Week 2 Notes: Advanced CAD Programming

Circle Creation Methods

Circles are very common features to measure. However, the traditional
method of circle creation is simply clicking on a cylinder feature on the
model in “CIRCLE CREATION MODE”. This results in a circle created the
random location you click, not at a specific location. The following are
several different ways to define measurement of circles at a specific
location:
Feature Settings Editor Method
1. Start off by extracting all the circles you want to measure at one level.
2. Go to RESOURCES>FEATURE SETTINGS EDITOR or click the button
, found in the button bar or in the MEASUREMENT TAB.
3. Use the FEATURE SETTINGS EDITOR AS USUAL…

A
C
B

A: Choose what parameter to change

 In the top left dropdown, choose what you want to change.
 In this example, GEOMETRY (NOMINAL DATA) > Z
B: Choose the features to change
 Select what features you want to change in the “Identifier” list
by clicking, shift+clicking, or control+clicking.
C: Set the Parameter Value
 In the SET TO window on the right, type the new desired value
of the parameter you are setting (Z of a circle in this example).

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Cylinder Method
1. Start off by extracting cylinders where you wish to measure circles.
2. Go to PLAN > ADVANCED > CONVERT CYLINDERS TO CIRCLES
3. Select the cylinders in the list that you wish to measure as circles.
4. Specify a percentage of the cylinder depth where the circle should be
created. The “Relative Measuring Height” is relative to the FEATURE
COORDINATE SYSTEM of the Cylinder. If you are unsure of where the
“origin” of the feature is, open one Cylinder and look for the coordinate
system on one end of the Cylinder – that is where 0% is.

5. Rename the circle features as desired – You can use EDIT>REPLACE to

change all the names at once.

Wireframe Method
1. Make sure your CAD model is NOT SHADED and the wireframe is
displayed.
2. Go to CAD > CREATING FEATURES
3. In the CAD window, click the top edge of the cylinder that you want to
measure a circle in.
4. In the CREATE FEATURE window, click the CREATION tab
5. Enter an “OFFSET” (depth) that you
want the circle created

6. Click the Circle icon to create a

circle.

7. Verify in your feature list that the created circle was offset the correct
direction from your selected edge.
(A positive Offset direction is in the Feature Coordinate System Z axis
direction of the host cylinder)

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Projection Method
1. Open a circle you have previously extracted.
2. Click the “NONE” Button under “PROJECTION”

3. Choose “MEASURED PLANES” from the dropdown

4. In the Working Plane selector, choose

the Top Plane relative to the bore you
want to measure.

5. Click the Radio Button for d1 and enter

the depth you want to measure at
relative to the selected Working Plane.

6. OK to close out of the Relative

Measurement (Projection) window.

Note: The nominal Z value (for example) of

the circle will not change. However, when
the feature is executed, the ACTUAL
measured depth will be exactly the depth to and exactly parallel to the
specified workplane.

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Sectioning a CAD Model
Sometimes a spline (wire) does not exist on your CAD model where you
need one to make features. You can make your own with intersections:

1. To create a new spline to create features with, select to the SECTION tab in
CAD>CREATING FEATURES.
2. Click on the area you want to section on the CAD model. A green plane
should show up showing the sectioning plane

3. You can click and drag the

corners to resize the plane.
To change the location,
change the XYZ value in the
sectioning window.
4. You can change the
orientation using the X Y Z of
the Normal Vector.
5. You can also create a cylindrical sectioning zone using the button near the
bottom.
6. Once you have the section how you want it, you can click the SECTION
button to create your section.
7. Your section will appear as a yellow line wherever the section plane or
cylinder comes in contact with the CAD model.
8. If you need to create another section, just move the plane or cylinder to
where you want it and hit section again to create the new section.

After Section, you can view just the section by clicking the “Show only
selected geometric features in CAD model” button (second button from left
at bottom of CAD window), next to CAD programming mode drop-up.
Make sure you have unclicked the “Show CAD Models with Surfaces”
(shade button) as sections will not show when the model is shaded.

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Creating Features other than Circles
You can make solid geometry and other features in the same manner as
circles in CAD>CREATING FEATURES. Just like when you create circles in
this manner, make sure your CAD model is NOT SHADED and the wireframe
is displayed.

