. Since this is not
important for this model, just click
OK.

Now we have created three sub-assemblies; the wheel sub-system, the

axle sub-system, and the chassis sub-system. We need to build one more
sub-system, the car body and windows sub-system, before we can
assemble the complete product assembly model.

67. From the Home tab, click New :

 Change the type of file to

Assembly.
 Type in
“Body_Windows_Subsystem”
for the file name.
 Click OK.

132
68. From the Schools tab,

Assembly group, click

Assemble.

69. Select body.prt and click

Open.

70. Left-click anywhere in the Graphics

Area to drop the part.

133
 71. From the Automatic pull-down
menu, choose Default.

Notice that the part has changed

color, the orientation sphere has
disappeared, and it has the
“STATUS” of Fully Constrained.

72. Click the green check mark .

73. Click Assemble:

 Select Windows.prt.
 Click Open.

74. In the Graphics area, click to place

the windows part next to the
body.

134
 The windows were designed based
on the car body, so they can also be
assembled using a Default
constraint.

75. From the Automatic pull-down

menu, choose Default.

76. Click the check mark to finish

placing the windows in the
assembly.

77. Now save this sub-assembly by

clicking Save under the File menu
and then click OK in the dialog box.

78. Finish by selecting Close under the

File menu.

135
 We are now ready to assemble the final product model. All of the sub-
systems are modeled and we can assemble the complete product.

79. From the Home tab, click New :

 Change the type of file to

Assembly.
 Type in “Red_Car” for the file
name.
 Click OK.

80. From the Schools tab,

Assembly group, click

Assemble.

81. Select chassis_subsystem.asm and

click Open.

136
82. Left-click anywhere in the Graphics
Area to drop the part.

83. From the Automatic pull-down

menu, choose Default.

84. Click the green check mark .

Now let’s put the motor mechanism in place in the chassis.

137
 85. Click Assemble:

 Select gearbox_sub.asm.
 Click Open.

86. In the Graphics area, click to place

the motor mechanism sub-
assembly next to the chassis.

87. Select the side of the motor

mechanism.

88. Now select the blue surface inside

of the motor mount on the chassis
as shown.

138
89. Select the back of the motor
mechanism.

90. Select the green surface inside the

motor mount.

139
 91. Select the bottom of the motor
mechanism.

92. Select the yellow surface inside the

motor mount.

You may need to change from a

Distance constraint to a Coincident
constraint.

93. Click the green check mark .

140
94. Click Assemble:

 Select
car_body_windows_subsystem
.asm.
 Click Open.

95. In the Graphics Area, click to place

the car body windows sub-
assembly next to the chassis.

96. Rotate the car body so that you can

see underneath and select the inside
of the hole on the front of the car
body as shown.

97. Now select the blue

cylindrical surface of the
front peg on the chassis.

141
 98. Repeat step 96 with the hole located
at the rear of the car body.

99. Select the blue cylindrical surface of

the rear peg on the chassis.

Make sure that the constraint is a

Coincident constraint.

142
100. For the final constraint, select the
top surface of the hole located in
the front of the body as shown.

101. Select the top of the round post in

the front of the chassis as shown.

Make sure that the constraint is a

Coincident constraint.

143
 102. Click the green check mark .

103. You can see all of the parts in the

product model by selecting
Exploded View from the Model tab
in the upper menu.

104. You can also see the assembly

references in the form of a tree by
clicking on Reference Viewer on
the far right of the Model tab and
then select Dependencies.

This is a way of understanding

assemblies and sub-assemblies.

144
105. Now save this final assembly model
by clicking Save under the File
menu and then click OK in the
dialog box.

106. Finish by selecting Close under the

File menu and Erase Not
Displayed.

Review
The assembly modeling that you have completed may seem a little
tedious but by following these methods you can create models of
products more efficiently. So let’s review what we have been able to do in
PTC Creo:

1. How to divide a product into its sub-systems and appropriate sub-

assemblies (Pages 2-4)
2. Create a sub-assembly model and save it (Steps 1-25)
3. Create multiple sub-assembly models (Steps 26-78)
4. Create a final product model using the sub-assemblies you
created earlier (Steps 79-102)
5. Exploded the final assembly (Step 103)
6. Explored the dependency tree (Step 104)

This method of creating sub-assemblies before creating the final product

model saves time and organizes your models.

Practice Exercise
So let’s try each of these actions again but with a new model.

145
 This is the model of a proposed nano-probe that would be used to do cell
repair in the human body. This system is different than the red car. It has
sub-systems but all of the subsystems are single parts that do not
reference each other. For example notice the yellow pumps. There are 12
of them and together they form a subsystem within the nano-probe,
however they all assemble independently into the shell of the nano-probe
so rather than create a sub-assembly model with just the pumps, we will
assemble them in the top level product model and then group them into
a subsystem. We will take this same approach with the red sensors and
green sensors. This will allow us also to explore using patterns to
assemble parts. Let’s get started.

146
1. Set your working directory to the
Nano Probe folder in the How To
Model Almost Anything Folder and
then create a New assembly called
“Nanoprobe_product_model”.

If you need help remembering how to

create a new assembly file look at step
4.

2. Assemble the Nano_sphere

component into the assembly file and
apply the Default constraint.

Refer to Steps 6-10.

147
 3. Insert the red
acoustic relay using
the constraints
shown.

4. Insert a single
pump using the
constraints
shown.

5. Now left click to select

the pump in the model
tree on the left and then
select Pattern in the
Model tab.

148
6. Change the Reference pull down menu to Axis.

7. Left click to select the Z-

AXIS.

You will have to turn on

the datum display in
order to select the Z-
AXIS. This will be
attached to the
coordinate system in the
center of the model.

149
 8. Change the number of
instances to 6 and then click
the 360 degree tool.

You will see 6 dots indicating

where the pumps will be
assembled.

9. Now click the check mark to finish the patterned

assembly.

10. Repeat steps 5-9 for the next row of pumps.

The distance offset for the constraint is .375.

150
11. Hold CTRL and left-click on the two patterns in
the model tree.
12. Right-click and select Group.

13. Right-click on your new Group and select

Rename. Type “Pump_subsystem” and
press ENTER.

Notice that now you have a group for the

pumps, when you hover over it in the
model tree it highlights all of the pumps.
In this way you have created a
subsystem.

151
 14. Next, assemble the
green sensor in the
same way and pattern
it to create 8.

15. Now repeat this to

assemble the red
sensor.

16. Finally assemble the

inner probe as shown.

152
17. You can edit and change constraints by right clicking
in the model tree on the part or sub-assembly you
wish to change and selecting Edit Definition.

18. Then open the Placement tab and

click on the constraint you wish to
edit. There will be two surfaces
associated with each constraint. You
can right click and select Remove
to select a new surface or right click
on the constraint and select Delete
to eliminate the constraint all
together.

19. Finish by saving your assembly.

153
 Now that you have had a chance to practice each of the steps in the
Nanoprobe exercise, try answering these questions:

1. What are constraints and how are parts assembled in PTC Creo
Parametric?
2. Name two ways to create subsystem models in PTC Creo?
3. Can you create a constraint between a face of a part and one of
the datum planes?
4. What is a pattern used for when assembling?
5. How do you edit and change constraints once they have been
made?
6. Can you assemble the same sub-assembly multiple times within a
product assembly?

154
 FINAL ASSESSMENT
Complete the Prosthetic Hand exercise and submit the final assembly
model. Begin by setting your working directory to the Prosthetic Hand
folder and follow the instructions here:

1: Open the Prosthetic Hand model and

study it to decide how you are going to
create the subsystems.

2: When you create the fingers and other

joints make sure you use kinematic
constraints so that they all move.

155
 3: Make sure to
place limits on the
motion of the pin
joints by selecting
the Rotation axis
constraint in the
Placement tab.

3a: Now select two

flat surfaces that will
define the rotation of
the parts.

156
3b: You can now
define the zero
position, enable it as
the regeneration
value, and set the
min and max limits.

4: Finish assembling the prosthetic hand.

This is a project that can be 3D printed
and assembled for real as a prosthetic
assistance.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

157
158
 Exercise 6
Assembling Mechanisms
159
160
Mechanisms
USING KINEMATIC JOINTS TO CREATE MECHANISMS

What is a Mechanism?
A mechanism is created when multiple kinematic elements are combined
to create a machine that provides some desired motion or mechanical
advantage. In the diagram below, you can see multiple kinematic
elements that have been combined to create a crank and slider
mechanism. This mechanism converts rotary motion into linear motion
with a slight mechanical advantage.

Since it is possible to create kinematic joints in PTC Creo, mechanisms can

be created by combining multiple joints. There is a specific application
within PTC Creo dedicated to creating mechanisms.

161
 Let’s begin by creating a drivetrain for a small robot and defining gear
pairs so that the wheels will turn appropriately.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double-clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding
PTC Creo Parametric, and
selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click

Select Working Directory .

Remember that this allows you to set

the folder that PTC Creo Parametric
will use to open and save files.

3. Navigate to the How to Model

Almost Anything folder:

• Double-click the Drivetrain

folder.
• Click OK.

162
4. From the Home tab, click New :

• Change the type of file to Assembly.

• Type in “Mydrivetrain” for the file name.

5. Click OK.

6. From the In Graphics toolbar:

• Click Datum Display Filters and

disable the display of all datum features.

7. From the Schools tab, Assembly group, click

Assemble.

8. Select channel-288mm.prt and

click Open.

163
 9. Left-click anywhere in the Graphics Area to drop the part.

The Orientation Sphere helps you reposition a part once you have
dropped it.

10. From the Automatic pull-down

menu, choose Default.

11. Click the green checkmark to

complete placing the component.

12. Now that the channel is in place,

assemble a bronze bushing (axle-
bronze_bushing.prt) for the axle
using two coincident constraints
into the middle hole in the
channel.

