SolidEdge8 Vol2 PDF

C O U R S E
G U I D E
Solid Edge Fundamentals

Volume 2
MT01415
Version 8
This document replaces MT01415 Version 7.
Copyright
2000
Unigraphics Solutions Inc.
All Rights Reserved
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T A B L E
O F
C O N T E N T S
Contents
Solid Edge Fundamentals Volume 2 ....................................................... i

Contents ................................................................................................... iii
Before You Begin .................................................................................... vi
Sheet Metal Features ............................................................................... 1
Objectives ..............................................................................................................................3
Introduction............................................................................................................................4
Suggested Sheet Metal Workflow .........................................................................................5
Part Properties (Global Settings) ...........................................................................................6
Base Features .........................................................................................................................7
Adding Additional Features.................................................................................................12
Flange Editing (Partial Flanges) ..........................................................................................22
Naming Features ..................................................................................................................25
Review .................................................................................................................................26
Activity - Using the Tab and Flange Commands.................................................................27
Activity - Creating a Contour Flange...................................................................................37
Activity - Using the Lofted Flange Command.....................................................................43
Summary..............................................................................................................................49
More Sheet Metal.................................................................................... 51

Objectives ............................................................................................................................53
Introduction..........................................................................................................................54
Normal Cutout .....................................................................................................................55
Break Corner........................................................................................................................57
Unbend/Re-bend ..................................................................................................................58
Bend.....................................................................................................................................60
Jog........................................................................................................................................63
Close Corner ........................................................................................................................66
Dimple Command................................................................................................................68
Drawn Cutout.......................................................................................................................71
Bead .....................................................................................................................................74
Louver..................................................................................................................................76
Adding Features in the Part Environment............................................................................78
Flat Patterns (Associative) ...................................................................................................79
Save As Flat (DXF Output) .................................................................................................82
Table of Contents Solid Edge Fundementals Course Guide Volume 2
Review .................................................................................................................................85
Activity - Constructing a Washing Machine Console .........................................................87
Activity Constructing a Normal Cutout ..........................................................................109
Activity Inserting a Bend................................................................................................111
Activity Inserting a Jog...................................................................................................115
Activity Close Corner .....................................................................................................119
Activity Creating an Associative Flat Pattern.................................................................123
Summary............................................................................................................................131
Assembly Design ................................................................................. 133

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................135
Introduction........................................................................................................................136
Assembly Environment......................................................................................................137
Placing Parts into Assemblies............................................................................................138
Applying Relationships......................................................................................................141
Defining Offset Distances..................................................................................................151
Rapid Part Placement.........................................................................................................152
Using Reference Planes with Relationships ......................................................................155
Edgebar ..............................................................................................................................156
Selecting Parts ...................................................................................................................167
Moving Parts......................................................................................................................171
Assembly Part Properties...................................................................................................172
Create In-Place...................................................................................................................174
Patterning Parts ..................................................................................................................177
Part Display .......................................................................................................................178
Display Configurations ......................................................................................................183
Cutaway Views ..................................................................................................................187
Explode Environment ........................................................................................................189
Sharing Assemblies............................................................................................................196
Updating Parts in the Assembly.........................................................................................197
Review ...............................................................................................................................198
Activity Creating an Assembly.......................................................................................199
Activity Creating an Assembly with Reduced Input ......................................................209
Activity Creating an Assembly with Flashfit..................................................................219
Summary............................................................................................................................226
Document Management....................................................................... 227

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................229
Introduction........................................................................................................................230
Editing Parts in the Assembly Environment ......................................................................231
Revision Manager ..............................................................................................................235
Document Properties..........................................................................................................243
Finding Files ......................................................................................................................254
Routing Documents ...........................................................................................................257
Reports...............................................................................................................................258
PathFinder..........................................................................................................................263
Viewer................................................................................................................................264
Review ...............................................................................................................................267
Activity - Editing a Part in Context of the Assembly ........................................................269
Activity - Using Revision Manager ...................................................................................274
Activity - Setting Document Status ...................................................................................281
Summary............................................................................................................................283
Table of Contents
Saving Images ...................................................................................... 285

Introduction........................................................................................................................287
Saving As Image/VRML ...................................................................................................288
Physical Properties and Interference Checking................................ 291

Objectives ..........................................................................................................................293
Introduction........................................................................................................................293
Physical Properties.............................................................................................................293
Checking Part Interference ................................................................................................297
Review ...............................................................................................................................300
Activity Calculating Physical Properties ........................................................................301
Activity Checking Interference.......................................................................................305
Summary............................................................................................................................307
Before You Begin
Who Should Read This Book

This course guide is for people who want to learn how to create parts, assemblies,
and drawings in Unigraphics Solutions Solid Edge.
Conventions
ALL CAPS
Indicates keyboard keys, file names, and file

pathnames. For example, SHIFT + F1 means to press the
SHIFT key and F1 key at the same time.
M O D U L E
Sheet Metal Features
Objectives ...................................................................................................3
Introduction ................................................................................................4
Suggested Sheet Metal Workflow................................................................5
Part Properties (Global Settings)...............................................................6
Base Features .............................................................................................7
Adding Additional Features......................................................................12
Flange Editing (Partial Flanges) .............................................................22
Naming Features ......................................................................................25
Review.......................................................................................................26
Activity - Using the Tab and Flange Commands......................................27
Activity - Creating a Contour Flange.......................................................37
Activity - Using the Lofted Flange Command ..........................................43
Summary ...................................................................................................49
Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2
UNIGRAPHICS SOLUTIONS
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Sheet Metal Features Module 1
Objectives
The objective of this module is to provide familiarity with the Solid Edge Sheet
Metal environment and to model sheet metal parts in its own unique environment,
providing a unique set of tools specifically designed for sheet metal part
modeling. Lab activities are included to reinforce concepts discussed throughout
this module.
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Introduction
Sheet Metal parts are viewed as parts manufactured by machine shop processes
that bends, shapes, and forms sheet metal raw material stock into the desired part.
Solid Edge realizes these processes as being unique to only sheet metal, therefore,
providing it with its own environment.
It is recommended that after becoming familiar with the tools within the Sheet
Metal environment that a template file(s) be incorporated into your company
CAD standards to provide a more proficient file start up environment when
creating new files.
Solid Edge Sheet Metal is fully integrated with Solid Edge assembly, part
modeling, draft, and data management. Editing of sheet metal parts is similar to
that of models made in the Solid Edge Part environment, by the utilization of
SmartStep.
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Suggested Sheet Metal Workflow

Though Solid Edge Sheet Metal is fully integrated with the rest of the Solid Edge
product, it does have some unique features that must be considered and are
specific to the sheet metal part design workflow.
Suggested workflow:
1. Generate the Sheet Metal part file (.psm) either standalone, or within Solid
Edge Assembly.
2. Generate an associative flat pattern of the sheet metal part file (.psm) by:
a) Save and Close the .psm file.
b) Create new Part file (.par).
c) Use Insert Part/Copy to bring the .psm file into the new Part.
d) Click the Flatten option from the Parameters Step button on the ribbon bar,
and then click Plane to flatten part on, finish.
3. Create Drawing.
4. Place a flattened view from the .par file, and, if desired, place a formed view
from the .psm file. Both can be on same drawing sheet.
5. If a DXF file format is required for a CNC operation, a flat pattern saved
directly to this format type can be generated from the .psm file by clicking the
File/Save as Flat command.
6. Any modification to the original sheet metal (.psm) file will require updates of
the flat pattern (.par) file and the draft (.dft) file.
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Part Properties (Global Settings)

The part properties are the settings that affect every feature placed in the model.
These settings can be located from the main menu by clicking Tools>Options
from the main pull down menu. The dialog box displays the global settings that
are applied to the sheet metal model automatically by Solid Edge. Changing a
value on this dialog box changes every feature in the model that contains that
attribute (e.g. changing the thickness changes all add material feature in the
model to the new value).
MaterialSpecifies the material for the model. This information is not

related to any physical part properties at this time.
Material DensitySpecifies the density of the material which is used in

calculating the physical properties of the model.
Material ThicknessSolid Edge will apply this metal thickness to every

feature created in sheet metal.
Bend RadiusThe bend radii applied where a flange or contour flange joins
the main model. Bends are applied to any vertex on a contour flange profile.
Relief WidthThe width of a bend relief placed by the system is controlled

by this value.
Relief DepthThe depth of the relief as measured from the outside edge of
the tab or flange containing the relief.
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Bend Equation--By default, the sheet metal environment works off of a

neutral factor for computing the bends. This can be changed to K-factor, or
bend tables, if desired.
Base Features
Base features can be created using the Tab, Contour Flange, or Lofted Flange
commands.
Tab
The Tab command constructs a flat base feature of any shape using a closed
profile.
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Contour Flange
The Contour Flange command constructs a feature by extruding a profile that

represents the edge of the contour flange. Contour flanges can be constructed to
have multiple bends at various angles. To make the construction process simpler,
the Contour Flange command does not require arcs at each bend location. Bends
are added to the feature automatically using the bend radius property. To use a
different bend radius value, draw arcs in the profile or edit the feature options
when constructing the flange.
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Lofted Flange
Constructs a lofted flange by fitting a feature through two open profiles. The
profiles must be on parallel reference planes. Certain types of lofted flanges
cannot be flattened. Only lofted flanges that consist of planes, partial cylinders,
and partial cones can be flattened. The Lofted Flange command is intended for
base feature creation only, but may work in some instances as a subsequent
feature.
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Lofted Flange OptionsGeneral Tab

When adding lofted flanges to a sheet metal part, use the Options dialog box to
control the properties for the flange under construction. Example: Defining
whether to use bend and/or corner relief for the flange. Each contour flange can
have unique bend radii, bend relief, and corner relief characteristics.
General Tab Options
Bend RadiusSpecifies the bend radius value for the flange.
Use Default ValueUses the default value specified on the Options dialog
box.
Bend ReliefAdds a bend relief to the flange. Specify whether the bend
relief is round or square.
SquareSpecifies that the internal corners of the bend relief are to be square.
RoundSpecifies that the internal corners of the bend relief are to be round.
DepthSpecifies the depth of the bend relief.
WidthSpecifies the width of the bend relief.
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Neutral FactorSpecifies the neutral factor for the bend. The neutral factor
is used to determine flat pattern size.
Corner ReliefAdds a corner relief to the flange. Specify whether the corner
relief is added to only the bend portion of the flange or to the entire flange.
Bend OnlyAdds a corner relief to only the bend portion of the flange.
Bend and FaceAdds a corner relief to both the bend and face portions of
the flange.
Bend and Face ChainSpecifies that corner relief is applied to the entire
chain of bends and faces of the adjacent flanges.
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Adding Additional Features

After completion of the base feature, more commands on the Feature toolbar
become available to complete the part (e.g. flanges, cutouts, and holes). The Tab
and Contour Flange commands may also be used at any time to add material to
the model.
Tab
The Tab command can be used, after the base feature is created, to add planar
material to the model. An open profile and the definition of which side of the
part to add material must be defined when adding a tab to existing material. Take
advantage of the Tab command instead of creating complicated profiles within
the Flange command.
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Flange
The Flange command constructs a flange by constructing a profile that represents
the face of the flange. The profile for a simple flange is drawn automatically by
the system by selecting a linear thickness edge.
By default, the system makes the flange angle 90 degrees. This angle can be
edited by changing the angle dimension that is automatically placed on the flange
feature.
Material Side
To control how the material is added to the selected edge, Solid Edge provides
three options on the Ribbon bar:
Material Inside Positions the flange on the inside of the selected edge.
Overall part length remains the same.
Material Outside Positions the flange on the outside of the selected edge.
Overall part length increases by the material thickness.
Bend Outside Positions the flange on the outside of the profile plane. The
material thickness plus the bend radius increase the overall part length.
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Flange Dimension Side
Inside Dimension Positions the origin of the flange length dimension on

the inside of the existing material.
Outside Dimension Positions the origin of the flange length dimension on

the outside of the existing material.
Flange Width (Ribbon Bar Options)

After selecting an edge to place a flange, the ribbon bar provides the opportunity
to click a width option for the flange being placed. The flange profile remains
rectangular and several options are available from partial to full width for the
flange. These options are only available during initial flange placement and are
not available for editing. The system generates the appropriate dimensions for
the flange width option clicked.
Full Specifies that the flange is constructed along the full width of the edge
you select.
Centered Specifies that the flange width is one-third of the edge width and
that it is centered on the edge selected. The dimensional value of the flange
width can be edited later and the flange will remain centered on the edge. To
modify the flange so it is not centered on the edge, the profile window must
be opened and a dimension added.
At End Specifies that the flange is constructed starting at the end selected.
From Both Ends Specifies that dimensions from both ends of the edge
define the flange width. The default width is one-third of the edge width.
From End Specifies that the flange is dimensioned from the end of the edge
selected. When this option is clicked, specify the end of the edge from which
the dimension is to originate from.
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Flange Offset Step (Ribbon Bar Options)

After selecting an edge to place a flange and determining the length of the flange,
the ribbon bar provides the option to define an offset distance for the flange being
placed. The Offset Step option on the SmartStep ribbon bar allows the flange
from the selected edge to be quickly offset.
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Flange Options
When adding flanges to a sheet metal part, use the Flange Options dialog box to
control the properties for the flange under construction. Example: Defining
whether to use bend and/or corner relief for the flange. Each flange can have
unique bend radii, bend relief, and corner relief characteristics.
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Flange - Dialog Box Options
Bend Radius Specifies the bend radius value for the flange.
Use Default Value Uses the default value specified on the Options dialog
box.
- Bend Relief Adds a bend relief to the flange. Specify whether the bend
relief is round or square.
- Square Specifies that the internal corners of the bend relief are to be
square.
Round Specifies that the internal corners of the bend relief are to be round.
Depth Specifies the depth of the bend relief.
Width Specifies the width of the bend relief.
Neutral Factor Specifies the neutral factor for the bend. The neutral factor
is used to determine flat pattern size.
Corner Relief Adds a corner relief to the flange. Specify whether the
corner relief is added to only the bend portion of the flange or to the entire
flange.
Bend Only Adds a corner relief to only the bend portion of the flange.
Bend and Face Adds a corner relief to both the bend and face portions of
the flange.
Bend and Face Chain Specifies that corner relief is applied to the entire
chain of bends and faces of the adjacent flanges.
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Contour Flange
Contour flanges can be added to the base feature by picking the edge to attach the
contour flange and constructing the profile to extend along that edge. There are
options of where to start sketching and to what extent to extend along the edge.
Contour Flange (Plane Origin)
Plane at EndSpecifies that the profile plane will be constructed at the end
of the selected edge.
Plane at DistanceSpecifies that the profile plane will be offset from the end
of the selected edge. Type the distance into the Distance box on the
SmartStep ribbon bar.
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Contour Flange Extent
Finite ExtentSets the feature extent so that the profile is projected a finite
distance to either side of the profile plane, or symmetrically to both sides of
the profile plane. Type the distance into the Distance box on the SmartStep
ribbon bar.
To EndSets the feature extent so that the profile is projected to the end of
the model edge to which the flange was attached.
Chain Sets the feature extent so that the contour flange extends along a
series of edges selected.
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Contour Flange Options--General Tab

When adding contour flanges to a sheet metal part, use the Options dialog box to
control the properties for the flange under construction. The general tab options
on this dialog box is the same one used for the Lofted Flange command.
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Contour Flange Option Form--Miter Tab

Note on the Contour Flange Options dialog box there is a second tab with Miter
as the caption. This option is used when it is desired to create mitered corners for
the flanges they create automatically. The miter, its angle, and how it is applied
can be changed individually from one end of the flange to another, or both ends.
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Flange Editing (Partial Flanges)

To construct a flange using a unique profile, the construction of a simple flange
must be completed first. Then edit the profile of this flange to the desired shape.
Editing the Flange Profile

To edit the profile of a flange, construct the flange, and then click the Profile Step
button on the ribbon bar to make edits.
Profile elements can then be changed to represent the desired shape.
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Constructing the New Profile

To make it simpler to construct the new profile properly, two dashed lines are
displayed along with the default flange profile: a connect line (A) and a
construction line (B).
The connect line is used to connect the ends of the flange profile to the part edge
from which the flange originates. The connect line and the construction line
define an area that must not be intersected by arcs that are part of the new profile.
If using an arc (A) as part of the new profile, it can touch the construction line,
but it cannot fall inside the area between the construction line and the connect
line. The end segments of the new profile must be lines and they must touch (B)
or extend past the construction line (C).
Disconnecting the Original Profile

Depending on the desired modifications, the end of a profile line may need to be
disconnected. Example: To enable the shortening of the flange length, relative to
the length of its connection edge (shorter than full width), delete the connect
relationship at the end of the profile element to be shortened.
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Finishing the Profile

After constructing the new profile, the end segments must be re-connected to the
connect line with a connect relationship. Apply the connect relationship
manually or have the system re-connect the end segments. To have the system
apply the connect relationship automatically, the end segments (A) must intersect
or extend beyond the connect line (B).
Upon clicking the Finish button, the system will trim the end segment and apply
the connect relationship. When applying the connect relationship, apply the
relationship to the connect line and not the part edge. Applying the connect
relationship to the part edge will not work. An error message will appear
indicating a problem exists if the lines are not connected properly.
Changing the Flange Angle

When placing flanges onto the model, Solid Edge will automatically add an angle
dimension for the flange. The angled dimension in the ribbon bar can be edited
to change the flange angle from a 90-degree projection to a newly defined
projection angle. The next flange placed while in the command session will have
also this new angle applied. If the Flange feature button is clicked again to restart
the command, the angle will reset back to the system default angle of 90 degrees,
or the originating template file setting if different.
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Naming Features
The Name box on the ribbon bar displays the name that Solid Edge automatically
assigns to each feature. This name assigned to a feature can be changed to a
name that is more useful.
When moving the mouse cursor over a feature, the feature name will appear in
the Status Bar in the lower right corner of the environment window. Feature
EdgeBar may also be used to view and rename features by clicking the right
mouse button over the feature and selecting the rename option.
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Review
What 3-commands are available for base feature creation?
What type of profile should be drawn to place a Tab base feature?
What type of profile should be drawn to place a Contour Flange base feature?
How does the Lofted Flange differ from the Contour Flange?
How many profiles are required to place a Lofted Flange feature?
Can the bend(s) placed in a Lofted Flange feature be conical?
How is a partial Flange feature constructed?
What is a connect line?
What is the critical use of the connect line?
What is a construction line?
What is the critical use of the construction line?
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Activity - Using the Tab and Flange Commands

Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to:
Create base features.
Add additional flanges.
Add partial flanges.
Construct flanges with and without bend relief.
Construct flanges with and without corner relief.
In this activity, create a bracket using the Tab and Flange commands.
1. Create a new Solid Edge Sheet Metal file using the Normal.psm template.
Note: If Solid Edge was loaded with English units, click the More tab in the
Open File dialog box and double-click the Normmet.psm template.
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2. Click the Tab command

Top view.
, and then select the reference plane parallel to the
3. In the Profile environment click Hide All< Reference Planes option on the
Tools menu.
4. Draw the profile shown below.
5. Click Finish to complete the profile.

