How to align parts in assembly?

[Les LaZar]

I have a real noobie question. I've been using AutoCAD since V1.2. I recently obtained Inventor 10 and I am in the process of learning to use it.

I must be missing something obvious regarding the alignment of parts in the assembly module. For example: I have two parts defined...a flat plate, 12" x 12" x .1" and an angle bracket, 6"L x 2" x 2" x .1 thick. The plate is the base part. Now I want to place the bracket on the plate in a precise position and orientation....say the corner of the bracket is 1" in x and y from the corner of the plate.

I've been struggling with this for several days. In AutoCAD I would have used a couple of offset commands to establish the corner point at 1,1 from the corner of the plate and then moved the bracket to that point using object snaps.

In IV10, I can drop back to sketch mode and add the guide lines to the surface of the plate but I haven't found any way to EXACTLY place the bracket at that intersection. Nor can I find an "easy" way to orient the bracket precisely with respect to the surface of the plate (regardless of location). The MATE constraint is usable for aligning the top surface of the plate to the bottom surface of the bracket, but the bracket is often rotated, at least a bit, with respect to the edges of the plate. Can someone please give me a clue as to what I am missing?

Thanks for an assistance,

Les

[Anonymous]

First off, maybe some reading of the GETTING STARTED would be the least
to do to, well, get started.

The process is explained there.

Start an assembly and assemble your base part

Assemble the other part. Now, you can choose appropriate constraints to
ALIGN or MATE surfaces and planes (with or without offsets) to position
your parts.

Let me know your e-mail and I'll send you a better quality movie. It's
3.2MB so I don't think I can post it here.

HIH

Rui


Les LaZar wrote:
> I have a real noobie question. I've been using AutoCAD since V1.2. I recently obtained Inventor 10 and I am in the process of learning to use it.
>
> I must be missing something obvious regarding the alignment of parts in the assembly module. For example: I have two parts defined...a flat plate, 12" x 12" x .1" and an angle bracket, 6"L x 2" x 2" x .1 thick. The plate is the base part. Now I want to place the bracket on the plate in a precise position and orientation....say the corner of the bracket is 1" in x and y from the corner of the plate.
>
> I've been struggling with this for several days. In AutoCAD I would have used a couple of offset commands to establish the corner point at 1,1 from the corner of the plate and then moved the bracket to that point using object snaps.
>
> In IV10, I can drop back to sketch mode and add the guide lines to the surface of the plate but I haven't found any way to EXACTLY place the bracket at that intersection. Nor can I find an "easy" way to orient the bracket precisely with respect to the surface of the plate (regardless of location). The MATE constraint is usable for aligning the top surface of the plate to the bottom surface of the bracket, but the bracket is often rotated, at least a bit, with respect to the edges of the plate. Can someone please give me a clue as to what I am missing?
>
> Thanks for an assistance,
>
> Les

[Anonymous]

Here's one I did earlier.

Sometimes it's easier to play with something done by somebody else to get you over a hurdle

But don't rely on others doing everything else for you.


HTH
--
Duncan
"Humour ... is one man shouting gibberish in the face of authority, and proving by fabricated insanity that nothing could be as mad
as what passes for ordinary living."
(Terence 'Spike' Milligan K.B.E., 1918-2002)
www.autodesk.co.uk/inventorjobs



wrote in message news:4965061@discussion.autodesk.com...
I have a real noobie question. I've been using AutoCAD since V1.2. I recently obtained Inventor 10 and I am in the process of
learning to use it.

I must be missing something obvious regarding the alignment of parts in the assembly module. For example: I have two parts
defined...a flat plate, 12" x 12" x .1" and an angle bracket, 6"L x 2" x 2" x .1 thick. The plate is the base part. Now I want to
place the bracket on the plate in a precise position and orientation....say the corner of the bracket is 1" in x and y from the
corner of the plate.

I've been struggling with this for several days. In AutoCAD I would have used a couple of offset commands to establish the corner
point at 1,1 from the corner of the plate and then moved the bracket to that point using object snaps.

In IV10, I can drop back to sketch mode and add the guide lines to the surface of the plate but I haven't found any way to EXACTLY
place the bracket at that intersection. Nor can I find an "easy" way to orient the bracket precisely with respect to the surface of
the plate (regardless of location). The MATE constraint is usable for aligning the top surface of the plate to the bottom surface
of the bracket, but the bracket is often rotated, at least a bit, with respect to the edges of the plate. Can someone please give
me a clue as to what I am missing?

Thanks for an assistance,

Les

[Anonymous]

Check out the Visual Syllabus on the top menu bar, second icon from the
right. These are mini visual tutorials, should help you out with most
basic questions.

Les LaZar wrote:
> I have a real noobie question. I've been using AutoCAD since V1.2. I recently obtained Inventor 10 and I am in the process of learning to use it.
>
> I must be missing something obvious regarding the alignment of parts in the assembly module. For example: I have two parts defined...a flat plate, 12" x 12" x .1" and an angle bracket, 6"L x 2" x 2" x .1 thick. The plate is the base part. Now I want to place the bracket on the plate in a precise position and orientation....say the corner of the bracket is 1" in x and y from the corner of the plate.
>
> I've been struggling with this for several days. In AutoCAD I would have used a couple of offset commands to establish the corner point at 1,1 from the corner of the plate and then moved the bracket to that point using object snaps.
>
> In IV10, I can drop back to sketch mode and add the guide lines to the surface of the plate but I haven't found any way to EXACTLY place the bracket at that intersection. Nor can I find an "easy" way to orient the bracket precisely with respect to the surface of the plate (regardless of location). The MATE constraint is usable for aligning the top surface of the plate to the bottom surface of the bracket, but the bracket is often rotated, at least a bit, with respect to the edges of the plate. Can someone please give me a clue as to what I am missing?
>
> Thanks for an assistance,
>
> Les

--
Hal Gwin
Mechanical Designer
Xenogen

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[Les LaZar]

Rul,

Thanks for the response. I RE-READ Chapter 7 of the Inventor Getting Started manual, but I still didn't see what I needed.

Please send your movie to: "les+lazar at pacbell dot net" and delete the plus-sign.

Les

[Les LaZar]

Duncan,

Thanks for the file. I will examine it and let you know if it helped.

Les

[Les LaZar]

Hal,

Thanks for the pointer. I thought I looked at all of those tutorials when I first installed the software, but I will take another look.

Les