164
13. From the Model Tree, right-click AXLE-

BRONZE_BUSHING.PRT and select Repeat from the

pop-up menu.

14. In the Repeat Component dialog box, hold CTRL and left-
click on the two Coincident constraints.

15. Click Add.

165
 16. Left-click on the inner surface of
a hole that is 5 spaces away from
the middle as shown.

17. Left-click on the side of the

channel to complete the
placement of the bushing.

18. Place 4 more bushings in

the channel to match the
image to the right.

You’ll have to rotate and

zoom the model to place
the bushings on the
opposite side.

19. In the Repeat Component

dialog box, click OK to add
the bushings to the
assembly

166
20. Bring large_gear_sub.asm into the assembly
and drop it next to the channel.

21. From the User Defined drop-down menu, select

Pin.

A pin constraint will allow the gear to spin in the

hole.

22. Use your knowledge of Pin

constraints to assemble the gear
into the middle set of bushings
as shown.

Make sure the spacer on the

back of the gear is coincident to
the face of the bushing.

167
 23. Use two more Pin
constraints to add the
wheels (wheel_large-
sub.asm) on either side of
the gear.

24. Rotate your assembly so that

you can see the gear teeth.

25. Use the CTRL + ALT keys to

rotate the two outer wheels
and ensure the gears mesh
correctly.

Now we will move into a new application of PTC Creo called “Mechanism”.
This area of PTC Creo provides tools for creating and simulating
mechanisms.

26. From the Schools tab, click

Mechanism.

27. From the Mechanism tab, select

Gears.

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 A gear pair tells PTC Creo that two pin joints are connected in a specific
way. Typically, this relationship is defined by a ratio. For example, when
two gears connect, there is a gear ratio that relates the diameters of the
two gears or the number of teeth on each gear.

28. Left-click on the orange motion axis of the

large gear.

29. From the Gear Pair Definition dialog box,

select the Gear2 tab.

30. Left-click on one of the orange motion axes

of the wheels.

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 31. Select the Properties tab.

32. From the Gear Ratio pull-down menu, select User defined.

33. Set the ratio to 120:80 based upon the number of teeth of the
two gears.

34. Click OK.

35. Repeat steps 27-34 to create

a gear pair between the large
gear and the other wheel.

You can test the gear pairs by

holding the CTRL + ALT keys,
left-clicking on one of the
wheels, and turning it to see
that everything rotates
correctly.

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 If the rotation is not correct, you may have to
flip the direction of the gear pair.

36. If necessary, expand Connections in the

Mechanism Tree.

37. Expand Gears, right-click on the appropriate

Gearpair, and select Edit definition.

38. In the Gear Pair Definition dialog box, click on

the Gear2 tab and use the Flip tool to
change the direction of the gear pair.

39. Select File>Save to save your model.

40. From the Schools tab, click Close to close the Drivetrain.

41. From the Home tab, Data group, click Erase Not Displayed.
Click OK to clear the session from memory.

Congratulations! You have successfully created your first mechanism.

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 Review
So far you have been able to create a drivetrain for a simple robot that
uses gear pairs between multiple pin joints to simulate rotary motion.
Let’s review what operations you used:

1. Assembling using the Repeat tool (Steps 13-19)

2. Assembling with pin joints (Steps 20-23)
3. Aligning the teeth on gears (Steps 24-25)
4. Entering the Mechanism application (Step 26)
5. Creating gear pairs (Steps 27-35)
6. Changing the direction of a gear pair (Steps 36-38)

Using these methods you can create drivetrains and geartrains for use in
mechanisms and machines of all types.

Practice Exercise
Let’s try each of these actions again but with a new model.

This is the model of a pneumatic gear train for a dentist’s drill. There is a
small turbine in the rear of the geartrain that powers the sun gear. The

172
 planet gears then transfer the rotation to the ring gear, which holds the
Dentist’s drill.

Let’s get started building this planetary geartrain.

1. Set your working directory to the

Pneumatic Drill folder in the How to
Model Almost Anything folder.

2. Create a new assembly called

“PlanetaryGearSystem”.

If you need help remembering how to

create a new assembly file look at step
2.

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 3. Assemble the Gear_frame component
into the assembly file and apply the
Default constraint.

4. Insert the axle.prt using

a pin constraint to the
center of the gear frame.

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5. Assemble the 80 tooth sun
gear (sun_gear_80t.prt) to
the axle using static
constraints.

Use a regular coincident

constraint between two
sides of the hexagon center
and a third between the
top surface of the gear and
the top of the axle.

6. Add the three planetary

gears (planet_gear_40t.prt)
to the posts on the gear
frame. Use pin constraints to
make sure the gears turn.

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 7. Now add the ring gear by
assembling it with a pin
constraint to the gear
frame and in alignment
with the other gears.

You can create the axis

alignment of a pin
constraint by surfaces on
the edge of two circular
bodies. The axes will be
aligned based on the center
point of those circles.

8. Now use the CTRL-ALT

keys to align all of the
gears.

9. Then enter the Mechanism

application.

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10. Create the appropriate
gear pairs to connect
all of the gears. You
may have to flip gear
pair connections to
make sure all of the
gears turn correctly

The sun gear has 80

teeth, the planet gear
has 40 teeth and the
ring gear has 160 teeth.

Now that you have had a chance to practice each of the steps in the gear
train exercise, try answering these questions:

1. What are gear pairs used for in creating a mechanism?

2. What happens if you forget to ground the first part in an assembly
with a default constraint?
3. How do you flip the direction of a gear pair?
4. Can you connect more than two gears in a gear pair?
5. What if you have 3 gears in a planetary gear system that you want
to connect?
6. How do you calculate the mechanical advantage in a gear pair?

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 FINAL ASSESSMENT
Set your working directory to the Lego_Actuator folder and follow the
instructions here:

1. Create a new assembly

file called:
“MyLego_mechanism”

2. You will need to

assemble the Lego parts
using 3 coincident
constraints which align
the flat faces of the
parts.

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3. Using what you have
learned about
mechanisms recreate the
Lego mechanism.

4. If you need a reference,

open
actuator_example_top_le
vel.asm.

In order to create this

mechanism you will
need to create a second
set of constrains for the
Axle_3 or for the
Beam_15.
To create the second set
of constrains press New
Set in Placement
window.

5. You will also need to use

a new kinematic
constraint called a
“slider” constraint. This
constraint requires that
you specify an edge
along which the part will
slide and then two faces
that will slide upon each
other.

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 6. To set up the Axis
alignment, select slider
from the kinematic
constraints list

7. To set up the Axis

alignment, select the
edge of the beam and
the edge of the sbeam.

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8. To set up the Rotation,
select the side surface of
the sbeam and the side
surface of the beam.

9. Finish assembling the

Lego mechanism.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

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182
 Exercise 7
Concept Development
183
184
Custom Part Creation
DESIGNING AND CREATING NEW PART GEOMETRY

Designing a New Product

Designing a new product is exciting because it allows you to be creative.
In this section we will explore how to make new parts using solid
modeling techniques.

We’ll start by assuming that you are a design

engineer for a candy company and you
have been tasked with creating and
launching a new candy product line for
your company. You will need to follow a
product development process to come up
with a new product. This will include doing the
following:

1. A quick market analysis,

2. Brainstorming several new ideas,
3. Developing 2-3 of your ideas into conceptual designs by
creating solid models.

Challenge: Design a new candy product line

inspired by geometric shapes
STEP 1: A Q U ICK MARKET ANALYSIS
The first step in this process will be to explore the market place to
determine what group of people you will want to focus on. Second, you
will need to explore different types of candy and explore the geometric
shapes that could inspire your design and that your company can
manufacture.

185
 There are many different potential market segments for your new candy.
You will want to select one market to focus your design on. Here are
several:

1. Young children
2. Athletes
3. Professionals
4. Seniors
5. Family’s traveling
6. Teenagers
7. Sports fans

Select one of these or other market segments for your focus group. Once
you have decided on the market, you can then begin considering the type
of candy you will create:

1. Chocolate
2. Mint
3. Caramel dipped in chocolate
4. Nuts dipped in a hard candy coating
5. Etc.

Now consider some geometric shapes and colors to inspire your candy
design. Here are some example shapes:

While you are considering the shape of your new candy, you need to
make sure that the basic shape you select is on the list of your

186
manufacturing group’s candy molds. Here is a list of the shapes that your
manufacturing group can create:

STEP 2: BRAINSTORMING
You will want to do some brainstorming to generate ideas and sketch
them to capture and document these ideas. The more ideas you create
the more likely you will come up with a real winner. Generate at least 6-7
or more ideas. Usually companies spend a great deal of time
brainstorming ideas for a new product. Spend a little time right now
sketching out your ideas.

STEP 3: DEVELOPING CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS

Now you need to select your best 2-3 ideas and convert them into
conceptual designs. We will use solid modeling, which is the language of
product development to convert your ideas into conceptual designs.

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 Solid models are created using four basic operations:

Extrude is taking a cross-section and extending it in a straight line into

3D as shown.

Revolve is taking the cross-section and revolving it about an axis as

shown.

Sweep is taking the cross-section and sweeping it along a curve as

shown.

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 B lend is taking two or more cross-sections and blending between them
along a curve.

Using these four operations it is possible to construct almost all types of

solid models.

For the candy exercise you will want to use an extrude. Let’s create a new
part for your candy design and use an extrude to make it into a solid
model.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding
PTC Creo Parametric, and
selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click

Select Working Directory .

Remember that this allows you to set the

folder that PTC Creo Parametric will use to
open and save files.

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 3. Navigate to the How to Model
Almost Anything folder:

• Right-click the window and

select New Folder.
• Type Candy for the new
folder name and then OK.
• Click OK.

4. From the Home tab, click New :

• Type “New_Candy”
• Click OK

Remember that file names can’t have

spaces in them.

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5. From the Schools tab, Features

group, click Extrude.