6. Move the mouse below the profile to place the Tab feature downward.
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7. Click Finish to complete the tab.
8. Click the Flange command
9. Select the linear thickness edge shown in the figure below.
10. Move the flange downward until the Length box on the ribbon bar reads
25.40 mm, then click to place the flange.
11. On the ribbon bar, click the Profile step
12. Edit the profile by placing two lines (from the midpoint of the right vertical
line and then down to the lower profile line) like in the image in step 13.
13. Place a Distance Between dimension and adjust this dimension to the value
shown.
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14. Click the Trim command

corner.
and trim away the two lines in the lower right
15. Click Finish to view the flange.

16. Click Finish again to accept the edited flange.
Note: The Flange command should still be active at this point, so you can
continue to add flanges without starting the command over. If the Flange
command is not active, click the Flange button again.
17. Select the edge shown below.
18. Move the flange downward until the Length box on the ribbon bar reads
25.40 mm, then click to place the flange.
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Note: Notice that the right end of the flange is torn behind the first flange placed
(the dimensions in the following figures were removed for clarity).
19. On the ribbon bar, click the Material Outside option

the material still exists.
. Notice the tear in
20. On the ribbon bar, click the Flange Options button.
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21. Check the Corner relief option and click the Bend only option (on by
default), then click OK to apply the corner relief.
Note: The corner relief only affects the bend on this feature.
22. On the ribbon bar, click the Flange Option button again and change the
Corner Relief option to Bend and Face, and click OK.
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23. Click Finish to complete the flange.
24. Save the file as TabLab.psm.

25. On the Feature toolbar, click the Flange command
26. Select the edge shown in the figure below.
27. Click on the From Both Ends option in the ribbon bar.
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28. Move the flange upward until the Distance field on the ribbon bar reads
25.40 mm and click to place the flange.
Note: The flange will be created by default as one third of the length of the edge.
The two dimensions controlling the distance from the ends can be changed.
29. Select the left distance dimension and key in 20.00 mm for the new distance.
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30. Select the right distance dimension and key in 22.00 mm for the new
dimension.
31. On the ribbon bar, click the Flange Options button
32. Change the Bend Relief option from Square to Round, and click OK.
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33. Click Finish to complete the flange.
34. Close and save the file.

This completes the activity.
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Activity - Creating a Contour Flange

Objectives
In this activity, a sheet metal cover will be constructed using the Contour Flange
command.
1. Create a new Solid Edge Sheet Metal file using the Normal.psm template.
2. Click the Contour Flange button
plane.
, and then select the right view reference
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3. Draw the profile as shown below. Connect relationships applied to the

reference planes are used to control the two open ends (to be sure they are the
same length). A Horizontal/Vertical relationship is placed between the
midpoint of the horizontal profile line and the midpoint of the horizontal
reference plane to center the profile.
4. Click Finish to complete the profile.

5. Point the side arrow outside of profile and click the left mouse button.
6. On the ribbon bar, click the Symmetric Extent button
7. In the distance box on the ribbon bar, type 80 mm and press the Enter key on
the keyboard.
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8. Click the Finish button to complete the Contour Flange.
9. On the Tools menu, click Hide All, then Reference Planes.

Note: The Contour Flange feature command should still be active. If not, click the
Contour Flange button again to place the next feature.
10. Select the end of the edge shown below by moving the mouse over the lower
half portion of the edge segment (to get the red dot at the bottom of the
segment).
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11. Select and the front face and direction as shown below for the base of the
profile plane. Quickpick may need to be utilized to obtain this selection.
12. Place a single horizontal line as the profile.
13. Click the Finish button to complete the profile.

14. On the ribbon bar, click the Chain option icon and then set the Selection
option to Chain as well.
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15. Select the interior edge chain then click the check mark to accept the edges.
16. Click the Contour Flange options button on the ribbon bar
17. Check the Corner Relief Box and click the Bend Only option. Click OK
when completed.
18. Click the Preview button on the ribbon bar to place the Contour Flange.
Observe the mitered corner and bend relief in the two corners.
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19. Click the 'Finish' button to accept this result.
20. Close and save the document as Cover.psm.
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Activity - Using the Lofted Flange Command

Objectives
Use the Lofted Flange Command to Create a Base Feature
1. Open the Solid Edge Sheet Metal file Loft.psm.

This may be on the pullout menu
2. Click the Lofted Flange command.
located under the Contour Flange command if has never been used.
3. The Select option on the ribbon bar should be active by default, if not, select it
now
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4. Select the right end of Sketch 1 as the first cross section when a red dot
appears on the profile as shown below:
5. Select the green checkmark on the ribbon bar to accept this position and to
move on to locating another control point on another profile.
6. Select the right end of Sketch 2 as the next cross section and select the green
check mark to accept.
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7. Place cursor so that side step arrow is pointing to the outside of the profile and
click.
8. Click the Finish button on the ribbon bar to complete feature.
Note: The Sketches have been hidden for clarity.

9. Save the file.
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Note: In the first phase of the exercise, the Lofted Flange command automatically
inserted the bends. In the next phase of this exercise, we will edit the profiles to
include fillets to dictate the bend size and shape.
10. The file Loft.psm should still be open, if not, open it now.
11. While in Select Tool, click the right mouse button on Sketch 1 in the window
and select the Edit Profile option.
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12. Edit the profile by placing 5mm fillets at the two vertices. Add a radial
dimension to one of the fillets, and a geometric relationship of equal to both
fillets.
Note: The Lofted Flange solid and Sketch 2 have been hidden for clarity.
13. Click the Finish button to finish the profile, then finish the Sketch.
14. While in Select Tool, click the right mouse button on Sketch 2 in the
EdgeBar window and select the Edit Profile option.
Note: If sketches are not listed in Edgebar, right mouse click in the Edgebar
window and select the PathFinder Display<Sketches option.
15. Edit the profile by placing 15mm fillets at the two vertices. Add a radial
dimension to one of the fillets, and a geometric relationship of equal to both
fillets
Note: The Lofted Flange solid has been hidden for clarity
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16. Click the Finish button to finish the profile, then finish the Sketch.
Note: With different sized fillets being placed at the vertices of the two profiles,
the resulting bends are now conical.
17. Save the file. This completes the activity.
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Summary
Base features are constructed for sheet metal parts using either the Tab, Contour
Flange, and Lofted Flange commands. Additional material can be added to the
base feature with the Tab, Flange, or Contour Flange commands. The Flange
Options dialog box controls whether bend relief and corner relief is applied to
flanges and contour flanges.
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M O D U L E
More Sheet Metal
Objectives .................................................................................................53
Introduction ..............................................................................................54
Normal Cutout ..........................................................................................55
Break Corner ............................................................................................57
Unbend/Re-bend .......................................................................................58
Bend ..........................................................................................................60
Jog ............................................................................................................63
Close Corner.............................................................................................66
Dimple Command .....................................................................................68
Drawn Cutout ...........................................................................................71
Bead ..........................................................................................................74
Louver .......................................................................................................76
Adding Features in the Part Environment................................................78
Flat Patterns (Associative) .......................................................................79
Save As Flat (DXF Output).......................................................................82
Review.......................................................................................................85
Activity - Constructing a Washing Machine Console...............................87
Activity Constructing a Normal Cutout ...............................................109
Activity Inserting a Bend .....................................................................111
Activity Inserting a Jog........................................................................115
Activity Close Corner ..........................................................................119

Activity Creating an Associative Flat Pattern .....................................123
Summary .................................................................................................131
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More Sheet Metal Module 2
Objectives
The topics covered in this module:
1. Placing a cutout on a formed sheet metal part using the Normal Cutout
command.
2. Unbend a flange to place features that are within the bend area of the bend,
then Rebend the flange.
3. Insert a jogged bend across the planar face of a sheet metal part.
4. Easily modify the ends of flanges where they intersect to close the corner.
5. Insert a dimple for standoffs, or strengthening purposes.
6. Insert a drawn cutout, similar to dimple, but with cutout for an opening.
7. Place a Bead feature on a part to provide rigidity to a planar part surface.
8. Create a louver for venting or cooling purposes.
9. Create additional features not available in sheet metal environment by
switching to Part environment.
10. Create an associative Flat Pattern for manufacturing process.
11. Create a DXF flat pattern file directly from a Solid Edge Sheet Metal (.psm)
file.
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Introduction
After creating the base feature of a sheet metal part, additional features are
necessary to conform the part to meet its design requirements. These features can
vary from breaking corners (to avoid sharp edges) to adding louvers (to aid in the
cooling or venting the contents). Solid Edge Sheet Metal has provided many of
the common features necessary to meet these design requirements.
Sheet Metal features are broken down into (4) categories:
1. Primary features, which create base part geometry and require a profile be
provided. These would include Tab, Contour Flange, and Lofted Flange.
2. Treatment features, which do not require a profile, just face, or edge selection.
These would include Break Corner and Close Corner.
3. Profile based features, requiring a profile be provided and would include
Flange, Bend, Normal Cutout, and Jog.
4. Profile based deformation features where special dies are required to stretch
the metal to provide the design requirement. These features cannot be
flattened by Solid Edge, and would include Dimple, Drawn Cutout, Bead, and
Louver.
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Normal Cutout
Constructs a cutout in a sheet metal part such that the thickness faces of the
cutout are always perpendicular to the sheet faces. This is useful when a regular
cutout would create non-perpendicular faces, which can prevent you from later
being able to add features to those faces. Applicable when exact fit is required.
In many cases it avoids having to unbend the part to model a cutout. When using
this command, B-Splines are created in flat the pattern. If B-Splines are
unacceptable, then unbend the model to place cutout in the flat with the Cutout
command.
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Main Steps
The following steps are required to place a Normal Cutout in a sheet metal part in
the formed state:
Plane Step Define the profile plane and activates the profile environment.
Side Step for an open profile it defines the area to be removed relative to
the profile.
Extent Step Defines the depth of the Normal Cutout.
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Break Corner
The Break Corner command breaks the thickness edges on a sheet metal part.
Breaking corners on sheet metal parts rounds or chamfers the edges. Break
Corner is a treatment feature that does not require a profile.
A corner break is constructed using the following steps:
Edge Selection Step
Preview/Finish Step
Edge Selection Step

The Edge Selection Step defines the edges to break. Use the Select box to choose
one of the following edge selection methods:
CornerAllows users to pick individual corners of the part. A corner is the

material thickness edge.
FaceApplies the break to all thickness edges of the selected face. This
includes all interior and exterior thickness edges.
After selecting an edge, type a value in the Break box to define the radius or
chamfer setback.
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Unbend/Re-bend
The Unbend function is intended for the design phase of the model. Bends can be
flattened to produce additional features such as holes or cutouts, which are
produced during the flat stage of the manufacturing process. It should not be used
to create the entire flat pattern and should only be used if the Normal Cutout
command does not produce acceptable results for the desired feature. Once the
hole or cutout feature has been created, the model should be re-bent to represent
the true model.
Unbend
The Unbend command flattens the bends selected for additional feature
placement. It requires selecting the face to remain fixed, then selecting the
bend(s) to unbend.
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Re-bend
The Rebend command folds back an Unbend feature. Any features added when
the part was flattened will also be folded.
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Bend
The Bend command inserts a bend across a planar face. This allows the addition
of a bend in the middle of a part. The bend profile must be a single linear
element. A bend cannot be inserted across an existing flange.
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Bend Options Dialog

This dialog box offers the same options as the bend options dialog for the Flange
command with the exception of Extend profile and Flatten bend options:
Extend Profile - Extends the theoretical extents of the profile to the edges of
the face. This allows the user to draw a profile line that does not extend to
the edges of the face, and still construct the bend successfully.
Flatten Bend - Flattens the bend after it is constructed. This option can be
useful when constructing a sheet metal part by working backward from an
existing flat pattern drawing.
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Main Steps
The following are steps used within the Bend command:
Profile Step - The profile for this feature must be a single linear element.
Bend Location Specifies the location of the bend in relation to the profile.
Moving Side Specifies which portion of the part will be bent. Position the
mouse cursor so that the dynamic arrow is pointing toward the side of the part
to bend.
Bend direction Specifies the direction the material will be bent. Position
the mouse cursor so that the dynamic arrow points in the direction the user
wants the material bent.
Defining the Bend Location

The following steps located on the ribbon bar are used to determine bend
location:
From Profile - Allows the user to define whether the profile line represents
the left mold line, right mold line, or center line of the bend. To specify that
the profile line represents the left or right mold line, position the cursor to one
side of the profile so that a single arrow is displayed. To specify that the
profile line represents the center line of the bend, position the cursor on the
profile so that a double arrow is displayed.
Material Inside Positions the flange on the inside of the profile plane.
Overall part length remains the same.
Material Outside Positions the flange on the outside of the profile plane.
Overall part length increases by the material thickness.
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Jog
Constructs two bends to add a jog to a planar face of a sheet metal part. The
profile for a jog must be a single linear element. The jog can be minimal if
desired to form a slight offset or step to provide clearance or rigidity to the parts
face where the jog is placed.
Note: Since the profile for a jog must be a single linear element, the Jog
command was performed twice on the above models
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Bend Options Dialog (for Jog)

This dialog box offers the same options as the bend options dialog for the Bend
command with the exception of the Flatten Bend option.
Extend Profile - Extends the theoretical extents of the profile to the edges of the
face. This allows the user to draw a profile line that does not extend to the edges
of the face, and still construct the bend successfully.
Main Steps
The following steps are required to create a jog feature in a sheet metal part:
Profile Step - The profile for this feature must be a single linear element.
Side Step
Extent Step
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Extent Step - Options

The following extent options are provided with the Jog command:
Material Inside Material will be added within the extents of the already
existing material.
Material Outside Material will be added outside the extent of the already
existing material.
Bend Outside The material bend will be completely outside the previously
existing material.
Offset Dimension Applies the dimension from the selected face to the near
side of the feature.
Full Dimension Applies the dimension from the selected face to the far side
of the feature.
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Close Corner
The Close Corner command creates the smallest gap permissible without joining
the corner where two flanges meet. Options exist to have the flange edges
equally meet, overlap, totally intersect, or intersect with circular corner relief.
Close Corner is a treatment feature that does not require a profile.
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Main Steps
The following steps are required to close the corner where the ends of two flanges
intersect:
Select Edges
Preview/Finish/Cancel
Select Edges
The following options are available for edge selection for Closed Corner
command:
Close - Closes the selected corner
Overlap - Overlaps the selected corners.
The following Treatment options are available with the Close option only:
None Only when treatment is not desired, or Overlap option is clicked.
Intersect Totally intersects corner where edges come together (no gaps).
Circle Cutout Provides circular corner relief when Close option is clicked.
Note: The edge selected when using the overlap option does have an impact on
which side overlaps. Select the edge that is to be overlapped.
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Dimple Command
Constructs a sheet metal dimple. When using an open profile, the open ends of
the profile must theoretically intersect part edges. A closed profile cannot touch
any part edges. Dimples are considered special die-formed features in which
material deformation takes place, thus not allowing them to be flattened in Solid
Edge.
Creation Steps
The following steps are required to create a Dimple feature:
Profile Step
Side Step - Side step not used when profile is closed.
Extent Step
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Dimple Options Dialog

This dialog box provides Dimple construction options:
Include Rounding - Specifies that the top and bottom of the dimple or drawn
cutout will be rounded.
Punch Radius - Specifies the radius value at the bottom of the dimple or
drawn cutout.
Die Radius - Specifies the radius value for the top of the dimple or drawn
cutout.
Taper Angle - Specifies the taper angle for the dimple or drawn cutout.
Automatically Round Profile Corners Activates the rounding of the profiles

corners with the designated value.
Radius - Specifies the radius value for the rounding or filleting of the profiles
corners.
Save Default - Saves the current settings as the default. Saved defaults will
be used the next time this command is used. If the user does not save the
current settings as defaults, the previous default settings will be used.
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Offset Dimension Options

The following options are available for the Dimple command during the extend
step to control the Offset Dimension:
Offset Dimension Dimensions from the selected face to the near side of the
feature.
Full Dimension Dimensions from the selected face to the near side of the
feature.
Sidewalls Inside/Outside Option

