@Kerry.McInnes wrote:
This is the first time Ive had to model a set like this so its really taken me for a ride! The way I did it was first made the concrete as one body and then created the sketches for the rails (for frame generator) in place so i could reference the geometry from the concrete, after that I demoted each section of rails. This way I could create the drawings and parts lists for each rail and then as a whole. I did run into a couple adaptivity issues when I had to make changes.
If there is a more streamlined way to do it, Im all ears, Im just not understanding how to make components for something like this but im very interested if you could provide me some more details!
Ahhh, okay. I see what you're doing now. Frame Generator. Couple different was I might tackle that.
Option 1- make the sketches in the part file for the concrete. Nothing says you have to have the sketches for frame generator in their own separate part. Just do them here, use the concrete in the assembly where you're going to build your handrails, and you can turn visibility off for the sketches later. (And the concrete, too, if needed.)
Option 2- Derive the concrete into a new part, but bring it in as a surface and then delete the faces you don't need. At this point, you can use a pattern feature in the new part to make copies of the body at 0", 21", and 42" (assuming OSHA-standard handrail heights) and make your sketches there. If you're careful about how you dimension and constrain things, any changes you make later on to the concrete part will come through to the surfaces you didn't delete, and will then filter on down to the rails created with frame generator.
As for multi-solid modeling... that's a whole separate and deep topic, but basically whenever you do an extrude or revolve feature or whatever, when you select whether you're adding or subtracting from the solid object, there's another button there as well: make new solid. You can basically create multiple objects in one single part and see how they all fit together, and then spin each one off into its own separate part when you're done. It's more of a subject than we can really get into right here, though.
Rusty