6. Assign a name to this extrude by

clicking on the Properties tab and
entering “CANDY_BODY.”

7. Set the thickness of your candy by entering 0.25 in the

depth field and pressing ENTER on your keyboard.

You need to select a plane upon which to

sketch the outline of your candy.

8. In the Graphics Area, left-click on the Top

plane to select it.

Now that you are in the sketcher within PTC Creo Parametric you can
create any closed cross-section using the tools provided. For this exercise,
you can use a palette of already created cross-sections to make it easier.

191
 9. From the Sketch tab, click the drop-
down menu next to More, then select

Palette.

The Sketcher Palette dialog box contains many

different shapes you can use to make your cross-
section.

For this exercise, let’s use a

6-sided Hexagon.

10. Left-click and drag the icon

of the hexagon to place it in
the Graphics Area.

11. Close the Sketcher Palette

dialog box.

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12. Left-click and drag the center
of the hexagon to center it on
the Origin.

13. Double-click the number at the bottom right

corner of the hexagon, enter 0.5, and press
ENTER on your keyboard. This will set the
length of one side.

14. Click OK to exit the Palette tool.

15. From the In-Graphics Toolbar, click Refit.

16. Click OK to complete the sketch.

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 17. Middle-click and drag to rotate your model and
see your extrude in 3D.

18. Click OK to complete the extrude.

Your candy base is now complete.

Congratulations, you have created your first extrude. There are several
other operations that you can use to help customize your creation. Two
tools that you can use are Rounds and Chamfers. Rounds are used to
round off edges and chamfers are used to cut the edges at an angle.

19. From the Schools tab, Features group,

click Round.

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20. On your keyboard, press CTRL
+ D to return the model to its
default orientation.

21. Left-click on one of the top

edges of your candy as shown.

Notice that two white boxes will now

appear. These are called “drag handles”.

22. Left-click and drag on the handles to

change the size of the round.

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 23. Hold CTRL and left-click on each
remaining top edge to apply the
round to them all.

24. Click OK to complete the

round.

Now let’s chamfer the bottom of the candy by using the chamfer tool. A
chamfer cuts the edges at an angle and gives a very different effect than
the round tool.

25. From the Schools tab,

Features group, click

Chamfer.

26. Left-click on one of the

bottom edges of the
candy.

27. Use the drag handles to

change the size of the
chamfer.

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28. Hold CTRL and select the remaining
bottom edges.

29. Click OK to complete the chamfer.

Text can also be used as a cross-section for an extrude operation. Each

letter must be created as a closed sketch. There is a tool for doing this in
the Sketch tab.

30. On your keyboard, press

CTRL + D.

31. From the Schools tab,

Features group, click

Extrude.

32. Using the Properties tab, name

this extrude “Text.”

33. Set the depth of the extrude to 0.0625

and press ENTER.

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 34. In the Graphics Area, left-click on the top
face of your candy as shown.

35. From the Sketch tab, More group, select

Text.

36. Left-click on the origin,

move your mouse up to set
the text height, and then
left-click again.

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37. In the Text dialog box, enter your
initials or your desired text.

38. From the Horizontal

pull-down menu,
select Center.

39. From the Vertical pull-

down menu, select
Middle.

40. Click OK in the Text

dialog box.

41. Click OK to
complete the sketch.

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 Notice that the extrude is too tall for the
candy.
42. In the depth field, type .0625/3 and press
ENTER.

43. Click OK to complete the extrude.

44. From the In-Graphics toolbar, Click Datum

Display Filters and disable the display

of all datum features.

Color plays an important part in all products, particularly candy. PTC Creo
Parametric allows you to assign color to the different surfaces in your part.
You can see the different surfaces when you have the displayed style set
to Shading With Edges because all of the edges of the surfaces are
outlined.

You can now use the Render tools to color your candy design.

200
45. From the Schools tab, Display group, click the drop-down menu

under Appearance Gallery.

46. Left-click on a color sphere to select a color.

47. In the Graphics Area, left-click on a

surface to select it.

Remember that to select multiple

surfaces you need to hold down CTRL.
48. Once you have selected the surfaces,
click OK to finish.

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 49. Use the Appearance Gallery to fully color
your candy.

50. From the Quick Access

Toolbar, click Save.

51. In the Save Object dialog

box, click OK.

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Documenting your Design in a Product B rief
Now that you have created a design for a new product, you need to
document it in a way that communicates the important aspects of the
design. One method of doing this is in creating a product brief. A product
brief is a one page document that shows different views of the product
with notes that highlight the important aspects.

You can use notes and arrows to identify and highlight features of your
design. You can also use color to highlight.

203
 Different views also help identify the important aspects of the product.
You can create a product view in PTC Creo by creating a new drawing.

52. From the Schools tab, Models group, click New

• Change the Type to Drawing

• Enter “MyCandy_Productbrief”.
• Click OK.

53. From the New Drawing dialog box:

• Select Empty under Specify Template.

• From the drop-down menu next to Standard Size, select A.
• Click OK.

54. From the Layout tab, select

General View.

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55. From the Select Combined State dialog box, select DEFAULT ALL
and click OK.

56. Left-click anywhere on the page to

place your view.

57. From the Drawing View dialog box, select Scale

under Categories:

• Select Custom scale.

• Change the value to 5.
• Click Apply.

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 58. From the Drawing View dialog box, select View
Display under Categories:

• From the drop-down menu next to Display

style, select Shading With Edges.
• Click OK.

59. Left-click on the view to select it.

60. Right-click and select Lock View

Movement from the pop-up menu.

This will unlock the view so that you can

move it.

61. Left-click and drag the view to any

location you want.

62. Repeat steps 3 – 10 to add another

view.

The Drawing View dialog box contains

many options for orienting, displaying,
and shading your view. Use these
options to add a different view of your
candy that helps show the features.

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63. From the Annotate tab, expand the
pull-down menu under Note.

There are several different types of

notes that you can create. Note
that this is slightly different in Creo
2.0.

64. Experiment with the notes to add

detail to your product brief.

65. Left-click to attach the leader, then

middle-click to place the note.

66. Explore different fonts, sketch

style lines, and insert pictures or
backgrounds to make the
product brief as exciting as
possible.

67. Once you have finished your

product brief, click Save

from the Quick Access Toolbar.

207
 Review
Now that you have created your first candy model, let’s review the steps
and operations you have completed:

1. You selected a market segment after doing a brief market

analysis (Page 1-2)
2. You then considered different geometric shapes and sketched
some conceptual designs. You selected 2-3 of your best. (Page
2)
3. You learned how to create a folder as your working directory
and created a new part model (Steps 1-4)
4. The next step was to create an extrude called Candy_base
(Steps 5-8)
5. Next you selected a closed sketch of a hexagon from the
Palette tool (Steps 9-18)
6. You added rounds and chamfers to your extrude (Steps 19-29)
7. Next you added text to your candy design (Steps 30-43)
8. You used the Appearance Gallery to add color to your design
(Steps 44-51)
9. You created a new drawing (Steps 52-53)
10. You created a product brief (Steps 54-67)

Practice Exercise
1. Use one of your own
conceptual designs and
what you have learned
to create your own
candy design.

2. Refer to the steps

outlined in the review to
help you create your
model.

3. Before you begin, make

sure you turn the
datums back on using
the Datum Display
menu.

208
Now that you have had a chance to practice each of the steps in the
candy design exercise with your own design, try answering these
questions:

1. Why is a market analysis helpful in creating new conceptual

designs?
2. Why are sketches helpful in documenting your brainstorming of
new ideas?
3. What is an extrude and why do we use it to create geometry?
4. Explain how you used closed sketches and extruded them to
create the base of your candy model.
5. How do you add text to a model?
6. What are rounds and chamfers?
7. How do you add color to your models?
8. What is a product brief?
9. How do you create a drawing in PTC Creo?

FINAL ASSESSMENT
Use another of your conceptual designs to create a new candy
product.

1: What market segment is this candy design focused on?

2: What geometric shape did you use to create the base shape of the candy?

3: Take a screen capture to show the base shape before and after the rounds and
chamfers are used.

4: Take a screen capture to show your final design.

5: Create a product brief and take a screen capture of it.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

209
210
 Exercise 8
Preliminary Design
211
212
Custom Part Creation
DESIGNING AND CREATING NEW PART GEOMETRY

Solid Modeling Operations

In order to create new product concepts it is important to know how to
use all of the solid modeling operations for creating volumes. Basic
shapes can be created using the four operations of extrude, revolve,
sweep, and blend. However some parts are even more free form and
require a more general creation operation.

A product design challenge will help to learn these new operations for
creating volumes. We will follow a basic process for developing
conceptual designs:

1. A quick market analysis,

2. Brainstorming several new ideas,
3. Developing 2-3 of your ideas into conceptual designs by creating solid
models.

213
 Challenge: Design a next generation water
bottle inspired by nature
STEP 1: A QUICK MARKET ANALYSIS
The first step in this process will be to explore the market to determine
what group of people you will want to focus on.

There are many different potential markets for

your next generation water bottle. You will want to
select one market to focus your design upon. Here
are several:

1. Young children
2. Athletes
3. Professionals
4. Seniors
5. Traveling families
6. Teenagers
7. Sports fans

Select one of these or other market segments for your focus group. Once
you have decided on the market, you can then begin considering the
functionality of the water bottle you will create:

1. Spill-proof
2. Recyclable
3. Durable
4. Multi-functional
5. Etc.

Now consider some of the ways that nature stores water. Consider fruit,
vegetables, pools, stems, leaves, etc.

What are all of the methods that are used by nature to store water?
Choose one of the methods as your inspiration.

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STEP 2: BRAINSTORMING
You will want to do some brainstorming to generate ideas and sketch
them to capture and document these ideas. The more ideas you create
the more likely you will come up with a real winner. Generate at least 6-7
or more ideas. Usually companies spend a great deal of time
brainstorming ideas for a new product. Spend a little time right now
sketching out your ideas.