The following options are available for the Dimple command to control the wall
thickness relative to the profile:
Sidewalls Inside - Places wall thickness of Dimple inside the boundaries of

the profile.
Sidewalls Outside Places wall thickness of Dimple outside the boundaries

of the profile.
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Drawn Cutout
Constructs a drawn cutout. When using an open profile, the open ends of the
profile must theoretically intersect part edges. A closed profile cannot touch any
part edges. Drawn Cutouts are considered special die-formed features, in which
material deformation takes place, thus not allowing them to be flattened.
Main Steps
The following steps are required to create a Drawn Cutout feature:
Profile Step
Side Step Side step not used when profile is closed.
Extent Step
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Drawn Cutout Options Dialog

This dialog box provides Drawn Cutout construction options:
Include Rounding - Specifies that the top and bottom of the dimple or drawn
cutout will be rounded.
Punch Radius - Specifies the radius value at the bottom of the dimple or
drawn cutout.
Die Radius - Specifies the radius value for the top of the dimple or drawn
cutout.
Taper Angle - Specifies the taper angle for the dimple or drawn cutout.
Automatically Round Profile Corners Activates the rounding of the profiles

corners with the designated value.
Radius - Specifies the radius value for the rounding or filleting of the profiles
corners.
Save Default - Saves the current settings as the default. Saved defaults will
be used the next time this command is used. If the user does not save the
current settings as defaults, the previous default settings will be used.
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Sidewalls Inside/Outside Option

The following options are available for the Drawn Cutout command to control the
wall thickness relative to the profile:
Sidewalls Inside - Places wall thickness of the cutout inside the boundaries of
the profile.
Sidewalls Outside Places wall thickness of cutout outside the boundaries of

the profile.
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Bead
The Bead command constructs features that are typically used for stiffening sheet
metal parts.
Creation Steps
The following steps are required to create a Bead feature:
Profile Step
Side Step Used to determine depth of bead
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Bead Options Dialog

This dialog box provides Bead construction options:
Circular Specifies the finished shape of the bead bottom. Requires input for
Height and Radius.
U-Shaped Specifies the finished shape of the bead bottom. Requires input
for Height, Width, and Angle.
V-Shaped Specifies the finished shape of the bead bottom. Requires input
for Height, Radius, and Angle.
Formed Constructs the ends of the bead so that they are closed and
smoothly transition into part.
Lanced Constructs the ends of the bead so that they are torn (lanced) at the
ends while being manufactured.
Punched Same as Lanced except clearance is provided during punch

operation so the ends are not torn or lanced. Requires input for punch
clearance.
Save Default Saves the current settings as the default. Saved defaults will
be used the next time this command is used. If the current settings are not
saved as defaults, the previous default settings will be used.
Include Rounding Specifies that the top and bottom of the bead will be
rounded. Requires input for Punch and Die radius.
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Louver
Constructs a louver with lanced or formed ends. The profile for a louver feature
must be a single linear element. Louvers are considered special die-formed
features in which material deformation takes place, thus not allowing them to be
flattened.
Main Steps
The following steps are required to create a Louver feature:
Profile Step The profile for this feature must be a single linear element
curve that defines the length and location of the louver.
Depth Step Defines the depth of the louver. This value is measured parallel
to the profile plane.
Height Step Defines the height of the louver. This value is measured
perpendicular to the profile plane. Additional options on the ribbon bar
control the dimension.
Offset Dimension Dimensions from the selected face to the near side of the
feature.
Full Dimension Dimensions from the selected face to the near side of the
feature.
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Louver Options Dialog

This dialog box provides Louver construction options:
Formed End Louver - Constructs the louver ends such that they are formed,
or connected to the part.
Lanced End Louver - Constructs the louver ends such that they are lanced, or
separated from the part.
Rounding (sets the Louver rounding options)
Include Rounding on Louver - Specifies that the edges of the louver will be
rounded. This option is not recommended when the louver will used to
construct a pattern feature that contains a large number of louvers.
Die Radius Sets the Radius for rounding.
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Adding Features in the Part Environment

The time may come when a feature must be produced that cannot be constructed
in the Sheet Metal environment. Solid Edge Sheet Metal permits the user to
switch to the Part environment to model the feature(s), then return to the Sheet
Metal environment when finished. Features created in the Part environment may
not be properly shown in the flat pattern.
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Flat Patterns (Associative)

Associative Flat Patterns are created by opening a new blank part file and using
the Insert Copy command to bring in an associative copy of the original sheet
metal part. Selecting the Parameters step on the ribbon bar displays the Part
Copy Parameters dialog where the Flatten option can be used. When the original
part has a design change and saved, the flattened part will reflect these changes
upon update.
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Note: Sheet metal documents that contain disjoint solids cannot be flattened.
Disjoint solids are sometimes created when using the Cutout command.
A link symbol next to the file name will be displayed in the EdgeBar to notify a
user that this model file is linked to another file.
If the original sheet metal model is changed, when this part file is opened, the
following dialog will be displayed to allow the flat pattern to be updated.
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It is recommended that the file be automatically updated. If one of the Dont

update now options is used, the symbol next to the filename in EdgeBar turns to a
watch.
The part copy can then be updated at any time by clicking on the Update All
Links command on the main toolbar.
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Save As Flat (DXF Output)

When a flat pattern of a Solid Edge sheet metal file is desired in DXF format, it
can be accomplished by utilizing the File/Save As Flat command. The resulting
2D planar geometry is merged wherever possible to provide more efficient tool
path routing for CNC programming. A drawing can be produced from the
resulting geometry produced by this process, though it will not be associative or
linked to the 3D sheet metal file in which it was derived.
Steps for DXF Output File

1. Click Save As Flat on the File menu
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2. Select the Face or Edge to remain fixed while part is flattened.
3. Provide file name and folder location for DXF file on Save As Flat DXF
dialog box.
Note: At this time the DXF file could be opened in another software package that
accepts DXF format.
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4. If desired, the DXF file could be placed in a Solid Edge Draft file for
dimensioning and annotation. This is accomplished by attempting to open the
DXF file just created. Solid Edge will display the New file dialog box. Click
the desired Draft template file and the DXF flat pattern will be displayed when
the new Draft file is displayed.
Note: The DXF results placed in a Solid Edge Draft file will not be associative!
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Review
1. What edge types can be selected for the Break Corner feature?
2. What is the primary reason to use Unbend and Rebend?
3. What type of profile must be drawn to insert a single bend or jogged bend?
4. What are the two types of corner conditions can be applied with the closed
corner command?
5. Define the difference between a dimple and drawn cutout?
6. What two types of louver can be created?
7. What type of features that cant be flattened?
8. If a design requires a sheet metal feature unavailable within the sheet metal
environment, how can the feature be included in the design?
9. Describe the process of creating a Flat Pattern of a sheet metal part?
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Activity - Constructing a Washing Machine

Console
Objectives
In this activity, a wash machine control console shown below will be constructed.
1. Open the file CPanel.psm.
2. Click the Contour Flange command
3. Click the Select from Sketch option on the ribbon bar
4. Select the Sketch and click on the green checkmark to accept the sketch.
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5. Click towards the inside of the profile.
6. Click the Symmetric Extent button
, and type 635 mm in the Distance box.
7. Click Finish and Fit the view.

8. Click the Tools pull down menu and select the Hide All > Sketches option.
9. Click the Rotate command on the Main toolbar
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10. Click on the vertical axis in the window, type 180 in the Rotation Angle field
and press Enter on the keyboard.
11. Click the Close button on the ribbon bar to exit the rotation.
. If the command is not displayed on the
12. Click on the Bead command
feature toolbar, use the flyout on the Dimple, Louver, or Drawn Cutout
command.
13. Click on the back plane for the profile plane.
14. Click on the bottm edge for the base and the left end for the origin.
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15. Place two lines for the profile. Control the endpoints with Horizontal/vertical
relationships and place the required dimensions. Click Finish when done.
16. Click on the Bead Option on the ribbon bar
17. Set the following options on the dialog and click OK.
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18. Drag the mouse towards the center of the model and click to place the bead
inwards.
19. Click Finish and Save the file.
Note: The model was rotated in the previous figure for clarity.
20. Click and hold on the Bead command to access the fly out, and click the
Louver command
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21. Click on the back face and define the bottom edge as the base, and the left end
as the origin of the profile plane.
22. Draw a single line for the profile and place the dimensions. Click finish when
done.
23. Click the options button on the ribbon bar

end louver. Click OK when done.
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, and set the option to Formed-
24. Type 20mm in the distance field and position the mouse above the profile and
click.
25. Type 10 mm in the distance field and position the mouse outside the model
and click.
26. Click Finish to complete the louver.
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27. Press the ESC key on the keyboard and then press the Ctrl and the I on the
keyboard to return to the isometric view.
28. Click and hold on the Louver command to access the fly out, and click the
Drawn Cutout command
29. Click on the angled front face for the profile plane and define the bottom line
as the base and the left end as the origin.
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30. Draw a circle profile and place the dimensions and horizontal relationship (to
the line midpoint). Finish the profile when done.

, and turn on the Include
rounding option with a radius of 1.25mm. Click OK.
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32. Type 12 mm in the distance field and move the mouse inward into the part
and click.
33. Click finish to complete the Drawn Cutout.
34. Click and hold on the Drawn Cutout command to access the fly out, and click
the Dimple command
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35. Click on the angled front face for the profile plane and define the bottom line
as the base and the left end as the origin.
36. Draw a circle profile and place the dimensions and horizontal relationship (to
the Drawn Cutout). Finish the profile when done.
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, and turn on the Include
rounding option with a Punch and Die radius of 1.25mm. Click OK.
38. Type 12 mm in the distance field and move the mouse inward into the part
and click.
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39. Click finish to complete the Dimple.
40. Save the File.

41. Click the Flange command
42. Click the Flange Options button on the ribbon bar

Relief to the Bend Only option. Click OK.
, and set the Corner
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43. For the thickness face edge, select the back on the right end of the model.
44. On the ribbon bar, set the Material Inside option
45. For the extent step, extend the material past the first feature (>150 mm) and
click to place the flange towards the front of the model.
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46. Click on the Profile step on the ribbon bar
47. Click the Include command on the profile toolbar
48. Select the Include with offset option on the Dialog and click OK. If the
dialog does not appear, select the options form on the ribbon bar.
49. Select the Tangent Wireframe option on the ribbon bar.
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50. Click on the interior edge of the model and click the green check mark.
Note: The Tangent Wireframe option will create edges that are not required. The
extra edges will be deleted in a future step.
51. Type 2.00 mm in the Distance field on the ribbon bar.
52. Click to place the profile elements towards the inside of the model.
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53. Click on the Select Tool

original flange profile.
, and delete the bottom horizontal line of the
54. Zoom in on the left upper corner and delete the top and left lines that were
created with the include command.
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55. Click on the Trim Corner command

, and trim the both ends of the
included profile with the two original vertical lines.
56. Click the Finish button to complete the profile and then click Finish to
complete the Flange feature.
57. Save the file.

58. Click the Break Corner command
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59. Select the corners indicated in the following figure.
60. On the ribbon bar, click the Radius Corner button, then type 2.00 in the Break
box and press Enter on the keyboard.
61. Click the Accept button (green checkmark) to accept the selected corners then
click 'Preview' and 'Finish'.
62. Turn on the display of the Base reference planes if they are not visible.
63. On the Main toolbar, click the EdgeBar command
64. Click the Mirror Copy Feature command
65. Click the Smart option on the ribbon bar
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66. Select the last two features in the Edgebar Pathfinder list (Flange and Break
Corner).
67. Click the Accept button (green checkmark) on the ribbon bar.
68. Select the right view reference plane.
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69. Click Finish.
70. Close and save the file. This completes the activity.
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Activity Constructing a Normal Cutout

Objectives
This activity will provide insight on how to construct a Normal Cutout feature in
an existing sheet metal part. This type of cutout is placed without unbending the
part.
1. Open the file named NormCut.psm located in the Drawing Files folder.
2. Click the Normal Cutout command button
3. Click the 'Select From Sketch' option on the ribbon bar
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4. Click on the Circle in the center on the model and then the green check mark
on the ribbon bar to accept this selection.
5. Click to accept the arrow upward with the Through Next extent option. Click
Finish.
6. Take time to revolve the view and examine the cutout. Note the deformation
in the cutout as if it were placed in the unbent state.
7. This activity is complete.

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Activity Inserting a Bend

Objectives
This activity will insert a bend in an existing model.
1. Open the file named bend.psm located in the Drawing Files folder.
2. Click the Bend command.
3. Draw the single line profile on the top face of the part as shown below and
click Finish when done.
4. Click on the From Profile option on the ribbon bar

hole.
, and click towards the

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5. Click with the arrow direction towards the hole for the moving side
6. Click with the arrow direction below the model for the bend direction
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7. Click Finish.
8. Close and Save the file. This completes the activity.
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Activity Inserting a Jog

Objectives
This activity will insert a Jog in an existing model.
1. Open the file named jog.psm located in the Drawing Files folder.
2. Click the Jog command.
3. Draw the single line profile on the top face of the part as shown below and
click Finish when completed.
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4. Click with the arrow pointing away from the model.
5. Type 25 in distance box and click to place the jog below the part.
6. Two bends will be created with one operation.
7. Click Finish.
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8. For additional practice, repeat the same procedure on the opposite side of the
part.
9. Close and Save the file. This completes the activity.
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Activity Close Corner

Objectives
In this activity the Close Corner command will be used to make modifications to
existing corner conditions on a sheet metal part where the ends of two flanges
intersect. Three scenarios for closing a corner exists on the following part for this
activity:
Left side example overlap
Center example typical close
Right side example overlap from opposite direction
1. Open the file named close_corner.psm located in the Drawing Files folder.
2. Click the Close Corner command.
3. Make sure the edge select option is set to Close.
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4. On the middle corner of the model, select any one of the four vertical edges on
the two flanges that intersect. Accept by clicking the green arrow check mark
on the ribbon bar.
5. Click Finish.
6. Click the Close Corner command if it is not active.

Note: The next phase of the activity will involve closing the corner using the
Overlap edge option. The selected edge determines which flange edge gets
overlapped. The overlap option will be used twice, once on the corner to the left
of the part, and once on the corner to the right of the part. First will be the left
side.
7. Set the select edge option to Overlap.
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8. Select the left edge near the left side of the model. Accept by clicking the
green arrow check mark on the ribbon bar. Click Finish when done.
9. Click the Close Corner command if it is not active.

10. Make sure the select edge option is set to Overlap.
11. Select the right edge near the right side of the model. Accept by clicking the
green arrow check mark on the ribbon bar. Click Finish when done.
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12. Close and Save the file. This completes this activity.
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Activity Creating an Associative Flat Pattern

Objectives
In this activity, an existing sheet metal model will be flattened. The 3D model
will then be opened and a design change made. The flat pattern will update to
show the new change in the model. This activity will also show the user the
symbols in EdgeBar that represents the associative link.
Note: The sheet metal file already exists, so the user will not be doing any sheet
metal construction for this activity.
1. Open up a new part file by using the normal.par template for the file.
2. On the main menu pull down, click the Insert - Part Copy
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3. The file Browser should open with the Files of Type defaulted to .par files.
Change this setting to .psm and select the sheet metal file named bracket.psm.
4. Click the Open button.
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5. Notice that the bracket.psm model is now placed into your part model file.
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6. Click the Parameters step on the ribbon bar to display the Part Copy
Parameters dialog.
7. Click the option for flatten part and use the Onto Plane option. The plane will
be highlighted in the Part window.
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8. Click OK on the dialog to process the flat pattern.
9. Activate the EdgeBar and notice the sheet metal filename Part Copy 1 is listed
with the link icon next to the name. This indicates that this model is linked
into the part file.
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10. Right mouse click over the Part Copy 1 entry in EdgeBar and click Open to
edit the original sheet metal model.
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11. The Sheet Metal file will be opened and the EdgeBar will list the all the
features that comprise this file. Right mouse click over the feature entry
named Edit this Flange (the second contour flange placed in the model), and
click Edit Dimensions from the short-cut menu.
12. Change the one dimension that will appear to 3 in to increase the flange
width.
13. Close and Save the file to return to the part file with the flattened model.
14. A dialog will appear indicating that the file that this model is linked to has
changed. Click the Update now option.
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Note: If the part copy is not updated at this time, edge can be opened later and
the link icon will display a watch face denoting part is out-of date. Click the right
mouse button over the Part Copy 1 name in the EdgeBar to get the short-cut
menu. On this menu, click the Update Link option to update the flat pattern to
the new design change made (flange was increased to a width of 3 inches from
1.5 inches).
15. Close and save the file. This completes this activity.
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Summary
Adding Features to a sheet metal model is similar to adding features to models in
the Part environment. Features are added across bends by unbending the part
first, or using the Normal Cutout command to place the cutout with the part
formed. If the Normal Cutout command is used, the resulting geometry depicting
the cutout in the flattened state will be B-splines. Flatten sheet metal parts using
the Save As Flat command. Drawings can be created of the flattened part in the
Draft environment.
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M O D U L E
Assembly Design
Objectives ...............................................................................................135
Introduction ............................................................................................136
Assembly Environment............................................................................137
Placing Parts into Assemblies ................................................................138
Applying Relationships ...........................................................................141
Defining Offset Distances .......................................................................151
Rapid Part Placement.............................................................................152
Using Reference Planes with Relationships ...........................................155
Edgebar ..................................................................................................156
Selecting Parts ........................................................................................167
Moving Parts ..........................................................................................171
Assembly Part Properties .......................................................................172
Create In-Place.......................................................................................174
Patterning Parts......................................................................................177
Part Display............................................................................................178
Display Configurations...........................................................................183
Cutaway Views........................................................................................187
Explode Environment..............................................................................189
Sharing Assemblies.................................................................................196
Updating Parts in the Assembly .............................................................197
Review.....................................................................................................198
Activity Creating an Assembly.............................................................199
Activity Creating an Assembly with Reduced Input.............................209
Activity Creating an Assembly with Flashfit .......................................219
Summary .................................................................................................226
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Assembly Design Module 3
Objectives
After completing this module, students will be able to:
Construct an assembly document.
Place parts into an assembly and define relationships between these parts.
Select, review and edit assembly relationships using the PathFinder.
Define assembly display configurations
Define part colors and properties
Construct Assembly Features
Construct Cut-Away and Exploded views of an assembly
Share and Update parts used in an assembly design
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Introduction
Solid Edge Assembly performs the following major tasks.
1. Build Assemblies
Construct assemblies using relationships to define a parts position relative

to other parts.
Design new parts within the context of the assembly.
Construct 2D layouts for preliminary design work.
2. Modify Assemblies
Edits to the geometric and relationship definition of parts and

subassemblies.
Parts, including subassemblies, can also be replaced and moved.
3. Display Assemblies
Display configurations can be saved for later use or when multiple users
are accessing the same assembly file.
Solid Edge allows the viewing of assemblies with different colors applied
to different parts.
The Explode environment in Solid Edge assembly allows users to

automatically, or manually, explode their projects for documentation or
clarity of design.
Solid Edge can display the parts in lightweight mode. This gives the
user the model graphics but not the overhead of the entire math required
to edit the part. This will save memory usage and make the assembly
environment more responsive in very large assembly files.
Solid Edge includes the ability to unload parts from memory. This will
make larger assemblies more manageable on machines with limited
memory capabilities.
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Assembly Environment
Working in the Solid Edge Assembly environment is similar to working in the
Solid Edge Part environment. The Main toolbar is very similar to the Part
environment. The Assembly Commands toolbar contains a specific set of tools
used only by assembly parts. The Place Part SmartStep ribbon bar guides users
through the process of building an assembly.
Special tools in the Assembly environment can be used to review the structure of
an assembly, and the relationships placed between parts in the assembly that
dictate the parts position. These parts and corresponding relationships can be
selected for editing within the assembly environment.
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Placing Parts into Assemblies

