Essentials for NX Designers

Getting Started With NX CAD And NX Interface

 o Introduction to CAD with basic Engineering
Course Content: Graphics
o Getting started with NX and NX Interface
o Coordinate systems and Datum Geometry
o Creating and Constraining Sketches
o Sweeping Geometry
o Creating And Editing Holes
o Blending And Chamfering Edges
o Loading and working with assemblies
o Adding And Positioning Parts In An Assembly
o Creating Simple Drawings
Getting started with NX and NX Interface

Purpose Objectives
• This lesson introduces the Unigraphics-NX and Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able
working with NX Interface. to:

• Start an NX session and Work on NX interface.

• Create a new part file using templates.
• Opening, Saving a part file and Close a part file
and exit NX.
• Customize Ribbon bar and Understand Roles
• Shortcut menus and toolbars
NX CAD
• NX 9 is a parametric and feature-based system that allows you to create 3D parts, assemblies, and 2D
drawings. The design process in NX is shown below.
Starting NX 9 :
• To start NX 9 ,click the NX 9.0 icon on your computer screen

• (or) click Start > All Programs > Siemens NX 9.0 > NX 9.0.
No Part interface
 Creating a New File:
• File tab  New
or
• Ctrl + N
Select the template you want ,Type or assign the number and revision information ,
(Optional) Type the name and path information.
NX 9 application window :
User Interface of NX Cad :

Various components of the user interface are:

Quick Access Toolbar :
This is located on the top left corner. It has some commonly used commands such as Save,
Undo, Redo, Copy, and so on.

Quick Access Toolbar

Ribbon Bar :

The NX
Ribbon bar
provides you
with access to Component Description
frequently Organizes commands into groups
used 1 Tab of related functions in each
application.
commands
with a Organizes commands by function on each tab.
2 Group Related commands appear in lists and
minimum galleries.
number of Each application
3 Command Finder Finds commands.
mouse clicks. has its own
Full Screen Maximizes screen space.
specific set of 4
tabs and 5 Minimize Ribbon Hides the groups on the Ribbon tab.
groups. 6 Help Displays on-context Help (F1)
Ribbon Lets you turn on or turn off commands in each
7 group.
Command Finder :
The Command Finder bar is used to search for any command. You can type any
keyword in the Command Finder bar and find a list of commands related to it.
The Command Finder dialog box appears with the results of the search
Place the cursor over any command presented in the Matches for list (1).
If the command is available for immediate use, the correct menu path or
ribbon bar button is highlighted.
Top Border Bar :
This is available below the ribbon. It has all the options to filter the objects that you
can select from the graphics window

Menu
Menu is located on the Top Border Bar. It has
various options (menu titles). When you click
on a menu title, a drop-down appears. Select
any option from this drop-down.
Resource Bar :
This is located on the left side. It has all the navigator windows such as
Assembly Navigator, Constraint Navigator, Part Navigator, and so on.

Status bar :
This is available below the graphics
window. It shows the prompts and the
action taken while using the commands.
Dialog boxes :
When you execute any command in NX, the dialog related to it appears. A
dialog has of various options. The following figure shows various components
of a dialog.
Visual cues in dialog boxes
Dialog boxes use visual cues to help guide you through the
Cue .
selection process Description
A fading band indicates the current
selection option.
This icon indicates a required
selection.
This icon indicates a required
selection that has been made by
you or inferred by the software.
This green color indicates the next
default action.
The OK button displays brackets
when auto complete is available.
 Roles :
Roles let you control the appearance of the user interface based on your job
tasks and NX experience.

Each role dictates:

• The tabs displayed on the ribbon bar.
• The buttons displayed in the ribbon groups.
• The items displayed drop-down lists and More
galleries.
Choose a role :

1. On the Resource bar, click the Roles tab to display the palette.

2. Click the role you want or drag it into the graphics window.

3. In the Load Role message box click OK to accept the new role.
Activities: Getting to know the NX interface — Toolbars and Roles

In the Getting to know the NX interface section, do the activities:

• Customize the Ribbon bar

• Customize the NX interface and create a new role

Shortcut toolbar

A shortcut toolbar is a toolbar that contains the commands that you are most likely
to use for the selected objects.
View shortcut menu

Right-click in the background of the graphics window to display the View shortcut
menu.