STEP 3: DEVELOPING CONCEPTUAL DESIGNS

We will explore several different methods of creating volumes in PTC Creo
to help you create your conceptual design.

Extrude is taking a cross-section and

extending it in a straight line into 3D as
shown.

215
 1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by
double clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Men u, finding
PTC Creo Parametric, and
selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click

Select Working Directory .

Remember that this allows you to set the

folder that PTC Creo Parametric will use to
open and save files.

3. Navigate to the How To Model Almost

Anything folder:

• Double-click the Waterbottle

folder.

• Click OK.

216
4. From the Home tab, click New :

• Type “My_Volumes”.
• Click OK.

Remember that file names can’t have spaces in

them.

5. From the Schools tab, Features group,

click Extrude.

6. Assign a name to this extrude by clicking

on the Properties tab and entering
“My_Extrude.”

7. Set the thickness of your extrude by entering 2.00 in the

depth field and pressing ENTER on your keyboard.

217
 You need to select a plane upon which to sketch
the cross-section of your extrude.

8. In the Graphics Area, left-click on the Top plane

to select it.

Notice that Creo automatically orients

the model into a 2D view to make
sketching easier.

9. From the Sketch tab, select Center

and Point to use the circle tool.

10. Left-click on the Origin to set the center

of your circle.

11. Move your cursor out to set the diameter

and left-click again.

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12. Middle-click once to exit the circle tool.

13. Change the diameter of the circle by double-

clicking the dimension, entering 3, and pressing
ENTER.

14. From the In-Graphics Toolbar, click Refit.

15. From the Sketch tab, select

Center Rectangle.

16. Left-click on the Origin to set

the center of your rectangle.

17. Move your cursor down and

right to set the size and left-
click again.

18. Middle-click once to exit the

rectangle tool.

19. Edit the dimensions to the values

shown by double-clicking on them.

Notice that the cross section is no

longer shaded. This is because there
are overlapping lines. We will need
to eliminate the overlapping lines.

219
 20. From the Sketch tab, Editing group, select
Delete Segment.

21. Left-click and hold to draw a line over any

overlapping lines as shown.

Make sure to ONLY draw over the lines shown

in green or your sketch won’t be closed.

You can use the Undo button if needed.

22. Middle-click once to exit the Delete

Segment tool.

The cross-section should be shaded. If it’s

not shaded, it means there are still stray
lines that need to be deleted. Work until
you have a clean shaded cross section as
shown.

23. Click OK to complete the sketch.

220
24. Middle-click and drag to rotate your model and see
your extrude in 3D.

25. Click OK to complete the extrude.

Another operation for creating volumes is the Revolve. A revolve is taking

a cross-section and revolving it about an axis as shown. Let’s add a
revolve to the model we are creating.

26. From the Schools tab, Features

group, select Revolve.

27. In the Properties tab, change the

name to “My_Revolve”.

28. In the Graphics Area, left-click on

the FRONT plane.

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 We need to create a center line that will act
as the axis for the revolve.

29. From the Schools tab, Datum group, select

Centerline.

30. Left-click on the blue vertical reference

line.

31. Move your cursor down so that the

centerline is vertical and left-click
again.

32. Middle-click once to exit the centerline

tool.

The Creo Sketcher allows you to create reference lines

based on the features in your model.

33. From the Sketch tab, Setup group, click References.

34. Left-click the top edge of the extrude to

select it.

35. Left-click the inner right edge as shown to

select it.

36. In the References dialog box, click Close.

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37. From the Sketch tab, expand the pull-

down menu under More and select

3-Point/Tangent End Arc.

38. Move your cursor up and look for the vertical

green lines (that show that the elements are on
the same vertical) and left-click to place the
starting point.

39. Left-click at the intersection of your two new

references to place the end point.

40. Move your cursor right and left-click to set the

radius of the arc.

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 41. Middle-click once to exit the arc tool.

42. Double-click on the dimensions to

change them to the values shown.

Note that it might be necessary to

change the radius first, then the
distance.

43. From the Sketch tab, select Line Chain.

44. Left-click on the top point of the arc to start a line chain.

45. Move your cursor left and left-click on the vertical axis to set
the horizontal line as shown.

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46. Continue making lines to close the sketch as shown.

47. Once you have finished making lines, middle-click to exit

the line tool.

Your sketch should now appear shaded in. If it’s not

shaded, make sure you have drawn all of the lines shown
and your sketch is closed.

48. Click OK to complete the sketch.

49. Middle-click and drag to rotate your model and see

your feature in 3D.

50. Click OK to complete the revolve.

225
 Let’s try a new operation to create volume. A Sweep is taking a cross-
section and sweeping it along a curve as shown below.

The first step for a sweep is

to define the trajectory.

51. From the Schools tab,

Features group, select

Sketch.

52. In the Graphics Area, left-

click on the FRONT plane.

53. In the Sketch dialog box,

click Sketch.

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54. From the Sketch tab, expand the pull-down menu under More
and select Spline.

55. Left-click in the model to place the points of

your spline and make the shape of your handle.

56. Once you are satisfied with the shape, middle-

click to exit the spline tool.

57. Click OK to complete the sketch.

58. From the Schools tab, Features group, select

Sweep.

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 59. If necessary, left-click on the
spline to select it.

60. From the Sweep tab, click

Edit Sweep Section.

61. Use the circle tool to draw a

circle at the origin as shown.

62. Change the diameter to 0.75

and press ENTER.

63. Click OK to complete the

sketch.

Notice that the circle you just made is

swept along the spline you created.

64. Click OK to complete the sweep.

If needed you can change one or both

0.000 dimensions to continue the
sweep so it enters the volume.

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 A fourth operation for creating a volume is called a blend and consists of
taking two or more cross-sections and blending between them.

65. From the Schools tab, Features group, click

B lend.

66. From the Sections tab, click

Define.

This will allow you to create the

first cross-section.

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 67. Left-click on the top surface of
the revolve as shown.

68. In the Sketch dialog box, click

Sketch.

69. From the Sketch tab, Setup group, click

References.

70. Left-click on the top circular edge of the revolve as

shown.

71. In the References dialog box, click Close.

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72. Use the circle tool to create a circle the same
size as the reference line you just made.

73. Click OK to complete the sketch.

74. Middle-click and drag to rotate your model so that you

can see the length dimension.

75. Double-click on the dimension, enter 1.00, and press

ENTER.

76. From the Blend tab, click

Edit Section to sketch the
next cross-section.

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 77. Use the circle tool to create another circle,
slightly offset from the first one.

Don’t worry about the dimensions for this

section. Just try to get your model to look like
the one shown.

78. Click OK to complete the sketch.

79. Click OK to complete the

blend.

Note that when building blends, the cross

sections must have the same number of
segments. A rectangle has 4 segments and a
circle has 1 segment. If you needed to, you
could use the Divide tool to create a 4-
segment circle.

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80. From the Schools tab, Features group, click
Shell.

81. In the Shell tab, change the Thickness to 0.0625.

82. Left-click on the spout surface shown to remove

it.

83. Click OK to complete the shell.

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 There is another option for creating volumes that is more general and is
like modeling clay. This operation is called Freestyle. It consists of
selecting a primitive shape which is like the lump of clay. Then you can
select surfaces or edges and push, pull, or twist them to shape the lump
of clay. Once the shape is created the primitive can be solidified.

84. From the Schools tab, Features

group, click Freestyle.

85. From the Freestyle tab, expand the Primitives drop-down menu
and select the sphere.

86. Left-click and drag to draw a selection box

around the lump of clay.

This allows you to select the entire primitive

volume.

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87. Left-click and drag the arrows to move the lump of
clay to the top of the pitcher as shown.

The primitive you have added to your model is like a

lump of clay that can be pushed and pulled to create
a unique shape. Notice the box around the primitive.
You can select a face, an edge, or a corner of this box
and then use the arrow controls to push or pull. You
may want to try manipulating the lump of clay to see
what is available.

88. Use the Transform and Scale

tools to shape the lump of clay.

Note that you can use CTRL to select

multiple arrows at the same time.

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 89. Once you are satisfied with the shape, orient the
lump of clay in the spout of the pitcher.

90. Click OK to complete the freestyle.

91. From the Schools tab, Features group, click

Solidify to make the freestyle solid and join it to the
pitcher.

92. Click OK to complete the solidify.

Using these five operations it is possible to construct almost any type of

solid model. The freestyle operation allows for very general shapes while
the other four operations provide much more regular and defined shapes.

93. Use the Round and Chamfer tools to

add more detail to your design.

94. Add color to your model using the

Appearance Gallery.

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 Review
Now that you have used all five operations to create a part model, let’s
review the steps and operations you have completed:

1. You selected a market segment after doing a brief market analysis

2. You then considered different functionality and sketched some
conceptual designs. You selected 2-3 of your best.
3. You learned how to create a new part model (Steps 1-4)
4. You created an extrude as a base (Steps 5-25)
5. You created the main body of the water pitcher using a revolve
feature (Steps 26-50)
6. You next used a sweep to create a handle (Steps 51-64)
7. Using a blend you were able to create the spout of the water pitcher
(Steps 65-79)
8. Used shell to empty the inside of the bottle (Steps 80-83)
9. Finally you used a freestyle feature to create a stopper for the pitcher
(Steps 84-92)
10. You then added rounds and chamfers and color to your model to add
detail (Steps 93-94)
11. You are ready to use your conceptual ideas to create your new water
bottle design.

1. Use one of your own

conceptual designs and what
you have learned to create
your own water bottle design.

2. Refer to the steps outlined in

the review to help you create
your model.

3. Once you have finished

modeling your new water
bottle, create a product brief
using a new drawing.