Introduction
Parts are placed into the Assembly environment through the 'Part Library' Tab on
Edgebar. Use the folder option to browse mapped directories where the required
parts are stored. Once the folder is displayed, select the part in the Part Library
pane and a preview of the part will appear in the lower portion of the pane. To
place the part into the assembly, click and drag the part into the main assembly
window.
If a new part is to be created in this assembly, select the 'Create in-place' icon at
the top left of the 'Parts Library' pane to create the desired blank model file.
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Placing a Part
To place an existing part in an assembly, click the "Parts Library" Tab on
Edgebar. Change the folder focus to where the desired part resides. Select the
icon and related filename of the file that is to be placed into the assembly. A
preview of the model file will appear in Edgebar. If this is the correct model file,
click and drag the icon into the assembly window to place the part into the active
assembly file.
Placing the First Part

The first part placed serves as the foundation upon which the rest of the assembly
is built and should be a part that represents a fundamental component of the
assembly. The first part is placed in the same position and orientation that it
occupies in the Part environment (X, Y, and Z-axis of the part match the axis
orientation of the corresponding planes in the assembly). Solid Edge
automatically applies a ground relationship to the first part placed in an assembly.
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Placing Subsequent Parts

The next part placed in the assembly is displayed in a separate window. If the
main window is maximized, the place part window will also be maximized,
effectively hiding the assembly from view. Because of this behavior, we
recommend that the main window NOT be maximized for beginning users of
Solid Edge.
Using this recommended technique of window placement results in overlapping
windows (shown in the following figure). This should be easier for beginning
users to work with when applying relationships. Use this second window to
select the part faces for positioning the part within the assembly.
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Applying Relationships
The Relationship commands on the SmartStep ribbon bar are used to position and
orient the new part in relation to existing parts in the assembly. These
relationships are automatically maintained throughout the development of the
design to preserve the design intent.
Mate
The mate relationship ensures that the face of one part in an assembly is facing
the part it is being mated to. Specifying an offset value between the mated faces
offsets the surfaces by that amount. The faces become coplanar if the offset value
is set to zero.
In the following example, the part being placed will be repositioned such that its
face is coplanar and facing the other part. Additional relationships are required to
fully position the part.
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Planar Align
Makes the planar face of one part parallel to and facing the same direction as the
planar face of another part. The faces are made coplanar if the offset value is set
to zero.
Axial Align
The Axial Align relationship is used to align the cylindrical axis of a feature on
one part with the cylindrical axis of a feature on another part. Additional
relationships are required to fully position the part.
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Ground
A ground relationship ensures that a part remains fixed in the specified position
and orientation. A grounded part can act as an anchor for other parts. Solid Edge
automatically applies a ground relationship to the first part placed in an assembly.
The ground relationship can also be applied to other parts. Grounded parts are
locked into their 3-D position and do not update when adjacent parts move or are
repositioned.
This relationship is not available on the placement ribbon bar. This relationship
can be found on the left feature toolbar.
Insert
Applies both an align and a mate relationship between two parts. Use this
command to place axial-symmetric parts, like bolts and nuts, into holes or onto
cylindrical protrusions.
After applying the mate and align relationships, this relationship command
automatically fixes the rotation of the part. Changing the rotation angle at part
placement is not allowed. To change the rotation angle of the part about an axis,
select the part and then click the Edit button on the ribbon bar. From the
Relationship list option, select the align relationship just placed. Change the
offset option on the ribbon bar from Fixed to Floating. This will leave the part
with one degree of freedom. Then apply another relationship to control the
rotation angle of the part. For example, an align relationship with a floating
offset can be used to define the rotation angle with respect to a plane existing on
another part.
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In the following example, the axis of the bolt is aligned with the part hole. The
bottom face of the bolt head is mated to the outer vertical face of the part. The
rotation angle of the part is automatically fixed by the Insert command.
Note: The Insert command is the only command that automatically locks an
angle.
Connect
This relationship allows placement of parts that cannot be positioned properly
using mate and align relationships (e.g. parts that have draft angles that prevent
the sides from being aligned can be positioned using a connect relationship). The
edges of the part can be connected to another assembly part using the edges and
keypoints of the part as the defining locators for the part.
The first example shows how two blocks, with draft angle applied, can be
assembled using the edges of the parts as the locators, since no common plane
can be found to align the sides of the parts properly.
A second example is a sphere. The Connect relationship allows the connection of

the center of one sphere to the center of another sphere. A connection of the
sphere to an edge and key point on a solid is also possible. Again, additional
relationships may be required to fully position the part.
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Methods of Applying Connect Relationships

1. Point to Point - In the first illustration below, a mate relationship has been
applied between the mitered corner of the parts. A Connect relationship,
which ties a point on one part to the appropriate point on the other part, will
connect the two corners properly. A floating align relationship between the
back surfaces, will fully position the part.
2. Point to Line - In the following example, a mate can been applied between the
faces of the clamshell. The sides of each part are drafted, so there are no part
features that can be aligned. A keypoint of one part is connected to a linear
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edge of the grounded part. Three point-to-line relationships must be applied to

fully position the part.
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3. Point to Plane - In the following example, the pin is positioned to a depth that
just touches the surface of a reference plane.
4. Cone to Cone In the following example the cones of the fastener can be
connected to the cone of the plate. Solid Edge connects the theoretical
intersection of the individual cones.
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Recognizable Elements of Assembly Parts for the

Connect Relationship
Points
End Points of lines, arcs and ellipses
Midpoint of a line (Edge Centerline)
Arc center point
Circle center point
Elliptical element center point
Spherical surface center point
Theoretical intersection point (at the center) of a cone
Lines
Linear Edges (including tangent edges)
Reference Axis
Surfaces
Planar Part Surfaces
Reference planes
Connect Relationship Combinations
Connect a point on the first part to a point on the second part
Connect a point on the first part to a line on the second part
Connect a point on the first part to a face on the second part
Connect a line on the first part to a point on the second part
Connect a face on the first part to a point on the second part
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Angle
Places an angle relationship between two faces of two parts, or between two
edges of two parts, if an axial align has been used. This is typically used to allow
a part to pivot about an axial align to connect between two edges.
To place an angle relationship, a measurement plane is selected on the part being

positioned. Next, a measurement plane on the second part is selected. This has
established the two planes the angle will be measured between. An edge is
selected on the second part to establish the center of the angle measurement.
Using the example in the previous figure, the larger plate was placed first. Then
the smaller plate was placed using a mate, align and a connect relationship. The
mate was selected and deleted, and an angle relationship placed.
1. The small plate was selected first since it is the part being positioned.
2. The bottom face of the plate was selected as a measurement face.
3. The larger plate was selected second, and its end face was selected.
4. The top edge of this was selected to determine the pivot or center of the angle
as shown below.
5. The ribbon bar provides an option of selecting the angle quadrant for applying
the angle measurement.
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Tangent
A tangent relationship ensures that the cylindrical face of one part in an assembly
remains tangent to a planar or cylindrical face of another part.
Tangent part faces can touch each other or be offset from each other. When you
define a fixed offset, you can type a value for the offset distance.
Note: The floating offset option is not available with this command.
FlashFit
FlashFit is more of a placement tool than a specific relationship. By selecting the

FlashFit option, the user has told Solid Edge to match entity types as close as
possible without any input from the user. If a flat plane is selected, as the mouse
moves across the other parts in the assembly, Solid Edge will apply a Mate
relationship between the first plane and the next plane that highlights and is
accepted by the user. If the first item selected is a cylinder, then only cylinders
will be highlighted and Solid Edge will automatically place an Axial Align
relationship. This increases productivity by keeping the user in the assembly
window and greatly reduces the number of mouse clicks to place a part. Control
over the parts is maintained by user in that only the faces or cylinders accepted
with a mouse click get this automatic relationship placement. The use of
QuickPick as a filtering tool is required to predictably place parts with this
functionality.
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Defining Offset Distances

Use the Fixed Offset button on the SmartStep ribbon bar to define an offset
distance when mating and aligning parts. Type in the value in the offset field on
the ribbon bar.
The Floating Offset button (on the SmartStep ribbon bar) should be used when
other part relationships already control the offset distance between two parts. In
the following example, the Floating Offset option was used when a mate
relationship was applied between the bottom block face and the top plate face.
The floating offset is required because the align relationship between the axis of
the saddle block and the axis of the bar determines the offset of the two faces.
The distance here is not controlled by a value entered by the user.
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Rapid Part Placement

Rapid Part placement is achieved through automating the basic part placement
process. Solid Edge can speed part placement through three techniques.
Reduced Input - General assumptions are made when faces are selected in the
relationship process to eliminate basic or implied steps
Flash Fit - Automatically applies only mate and axial align relationships
Capture Fit Stores the relationships for future part placement
Reduced Inputs
This method of placing parts in the assembly omits the part selection step that
contains the 'matching' surface and the "OK" step of the relationship placement.
This effectively reduces the number of steps from 5 to 3 for the typical mate
relationship. There is some trade-off when using this option. Since the part in
the assembly is no longer identified, surfaces or cylinders on every part will be
available for selection. In large assemblies, or where there are numerous
overlapping parts, positioning the part precisely to another part may prove time
consuming. QuickPick is available to help reduce the selection process down in
these situations. Select the options form on the ribbon bar to view the dialog that
contains this option
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FlashFit
The Flashfit method can reduce the required number of inputs for relationship
placement even more than the Reduced Input mode. FlashFit does not require
that a certain type of relationship be selected. Instead Solid Edge will assume a
mate between all surfaces and an Axial Align between all cylinders. Users can
select faces and cylinders in pairs and Solid Edge will automatically apply the
proper relationship between these elements. If a relationship other than mate or
axial align is desired, the FlashFit command should not be used.
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Capture Fit
The Capture fit allows the storing of the relationships to stay with the model file,
for placement in an assembly. In many cases a certain part may be used over and
over again in the same or different assemblies. If this part is always placed using
the same 'control' surfaces, the information can be stored with the part. If a part
has the Capture Fit history, the part can be placed merely by selecting the
matching faces or cylinders in the current assembly. No faces or cylinders will
need to be selected on the part for placement because the faces, cylinders, and the
relationships used between these control surfaces have already been defined and
saved with the model file. Select the file to 'capture fit', select the capture fit
option and review the relationships placed on the part. Edit these relationships as
desired and dismiss the form.
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Using Reference Planes with Relationships

Many times the user may want to use the reference planes created during the
modeling session, as the defining surface for an assembly relationship. The tools
for turning the planes on and off are located on the Relationship Ribbon bar while
placing or editing the part.
Once the reference plane has been selected as one of the controlling faces for the
relationship, a red arrow will appear on the reference plane. This is the normal of
the reference plane and can be used to help decide which type of relationship is
required to position the part.
For example, if the arrow in the previous figure is pointing towards the right and
a mate is used, the part would be positioned to the right of the block (left figure
below).
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Edgebar
Use Edgebar to review the structure of the parts and subassemblies in the
assembly. By clicking the Edgebar command on the Tools menu, the Edgebar
window displays a tree structure of the assembly and the subassemblies and parts
within.
The tree structure in Edgebar is similar to that in the Windows NT File Manager.
Collapse or expand the subassemblies by clicking the small box to the left of the
subassembly icon. Occurrence number following the part file name indicates
each part instance. Solid Edge will generate the occurrence number
automatically.
Assembly EdgeBar is divided into two panes. The top pane lists the components
of the active assembly in a directory tree structure. Listed components can
include: Parts, subassemblies, assembly layouts, assembly reference planes and
assembly sketches.
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The bottom pane shows the assembly relationships applied to the part or
subassembly that has been selected in the top pane.
Using the Top Pane of Edgebar

The top pane of Assembly Edgebar allows:
Viewing of components in collapsed or expanded form. (Example - an

assembly is expanded and all parts in the assembly, or subassembly, can be
viewed).
Selection of parts and subassemblies
Determines the current status of the components within the assembly.
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Determining the Status of a Component

The symbols in Assembly Edgebar reflect the current status of the components in
the assembly. The following table explains the symbols used in the top pane in
Assembly Edgebar:
Similar symbols show the current status for the other components in an assembly,
such as subassemblies, layouts, and reference planes. The symbols in Assembly
Edgebar can also represent combinations of conditions. For example, a symbol
can show that a part is hidden and not fully positioned.
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Displaying and Hiding Assembly Reference Planes

Use Assembly Edgebar to control the display of assembly reference planes. To
see the reference plane listings in Assembly Edgebar, expand the Layout listing.
If a layout has been created on one of the assembly reference planes, a sketch
listing will be added to that reference plane's entry in Assembly Edgebar (shown
below).
The commands on the shortcut menu (right mouse button) control the display of
assembly reference planes (i.e. use the Hide command on the shortcut menu to
hide an assembly reference plane).
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Using the Bottom Pane of Edgebar

Selecting a part or subassembly in the top pane of Assembly Edgebar allows the
viewing and modification of the assembly relationships. The document (part or
subassembly) name and the relationship icon is displayed in the bottom pane of
Edgebar. The following table explains the symbols used in this bottom pane of
Assembly Edgebar:
The bottom pane allows the:
Viewing of which elements were used to apply the relationship.
Editing of the fixed offset value of the relationship.
Changing the offset type of the relationship (fixed or floating).
Deleting the relationship.
Viewing Assembly Relationships

The elements used to apply the relationship are highlighted in the assembly
window when a relationship is selected in the bottom pane. This selection also
activates the Assembly Relationships ribbon bar for editing the relationship.
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Modifying / Editing Assembly Relationships

Editing a relationship is done by clicking the desired part to change, and then
clicking Edit Position on the ribbon bar. A pull-down list on the ribbon bar
shows the current relationships assigned to that part. These relationships can be
edited or deleted.
Note: Changing the offset type from fixed to floating may require another
relationship to be placed to ensure that the part remains fully positioned. Also
note that the user will have to click the OK button on the ribbon bar to apply
any changed settings.
Deleting Assembly Relationships

Deleting an assembly relationship causes the symbol next to the part in the top
pane to change to a symbol that signifies that the part is no longer fully
positioned. It is good practice to apply a new relationship to the affected parts as
soon as possible. Deleting too many relationships without applying new
relationships may cause difficulty in fully positioning the affected parts.
Replacing Relationships
Relationships can be replaced after placing a part in an assembly. Delete the
current relationship and apply a new relationship or edit the relationship to a
different type (i.e. changing a mate to an align) and follow the SmartStep
procedure to apply the new relationship.
Conflicting Relationships
When parts are changed, this can have an impact on the assembly or assemblies
on which the part is placed. The relationships used to position the part may no
longer be valid. This is shown in EdgeBar as a part that has conflicting
relationships.
The relationship symbols located in the bottom pane of Edgebar that are in
conflict will change to red. In the example below, the mounting holes placed in
the large bracket have been changed. This invalidates the align relationships
placed between the large and small bracket. The small bracket should be changed
to properly align with the new location of the holes in the large bracket. The part
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name field, located in the lower portion of the assembly window will indicate the
small plate has a relationship conflict (rp00121.par; 1 relationship conflict).
A part that has been changed (above; shown by the lightning bolt through the
icon to left of the part) or as a failed feature on the part file ToDo List can also
be detected in assembly by other methods. When the part is selected, the name
field will indicate that the part needs work.
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When this message is displayed, users should edit the part in the Part
environment to resolve any failed features. This status is not shown in Edgebar.
Failed features in a parts ToDo List can make relationships in the assembly fail
and cause other part relationships not to be solved.
The part name field will display two more responses.
XXXXX.par:1 not positioned
XXXXX.par:1 fully positioned
It will also display combinations:
XXXXX.par:1 not positioned; needs work
Dramatically changing the design of a part in an assembly may cause some

assembly relationships to fail. When this occurs, this part is added to the ToDo
list, and the symbol next to the part or subassembly in the top pane of Assembly
Edgebar will change to indicate that there are conflicting relationships.
By selecting the conflicted part or subassembly, the symbols for the affected
relationships in the bottom pane of Assembly Edgebar can be viewed (these
should be displayed in red). This enables the evaluation of the relationship
scheme for modifying or repairing the assembly.
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Managing Relationships in Nested Assemblies