Cylinders & Cones: Control+Click the Top and Bottom wireframe circle and click
the GEOMETRY button.

Planes: Control+Click at least 2 sides of the plane

feature and click the GEOMETRY button.

Slots: Control+Click the 4 pieces of the slot: the two

rounded ends and the two linear sides. Enter the
appropriate Offset and click the SLOT button.

Rectangle: Control+Click the 4 linear pieces of the

Rectangle. Enter the appropriate Offset and click the
RECTANGLE button.

Line: Click the Line and click the LINE button. Note that
there is no offset option, so it is useful to section the
model at your desired measurement depth first to make
splines where needed.

Point: If you need a point created at a specific location,

type in the desired XYZ and click the POINT button.
Note that the vector direction will automatically be determined from the CAD
surface. Also, Calypso will always create the closest point on the CAD surface if
you did not enter an XYZ combination that actually lays on the surface of the
model. “Space Point” is always the best option.

The Measurement Strategy applied automatically will match the default

active in RESOURCES>SAVE/LOAD DEFAULTS.

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The Multiple Creation Button!
Do you have a lot of circle and line geometry at one level you need to
make? The Multiple Creation button is your new best friend!

1. Go to CAD>CREATING FEATURES then SECTION tab. Section as usual at the

desired measurement location.

2. Click to the CREATION tab, unshade the model, and click the “Show only
selected geometric features in CAD model” button to just show the section
you made.

3. Hold CONTROL on the keyboard and

Click+Drag a box to touch any entity you want
to convert to a Circle or Line.
NOTE: You can keep selecting different
entities by drawing multiple boxes if you
keep holding the CONTROL key while you
are drawing boxes.

4. Click the MULTIPLE CREATION button.

5. Sit back and watch while Calypso works to

make all the geometry (it’s better than you
making all those features)!

6. Switch back to the “SHOW CAD MODEL” view

(fourth icon from the left below the CAD
model) and shade the model as usual.

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Extract All
So, “MULTIPLE CREATION” works great for Circles and Lines. What about
if you have a lot of Planes, Cylinders, or Cones? We have you covered.

1. Go to the CAD>EXTRACT menu.

Notice that the first option SAVE/LOAD DEFAULTS. This is the same
window as RESOURCES>SAVE/LOAD DEFAULTS. No need to change
anything there if you have everything set correctly as you should.
Remember measurement strategies are “set it and forget it” items and
stay active from the time you set them.

2. In the CAD>EXTRACT menu, choose the type of feature you wish to extract
en masse, like CYLINDER.
It is not recommended to choose “ALL FEATURES”, as the list of all
geometry can be overwhelming and may take a long time to populate.
Just choose one type of feature (“PLANE” or “CYLINDER”), for example.

3. A window will appear with all pieces of geometry on the model. Select
entities that you want to create as features. The CAD Model will highlight to
show you what entity is what.

4. Once you have the

entities chosen, click
the APPLY button

5. Wait for the creation

to finish, then click
OK.

Calypso will automatically combine your new features in groups if the

“Groups” checkbox is ticked and the number of features exceeds the
number indicated. Simply uncheck “Groups” if you want separate features
without groups in your Features List.

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Applying Characteristics to Multiple Features
Now that we have all these features, how can we create characteristics as
quickly as we created all the features? With the Paintbrush!

1. Report a Characteristic (or several characteristics) of ONE of the features

you have created. For example, a Diameter, X, and Y of the first circle in the
Features List.
2. Go to the Characteristic List and Select the Characteristics you just made.
3. Click the “Paintbrush” Icon:
4. Select all the same type of feature
that you wish to apply the same
characteristic to.

Looking in the Characteristic List now, you should have the same
characteristic(s) reported individually for each selected feature! Now,
what do you do if the tolerance is wrong for all of those characteristics?
Use the Paintbrush!

1. Open the first Characteristic and adjust the

tolerances as necessary and close the
Characteristic.
2. Click the “Paintbrush” icon.
3. Click the “Characteristic Icon” in the
Paintbrush window.

4. Click checkbox for the properties from the first

Characteristic that you want to transfer to
other Characteristics.

5. Leave the Paintbrush window OPEN!

6. Select all the Characteristics that you want to

transfer the tolerances (or whatever you have chosen) to.

7. Click OK on the Paintbrush window.

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