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 Now that you have had a chance to practice each of the steps in the water
bottle design exercise with your own design, try answering these
questions:

1. Why is a market analysis helpful in creating new conceptual designs?

2. Why are sketches helpful in documenting your brainstorming of new
ideas?
3. What is an extrude and why do we use it to create geometry?
4. What is a revolve and why do we use it to create geometry?
5. What is a sweep and why do we use it to create geometry?
6. What is a blend and why do we use it to create geometry?
7. What is a freestyle feature and why do we use it to create geometry?
8. Explain why you need closed sketches to create the various features of
your water bottle model.
9. How do you add rounds and chamfers as well as color to your
models?
10. Why is a product brief necessary?

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FINAL ASSESSMENT
Use another of your conceptual designs to create a new water bottle
product.

Step 1: What market segment is this water bottle design focused on?

Step 2: What geometric shapes did you use to create the base shape of
the design?

Step 3: Take a screen capture to show the creation of each of the shapes
before the rounds and chamfers are used.

Step 4: Take a screen capture to show your final design model.

Step 5: Create a product brief and do a screen capture of it. Refer to

Exercise 7 if you have any question on creating a product brief.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

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240
 Exercise 9
Creating Parts & Assemblies

241
242
Creating Parts & Assemblies
PLANNING AND CREATING PARTS AND ASSEMBLIES

Creating Part Model Plans

The first step in creating parts and assemblies is developing a plan. These
plans help to orient the parts and assemblies and identify what operations
need to be used at what point in the process of creation. We will start this
section by having you develop some simple part plans and assembly
plans and then have you practice on real parts and assemblies.

Complete the tables below to create a part model plan. Start by

examining the sample parts below and deciding what operations need to
be used to create the appropriate volumes and whether the feature
should be positive or negative. You can sketch these plans on your own
paper and outline the cross sections and the datums for each operation.

PART 1: SIMPLE BLOCK WITH CHAMFER AND HOLE

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 Simple B lock and Chamfer Part Model Plan

Characteristics Sketches Operation

Identify which view is TOP, FRONT and RIGHT?

Orientation

This is the first sketch. Where

should it be placed?

What Boolean operation should be used

Sketch 1 and (extrude, revolve)?
Feature
Should it be positive or negative?

Where should the sketch be

placed?

What Boolean operation should be used

Sketch 2 and (extrude, revolve)?
Feature
Should it be positive or negative?

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Simple Block and Chamfer Part Model Plan

Characteristics Sketches Operation

A chamfer operation creates an angled edge

around a hole or side.
Feature

A chamfer operation creates an angled edge

Feature
along the front edge of the block.

A round operation rounds the top and bottom

edge at the back of the block.
Feature

Assigning a material to the part is essential to

Material insure that the mass property calculations are
correct.

Now try another part plan. This time we will let you sketch out the various
parts of the plan so that you can develop some skill at creating these
plans.

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 PART 2: SIMPLE FRAME GUIDE

Simple Frame Guide Part Model Plan

Characteristics Sketches Operation

Identify which view is TOP, FRONT and RIGHT?

Orientation

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Simple Frame Guide Part Model Plan

Characteristics Sketches Operation

What Boolean operation should be used

(extrude, revolve)?
Feature 1
Should it be positive or negative?

What Boolean operation should be used

(extrude, revolve)?
Feature 2
Should it be positive or negative?

What Boolean operation should be used

(extrude, revolve)?
Feature 3
Should it be positive or negative?

Feature 4 A round operation might be useful at this point.

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 Simple Frame Guide Part Model Plan

Characteristics Sketches Operation

A chamfer operation Might be useful at this

Feature 5
point

Material What material should you assign to this part?

248
Here are some additional parts that you can practice with to ensure you
know how to create a part modeling plan.

249
 Creating Assembly Model Plans
Now that you have some skill with creating part modeling plans, let’s try
building an assembly model plan. Here is the plan for the red car
assembly you created in exercise 5.

Red Toy Car Assembly Model Plan

Characteristics Parts Assembly Constraints

Chassis subsystem

1st Part Default constraint to orient it to the origin

Three coincident constraints, one on the

bottom, one on the side, and one on the back
Gearbox subsystem of the mount.

2nd Part

Car body subsystem Three coincident constraints, two for the sides
of the poles and one for the top.

3rd Part

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Completed assembly model

Using the assembly model plan for the red car

assembly as an example, try to create an assembly
model plan for the Deep Sea Sub model. Start by
examining the parts of the assembly and deciding
what operations need to be used to create the
appropriate constraints for each part.

Now that you have had a chance to develop your skills in creating part
model plans and assembly model plans, let’s put those skills to good use.
Here is a simple crank mechanism.
Create part model plans for each
component and then using those
plans, build them in PTC Creo
Parametric. Then create an
assembly model plan and use it to
assemble the parts into a working
mechanism. Larger versions of the
drawings are available in the Crank
folder.

251
252
253
 When you assemble this crank mechanism you will need to assemble the
yellow crank pieces with a slider constraint. The crank arm will need to be
assembled using a pin constraint and then a cylinder constraint. There is a
video file in the Crank folder that shows the working of the crank. Here
are some instructions that will help with the assembly.

1. Assemble the base by selecting Default

from the Automatic drop-down menu.

2. Click Assemble and select crank.prt.

3. Select Slider from the User Defined drop-

down menu.

4. Left-click on the edge of the slider to

select it.

5. Left-click on the corresponding edge

on the base.

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6. Left-click on the flat bottom surface of
the slider.

7. Left-click on the flat “cross” surface of

the base.

8. Repeat steps 2-6 to assemble

another slider.

9. Click Assemble and select

crank_arm.prt.

10. From the User Defined

drop-down menu, select
Pin.

11. Left-click on the inner

cylindrical surface of the
arm and then left-click on
the cylindrical surface of
the slider peg.

12. Left-click on the bottom

of the arm and the top of
the slider.

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 13. From the Placement tab, select New Set.

14. Repeat steps 11 & 12 to constrain the end of

the arm to the other slider.

15. Finish by creating a drawing of one

of the components in the crank
mechanism.

16. Click Open and select

crank_arm.prt.

17. From the Schools tab, select New .

18. Change the Type to Drawing and enter

Crank_arm_drawing.

19. Click OK.

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20. Under Specify Template, select Use template.

21. Select c_drawing and click OK.

Notice that a default set of views will be

created within a formatted drawing
template.

22. From the Annotate tab, click

Dimension.

23. Left-click on the two references for

your dimension.

24. Middle-click to place the dimension.

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 You can modify each view using the
Properties dialog box. The properties
dialog box allows you to change
scale, view state, orientation, etc.

25. Left-click on a view to select it, then

right-click and select Properties.

26. From the Annotate tab, select Show Model

Annotations to show datums and dimensions from
the part model.

Once you have completed your

drawing, you can add information to
the drawing format.

27. Right-click on the cells and select

Properties to add your own text.

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Review
Now that you have had a chance to learn about model plans and the
creation of parts and assemblies, let’s review the steps and operations you
have completed:

1. You learned how to create part model plans

2. You then learned how to create assembly model plans
3. You assembled the crank mechanism (Steps 1-14)
4. You learned how to create a drawing (Steps 15-27)

Practice Exercise
Now let’s try it again with a little
more complex assembly. A
Geneva mechanism is used to
transform rotary motion into
indexed motion. You can envision
it being used in an assembly line
for filling bottles with fluid and
then moving them on to the next
station.

There is a video in the Geneva_Mechanism folder that shows its motion.

The arm rotates around and engages with the yoke to turn it a specified
number of degrees. Then the arm disengages and rotates around until it
engages again.

Use the drawings provided here to plan and build the components for the
Geneva mechanism. Larger versions of the drawings are available in the
Geneva_Mechanism folder.

259
260
261
 Create an assembly plan and then follow it to assemble the parts. Use a
servo motor in the Mechanism application to animate the mechanism and
make it run.

1. Create all of the parts in

PTC Creo Parametric.

2. Using your assembly

model plan, create the
assembly.

262
3. You will need to use pin
joints and 3D contacts to
make the mechanism
work.

4. Define a 3D contact
connection between the
round pin on the arm and
each of the four flat
surfaces that the pin will
contact. You don’t need
connections with any of
the other surfaces.

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 5. Add a servo motor to the
arm pin joint and then run
an analysis to generate
the Geneva Mechanism
motion.

You may have to position

the blue yoke correctly to
start so that the pin
engages the surfaces to
begin with.

6. Create drawings for each

of the parts and the
assembly.

264
7. An assembly drawing is
created by deleting all of
the views except the
isometric view.

8. Right-click on the
isometric view and unlock
it so that it can move.
Place it in the center of
the drawing.

9. Right-click on the view

and select Properties, then
select View States.

10. Select Explode

components in view and
click Apply.

11. If necessary, change the

scale.

12. Add a bill of materials by

selecting the Table tab
and then selecting Table
from file. Use the bill of
materials file in the How
to Model Almost Anything
folder and place the bill of
materials table on the
drawing.

13. You can also add Balloons

using the Create Balloons
tool.

265
 Now that you have had a chance to practice developing model plans and
building parts, assemblies, and drawings, try answering these questions:

1. Why do you need to create a model plan before building parts?

2. Why should you assign materials to parts as part of the model
creation?
3. Why do you need to create an assembly model plan?
4. Why do you need to identify each of the constraints you will apply
during the assembly process?
5. How do you create a drawing?
6. How do you dimension within a view on a drawing?
7. How do you change the properties of a view?
8. What is a bill of materials table?
9. Why create drawings when you have a 3D model?

FINAL ASSESSMENT
Create an internal Geneva mechanism as the final assessment. You will
need to decide the size of each of the components. Also create drawings
of each of the components and an exploded assembly drawing. You will
also need to create the mechanism using 3D contacts and servo motors.