Before viewing, modifying, or deleting an assembly relationship from a nested
subassembly, the subassembly where the relationship was applied must be
opened.
Assembly Edgebar does not display relationships applied outside the active
assembly. The top pane of Assembly Edgebar shows the level in a multi-level
assembly where a particular part was placed. Open the assembly where the
relationship was applied, and modify or replace that relationship.
Example: Assembly A1 in the next illustration was built using part P1 and
subassemblies S1 and S2. Subassembly S1 was built using parts P2-P5.
Subassembly S2 was built using parts P6 and P7. To change a relationship used
to position part P5, subassembly S1 must first be opened.
Locating what level a part or sub-assembly is at in the assembly can be done in

the top pane of Assembly Edgebar, as shown in the next illustration. Since
cyl_rod2.par is indented under subassembly Cylinder2.asm, this indicates that the
subassembly Cylinder2.asm must be opened in order to view, modify, or remove
any relationships that control cyl_rod2.par.
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Clicking the right mouse button on the part or subassembly, then clicking a
command from the shortcut menu can access shortcut options to increase
productivity in editing or revising nested files.
Understanding Relationships Shown in Edgebar

The bottom pane in Edgebar will show a dashed line between sets of relationships
when a sequential means of positioning the parts cannot be implemented. Why?
Solid Edge initially attempts to solve an assembly by placing each part in the
order it was placed. When the position of a part can be solved sequentially, the
Edgebar will only display the relationships that defined the part placement.
Sometimes it is not possible to solve the position of all of the parts in an assembly
sequentially. In these cases, Edgebar will show two sets of relationships
separated by a dashed line.
The relationships above the dashed line were placed between the selected part
and parts already in the assembly.
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The relationships below the dashed line were added to the assembly when other
parts were placed relative to the selected part. Consider the following example:
The five parts above represent a simple mechanism. As one part slides up or
down the post by editing the mate offset, all three pivot angles change, and both
the position of leg.par and xbrace.par change. The positions of leg.par and
xbrace.par cannot be determined sequentially because they depend upon each
other.
Leg.par is mated and aligned to base.par (the block on top of the post which was
placed first and is grounded). Leg.par also is mated and aligned to xbrace.par,
which was placed last. In these types of cases, a line will separate the
relationships in Edgebar. In general, the relationships above the separator line
were used to position the selected part. In cases where several parts of an
assembly fail and the assembly cannot be solved sequentially, close analysis of
the relationships above the separator line will generally allow you to find and
replace a single relationship. This will cause many of the failed relationships to
change from red back to black.
In the example above, there are only four relationships displayed. It is possible to
have many relationships between the selected part and subsequently placed parts.
In these cases there will be many relationships below the separator line.
It is also possible that a sequential solution could not be found, but there were no
parts placed relative to the selected part. In these cases, the separator will be
displayed as the last entry in Edgebar. While rare, the converse is also true that
all of the placing relationships have been deleted but parts have relationships to
the selected part. In this case the separator would be the first entry in the browser
list.
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Selecting Parts
Solid Edge provides many different utilities for selecting parts in the assembly
environment. Some methods are straightforward, others take time to learn. All
selection methods are access through the Select Tool. Below is a short
description of the selection methods and any related forms to help the user in this
process.
Selecting Parts with the Mouse

For selecting single parts, using the mouse is the fastest method of selection.
Parts can be identified in the Solid Edge window or from the Pathfinder pane in
Edgebar. Click over the part or the part name in PathFinder to activate the part.
Holding down the Shift key while selecting multiple parts creates a select set of
parts for the user.
Find Part
Displays the Find Part in Assembly dialog box for defining the selection set for a
subsequent operation.
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Dialog Box Options

AmongDefines which parts and assemblies to include in the search:
All the parts in the assembly
Only the currently displayed parts
Only the currently selected parts
CriteriaDefines the search criteria for the set of parts to find. The Material,
Designer, Status, Category, and Keyword boxes allow searches for parts and
assemblies based on properties defined in the Part environment. For example, all
the parts in an assembly that have had the material type of aluminum defined can
be found.
Part NameThe system will search for this name. Searches can be made for
more than one part by using wild card characters.
MaterialSpecifies a material type to be used for the search. A material type can
be selected from the list generated from the properties information of the files
used in the assembly.
DesignerSpecifies a designer to be used for the search. A designer can be
selected from the list generated from the properties information of the files used
in the assembly.
StatusSpecifies file status to be used for the search. A status can be selected
from the list generated from the properties information of the files used in the
assembly.
CategorySpecifies a category to be used for the search. A category named can
be selected which has been defined for a group of parts.
KeywordSpecifies a keyword to be used for the search.
ReferenceSpecifies reference criteria for the part to be used for the search.
Reference criteria for parts are set using the Properties command on the Edit
menu.
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Selection Box
Selects a group of parts by drawing a dynamic 3-D box in the assembly window.
This button is available only when a single part is selected. This command is used
to quickly select parts that are in the proximity of another selected part.
Manipulated select sets as a group after selection. For example, the Show Only
command on the Tools menu can be used to hide all other parts not selected.
Select Small Parts

Selects parts based on the size of a box placed in the assembly window. Click
and drag the mouse to define a 2-D box, and parts that are smaller than the box
are highlighted.
Select Visible Parts

Only selects parts that are fully or partially visible in the assembly window.
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Fast Locate Option (Tools>Options)

Selecting parts in a large assembly can be done much faster if the Fast Locate
Box option is used. This option is set on the View Tab of the Options dialog box
located under the Tools menu (shown below). When selecting a part in the
assembly with this option, the part is highlighted as a box instead of highlighting
every feature of the part.
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Moving Parts
Once a part is in the main assembly window, use the Move Part command on
the feature toolbar to move the part. If the part is still in the Place Part window,
use the window rotate commands to manipulate the view of the part. A part will
only move in an under-constrained direction. If a part is fully defined, the part
will not move.
The Ribbon Bar and the options are described below:
Left and Right Arrows - The arrows on the ribbon bar remember each
move step, or sequence, performed on the part. By clicking a blue arrow
icon, the part steps forward or backward in sequence, to create a movement
study or a crude kinematic motion study of the part.
Move (default) Moves the part parallel to a selected edge or axis.
Rotate Rotates the part about a selected edge or axis.
Freedom Move - Moves the part in any unconstrained direction.
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Assembly Part Properties

Assembly part properties contain properties for each part or subassembly placed.
Parts being placed can be modified through the option form on the Relationship
Ribbon Bar when placing the part into an assembly. This form enables the
specifying of a unique name (different from the true filename), so the part can be
selected or included in different reports, and an instance count for the part
(quantity). The quantity option may be very useful if your assembly contains
numerous instances of the same type of bolt or screw. Place one bolt, or screw,
and use this option to specify how many of this part the actual assembly will
contain.
The Assembly Part Properties allows:
1. Changing the Placement Name of a part or subassembly. This changes the
name shown in PathFinder.
2. Moving a grounded part or subassembly to any X, Y, and Z location in the
assembly file. The X, Y, Z coordinate is based from the center of the
assembly file. This is also the center of the default reference planes.
3. Setting a part or subassembly to select or non-select. This can help control the
highlighting of parts in a large assembly.
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4. Controlling where an assemblys information can be used in other locations

and functions.
Bill of Materials
Control which parts are displayed in a drawing sheet
Control the display of a part or subassembly placed as a part in another

assembly.
If parts are to be included in Mass property calculations.
Define a quantity of this part. This is typically done for parts that do not
need to be placed in the assembly many times, but should be in the actual
parts list many times (i.e. nuts and bolts).
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Create In-Place
The Create In-Place button on EdgeBar
, enables the design of a new part, or
sub-assembly, while working in the context of an existing assembly. A dialog
will appear after selecting the Create-in-place icon (shown below)
The "Create In Place" new file information fields contain the following options:
TemplateAllows the selection of which document template to use as the

basis for the new part. Use the Browse option to search for a template.
New File NameAllows the typing of a name for the new Solid Edge Part
document. The file extension, based on the template selected, is added
automatically.
New FileSpecifies a folder to store the new document. Use the Browse
option to find the desired folder.
The method of placement of the new part file into the assembly must be selected
from the from the following three options:
Coincident with the assembly originThe new part reference planes will be
placed directly on top of the assembly origin and oriented exactly in the same
direction as the assembly origin.
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By graphic inputThis method provides exact placement of the part but is

more time consuming. The steps for accomplishing this method of placement
are listed below:
1. Click the part in the assembly that contains the plane or reference plane
that the new set of reference planes are to be based on.
2. Click the planar face or reference plane in this part that contains the
desired x-axis orientation.
3. Define the orientation of the new set of reference planes. This is similar to
creating a new reference plane for a profile-based feature.
4. Define the origin of the new reference planes by moving the cursor until
the origin point highlights, and then click to accept the origin.
Offset from assembly originOffset the new reference planes from the
assembly reference planes by a specific amount or by a key point to be
located on the current assembly. The reference planes will be oriented
exactly in the same direction as the assembly reference planes.
Designing the New Part

After defining the reference planes for the new part, or sub-assembly, the
appropriate Solid Edge Part environment activates, and the assembly parts change
to the disabled color. Users can turn the display of the assembly parts on or off
using the Hide Previous Level command on the View menu.
The part reference planes are now displayed. Use these planes to create the base
feature for the new part. Use the Include command in the Profile environment to
copy edges of assembly parts to the profile plane or the Offset line command to
define an offset value between profile geometry and the included part edges.
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Returning to the Assembly File

Upon completing the part, return to the assembly environment by clicking the
Close and Return command (located on the File menu). The part created will
automatically have a Ground relationship applied. Deletion of this relationship is
allowed so real relationships can be placed
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Patterning Parts
Parts can be patterned in the assembly environment in two ways. A part can be
associated to an existing pattern on another assembly part or the part pattern can
be defined by a layout sketch.
A part patterned from other parts ensures that the assembly will have one part for
each corresponding pattern feature. This will also lessen the number of
relationships needed to place the remaining parts. A good example of this type of
pattern would be using a hole pattern to dictate the number of fasteners needed to
fasten parts together in the assembly file.
Patterning parts from a layout is useful when placing multiple parts, or
subassemblies, into the assembly file when only one of the design criteria are
known. For example, for a conveyor belt we may know the running length of the
conveyor and the size of the rollers, but how many rollers will fit in that length?
How will the offset between the rollers effect this? By patterning the rollers the
length of the conveyor at different offsets the designer could optimize the design
with little error or time spent modeling different frames to hold the rollers.
Pattern Steps
The ribbon bar controls the steps for the pattern.
Select Parts Allows for the picking of the parts to be patterned.
Define Pattern Displays the three addition steps to define the pattern.
Select Part Identifies the part that contains the pattern to match, or select the
pattern created as a layout sketch.
Select Pattern Feature Identifies the patterned feature on the part to match,
or select the pattern created as a layout sketch.
Select Reference Position - Specifies which individual feature of the pattern

will be used as the starting point of the part pattern.
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Part Display
By default all parts are displayed in one color when placing parts in an assembly.
Parts are also loaded in a 'lightweight' mode by default. This lightweight mode
saves memory usage by only loading enough information to display the part.
Solid Edge provides many different tools for part display. Each of these tools can
be used separately or in combination with other display tools. For example: parts
can be both lightweight and a user defined color. Below is a listing of the
different modes of display and the impact of that selection on system
performance.
Light-Weight Parts
Solid Edge will open assemblies with all parts in the lightweight mode by default.
The lightweight mode can be described as the graphic representation of the part.
The math and history of the features included on the part have not been loaded
into the system. This information is not needed by Solid Edge to build and
maintain the assembly, so it has been omitted to save loading time and memory
requirements. This should greatly increase the amount of parts a user can include
in the assembly without having to buy more memory for their PC.
To retrieve the math accompanying the features for part editing and revising,
several tools have been included in the Assembly environment. These tools are
listed below.
Activate PartLoads all the part information for the selected part into the
systems memory. All information of the part will be able to be retrieved for the
part. Activating a part before performing an edit on a part in not needed. When
Solid Edge switches to the Part modeling mode, the part will automatically be
activated.
De-activate the PartUnloads all the feature history and accompanying
math of the part and reduces the memory usage of the PC to just the graphical
representation of the part. Manually de-activate any activated part to reduce
memory usage. Returning to assembly after editing an activated part does not
automatically deactivate the part.
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The Display of Parts in Assembly

The options of showing or hiding parts included in the assembly. As assemblies
get large, it may be advantageous to hide some of the parts, or subassemblies,
away from the area of concentration. This will reduce the amount of graphics on
the screen and provide a clearer view of the assembly. There are three main
commands for controlling the display of the part in the assembly environment.
These commands are listed below with a description and the system impact of
each.
Show PartThis will make any hidden part visible to the user. By default
all parts in the assembly will be visible, even if the part is in lightweight mode.
All aspects of the part are visible. By holding the Shift key on the keyboard,
users can select multiple parts to effect with this command.
Hide PartHides parts that are currently visible. Parts or subassemblies
that are not needed, or are away from the area of concentration, should be hidden
to provide a clearer view of the task at hand. By holding the Shift key on the
keyboard, users can select multiple parts to effect with this command.
Show OnlyShows only the selected parts in the view. All other parts
will be hidden from view. This will be handy in quickly turning off the display
of parts not currently the focus of the task at hand.
All three commands become much more powerful when combined with the
Display Configuration option discuss later in this module.
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Unloading Parts from Memory

If a part is hidden, that part is probably not needed for the task at hand. Click this
option to free up more system memory for loading other parts or placing more
parts into the assembly. This expands the number of parts that a system can
handle in the assembly environment. A part that has been unloaded from
memory does not make that part unavailable for solving the assembly
relationships. Solid Edge will maintain all the necessary information of the parts
that have been unloaded. This will allow the assembly to correctly solve all of
the interdependencies of the assembly relationships. This command can only be
found on the Tools menu (shown below).
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Specifying Unique Part Colors

To change a part's color, uncheck (on by default) the All Parts Same Color entry
on the Tools menu.
Click on a part in the assembly window or in the edge bar and apply a new color
using the Faces Style list on the Select ribbon bar.
The colors found on this list are the default colors of Solid Edge. Definition of
new styles based on these default values is encouraged.
There are two types of color displays that can be changed:
Part Edge DisplayThis is when the part is displayed without shading and is
presented as lines, arcs and circles. This is useful when certain parts are
placed for reference only.
Part Face DisplayThis affects the part in shaded mode.
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Both options are changed using Faces command on the Format menu. This
command is only available when a part is selected.
The changes made in dialog box affect only the part or subassembly selected.
Note that there are separate tabs for the Face and Edge display option. This
allows separate definitions of both the wireframe and shaded style of each part.
A subassemblys color can only be changed for the whole subassembly.

However, definition of individual colors of the parts in the subassembly will be
carried to the higher level assembly.
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Display Configurations
Use the Display Configurations command on the Tools menu to save and recall
views of an assembly. Saved display configurations make it easier to return to a
view where several parts had been hidden, activated, or deactivated to illustrate
important aspects of the assembly.
Use the Show/Hide, Activate/De-activate, and Show Only display commands to

display parts or subassemblies in the active assembly. These tools make it easier
to select, place, or edit the parts in an assembly.
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To save a display configuration, type a configuration name in the Display

Configurations dialog box and click the Save button. To recall a configuration,
select a saved configuration from the Configuration Name list, and click the
Apply button on the Display Configurations dialog box.
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Saved Display Configurations can also be accessed using the Assembly

Configurations list on the Select ribbon bar. Shared assemblies across the
network allow the selection of many different users display configurations.
Some images showing the use of different display configurations are shown in the
following pictures.
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When working with large assemblies, take advantage of display configurations to

decrease the time it takes to open very large assemblies. Example: If a large
assembly has many internal components, these parts display can be hidden and
saved as the default configuration of the file. The next time the assembly file is
opened, the parts that are not displayed (hidden) will not be loaded into memory.
This will reduce the total time it takes to open the assembly. Functions such as
shading the assembly are also dramatically faster when unnecessary parts are
hidden.
Defining a display configuration when opening an assembly enables different
users to have the power of dictating which view of the assembly to view.
Different users can access the same assembly but have drastically different views
of the assembly without effecting other users. On the Open dialog box, select the
desired display configuration from the Configuration list.
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Cutaway Views
The Cutaway functionality allows the viewing of the assembly in a full or partial
section view. Many times this type of view is needed to help convey design
characteristics or precise part interaction within the assembly by essentially
'peeling away' the outer surfaces of the model.
The Cutaway functionality is unique in that it creates these types of views
without changing any of the model definitions. All models are intact and in their
production ready format. This is not the case with the Multi-Part Cutout feature
in assembly which actually changes every model definition effected by the cutout
created.
Since the Cutaway View command only creates a specific display of the
assembly, this display has to be saved, if it is to be used later in any
documentation.
To create a Cutaway view, the assembly or the portion of the assembly that will
be cutaway should be complete. Select the Cutaway view option from under the
View main menu item.
Select the 'New' icon on the dialog that will appear on the screen.
Follow the SmartStep instruction on createing a sketching planeand and creating

the sketh. Creating a Cutaway view is similar to creating a cutout in the Part
environment.
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Once the Cutaway view has been created and entry will be added to the Cutaway
dialog box. Click on the View<Cutaway View entry to re-intialize this dialog.
This view can be turned off and on as needed. The cutaway also is associative to
the models that have been effected by the cut. If the models change the Cutaway
will update and show the result on the new version of the model.
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Explode Environment
Use the Explode Environment option under the Environment main menu item to
get to the explode environment tools. Selection of this command opens the
Explode environment with a specific explode toolbar.
The following commands are on the Explode toolbar to explode an assembly:
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Automatic Explode
This provides the fastest method of exploding an assembly. Click the Explode
button on the ribbon bar to quickly explode an assembly. The order of the parts
after exploding is dictated by the placement order of the parts in the assembly and
the relationships used to place the part.
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Explode
Provides a manual method of exploding an assembly. Select the parts in the order
to be exploded. Then, select the stationary part and the face on this part from
which to base the explosion and define the explosion direction. This command is
typically used when only a few parts of the assembly or one side of the assembly
needs to be exploded.
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Adjust Spread Distance

