Advice drawing numerous components within a single file. Please.

[cvrivdesigns]

My question has to do with drawing numerous components within a single file. I'm used to drawing everything in separate files and including them into an assembly file, even including assembly files within assembly files.

I saw a video explaining how to do it create multiple components within a single file, but it didn't really explain where I should draw the additional parts in relation to previously draw parts. I mean if two parts fit together, should I draw them fitting together or should I draw the two parts separated and then constrain/join them together when they are done? I mean you have to constrain/ join them together anyways, because even if I draw them together, they're still not constrained together. 

I even projected a point from the first part and used a coincident constraint on the second component sketch to that point. When I was done and everything was extruded I could slide it around like there are no constraints. That was very strange to me. 

So my question is that if parts fit together, should they be drawn together or should they be drawn offset from the other parts and then constrained/ joined? Does it matter? What's a good practice?

Thanks.

[davebYYPCU · Accepted solution]

No it doesn’t matter, and best practise is for you to decide.

Comes down to what you use Fusion for.

Assembly of parts, with some interoperability - one file many components saves duplication of work you would need in all the individual parts.

Might help…

[jeffescott · Accepted solution]

I find it easier to draw them where they belong.

It helps keeping the whole system parametrically correct.

Projections very easy.

assembly is also easier.

[cvrivdesigns]

Ok. Thanks for clearing that up.

[Drewpan]

Hi,

The way I do it is to break it down to if I was either an individual engineer working on a small assembly, or part of a

team of engineers working on a large assembly. If you look at it this way then you will quickly work out what parts

should be in what assembly. An assembly is just a group of parts. A sub-assembly is a smaller assembly of parts

within another bigger assembly.

If you were building an engine then you would start with the block. You would then create the crank assembly that

consists of the crank shaft and some pistons. Each piston would have a piston, piston rings, a wrist pin and a con-

rod. Everything is logically grouped together. Most of the time it is straight forward. Sometimes you might have a

part or a joint or something in another assembly to someone else but that is because you made the decision to go

one way and the other person made a decision to go the other. That is just being an engineer.

As long as you don't mix stuff together and confuse people you will be fine. The wheel nuts DON'T go with the

engine valve assembly.

Cheers

Andrew

[cvrivdesigns]

I completely understand what you are saying. Even though its just me working on my stuff, I still like to organize everything as if I'm working with a team. I don't want to smash everything into one huge file. I want to create subassemblies that are included into either a main assembly or other larger assemblies of assemblies before including them into the main assembly. I think that's the best way to go about it.

This is how I did it before with Inventor except I did it by linking individual part files on my computer that are all organized in folders.

Back to my original question, well, I went to constrain the parts together and it's not like Inventor. I'm not used the the as built joint and the joint thing. I guess it depends how the components are drawn, included, and moved, which determines which joint to use? Very confusing.

[Drewpan]

Hi,

Joints and as built joints are just a way of joining components together. The principle is pretty much the same as

you would in a real assembly - you join the parts together.

As a guide, there are a couple of common ways to design parts and assemblies. One way is to design all parts

together using a common origin, grounding the base part and then using joints to join them up. The other way is to

use the build in place method of design where all of the parts have an origin somewhere in relation to another part

that is already in place. The joints themselves can still be rigid or sliding or whatever, it is just that the first method

you have to mate the joints to where they join up and the second method there are already in the right place, you

just have to define what type of joint it is.

Like most things in engineering you want to be logical and consistent. Take the engine example. I design my block

in place and ground it. I know that my pistons will go inside the block but it is a bit tricky to design them in place

because there are so many of them that are the same but in different places. I might choose to design my piston

separately and then use a normal joint to position them. But while I am designing my piston, it is easy for me to use

the face of the piston at the origin as my Origin point so that is where I start. Once I have modeled the piston, I

know exactly where my con-rod joins, so I will create my con-rod in place by projecting the wrist pin hole through

the piston and using that to create the con-rod. Then I have a piston and conrod in place so I can now create the

wrist pin in place and join them together with an As-Built revolute joint and set my limits. I can model the piston

rings in place and use an As-Built rigid joint. Now my basic piston is finished I need to make some copies and then

put each piston within the cylinders. To do this I use a normal sliding Joint.

Where all of these joints actually go in the assemblies will depend on the design rules that you set or are set for you.

Some rules may say that all joints within an assembly will be within the assembly and joints between two or more

assemblies go in the top most assembly. Some rules may say that all joints within an assembly and it's sub-

assembly parts go in the top assembly. Some rules might say ALL joints go in the Top of the browser tree. Some

people make similar rules to Sketches. Some are within the assembly and some are at the top. Whichever method

you choose, try to be consistent. There will always be orphans and exceptions to the rule, so in these cases try to

be logical.

All I can say is try to act like you are an engineer. Methodical, consistent and logical.

Cheers

Andrew

[davebYYPCU]

Hard to generalise, 

Think about Joints as finding a common point on both components, snap the Joint disc to those, (same as Point to Point move, with flexibility) then apply offsets if needed, 

Type of Joint is type of movement, Revolve, Ball Joint, etc. usually operating from the snap point

As Built has no moves from where they are now, 

Pay close attention to the Joint disc Z axis, as they will always be aligned.

Might help...