266
 Step 1: Develop model plans for each of the parts

Step 2: Develop an assembly plan

Step 3: Create each of the parts

Step 4: Assemble the parts into a working mechanism

Step 5: Create drawings for each of the parts

Step 6: Create an exploded assembly drawing (you can reference the

assembly drawing exercise below)

Here is an example of how to change the exploded state of your

assembly. You can use this to help you create your exploded assembly
drawing.

1. From the In Graphics toolbar, select Saved Orientations and

click Isometric.

2. From the In Graphics toolbar, select

View Manager.

267
 3. From the View Manager dialog box, select the Explode tab, then click
New.

4. Type My_Explode and press ENTER.

5. Select Edit, then click Save and click OK.

6. Close the View Manager dialog box.

7. From the View tab, select Edit Position.

8. Left-click on the mechanism drive wheel to select

it.

9. Use the arrows to move the part up and out of

the way.

10. Left-click on each of the other parts and

re-locate them to your desired locations.

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11. From the Explode Lines tab, select Create
Lines.

12. Left-click on the corresponding cylindrical

surfaces to create a reference line between
them.

13. Click Apply.

14. Continue making lines between the base and all

of the remaining parts.

15. Once all of the reference lines have been

created, Close the Cosmetic Offset Line
dialog box.

16. Click OK to exit the Explode Tool.

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 17. From the View tab, use
Exploded View to toggle
between the exploded states
of your model.

18. You can now use your new

exploded view when making
your exploded assembly
drawing.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

270
 Exercise 10
Advanced Modeling
271
272
Advanced Modeling
DESIGNING AND CREATING NEW PART GEOMETRY

Solid Modeling Advanced Operations

In this module you are going to assume the role of an automobile
product designer. You have been tasked with updating the exhaust
system for the next model year vehicle. Using an extrude or revolve won’t
get you the shape you’re looking for, so in this case, it would be best to
use two advanced features called Sweeps and Blends.

273
 B lend is taking two or more cross-sections and blending between them
along a curve. The image below is an example of using blends to create
the blades of a propeller. Notice in the image below how the cross-
section varies as you move down the propeller. This is something you
cannot accomplish with an extrude or revolve.

Let’s first practice using blends to make an exhaust tip for our new car.

274
1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by
double clicking on the icon or
by going to the Start Menu,
finding PTC Creo Parametric,
and selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group,

click Select Working Directory .

Remember that this allows you to

set the folder that PTC Creo
Parametric will use to open and save
files.

3. Navigate to the How to Model

Almost Anything folder:

• Double-click the Car

folder.
• Click OK.

275
 4. From the Home tab, click New :

• Type “Exhaust”.
• Click OK.

5. From the Schools tab,

Features group, click
B lend.

6. Assign a name to this blend by

clicking on the Properties tab
and entering “TIPS.”

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 We will start our exhaust tip with a rectangular section. Since this exhaust
tip will be connected to the rest of our exhaust system, we will need to
end with a circle that is the same size as our exhaust pipe. We will blend
between the rectangle and the circle to create a nice aesthetic finish.

7. Select the Sections tab, then click

Define… to start sketching your
first section.

277
 You need to select a plane upon
which to sketch your section.

8. In the Graphics Area, left-click

on the Front plane to select it.

9. In the Sketch dialog box, click Sketch.

Notice that you can also select a different

reference for the sketch or view the sketch from
the other side of the plane from this dialog box.

10. From Sketch tab, select Center

Rectangle .

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11. Left-click on the Origin to set the
center of the Rectangle.

12. Move your mouse up and to the

right, then left-click again to set
the size.

13. Middle-click once to exit the

Center Rectangle tool.

14. Double-click on each dimension,

then change the values to match
the picture shown.

Note that an orange arrow

shows our Start Point for our
blend. The start point is the
point that will be used while
blending between sketches. In
order to avoid twisting in our
blend, all sections need to have
similar start points.

15. You can refit the view, by clicking

Refit

16. Click OK to complete the

first sketch.

Now we need to define the

dimension between the created
section and the next section that
we will create.

17. From the Sections tab, make

sure Section 2 is selected.

18. Change the dimension to 0.25

279
 and click Sketch…

19. Create another rectangle

centered at the origin with the
dimensions shown.

It’s important that this rectangle

has the same starting point as
our first section. If it doesn’t,
select the point you want to start
from, right-click, and select Start
Point.

20. Click OK.

21. From the Sections tab, select

Insert to create a new section.

22. Set the offset value to .175 and

click Sketch…

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23. Create a Center and Point circle
with the center at the origin.

24. Set the diameter to 0.10 and

press ENTER.

Each section in a blend has

to have the same number of
vertex points. Because
rectangles have 4 points (the
corners), we need to add 4
vertex points to the circle.

25. From the Sketch tab, select

Centerline.

26. Create two centerlines that

pass through the middle of
the circle as shown.

27. Change the angles of the

centerlines to match the
dimensions shown.

If one of the angle

dimensions doesn’t show up,
you can use the Normal tool
to add dimensions. First
select the Normal from the
Sketch tab, then left-click on
the two rays of the angle.
Middle-click to set the
dimension.

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 28. From the Sketch tab, expand the menu

under Editing and select Divide.

29. Starting at the top-left corner of the circle,

click to place a point at each intersection as
shown.

30. Click OK.

31. If you’re happy with the shape of your blend,

click OK.

Now that the basic shape of our

Blend is finished, we’ll use
rounds to take off some of the
sharp corners.

32. From the Schools tab, select

Round.

33. Change the radius to 0.01, then

hold CTRL and left-click each of
the edges shown.

34. Click OK to accept.

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35. Repeat steps 31 & 32 to round
the four edges shown to a radius
of 0.03.

36. Click OK.

Now that we have the Blend volume for the tips, we may start creating the
rest of the exhaust. We will make all of the exhaust system as a single
part.

For the exhaust pipe, we will need to use another feature called a Sweep.
A Sweep is taking a cross-section and sweeping it along a curve as shown
below.

283
 Unlike a Blend, a Sweep requires you to define the path that your sweep
will travel along. We’ll do this by making a sketch in our model first.

37. From the Schools tab,

select Sketch.

38. Select the datum plane

TOP and click Sketch in
the dialog box.

284
39. From the Sketch tab, select
References.

40. Left-click on the bottom edge of the

exhaust tip as shown to select it as a
reference.

41. In the Reference dialog box, click Close.

42. Use the Line Chain tool to create a sketch like the one
shown.

43. Use Normal by left-clicking on the line, then middle-

clicking to place a dimension for each line.

44. Once your sketch matches the image, click OK.

This will be the path that our Sweep will follow.

45. With Sketch 1 selected, click Sweep.

46. In the Sweep tab, select Create or edit sweep section.

285
 47. Create a circle at the origin with a
diameter of 0.10 as shown.

48. Click OK.

49. Rotate your model and

notice how the circular
cross-section follows the
sketch we drew earlier.

50. If you’re satisfied with your

sweep, click OK.

Now that the shape of our exhaust is complete,

we just need to hollow it out.

51. From the Schools tab, select Shell.

52. Change the thickness to 0.005 and press ENTER.

53. Hold CTRL and left-click on the two

surfaces shown in order to remove them.

54. Click OK.

286
55. Select File>Save.

56. Click OK.

As you can see, Sweeps allows us to create shapes that we wouldn’t

otherwise be able to make.

Now that our exhaust system is complete, we just need to add it to the
car.

287
 57. From the Schools tab, select

Open.

58. Select car.asm and click

Open.

59. From the In Graphics toolbar, make sure that only

Plane Display is turned on.

60. From the Schools tab, click

Assemble.

61. Select exhaust.prt and click

Open.

62. Left-click to place the exhaust

near the back of the car.

63. To make the assembly easier, use

the Orientation Sphere to orient
the system as shown.

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64. Select the cylindrical end of the exhaust system.

65. Rotate the car and select the yellow surface

underneath the chassis.

66. Select the TOP datum plane from the

exhaust system.

67. Change the constraint type from

Coincident to Parallel.

68. Select the ASM_TOP datum plane from the

Model Tree.

69. Select the flat end of the exhaust system.

70. Select the flat green surface under the chassis.

71. If necessary, change the constraint from

Distance to Coincident.

289
 72. Click OK.

Your modified exhaust system is now assembled to the undercarriage of

your chassis.

290
Review
Now that you have learned how to make Sweeps and Blends, let’s review
the steps and operations you have completed:

1. You learned how to create a multiple section Blend (Steps 5-30)

2. You practiced added rounds to your model (Steps 31-35)
3. You learned how to add References in a Sketch (Steps 38-40)
4. You practiced creating a sketch and adding dimensions (Steps 41-
43)
5. You learned how to create a sweep from an existing sketch (Steps
44-49)
6. You practiced using the Shell tool to hollow out a model (Steps
50-53)
7. You assembled your finished exhaust system onto the car (Steps
56-71)

291
 Practice Exercise
Let’s try using Blends and Sweeps to improve the car body.

1. Using two Blends,

try to add side
mirrors to the Car
Body. First blend
from a triangle to a
circle. Then blend
through 3 or 4
trapezoids.

2. Add an Aileron.
First add blends for
the supports, then
Sweep the airfoil of
it.

Now that you have had a chance to practice blends and sweeps, try
answering these questions:

1. What is a blend and why do we use it to create geometry?

2. Explain why you need closed sketches to create the volumes of
your model.
3. Why do Sections need the same number of vertexes?
4. What do we do if the blend volume is twisted?
5. How do we add vertexes to a circle?
6. How can we move the starting point of a section?
7. What is a sweep and why do we use it to create geometry?
8. How do you make the path for a sweep?
9. How do you make a model hollow?

292
FINAL ASSESSMENT
Now try what you learned with an older model. Set your working directory to
Candy, and try using Sweep and Blend to create a complex geometry for the
candy. Here are some examples for you.

Ex. 1: The base section

is a square and the top
section is a 4 corners star
from Palette Gallery.