Used to increase or decrease the distance between parts after exploding. A part
can be moved individually or with all dependents, using the options on the ribbon
bar. To move a part, click this command, and click and drag the part to its new
position.
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Reposition
Allows the selection of a part and repositioning the part in reference to another
part in the explosion. Example: If the automatic explode method was used and
one of the parts was not in the desired positioned, repositioning of the part
relative to another part is done with this command. The option of which side of
the adjacent part to place the repositioned part is available.
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Collapse
Positions a part back to its original unexploded state. This is used to un-explode
individual parts. Collapse and Remove are also available on the shortcut menu.
Additional Explode Commands
Add JoggleAdds a jog line at the selected part or the selected part and all
dependants.
Remove JoggleRemoves the joggle from the exploded assembly,
returning the effected parts back to their default exploded orientation.
UnexplodeUse the Unexplode command to return the assembly to an
unexploded state. Used this command to create multiple exploded views of an
assembly. Be sure to save a display configuration of the exploded assembly
before using this command or the exploded view will be deleted. Only one
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explosion in an assembly is allowed, but an unlimited amount of saved exploded

view display configurations is allowed. This command is also located on the Edit
menu.
Bind SubassemblyUse this command to keep subassemblies from being
exploded.
Unbind SubassemblyThis option explodes a previously bound
subassembly with either the automatic or manual explode option.
Move PartAny underconstrained parts came be moved by mouse drag or
by precision key-in.
ShowTurns the display on a part that has been previously hidden.
HideTurns the display of any selected part off.
Show OnlySelected parts display will be left on, any unselected parts
will have their display turned-off.
ActivateLoads the part information (more than just the display
information) into memory so users can extract edge and other information from
the part.
DeactivateRemoves all but display information of the part from memory,
reducing the amount of memory consumed by the assembly.
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Sharing Assemblies
Solid Edge Assembly only references the models files contained in the assembly
file. The model files referenced remain in the directory in which they were
stored. This allows the assembly to automatically reflect any changes in the
model files as the design process progresses. This automatic update is only
possible through the 'sharing' of model files locally and over the network.
All of the part, sheet metal, and assembly files referenced in this training
document are typically stored on the local hard drive. Another typical workflow
is to store the files on a common server and work from the server. In order to
access parts or assemblies from the server, the files must be located in shared
folders on the server.
To share a folder on the server, or any machine with Solid Edge files, use the
Map Network Drive button in Windows Explorer to connect to the folder. Then
use the Browse for Folder near the top of the EdgeBar to display the contents
of the network share and select the parts or assemblies.
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Updating Parts in the Assembly

When working concurrently, many parts can be modified at one time. Being
aware of these changes ensures that the design reflects the current state. Solid
Edge provides some unique tools for managing this situation.
By default, an assembly file looks at the part files when the assembly is activated.
But if another user makes design changes to a part while you are in the assembly,
these changes will not be displayed until the file is opened again. By clicking the
Update<All Links entry under the Tools main menu pull-down, a file update is
forced on all the parts in the assembly. The system goes out to the folders where
all the files were loaded and reloads the part. Any changes in the file will then
be reflected.
This same type of update is available in the Part Environment when designing
parts in the context of assembly. Clicking the Update<All Links entry under
the Tools main menu item in Part forces all parts in the assembly to update to
their current state.
Use these tools to keep the assembly up to date with all the design changes being
made in a concurrent workflow environment.
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Review
What type of relationship is applied to the first part placed in an assembly?
Describe how to add parts to an assembly?
Name the relationships used in adding a part to an assembly.
Describe the steps using Insert command.
Describe how to add an offset to a Mate relationship.
Describe how to save a display configuration with a part or subassembly

hidden?
Describe how to create a part in context of the assembly?
What setting allows separate part colors?
When are files updated?
Describe how to update files manually?
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Activity Creating an Assembly

Objectives
In this activity, a simple assembly will be constructed.
Open a new blank assembly file. If Solid Edge is running, click File>New and
choose the Normal.asm template from the New Dialog box. Then click the OK
button at the bottom of this form.
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1. Click the Parts Library tab on Edgebar
2. Make sure the folder is displaying the training files. Use the browse folder
, to change the folder if needed.
3. Select the file named chead.par from the available list of part files.
4. While holding the left mouse button down over the filename, drag the mouse
into the main window. This will drag the model file into the assembly.
The chead.par file is placed into the main assembly window.
5. Select the file named splate.par from the training files folder (same location as
before).
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6. Drag and Drop this file into the main assembly just as you did the chead.par
file. (Click, hold and drag)
Notice that this part is placed into a separate window. Solid Edge does this so
that the user has the opportunity to apply relationships to position the part in
reference to the assembly.
7. The Ribbon bar has become active, prompting for the first relationship to be
placed. Solid Edge defaults to the Mate relationship. We will use this Mate
relationship for our first relationship. Since we have already selected the part,
we want to place into the assembly, SmartStep has skipped the first step (select
the part to place into the assembly) and prompts for the control surface for
which the mate relationship will be applied.
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8. Identify the surface shown below on the splate.par and click the left mouse
button once it highlights. This will be the one of the faces the Mate
relationship is placed.
9. Solid Edge automatically toggles the view to the assembly window for the
third step, which is identifying the part in the assembly where the mate
relationship will be applied. In our case, we only have the one part placed in
the main window. Move the mouse over the part in the window, when this
part highlights, click the left mouse button (this will select the part and take
you to the next step).
10. The fourth, and final step in SmartStep is to identify the control surface on
the assembly part that the mate relationship will be applied. Identify the
surface shown below:
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11. Click OK.

The mate relationship will be applied to the
control surfaces you identified. The result should look similar to the image
below (your part may be positioned slightly different).
This places one relationship onto the splate.par part. We will need two more
relationships to fully define this parts placement in relation to the assembly.
12. Notice that the Ribbon bar is still active and is now prompting for a
Relationship 2 to be added to this part. Next we will align the axis of two
holes to be co-linear.
13. Change the type of relationship to be placed from a Mate to an Axial Align.
14. Our splate.par is still active, so identify the bottom left cylinder of this part as
the control axis that this align relationship will be applied. (Step 2
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15. Identify the assembly part that contains the other axis for the Align
relationship to be applied (Step 3). In this case, it is the chead.par part again.
Select this chead.par part in the window or from the Pathfinder tab in
Edgebar.
16. Identify the left hole on the chead.par file as the control axis to apply the
Align relationship.
17. Click OK.
The system will align these two axes.
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18. Now the Ribbon bar is prompting for a Relationship 3. For this lab we will
repeat the process of applying an Align relationship to align the other hole of
the splate to the other hole of the chead.par file. Repeat the process from Step
14 to Step 17 to align the two right-side holes.
19. Now that the splate.par file is fully constrained, the Ribbon bar is dismissed.
The part is fully positioned and cant move or rotate.
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20. Use the Place Part command again to place the splate.par file into the
assembly on the other side of the chead.par file using the techniques you just
learned. The process will be identical to the placement process of the first
splate.par file, just that you will be mating the second instance to the other
side of the chead.par file.
21. Drag and Drop the mtgpin.par file into the assembly
22. The mtgpin.par file is displayed in the separate window waiting for
relationships to be placed.
23. Select the Insert Relationship from the Relationship types menu on the ribbon
bar.
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24. Notice that the Ribbon bar is different for this relationship. The SmartStep
has six steps rather than four steps. That is because the Insert is really just a
combination of both a Mate and Align relationship.
25. Identify a cylinder off of the mtgpin.par file as the surface containing the
controlling axis.
26. Select the chead.par file as the part in the assembly that has the corresponding
cylinder to align.
27. Select a cylinder in the center of the chead.par file as the cylinder containing
the corresponding axis.
28. Now the system is looking for a surface on the mtgpin.par file to place a mate
relationship. Without changing any settings on the Ribbon bar, move over
the mtgpin.par file and select the bottom surface of the head of the pin as
this surface.
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29. Now select the top surface of the c-bore as the corresponding surface to mate
this pin surface to.
30. Click OK to place the Insert Relationship.

31. The Insert Relationship handles the axis of rotation automatically. The part
should be fully constrained (no ribbon bar active).
32. Save and Close this file as Assembly01.asm.
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Activity Creating an Assembly with Reduced

Input
Objectives
This activity will focus on building the same assembly as created in Activity 1,
but with a different option. The option used for this assembly will be the 'reduced
input' mode. Once you are familiar with how assemblies are created this mode
may increase productivity by reducing the mount of manual input required for
placing parts.
button at the bottom of this dialog box.
, to change the folder if needed.
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The chead.par file is placed into the main assembly window, since this is the first
part of our assembly.
5. Select the file named splate.par from the available training files (same location
as before).
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placed. Solid Edge defaults to the Mate relationship. We will use this Mate
relationship for our first relationship. Since we have already selected the part,
we want to place into the assembly, SmartStep has skipped the first step (select
the part to place into the assembly) and prompts for the control surface the
mate relationship will be applied.
8. Select the "Options" icon on the ribbon bar

. The dialog below will
appear. Select the "Reduced Steps' option and select "OK" to dismiss the
form.
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9. Identify the surface shown below on the splate.par and click the left mouse.
This will be the one of the faces the Mate relationship is placed.
10. Notice that Solid Edge skipped the previously required step of identifying a
part in the assembly and went directly to the fourth, and final step in
SmartStep. To identify the control surface on the assembly part that the
mate relationship will be applied. Identify the surface shown below:
The mate relationship will be applied to the control surfaces you identified as
soon as the second face is selected. The result should look similar to the image
below (your part may be positioned slightly different).
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relationships to fully define this parts placement in relation to the assembly.
Lets do that now.
11. Notice that the Ribbon bar is still active and is now prompting for a
Relationship 2 to be added to this part. Next we will align the axis of two
holes to be co-linear.
12. Change the type of relationship to be placed from a Mate to an Axial Align.
13. Our splate.par is still active; so identify the bottom left cylinder of this part as
the control axis that this align relationship will be applied.
Align relationship.
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15. Now the Ribbon bar is prompting for a Relationship 3. For this lab we will
repeat the process of applying an Align relationship to align the other hole of
the splate to the other hole of the chead.par file. Repeat the process from Step
12 to Step 14 to align the two right-side holes.
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17. Use the Place Part command again to place the splate.par file into the
assembly on the other side of the chead.par file using the techniques you just
learned. The process will be identical to the placement process of the first
splate.par file, just that you will be mating the second instance to the other
side of the chead.par file.
18. Place the mtgpin.par file into the assembly

19. The mtgpin.par file is brought up into the separate window waiting for
relationships to be placed.
20. Select the Insert Relationship from the Relationship types menu on the ribbon
bar.
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21. Notice that the Ribbon bar is different for this relationship. The SmartStep
has two more steps than we have been using (4 steps). That is because the
Insert is really just a combination of both a Mate and Align relationship.
22. Identify a cylinder off of the mtgpin.par file as the surface containing the
controlling axis.
23. Select a cylinder in the center of the chead.par file as the cylinder containing
the corresponding axis.
24. Now the system is looking for a surface on the mtgpin.par file to place a mate
relationship. Without changing any settings on the Ribbon bar, move over
the mtgpin.par file and select the bottom surface of the head of the pin as
this surface.
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25. Now select the base surface of the c-bore as the corresponding surface to
mate this pin surface to.
26. The Insert Relationship handles the axis of rotation automatically. The part
should be fully constrained (no ribbon bar active).
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Activity Creating an Assembly with Flashfit

Objectives
This lab will focus on building the same assembly as created in Activity 1 and
Activity 2 but with an even higher level of automation.
This lab will use the Flashfit option to quickly place parts into an assembly.
Once a part has been placed once, Solid Edge can be told to 'learn' the
relationships necessary to place that part in the future. When that part is selected
for placement, the 'learned' relationships are automatically applied. Once the
users are familiar with how assemblies are created, this mode may increase their
productivity but reducing the mount of manual inputs required to place parts.
button at the bottom of this form.
, to change the folder if needed
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The chead.par file is placed into the main assembly window, since this is the first
part of our assembly.
5. Select the file named splate.par from the available training files (same location
as before).
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placed. Change the relationship type to "FlashFit"
8. Identify the surface shown below on the splate.par and click the left mouse
button once it highlights.
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9. Identify the control surface on the assembly part that the mate relationship
will be applied. Identify the surface shown below. Notice that the splate.par
file will snap to any active face that the mouse finds. By default, solid edge
tries to apply a mate between faces in Flashfit mode.
The result should look similar to the image below.
relationships to fully define this parts placement in relation to the assembly. Do
that now.
10. Identify the bottom left cylinder of this part as the control axis that this align
relationship will be applied.
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Align relationship.
12. Identify the other two holes to align to fully constrain this part
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14. With one splate.par successfully placed, we can now ask Solid Edge to 'learn'
the relationships necessary to place this part in any assembly.
15. Select the splate.par file with the Select Tool.
16. Select the Capture Fit icon on the feature toolbar
The dialog below will appear. Select "OK" to accept these relationships to always
be applied to this part.
17. Drag and Drop another splate.par file into the assembly.
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18. Do not select a relationship type in the ribbon bar. The relationship type will
automatically be set by the capture. Identify the other side of the chead.par
file to place this part and then the two holes on the chead.par file. The
splate.par file will be completely positioned with three mouse clicks!
Solid Edge has 'learned' the three relationships that this part requires and even has
learned to which faces to apply the relationships. The only information needed
by Solid Edge is the face information in the assembly file!
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Summary
Assemblies are constructed in two ways:
Bottom up (parts are constructed first then assembled)
Top Down (Parts are constructed in context of the assembly)
The previous activity constructed the assembly using the bottom up approach.
However, use the top down method when constructing assemblies if you want to
do the following:
Solve design problems as the parts are being designed.
Use edges of other parts to design new parts using the Include command.
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M O D U L E
Document
Management
Objectives ...............................................................................................229
Introduction ............................................................................................230
Editing Parts in the Assembly Environment...........................................231
Revision Manager...................................................................................235
Document Properties..............................................................................243
Finding Files ..........................................................................................254
Routing Documents ................................................................................257
Reports....................................................................................................258
PathFinder..............................................................................................263
Viewer.....................................................................................................264
Review ....................................................................................................267
Activity - Editing a Part in Context of the Assembly ..............................269
Activity - Using Revision Manager.........................................................274
Activity - Setting Document Status .........................................................281
Summary.................................................................................................283
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Document Management Module 4
Objectives
This module examines the following:
Use the Edit and Open in Solid Edge Part commands to make
modifications to parts that are placed in assemblies.
Use the Edit Links dialog box to review and modify documents linked
to an assembly.
Use the Update Links command to manage linked documents in

assemblies.
Use Revision Manager to create new assembly revisions.
Use the Properties command to review and input document

properties.
Set the Document Status and understand the effect of status on the
accessibility of documents to different users.
Generate Bill of Material reports, and preview parts and assemblies

without having to run Solid Edge.
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Introduction
Solid Edge has considerable functionality to support assembly
management and the process of revising assemblies. This functionality is
available in Solid Edge environments to enable specific document
management tasks.
Revision Manager is a module that enables copying an assembly,
replacing parts in an assembly, and creating new revisions of an assembly
and the parts within the assembly.
The document management tools in Solid Edge allow the efficient
management of Solid Edge documents and related information. Use these
tools to save descriptive information about a document, control access to
the file, and track the files progress through a work cycle. Searching for
and retrieving documents becomes easy when using user-defined search
criteria. Documents can be routed to a group of users for review,
approval, or rejection of the document.
Windows NT Explorer can access many of these document management
tasks. A short cut menu showing some Solid Edge related commands
appear when clicking a right mouse button on a Solid Edge file.
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Editing Parts in the Assembly Environment

To make changes to part models in the active assembly, right mouse click
over the part, or the part entry in PathFinder, to obtain the short-cut menu.
On this menu, entries can be found for Edit and Open. These same
entries can be found under the Edit / Linked Part Object menu after the
part has been selected.
Edit
The Edit command in-place activates the selected part in the Solid Edge
modeling environment in which the part was created. The other parts in
the assembly are still visible but their color is changed to the disabled
color. Use the commands in the modeling environment to edit the
selected part. Every part to be changed must be activated in this manner
from the assembly environment. It is not possible to Edit multiple parts
simultaneously from the assembly environment. Only one part from the
assembly can be accessed at a time with this method.
Note that a part does not have to be first activated in the assembly
before editing. By choosing the edit option, the part will automatically be
activated. Upon returning to the assembly environment, the part
remains activated. To get back to a lightweight version of the part,
deactivate the part.
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While in the modeling environment the Include

command can be
used to copy edge elements from other parts in the assembly to the active
modeling Profile environment. For example, include the edge of a hole
on another part and use this included profile to position a new hole in the
active part to insure accuracy. Include options are shown below.
Note: A double click on a part in the assembly environment runs the Edit
command on this part.
To return to the Assembly environment after editing a part, use the
following commands under the File menu:
Close and ReturnAllows the closing of the part document and

return to the Assembly document. Upon returning to the Assembly
environment, the edits made to the part will be visible. Selecting the
ESC button (escape) on the keyboard also returns Solid Edge to the
Assembly environment.
Save Copy AsAllows the saving of a copy of the edited part with a
different name. Upon returning to the Assembly environment, the
saved copy is not in the assembly.
RevertAllows the return to the Assembly environment with or

without saving the part edits.
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Open in Solid Edge Part