1. Frequently used NX commands

2. Selection mini-bar
Radial toolbars and radial shortcuts

Radial toolbars
Radial toolbars are available when you hold Shift+Ctrl and click a mouse button. The
radial toolbar you see depends on the mouse button you click.
Radial toolbars and radial shortcuts

Radial shortcuts
Radial shortcuts are available when you click and hold the right mouse button.
A radial shortcut with view commands appears when you click and hold the right
mouse button
in the background of the graphics window.

 A radial shortcut with object-specific commands appears when you click and hold
the
right mouse button on a selected object.
Customizing radial toolbars

Three customizable radial toolbars are available in each NX application

 When you hold the Ctrl and Shift keys and click a mouse button, the radial toolbar
associated with that button appears.

 You can include up to eight commands

on each customizable radial toolbar.
Customizable radial toolbar
Graphics window view manipulation
Other view manipulation options
Orient View options
Modifies the orientation of a specified view to a predefined view.
 Changes only the alignment of the view, not the view name.
 Can be selected from the View tab -> Operation
group or from the shortcut menu
Home - key Orients the current view to Trimetric
End key -Orients the current view to Isometric.
F8 - key Orients the current view to a selected
planar face or datum plane or the planar view
(top, front, right, back, bottom, left) that is
closest to the current view orientation.
Selecting objects
The selection Type Filter allows you to control which type of objects you
can select. The content of the list changes with the active NX command.

When using an advanced role, the General Selection Filters allow you to
further restrict what type of objects you can select.
Selecting objects
If you right-click an object, a shortcut menu appears with commands for the
object type.
Preview selection
Objects are highlighted in the preview selection color as the selection ball
passes over them.
Tooltips at the cursor location
View an object’s name or type in a tooltip that appears at the cursor location.
This information is also available on the Status line.

Preselected object with tooltip

Quick Pick :
When you select objects, more than one object will often be within the
selection
ball. Quick Pick provides easy browsing through selection candidates.
If there is more than one selectable object at the selection ball
location
and the cursor lingers for a short period of time, the cursor changes
to a
Quick Pick indicator:

This cursor display indicates that

there is more than one selectable
object at
that position. Click after the cursor
changes to display the Quick Pick
dialog
box.
Activities: Working with the NX interface — Views

In the NX interface section, do the activity:

• Change the view display
Saving a Part File :
Click FILE > SAVE
On the SAVE File menu, there are SIX different options to save a file.
 SAVE: This option will save the part on screen with the same name as given
before while creating the part file.
 SAVE WORK PART ONLY: option will only save the active part on the screen.
 SAVE AS: option allows you to save the part on screen using a different name.
 SAVE ALL: This option will save all the opened part files with their existing
names.
 SAVE BOOKMARK: This option will save a screenshot of the current model on
the screen as a .JPEG file and bookmarks.
Opening an Existing Part File :
Click FILE > OPEN
Window opens as shown Below , specify the path and Select the part you want ,Then Click OK
Closing Part Files :
Click FILE > CLOSE
Exit an NX session :
Click FILE EXIT

Click FILE CLOSE SAVE ALL and EXIT

The Save and Exit warning dialog window is shown below.
Mouse Functions :
Various functions of the mouse buttons are:
Left Mouse button (MB1)
When you double-click the left mouse button (MB1) on an object, the dialog
related to the object appears. Using this dialog, you can edit the parameters of
the objects.
Middle Mouse button (MB2)
Click this button to execute the OK command.
Right Mouse button (MB3)
Click this button to open the shortcut menu.
The other functions with combination of the three mouse buttons are:
Activities: Opening and working with parts — Open, save, and close

In the Opening and working with parts section, do the activity:

• Open, save, and close existing part files

• Specify the work part and displayed part

Summary: Opening and working with parts

In this lesson you:

• Started an NX session.

• Created, opened, and saved part files.

• Copied a part file.

• Closed a part file.