Ex. 2: The base section

is a 8 sides Octagon and
the top section is a 8-tip
star from Palette Gallery.

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

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 Exercise 11
A V irtual Laboratory
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A Virtual Laboratory
USING PTC CREO TO SIMULATE THE REAL WORLD

An important part of product development is simulation. Creo makes it

easy to simulate the real world. It becomes a virtual laboratory where all
kinds of tests can be conducted without anyone getting hurt.

Creo was developed so that engineers and designers could do simulations

and predict how a product or part would react to given loads and
conditions. In this way, Creo becomes a virtual laboratory where
experiments of all types can be created and performed.

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 Creo is like a virtual laboratory where parts and products can be explored
and tested. Even human factors like aesthetics and ergonomics can be
explored using manikin models.

This virtual laboratory capability allows us to bring things into our virtual
laboratory that we would have a hard time doing in real life, like driving a
jet aircraft into the lab. Not only is it possible to do experiments that you
couldn’t do otherwise, but the safety concerns are eliminated as well.

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Most of the simulation that we will be doing in these exercises will be
using the Mechanism application where motion can be simulated. There
are other applications as well that allow forces and stresses to be
calculated, in addition to heat transfer and flow dynamics.

Let’s begin by running a simple experiment with 3 rubber balls and a

container that will let them bounce. We will change the level of gravity so
that we can study the behavior of the bouncing balls on Earth, Mars, and
the International Space Station.

BIG IDEA: Gravitational attraction and conservation

of energy during the bouncing ball collisions
Everyone has experienced the force of gravity and felt it pull you towards
the center of the earth. The force of gravity causes balls to be drawn
toward earth thus creating kinetic energy because of the motion of the
balls. When the balls encounter the floor or ground they experience a
collision. The energy is conserved either through transforming it to heat
and sound or through the restitution of bouncing in the opposite
direction. The extent to which the energy is conserved through bouncing
is measured in the coefficient of restitution.

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 The closer the coefficient of restitution is to the value of 1 the better a ball
bounces. The closer it is to the value of 0 the quicker its bounces die out.
These effects of bouncing are properties of the materials the balls are
made from and can be modeled using Creo’s virtual lab capabilities.

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LEARN ABOUT GRAVITY AND THE COEFFICIENT OF RESTITUTION

Using the bouncing balls virtual laboratory you will explore gravity and
the coefficient of restitution and learn about how they interact. You will
learn how to explore different gravity fields and different materials’
coefficients of restitution.

Let’s begin by defining potential and kinetic energy. Potential energy is a

measure of the stored energy in a system. There are many forms of
potential energy, but the most common is associated with gravitational
fields. When a ball is placed above the floor, there is the potential for it to
drop to the floor. The energy is the result of the gravitational forces which
pull the ball toward the center of the earth. The amount of potential
energy is proportional to the height above a reference point such as the
floor. It is easy to create an equation that represents potential energy,

𝑃𝑃𝑃𝑃 = 𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚ℎ

where 𝑚𝑚 is the mass and 𝑔𝑔 is the gravitational constant, and ℎ is the

height above the floor or ground.

Kinetic energy is energy associated with movement. The faster something

is moving, the more kinetic energy it has. Once the ball hits the floor and
bounces we can measure the coefficient of restitution by measuring the
velocity before and after the collision.

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 𝑉𝑉𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎𝑎
𝐶𝐶𝑅𝑅 =
𝑉𝑉𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏𝑏

This means the coefficient of restitution is a percentage. It represents how

much energy is lost during the collision to heat and noise. If the
coefficient is 1.0 then it means no energy is lost or the ball returns to the
same height as when it was dropped. If it is 0.0 it means all the energy is
lost and the ball will not bounce.

Let’s begin exploring gravity and bouncing through a virtual lab.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double-clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding PTC
Creo Parametric, and selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click Select

Working Directory .

Remember that this sets the folder that PTC Creo

will use to open and save files.

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3. Navigate to the How to Model Almost
Anything folder:

• Double-click the Bouncing_Balls

folder.
• Click OK.

4. From the Home tab, click Open

• Double-click balls.asm.

5. From the In Graphics toolbar:

• Click Datum Display Filters and

disable the display of all datum features.

6. From the Schools tab, click

Mechanism.

The Mechanism mode is a virtual laboratory

where you can perform different
experiments with the model.

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 Let’s explore the model.

You will notice there are 3D contact connections

between the three balls and the inner walls of the
container as represented by the dashed lines.

7. From the Mechanism tab, click

Mechanism Analysis.

The Analysis Definition dialog box will appear.

8. From the Analysis Definition dialog box, select Dynamic from

the Type drop-down menu.

9. Change the Name to Earth.

10. Set the Duration to 10 and the Frame Rate to 10.

11. Click I.C. State to use the initial conditions set up in the model.

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12. Select the External Loads tab.

13. Click Enable Gravity.

14. Click Run.

You will notice that the calculations slow

down when the balls are about to hit the
walls. This is because it requires many
more calculations once the balls get
close to a collision.

15. After the analysis finishes, click OK in the

Analysis Definition dialog box.

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 Let’s replay the analysis.

16. From the Mechanism Tree, expand PLAYBACKS.

17. Right-click Earth and select Play.

18. Use the Animate dialog box to replay the analysis. You can
change the speed of the playback using the slider.

This also allows you to rotate the model while it is playing

back to see it from all angles.

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 Creo gives you the ability to create a video from the analysis.

19. From the Animate dialog box, click Capture.

20. In the Name field, type EARTH.

The Capture dialog box allows you to change many other

settings for the video.

21. Click OK to create the video.

22. Close the Animate dialog box.

Now let’s explore different gravity fields.

23. From the Mechanism tab, Properties and

Conditions group, click Gravity.

Notice that the Magnitude of gravity is 386 in/sec^2, which if

you divide by 12in, is 32.174 ft/sec^2. This is the force of
Earth’s gravity.

Also notice the direction is in the negative Y direction.

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 Mars’ gravity is about 1/3 of Earth’s gravity.

24. Under Magnitude, type 386/3 and press ENTER.

25. Click OK.

We need to reset the experiment so that

the balls are at the top again. The model
was built with an initial condition which
allows us to reset it.

26. From the Mechanism tab, click Drag

Components.

27. In the Drag dialog box, click to expand Snapshots.

28. Double-click Snapshot 1.

Notice that this resets the balls to their initial position.

29. Click Close.

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 Let’s examine our initial conditions.

30. From the Mechanism Tree, expand INITIAL

CONDITIONS.

31. Right-click InitCond1 (BOUNCING_BALLS) and

select Edit Definition.

32. From the Initial Condition Definition dialog

box, click Pt velocity 1 to see the magnitude
and direction of the initial velocity for the
blue ball.

You can check the initial velocity for each of

the balls by clicking on the specific Velocity
Conditions entries.

33. Click OK.

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 34. From the Mechanism tab, click Mechanism Analysis.

35. From the Analysis Definition dialog box, select Dynamic from
the Type drop-down menu.

36. Change the Name to Mars.

37. Make sure the Duration and Frame Rate are set to 10.

38. Click I.C. State to use the initial conditions set up in the model.

39. Select the External Loads tab.

40. Click Enable Gravity.

41. Click Run.

42. Once the analysis finishes, click OK.

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43. From the Mechanism Tree, expand PLAYBACKS.

44. Right-click Mars and select Play.

45. Use the Animate dialog box to replay the analysis.

Notice that the balls bounce higher this time because they’re under
less gravitational force.

46. From the Animate dialog box, click Capture.

47. In the Name field, type MARS.

48. Click OK to create the video.

49. Close the Animate dialog box.

50. Repeat steps 23 – 48 and set the gravity to 0.00001.

This is approximately the gravity on the International Space Station. It

is known as “micro-gravity”.

51. Name the analysis and the captured video ISS.

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 52. From the Quick Access Toolbar, click

Save.

53. Navigate to the Bouncing_Balls

folder and open each of the video
files to compare the effects of
gravity.

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 Review
Now that you have had a chance to learn about PTC Creo’s virtual lab
capabilities, let’s review the steps and operations you have completed:

1. You learned about how PTC Creo Parametric can be a virtual

laboratory
2. You learned about the coefficient of restitution
3. You learned how to run an analysis
4. You learned how to capture the results as a video
5. You learned how to change the gravity in the analysis (Steps
6. You then ran two more analyses to test bouncing under Mars gravity
and ISS gravity

Before we move to a new model, let’s explore how the bouncing balls
experiment was created.

54. From the Mechanism Tree, expand

CONNECTIONS, then expand 3D CONTACTS.

55. Right-click Contact 1

(BOUNCING_BALLS) and select Edit

Definition.

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 56. Select the References tab.

Notice that the 3D contacts

have been set up between
the blue ball and all of the
interior sides of the yellow
box.

57. Select the Contact tab.

Notice that the values for Damping are

very small. The damping coefficient is
the inverse of the coefficient of
restitution. You can see that these balls
have very little energy loss during their
collisions. All of these values can be set
based upon the situation you are trying
to simulate.

58. From the Schools tab, click Close.

59. From the Home tab, Data group, click Erase Not Displayed.

60. Click OK to clear the session from memory.

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 Now let’s try a little bit different type of collision. Newton’s Cradle is a
popular type of toy and teaching demonstration. It demonstrates how
momentum and energy are conserved in collisions.

We will use a model of Newton’s Cradle to explore other options in

simulating the real world.

1. From the Home tab, Data group, click Select

Working Directory .

2. Navigate to the How to Model Almost

Anything folder:

• Double-click the Newton’s_Cradle folder.

• Click OK.

3. From the Home tab, click Open :

• Double-click cradle.asm.

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 4. From the Schools tab, click
Mechanism.

Notice the connections between the balls

are now highlighted. These are called
Cam-Follower connections.

5. From the Mechanism Tree, expand

CONNECTIONS and CAMS.