Opens the selected part in the Solid Edge modeling environment in which
it was created. The other parts in the assembly are not visible, and the
part is displayed in its original modeling orientation. At this point, the
feature commands in the modeling environment are available for editing
the part. It is possible to Open multiple parts simultaneously from the
assembly environment
Note: The Open Source option on the Links dialog performs the same
task as above.
After editing the part, click one of the following commands on the File
menu in the modeling environment:
UpdateAllows the saving of the edited part to a new name and

location without returning to the Assembly environment.
Save Copy AsAllows the saving and renaming of a copy of the

edited part without returning to the Assembly environment.
CloseReturns to the Assembly environment with or without saving

edits to the part.
The Open command can also be used to edit subassemblies in the

Assembly environment. This allows addition and removal of parts as
well as redefining the relationships between parts in subassemblies.
Automatic Update
Automatic Update is turned on and off from the Tools / Update menu. If
a check mark is next to Automatic Update, it is on, if not, it is off. When
Automatic Update is set in the Assembly environment, assembly
relationships update immediately when returning to the Assembly
environment after editing a part. With Automatic Update turned off,
assembly relationships do not update until the Update or Update All
commands are clicked.
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Links
The Links command on the Edit menu is used to manage linked
documents such as an assembly. All Solid Edge parts placed in an
assembly are linked objects. The Links dialog box displays all documents
linked to the assembly, including those created with other applications
like Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel.
The Update Now button on the Links dialog box gives the ability to
update linked documents on demand. If another user is making changes
to a part document while you have an assembly document open that
contains that part, use the Update Now button to see the changes that have
been made to the part up until the last time the other user saved the part.
The Open Source button on the Links dialog box allows the opening of
the linked document for editing.
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Revision Manager
Revision Manager is a separate module that enables the creation of new
document revisions while maintaining the previous links in the
documents. Revision Manager displays a hierarchy of the related
documents, and contains the tools needed to create new revisions of these
files while maintaining links. Revision Manager can be invoked in two
ways.
Revision Manager can be accessed by clicking the Revision Manager
option under the Solid Edge entry from the Task Bar.
Also, Revision Manager can be activated from Windows Explorer. To

access from Explorer, select the assembly document with the right mouse
button and on the short cut menu, click the Revision Manager command.
This will start Revision Manager with the desired assembly.
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Revision Manager can perform the following functions:
Copy documents selected for revision, rename these documents, and

move them to desired locations.
Replace one document with another in an assembly.
Finds other documents which reference a document.
Increment the document numbers and revision numbers of the

selected documents.
Update or maintain references in the document hierarchy.
Revision Manager Assistant

Acts as a wizard to setup tasks that are performed routinely by asking a
series of questions. The first time Revision Manager is started, the
Assistant is started, this can be turned off for future use by clearing the
check box found at the lower left of the dialog. If desired, the Assistant
can be started from the Revision Manager window by clicking the
Revision Manager Assistant button found in the Revision Manager main
toolbar.
The first dialog box of the Assistant asks for the action that is to be
performed. The actions available for selection are shown in the following
figure. The actions available are:
Copy a file
Revise a file
Move a file
Replace a file
Search an assembly for a file or string
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The check box in the lower left enable or disables whether or not
Assistant is initiated when Revision Manager is started. Like any other
wizard tool, once all necessary input has been entered onto the form, click
the Next button to continue to the following step in the wizard.
After an action has been selected, another dialog appears that asks further
questions related to the command in question. An example would be if
the Copy a file command was selected, the next dialog would be the
Revision Manager Assistant Copy dialog. In this dialog the file is
specified as well as how the change should impact other files related to
the file in question, this dialog is shown in the following figure.
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As information is entered in each succeeding dialog and the process is

continued, the dialogs are building up the base information necessary to
process the command that was selected.
When all of the necessary questions are completed, a message box will
appear informing that all the command information will be entered into
Revision Manager and that this command can be refined further if
desired. When completed, use the Save command to commit the changes
specified. This message box is shown informing in the following figure.
After this dialog is dismissed the command information that is to be

processed will be entered into the Revision Manager window for
refinement and completion. To complete the task, click the Save
command.
The Revision Manager Assistant may be cancelled by clicking the Cancel
button at any time. This will result in a blank revision manager window
where information is entered manually instead of through the Assistant.
Using the Revision Manager Window

If the Revision Manager Assistant was used prior to this window,
information related to the specified command will be in the window. This
information as stated before can be refined further if needed.
A typical task that can be performed using revision manager is described
below. Produce a new assembly of the carrier assembly
(CARRIER.ASM). The new assembly will need one of the components,
the side plate (SPLATE.PAR) to be modified and given a new name. The
new assembly will also be renamed. Revision Manager enables the
creation of new parts and assemblies before any changes are made to the
part models.
The first step is to run Revision Manager and use the Open command to
load the desired assembly. Alternatively, selecting the assembly in
Explorer and use the shortcut menu to start Revision Manager performs
the same task.
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The assembly and the parts it contains are shown in the Revision Manager
window. Use the - or + icon next to the name of the assembly to expand
or collapse the assembly hierarchy.
Select the part from which a new version will be created, and then select
the action to be performed on this part. Parts are selected by clicking on
the box to the left of the document name. This part row will then
highlight in yellow.
Select the action to be performed on the part. In this case, the Copy
function is selected. The shortcut menu can be displayed by using the
right mouse button when the cursor is over the Action box in the Revision
Manager window.
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Since a new version of the assembly and one of the parts is needed, set
the Copy option on the carrier assembly as well as the side plate.
The new filenames and revision numbers for the assembly and part can
now be entered. This can be done manually by typing new names in the
New Filename and Revision boxes for each document. Scroll across to
see the New Filename, Document Number and Revision columns.
Alternatively, these boxes can be updated automatically using the
Increment Name command on the Document menu. The Increment Name
command adds a hyphen and a number to the end of the filename and
increments the revision.
To finish creating the new assembly and part, click the Save command on
the File menu or on the Main toolbar. The new assembly will be
displayed in the dialog box.
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Finding Related Documents

When making a design change to a part, use Revision Manager to find
other documents where this document is being used. This will give the
option of selectively replacing the original part with the new revision of
the part. Selecting the Where Used command on the File menu activates
Where Used dialog box. Use the Folders button to select the folders to
conduct the search and then click the Find Now command to generate a
list of the documents where this part can be found.
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After running the Find Now command, the Where Used dialog can be
closed. The list of files that reference the selected document is returned
to the Related Documents area at the bottom of the Revision Manager
dialog box.
Decide whether the documents in the related document section should be

updated along with the part. If so, select the document then set the Action
to Copy or Update. If Update is selected, the current part will be replaced
with the new revision of the part in the selected assembly. If Copy is
selected, the assembly document will be copied to the new name
specified, and then the Update operation will be performed. This new
copy of the related document will now be linked to the copy of the
assembly being created in the top of the form and not to the original
assembly file being copied.
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Document Properties
The document properties are used to store information about a Solid Edge
document. All OLE compatible applications, such as Microsoft Word
and Excel, use document properties to manage document information.
The ability to review and edit document properties using the Solid Edge
Part, SheetMetal, Assembly, or Draft environments, or by means of a
programming interface such as Visual Basic is available to users in any
new document. Editing the properties for a read-only document is not
allowed since editing of the document is not allowed. Several of the
document properties are controlled and updated automatically by the
Solid Edge application. Other properties can be manually updated by
typing information in the appropriate field of the dialog box. Document
properties can, and should, be used as search criteria for the Find Files
command.
Custom properties can be added to documents and templates to store
additional information required by a particular project. This may be
information on costs, vendors, or other non-related Bill of Material
information, but by typing it in the Properties dialog box, this information
can now be retrieved into a Bill of Materials and other reports.
To access document properties, use the Properties command on the File
menu. This command displays the Properties dialog box that contains tabs
which permit viewing and editing of document properties.
Some of a document's properties can be viewed from within Windows
Explorer. Select the desired document, and then click the Properties
command from the shortcut menu. Document properties that do not
change the actual part itself are accessible in this manner.
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General Tab
The General tab on the Properties dialog box displays basic information
about a document, such as file size, location, the last modified date and
the operating system protection level placed on the document. This
information is updated by Solid Edge automatically.
Note: If the file system was formatted as a FAT drive, the created and
accessed dates will be displayed as unknown, only the last modified date
will be listed.
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Summary Tab
The Summary tab displays brief descriptions of the subject matter of the
document. The author and template information is loaded automatically.
Additional descriptive information can be typed in the other fields.
Note: The Title, Subject, Author, Keywords and Comments properties

are used in all Microsoft Office applications. Performing a search on
one of these properties enables the search to include all documents on the
file system that contain these entries.
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Statistics Tab
The Statistics tab displays information that is updated automatically by
the system. This information is basically what log-on accessed the file
last, the time stamp of when the file was created and when the file was
last modified, and which user last saved the document.
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Project Tab
Use the Project tab to store information that identifies this specific
document relative to a project, such as Document Number and Revision
Number. The revision number automatically updates when creating
document revisions using the Copy command. Any field that is user
definable on the property sheets (tabs) can be updated at any time as long
as the file has not been write-locked (see Status Tab). Solid Edge Part
and SheetMetal documents have a Material property. Assembly and
Draft documents do not have this property. The Material property does
not assign a density to a part. This is done using the Physical Properties
command on the Tools menu.
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Status Tab
The status of a document indicates where the document is within its life
cycle. It also controls the write access to the document. If a document
status prevents the editing of the document, the Save As command can be
used to create a new copy of the document so the document can be edited
(new file status is always set equal to available). For assembly
documents, this tab shows the status of all parts and assemblies contained
in that assembly individually.
Since assembly documents reference other part documents, give serious

consideration to the interdependencies of the documents when setting the
status of the assembly document. For example, an assembly document
cannot be placed in the released status if one of the parts in the assembly
has been put in the In Work status by another user.
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Assigning a Status
Use the following options on the Status tab to indicate the progression of
a document through its life cycle:
AvailableWhen creating a new document the available status is

automatically assigned. This gives every user write access to the
document and the ability to change the status of that document.
In WorkReserves the file for editing only by the user that set it.
This status indicates that someone has reserved the document, and
anyone besides that person is limited to read-only access. Only the
person who set the In Work status can change the status of the
document.
In ReviewNotifies other users that a document is being reviewed.

This status allows write access and anyone the ability to change the
status of the document. This is basically the same privileges as
Available but users should take the visual cue that this file is close
to being approved (Released).
ReleasedWhen a document is approved (frozen). Editing the

document or changing the status after applying this setting is not
allowed.
BaselinedA part with this status is controlled by outside sources.

Purchasing a component from an outside supplier is a good example
of when to baseline the document. Editing, or changing, the
document after setting the status to baselined is not allowed.
Document Availability
In Solid Edge, the availability of a document is displayed in the Status bar
of the Open File dialog box. The availability will be read-write and/or
read-only. Documents can be opened as read-only by checking the ReadOnly box on the Open File dialog box.
The operating system can also be used to set a document to read-only.
Using Windows Explorer, a document can be set to read-only, this setting
overrides the available status assigned in Solid Edge. If a document has
an available status, but has been set to read-only in the operating system,
then write access to the document is denied.
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Units Tab
The Units tab specifies the measurement units and the readout precision
for lengths, angles and areas in the document. The option of specifying
metric or English units for a measurement is available on this form. The
precision or rounding of the measurement readout is found on the right
half and is specified by example. To avoid constantly changing the Units
of files, take advantage of the proper template files delivered with the
Solid Edge software, or create custom templates to consistently work in
the desired units.
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Advanced Units Tab

The Advanced Units tab specifies the measurement units and readout
precision for volumes, masses, and densities. The ability to specify
metric or English units for a measurement is available on this form. As
with the Units tab, take advantage of the template files instead of
constantly changing these settings every time a new document is created.
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Preview Tab
The Preview tab creates a snapshot image of a document. This image can
be displayed in many dialogs that browse for documents such as Open
File, Windows Explorer, and Place Part. This enables the viewing of the
document before opening or inserting it into another document. This
provides a helpful tool in choosing the correct parts to place into an
assembly.
Solid Edge creates a Preview image automatically when the document is
saved. To create a specific preview image, orient the part to the desired
view angle and then click the Create Preview Now button. The view
appearing in the active window is then saved as the preview image.
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Custom Tab
The Custom tab allows for the creation of new file properties. Four
different data types are allowed for custom properties: Text, Date,
Number and Yes/No. An example of each of these data types is
displayed below. Custom Properties should be added to template files for
any attribute not covered by the default fields. These custom attributes,
once typed, are accessible by the Bill of Materials generator and file
search criteria.
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Finding Files
The Find button located on the Open File dialog box is used to start an
advanced search for files. The File Name, File Type, and Date Last
Modified boxes allow for the searching of documents using known
information. The Look In box allows the specification of a folder and/or
drive location to perform the search.
The Find Files dialog box is used to search for a file or a large number of
files using various parameters. The Scope tab will allow searching over a
specific set of directories that can be easily established by browsing..
Find Files Dialog Box

The tabs on the Find Files dialog box enable the specification of a wide
range of search criteria. This ability to narrow the search based on user
derived search criteria results in a more productive search. All entries on
the file property forms are available to search against. As many or as few
of these criteria can be specified to use as the search criteria.
To start the search, click the Find Now button. The results of the search
are displayed in the Open File dialog box. The search parameters are
stored in the QUERIES folder. To cancel a search, click the Stop button.
Since all document types supporting OLE are searched, it is easy to find
documents relevant to the current project. If a Microsoft Word or
Microsoft Excel document contains the property information specified in
a search, that document will appear in the search results.
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Name & Location Tab

The Name & Location tab specifies the filename, title, and subject for the
search. Click the Browse button to identify a folder as a starting point for
the search. The last 8 values that were used for previous searches are
maintained in the drop-down boxes on the right side of the Title, Subject
and Look-In fields.
Date Modified Tab

Searching for a document by creation or last modified dates is specified
on the Date Modified tab. This assists in finding a file that was created
on a particular day or in a given time frame.
Properties Tab
The Properties tab, a search for a document by its specific properties can
be done. A list of the properties (in the document type specified in the Of
Type field) is in the Property Name field. Search for the selected
property is based on the following operators: at least, at most, begins
with, does not equal, ends with, equals, includes, is (exactly), is not, less
than, and more than.
The search criteria should be keyed into the Value box. The character *
can be used as a wild card.
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The Add button adds the specified search to the Property Criteria box and
makes the search field active. The more information listed in the Property
Criteria box, the more specific the search becomes.
Scope Tab
The Scope tab specifies a specific folder(s), drive(s) or network
machine(s) to be the focus of the search. The device browser can be used
to select these search areas. Use the Add button to add the search area to
the active search list. Users can specify more than one search area for the
search. Define the depth of the search at these specific areas by selecting
one of the available options in the Depth of Search box.
Options Tab
The Options tab provides a means for users to store new searches, loading
of existing searches, and deletion of stored searches. Select the Case
Sensitivity check-box so that the search can differentiate between words
where capitalization is used, such as Steel and steel.
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Routing Documents
Sending a Document
Use the Send To command on the File menu to activate electronic mailing
to a person or a group. Electronic Mail must be configured and running
for this command to behave properly.
Routing a Document
Using the Add/Edit Routing Slip command on the File menu within Solid
Edge, the routing of a document to others sequentially or simultaneously
is possible. The Track Status option can be used so that a status message
is sent to the originator after each user sends the routing slip to the next
user.
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The Routing command also allows routing slip recipients to approve or