6. Right-click on Cam Follower1

(CRADLE) and select Edit

Definition.

Notice the white and purple arrows

indicate the direction of movement. The
purple arrow is Cam1 and the white one
is Cam2.

7. From the Cam-Follower dialog box, select

Properties to see information about this connection.

Notice that liftoff has been enabled and the

coefficient of restitution is set at 0.998. Curves were
created around the circumference of the balls and
selected as the Cams.

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8. Use your knowledge of
running analyses to run the
One_Ball and Three_Ball
analyses in the Mechanism
Tree.

9. Create videos of each analysis

to compare the results.

10. Try making your own analysis

with a different number of
balls raised up to start.

11. From the Schools tab, click Close.

12. From the Home tab, Data group, click Erase Not Displayed.

13. Click OK to clear the session from memory.

Answer these questions before going on to the final assessment:

1. How does PTC Creo function like a virtual laboratory?

2. What is the coefficient of restitution?
3. What application allows you to simulate mechnisms?
4. What two types of connections allow you to simulate
collisions?
5. How does Newton’s cradle show that energy and momentum
is conserved?

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 FINAL ASSESSMENT

1. Set your working directory to the

Chemical_Reactions folder and open
chemical_behavior.asm.

2. You will see a vacuum tube filled with a

few molecules of water and methane.

3. Open the Mechanism tool and run the

Low_Energy analysis.

4. Use the Animate dialog box to capture

a video of the analysis.

Note that this analysis can take a while

to run since it requires a great deal of
memory.

5. Examine the two Initial Conditions (Low_energy

& High_energy) in the Mechanism Tree to
determine the differences.

6. Run the High_Energy analysis and save a video of

the animation.

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7. Why is it more likely that two of the
molecules will collide at a higher
energy state?

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

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 Exercise 12
Stress & Deflection
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Calculating Stresses

Introduction
One of the most important aspects of modeling parts and products is
ensuring that the individual components and connections are going to
hold up under a load. One of the most important measures for
determining this is the stress in a material. Stress can be thought of as the
effect of a force applied over an area. If there is too much stress in a
material, it will break. Each material has different limits for its maximum
stress.

Another important measure to keep in mind is the total displacement.

Displacement is the distance that the material stretches or moves when
subjected to a load. If the material stretches too far, it will break.

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 Fortunately, PTC Creo Simulate allows us to quickly and easily analyze the
stress and displacement of a model under a load. This allows us to predict
how the model will function before building it out of solid materials.

Let’s start by analyzing a hook from a robot and determining how it will
react while supporting the robot’s weight.

1. Start PTC Creo Parametric by

double-clicking on the icon or by
going to the Start Menu, finding PTC
Creo Parametric, and selecting it.

2. From the Home tab, Data group, click

Select Working Directory .

Remember that this sets the folder that PTC

Creo will use to open and save files.

3. Navigate to the How to Model

Almost Anything folder:

• Double-click the FTC_Robot

folder.
• Click OK.

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4. From the Home tab, click Open :

• Double-click 0_ftc_robot.asm.

5. From the In Graphics toolbar:

• Click Datum Display Filters and

disable the display of all datum features.

Before we can analyze the load on

the hooks, we need to determine
the total mass of the robot.

6. From the Analysis tab, click

Mass Properties.

7. From the Mass Properties dialog box, click Preview to

calculate the measures of the model.

Notice that Creo automatically calculates the volume, surface

area, mass, and many other properties of the model. Note
that the mass of the robot is 43.29 pounds. We will use this
to determine the load on the hooks.

8. Click OK.

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 9. From the Model Tree, right-click on HOOK.PRT and
select Open.

You now have the part model of the hook open and
will be able to run a stress analysis on the hook.

10. From the Applications

tab, click Simulate.

PTC Creo Simulate tool is

a virtual lab that allows
you to apply forces,
constraints, and materials
to your model and
analyze the reactions.

If prompted, click OK and enter Simulate

Lite. The Process Guide will walk us through
the setup of the simulation.

11. From the Process Guide dialog box, click

Materials, and then click assign.

Notice that a material has already been

assigned for this part. To change the
material used, you could click More…

12. From the Material Assignment dialog box,

click OK.

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13. From the Process Guide dialog
box, click Next, and then click
constraints.

Constraints are used to fix portions

of the model in a stationary
position. In this case, we want to
simulate the hook hanging on a
bar, so we will constrain the inner
“hook” surfaces.

14. In the Constraints Manager dialog

box, click Create a

displacement constraint.

15. In the Graphics

Area, left-click to
select the surface
shown.

16. In the Constraint

dialog box, ensure
that all of the
Translation
directions are set to
Fixed.

This means the

constraint will
restrict the model
from moving in any
direction.

17. Click OK.

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 18. Repeat steps 14 – 17 to assign another constraint to the
curved surface shown.

19. In the Constraints Manager dialog box, click Close.

20. From the Process Guide dialog

box, click Next, and then click
loads.

Loads are used to simulate forces

on an object. In this case, our
load will be the weight of our
robot.

21. In the Loads Manager dialog

box, click Create a

force/moment load.

22. In the Graphics Area, select the

bottom flat surface of the hook.

23. In the Force/Moment Load

dialog box, enter -8363.63 in the
Y-Component box.

This is half of the weight of our

total robot. Because the robot
will be hanging from two hooks
and is symmetrical, we can just
divide the weight between the
hooks. Weight can be found by
multiplying the mass of our robot
(43.29lbs) by the gravitational

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 constant (386.4 in/s2).

24. Click OK.

25. Close the Loads Manager dialog

box.

In the IN-LB unit system, pounds are used to describe two different
measures: mass (lbm) and weight (lbf). Weight is actually a measure of
force. To find weight, you multiply the mass of the object by the
gravitational constant (32.2 ft/s2).

26. In the Process Guide dialog box,

click Next.

27. Click Run to start the analysis.

28. Once the analysis finishes, click

Close in the Diagnostics dialog
box.

29. In the Process Guide

dialog box, click Next,
and then click results.

The results of the analysis

will be displayed. Three
different windows will
pop up: the von Mises
Stress, the Displacement,
and the Max Principal
Stress. These are color
coded and animated to
show the weak points
and movement of the

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 hook under a load.

Review
Now that you have had a chance to learn about PTC Creo Simulate, let’s
review the steps and operations you have completed:

1. You learned about stress and displacement in a model (Introduction)

2. You learned how to calculate the mass and volume of a model (Steps
1-8)
3. You learned how to bring a model into Creo Simulate (Steps 9-10)
4. You learned how to assign a material to your model (Steps 11-12)
5. You learned about constraints and how to add them to your model
(Steps 13-19)
6. You learned how to calculate loads and add them to your model
(Steps 20-25)
7. You ran the analysis and viewed the results (Steps 26-29)

Now that you’ve learned how to set up an analysis, let’s take a look at
another analysis using a different type of load. A pressure load can be
used to simulate pressure on a surface from gasses or liquids.

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1. From the Home tab, Data
group, click Select Working
Directory .

2. Navigate to the How to Model

Almost Anything folder:

• Double-click the
Pressure_Tank folder.
• Click OK.

3. From the Home tab, click Open

• Double-click tank.prt.

We’ll use this model to simulate a propane storage tank under

double the recommended pressure. This will allow us to see
what would happen if we overloaded the tank.

4. From the Applications tab, click Simulate.

5. Use the Process Guide dialog box to examine the Materials in the
model.

What kind of material is the tank made out of?

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 6. Explore the Constraints in the model.

Notice that the bottom flat surface of

the tank is constrained in every
direction and can’t move.

7. Examine the loads on the

model.

8. In the Loads Manager dialog

box, click on each individual
load to view it.

Notice that all of the pressure

loads are on the inside of the
tank pressing out. The loads
are set to 500 psi, which is
twice the recommended load
for a propane tank.

9. Use the Process Guide dialog

box to run the analysis and
view the results.

Where is the area of

maximum deflection on the
tank? How much will it move?
Where is the area of
maximum stress?

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10. Close the Simulate Results window without saving.

11. In the Process Guide dialog box, click Exit.

12. From the Schools tab, click Close.

13. From the Home tab, Data group, click Erase Not Displayed.

14. Click OK to clear the session from memory.

Answer these questions before going on to the final assessment:

1. How can you use Creo Simulate to analyze a model?

2. What does it mean to apply a constraint to a model?
3. What does it mean to apply a load to a model?
4. What does the deflection indicate?
5. How can you tell which area has the highest stress?

FINAL ASSESSMENT

1. Set your working directory to the

AndyMark_Chassis folder and
open am14u_wide.asm.

2. You are going to use Creo

Simulate to analyze the load on
one of the cross members of the
chassis.

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 3. Click Open and double-click am-
2595.prt.

4. From the Applications tab, click

Simulate and enter Simulate Lite.

5. Assign the material

metal_aluminum_aa2024
to the model.

6. Constrain both ends of the channel to be completely

fixed.

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7. Place a load on the top
two flat surfaces of 800
lbs force (this is equal to
about 25 lbs mass).

You’ll need to hold CTRL

in order to select both
surfaces.

8. Run the analysis and view

the results.

The analysis might take a

while to finish. Be patient
and wait for the
Diagnostics window to
appear.

9. Use your knowledge of

stress and displacement
to analyze the results.

Where is the area of

maximum displacement?
Maximum stress? What
are the values?

Congratulations! You have completed this exercise.

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336
Have you always been interested in 3D modeling but thought it would be too difficult to
learn on your own? Are you interested in learning how to design your own parts for 3D
printing?

This text will provide you with an easy to follow curriculum that will have you building 3D
models very quickly. It has 12 different exercises and 18 unique pre-assembled models
for you to work with. Learn about 3D design and how to use the product development
process to turn your great ideas into 3D models that can move just like their physical
counterparts. Practice your basic 3D design skills by assembling multiple models and
creating your very own parts in PTC® Creo® .

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