reject the document. After routing, the document is then returned with an
approval report.
Reports
The document management tools within Solid Edge enable reports to be
generated on files without actually having to have the files open in a Solid
Edge environment. This can save time in retrieving important report
information. The report can be generated completely from the Windows
Explorer interface. A report can be generated from the Assembly
environment with the Reports command found in the Tools main menu
item. Another way to start this is by right mouse clicking over a Solid
Edge file in Explorer (short-cut menu).
The type of reports that can be generated are listed below with a brief
description:
Bill of Materials This reports lists all the parts and subassemblies
contained in an assembly. By default, the part level (how deep in the
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assembly the part resides), the revision number of the part, part number
(user defined), description (user defined), and quantity, or occurrences, of
that part in the assembly are included. User defined categories must be
typed into the file properties if anything is to appear in these fields.
Exploded Bill of Materials Shows the same information as a Bill of
Materials but lists each occurrence, or instance, of a part on a separate
line.
Summary of Atomic Parts Shows all the unique atomic parts in the
assembly. This type of report is useful when working with assemblies
that contain subassemblies, and the subassemblies are not to appear in the
parts list. The parts list that is generated will appear similar to a singlelevel assembly that does not contain subassemblies.
Parts List Is an indented list of subassemblies and parts that shows a
given part, along with the quantity, only once for each subassembly.
Where Used Generates a list of the documents that directly reference
the selected document.
Formatting Reports
To format the report, click the Format button on the report dialog. The
categories, the order of the categories, and the font to be used can be set
with this. When the Format button is clicked, the Format dialog shown in
the following figure appears.
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Fonts
To change the font that the report is generated in, select the font button at
the bottom of the Bill of Materials Format dialog. Choose from any of
the system fonts loaded on the PC. The report will be generated in that
font, color, and size when generated.
Categories
To change the categories listed in the report and the order of those
categories, click the Options button on the Format form. The form is split
into halves. The first half shows all the categories available to be used in
a report. Custom attributes added will be selectable on this form.
While in the category form it may be necessary to re-order the categories.
Use the Up and Down buttons on the right half of the form to organize the
categories.
A full listing of the optional categories will be shown on the left half of
the form, while the right half of the form shows the categories, and their
corresponding order that have been chosen for the report.
Sorting
Clicking the Sort button brings up the Sort dialog. This dialog is where
the sorting rules for the report are defined. A listing of the three
categories and how the categories are sorted is listed below:
Sort By Specifies the column to sort by and to select either an
ascending or descending sort order.
Ascending Sorts the column in ascending order. The lowest
number, beginning of the alphabet or earliest date will appear first in
the list.
Descending Sorts the column in descending order. The highest
number, end of the alphabet, or latest date will appear first in the list.
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Then By This acts as a second level of sorting, that where the order in
which to sort rows is specified if there are duplicate items in the column
specified.
Then By This acts as a third level of sorting, that where the order in
which to sort rows is specified if there are duplicate items in the column
specified.
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PathFinder
Pathfinder can be used to display a Solid Edge document without opening
Solid Edge. This is accomplished by right mouse clicking over a Solid
Edge file from Windows Explorer, or by clicking PathFinder from under
the File main menu item while a Solid Edge file is highlighted, the
PathFinder will be shown for that part or assembly.
If the file selected is just a single part, the PathFinder will show the part
name at the top of the form and the preview at the bottom of the form.
If the selected file is an assembly, the assembly PathFinder for that file
will be shown with a preview of the top-level assembly. Files used in the
assembly can be selected and the preview at the bottom of the form will
change to show a preview of the part selected as shown in the following
figure. This gives the ability to preview parts used in the assembly
without ever having to open the assembly in Solid Edge.
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Viewer
The viewers for Solid Edge can also be started from the Windows
Explorer environment. The viewer entry is listed under the File main
menu item. To View a Solid Edge document, right mouse click on the
file and select Viewer or use the pull-down to get the lightweight viewer
for all Solid Edge file types. This may save time when searching for a
particular file.
The Viewer for an assembly document will have three panes. The upper
left pane shows the assembly hierarchy and the lower left pane shows the
preview of the assembly. The right side pane is for an interactive view of
a art or assembly with some viewing tools active. The right side is
initiated by selecting the part or assembly with a right mouse click and
selecting View from the short-cut menu.
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The Viewer for a Part or SheetMetal part will have one pane along with
some view manipulation tools.
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The Viewer for a Draft document will have one pane along with some 2D
view manipulation tools. At the bottom of the pane there will be tabs that
will switch between the various sheets in the draft document.
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Review
Describe the differences between the Edit and Open in Solid Edge
Part methods for modifying part geometry while working in an
assembly.
Explain how Revision Manager could be used to create a new

revision of a part and its associated drawing.
What does the Revision Manager Assistant do?
How can the Properties dialog box be used to store surface finish
information for Solid Edge Part documents?
Explain how to search for a part document that has Steel as the
material property?
What happens if a document that has a status of In-Work is opened?
How can a document be reviewed by a group of people who have

access to an electronic mail system?
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Activity - Editing a Part in Context of the

Assembly
Objectives
After completing this activity, you will have:
Used the Edit command to make changes to a part that is placed in an

assembly.
Used Revision Manager to copy assemblies and control the part and
assembly revision process.
Set Document Properties.
1. Open the Carrier assembly CARRIER.ASM in the training folder, but

first, on the Open Options dialog box, be sure to click the Activate all
parts option before clicking OK.
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2. From Assembly Pathfinder on the EdgeBar, select the left side plate
SPLATE.PAR using a right mouse button click, and then the edit
command. The Part environment will be activated, and the other parts
in the assembly will be displayed in the disabled color.
Note: If the other parts of the assembly can not be viewed in the part
environment, go to View main menu item and see if Hide Previous Level
is activated. If activated, the previous assembly view will be turned off.
To de-activate this, click Hide Previous Level.
3. Click the Cutout command, and click on the front face of the plate.
Then identify the bottom horizontal edge and the left end of this edge
to orient the Profile window.
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4. Use the Include command (options shown below) to copy two edges
from the side plate with an offset of 20 mm. Process one edge at a
time. To do this:
a. Select the edge to offset and then click the green check mark.
b. Enter the distance to offset and select the side.
c. Repeat for each line and the circle shown below. The lines are all
offset a distance of 20 mm, and the circle a distance of 10 mm.
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5. Trim the geometry (with the Trim command) to create the profile
shown in the following figure.
6. Add the four 5 mm. fillets at each corner (result shown at below).
7. Finish the profile step.

8. Create the cutout through the plate using the Through Next option.
9. Click Finish when completed.
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10. On the View menu, use the Hide Previous Level command to turn off
the display of the other parts in the assembly.
11. On the File menu, click the Save Copy As command.

12. Use the Save As dialog box to save this part as HOLEPLATE.PAR in
the Drawing Files folder. Overwrite any existing files if necessary.
13. On the File menu, click the Revert command to return to the
Assembly environment without saving the changes to the original
splate.par file. Say yes to the dialog box asking, Do you really want
to revert.
14. Close the assembly, but do not save the file.
What we have just done was use an existing part in an assembly to create
a new revision of the part holeplate.par. By not saving the assembly, the
new change to the splate.par was not saved to the original part model file,
only the copy. The original assembly is intact and has not been changed,
even though we accessed the assembly as a basis for our modification.
This is one way of creating revisions of parts.
15. This completes this activity.
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Activity - Using Revision Manager

Objectives
This activity will instruct on the use Revision Manager to create a new
version of the carrier assembly with two new part revisions. The Copy,
Rename and Replace actions will be used.
1. Close all open Solid Edge files.
2. Activate Revision Manager by clicking the Start menu in the lower left
corner of the screen, and proceed to the Programs/Solid Edge menu
and click Revision Manager.
If the Revision Manager Assistant is not activated start it by selecting it
from the main toolbar.
4. Set the action to Copy a file. This is accomplished by selecting the Set
an action pull-down list box, and then selecting Copy a file. Then
click the Next button to continue to the next step.
5. Click the Browse button to select the Carrier assembly
(CARRIER.ASM) from the Drawing Files file folder.
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6. Click the Let me select which files refer to the new copy option then
click the Next button to continue to the next step.
7. Click the I want to move the files to a new location option.

8. Click the browse button and set the location to C:\Temp then click the
Next button to continue to the next step.
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9. On the Where Used dialog set the directories to Look in to

C:\DrawingFiles and click the Find Now button.
10. Click the Close button.

11. A dialog box informing that the Revision Manager will now be
updated will appear. Click the Ok button to dismiss it and move on.
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12. Examine the Revision Manager window, noting that the top pane has
the Carrier.Asm file and its parts to be copied to C:\Temp and the
bottom pane has the related files.
13. Click the Close command from the File menu. DO NOT Save the
changes.
This concludes the first phase of learning the Revision Manager
Assistant. The next portion of this exercise teaches how to work
manually with the Revision Manager.
14. On the Main toolbar, click the File/Open command.
15. In the Open dialog select and open the Carrier assembly
(CARRIER.ASM) from the Drawing Files file folder.
16. Select the CARRIER.ASM document by clicking in the box to the
left. The row should highlight in yellow, and a triangular indicator
will be added to the box.
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17. On the Document menu, click the Set Action> Copy command to
copy the assembly. We are going to create an exact copy of the
whole assembly.
18. Change the filename of the new assembly by editing the New
Filename column to MyCarrier.asm (select on top of the name twice -do not double click--to edit).
19. Scroll across to the right and change the Document Number to CSA202 and the revision number to 2. The copy of the original assembly
now has a name associated to it.
20. Now select two of the parts (one at a time) in the assembly that
required design changes. The original parts will be copied to new
names so that the design changes can be made. Select the channel
head CHEAD.PAR and the mounting pin MTGPIN.PAR and use the
Set Action To option to set the action to Copy on these two parts. In
the copied assembly, we want to change a couple of the parts, that is
why we are creating new revisions.
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21. Select the MTGPIN.PAR and on the Document menu, select the
Increment Name command. This will cause the revision and name of
the part to be incremented, the new filename should be MTGPIN2.PAR. Also, increment the revision and name of the CHEAD.PAR
(this will change to CHEAD-2.par).
22. Select the box to the left of the carrier assembly file entry on Revision
Manager again. It will highlight in yellow.
23. Click the Save command on Revision Manager main toolbar. The
new assembly will now appear in the dialog box. A copy of the
whole assembly that has the two revised replacing the original parts
has been created. The original assembly file has not been changed at
all.
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Revision Manager could now be closed and Mycarrier.asm assembly can

be activated and changes to the parts we revised can be made without
effecting the original assembly in any way. Revision Manager can create
a new assembly without having to manually assemble the individual parts
again.
24. While this copied assembly is still active in Revision Manager, click
the replace option for the splate.par file by right mouse button
selecting the Splate.par and selecting the Set Action to Replace from
the short cut menu.
25. When the dialog box appears, replace this original part with the
holeplate.par file created in Exercise 1 of this module.
26. The top frame of Revision Manager should look like the image below:
27. Click Save on the Revision Manager Form. The original splate.par
will be replaced with the revised part created in exercise 1.
28. Exit Revision Manager.
29. Open the assembly document MyCarrier.asm and note the new
holeplate.par that was created in Exercise 1 is now shown in the
document.
30. This completes this activity.
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Activity - Setting Document Status

Objectives
In this activity, changing the status of a document will be practiced.
Observe how this affects the availability of the document.
1. On the File menu, click the Open command in Solid Edge.
2. Select the PROPS.PAR document located in C:\Drawing Files. Note
that at the bottom of the dialog box, the availability of PROPS.PAR is
displayed. In this case, the document has both read-write and readonly availability. The document could be opened as a read-only
document by clicking in the Read-Only box.
3. Click the Open command to open the document with read-write
access.
4. On the File menu, click the Properties command.
5. On the Properties dialog box, click on the Status tab.
Note: The document status is currently set to Available. This is the
default status for new documents.
6. Click the In Work button to change the document status to In Work.
Note: The login name and an icon representing the In Work status are
both displayed next to the part name.
7. Click OK to exit the Properties dialog box.
8. Click Save and then Close the document.
9. Open PROPS.PAR again.
Note: The document availability is the same as before. As the user who
reserved the document as In Work, you still have write access to the
document.
10. Go back to the Status tab of the Properties dialog.
11. On the Status tab of the Properties dialog box, click Released.
Note: The user cannot change the status after setting it to released and
saving the file.
12. Save the document.
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13. Close the document.

14. On the File menu, click Open and select the PROPS.PAR document.
Notice that the availability of the document is now Read-Only.
15. Open the document.
Note: The user will receive a message stating that the document has been
released and can only be opened as a read-only document. Click on OK
to open the document.
16. Click Save As and save the document as PROPS2.PAR.
17. Open the Properties dialog and go to the Status tab.
Note: The status of the new document is now set to Available so that new
modifications can be made to the document.
18. Close the document.
19. Exit Solid Edge.
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Summary
This module examined how to perform the following tasks:
Make a modification to a part starting from the Assembly

environment.
Use Revision Manager to make changes to an assembly document.
Define, review, and search on document properties.
Use the Find Files dialog box to run complex searches.
Route a document to a group of users.
Understand the affect of the status on document availability.
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A p p e n d i x
Saving Images
Introduction ............................................................................................287
Saving As Image/VRML..........................................................................288
Appendix A Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2
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Saving Images Appendix A
Introduction
Solid Edge provides the ability to save a view of the window as a raster
image. This is beneficial for creating support documents for vendors,
purchasing, and marketing. The ability to save any window as a raster
image and the option to change the physical size of the image gives the
user more control over the quality of the images that can be captured from
Solid Edge.
The Save as Image/VRML functionality captures the information coming
from the processor, not from the monitor. This means that when using a
monitor that only has 256 colors, it is possible to save off a true color
image of the window (16 million colors).
The image can be saved to VRML format to make the image available for
viewing on the Internet.
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Saving As Image/VRML
The Save as Image command is located on the File main menu pulldown with the other save options for that particular Solid Edge
environment. A portion of the File menu for a Part is shown below where
the Save As Image command is being selected and the following picture
shows the dialog box.
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Saving Images Appendix A
When first selecting this option the file locator window will appear (see
following image). After the image is created the folder where the image
is to be placed should be selected. Type in the desired filename and
select the raster image format desired. The VRML option will only
appear for views that are shaded.
Clicking the Options button on the Save As Image dialog opens the Image
Options open this form is shown in the following figure. In this form the
number of rows and columns (physical size) of the raster image to be
created can be specified. The default values supplied are the exact
window size that is being displayed in Solid Edge. To have an image
with twice the monitor resolution, double these numbers.
The options for the JPEG Image Quality found at the right side of the
form control the quality of the image (High, Medium and Low). These
options are only for saving JPEG image files.
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A p p e n d i x
Physical Properties and

Interference Checking
Objectives ...............................................................................................293
Introduction ............................................................................................293
Physical Properties ................................................................................293
Checking Part Interference ....................................................................297
Review ....................................................................................................300
Activity Calculating Physical Properties ............................................301
Activity Checking Interference ............................................................305
Summary.................................................................................................307
Appendix B Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2
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Physical Properties and Interference Checking Appendix B
Objectives
After completing this module students will be able to:
Calculate global properties for a part or assembly.
Calculate physical properties for a part or assembly.
Find interference of parts within an assembly.
Introduction
Solid Edge can calculate the physical properties of parts and assemblies.
These properties include mass, volume, and mass moments of inertia.
Solid Edge can also check for interference between parts in an assembly.
Physical Properties
The Physical Properties command is on the Tools menu. This command
calculates physical properties of parts and assemblies. The symbols in the
following figure indicate the center of mass, center of volume, and the
principal axis orientation.
To generate a text file showing the results of physical properties

calculations, click the Save As button on the Properties dialog. This file
can store information including reports and drawings of parts and
assemblies.
Setting Physical Properties Units

Before calculating the physical properties set the measurement units with
the Advanced Units tab on the Properties dialog box. Set the units for
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volume, mass, and density readout, and specify the precision of these
readouts. Save these settings in a template document and they will be the
default units for documents created from that template.
Global Properties
The Global tab on the Physical Properties dialog box calculates the
following:
Mass
Volume
Center of mass
Center of volume
Mass moments of inertia
To calculate the global properties, type the density of the part or assembly
in the Density box and click the Update button. Select the check box on
the Global Properties tab to display the center of mass and center of
volume symbols in the document.
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Principal Properties
Use the Principal Properties tab on the Physical Properties dialog box to
calculate the orientation of principal axis, principal moments of inertia,
and radii of gyration.
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To calculate the principal properties, type the density of the part or

assembly in the Density box, and click the Update button. Set the
Display Symbol check box on the Principal Properties tab to display the
principal axis symbol in the document.
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Updating Physical Properties

If the physical properties of a part or assembly are changed the colors of
the physical property symbols change to indicate that the last calculated
physical properties are out-of-date.
A part can become out-of-date if a feature has been added or deleted or
modified. An assembly can become out-of-date by adding or deleting a
part. In the Part environment, the part's physical properties update
automatically when the document is saved. Physical properties of a part
or assembly can be updated by clicking the Update button on the Physical
Properties dialog box. This button is available if the physical properties
are out-of-date.
Checking Part Interference

Use the Check Interference command on the Tools menu to ensure that
parts and subassemblies do not overlap or occupy the same space in an
assembly. Check Interference detects and displays interfering volumes.
When interference is found, the overlapping area is highlighted on the
screen. Solid Edge makes it easy for users to edit the individual parts and
adjust their sizes and shapes to correct the interference.
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After the Check Interference command has been selected the toolbar
shown below is displayed. This toolbar is used to specify options and run
the interference check.
Click the Options button on the ribbon bar to specify options for the
interference check. The Options tab controls how parts are checked for
interference and specifies how to display the results.
When checking interference on complex assemblies, use select sets to

check one group of parts against another group of parts. Select sets
localize the interference checking, and generate information that is easier
to analyze than information generated when checking against the entire
assembly. It is usually unnecessary to use select sets for checking
interference in simple assemblies.
Select Set 1 button
is used to define the first set of parts to check
defines the second set of

interference against. Select Set 2 button
parts that you want to check interference against. Click the Process
button to start the interference analysis. The Report tab specifies the
name of the report document and defines the type of information written
to the report.
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Output Options
There are several output options available. Reports can be generated to
document both the names of the interfering parts as well as the amount of
interference in X, Y, and Z coordinates. The interfering volume can be
highlighted on the screen and/or saved to a separate part file. If the
volume is highlighted, and window update (by the user or the system)
will cause the interfering volume to disappear. This highlight is a
temporary indicator of interference. If the option save as part is chosen,
a new part is added to Pathfinder that represents this interfering volume.
This is especially beneficial when editing parts to correct the fit. Edges
can be included from this dummy part to fix the problem. Once the
interference has be cleared the dummy part can be deleted from the
assembly.
There is no limit on the number of output options that can be selected. By
default Solid Edge will have the options shown in the previous figure. If
another option is desired, the option form should be changed before
running any interference checks.
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Review
Where are the physical properties units set?
What are the global physical properties?
Can the densities for parts be changed? If yes, where?
What are the features of the interference checking?
Can the interference volume be saved as a part file?
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Activity Calculating Physical Properties

Objectives
After completing this activity, students will be able to:
Calculate the physical properties for a part.
Calculate the physical properties for an assembly.
Check for interference between parts in an assembly.
This activity will demonstrate how to calculate the physical properties for
an assembly.
1. Open the Solid Edge Carrier assembly CARRIER.ASM. Make sure

all parts have been activated.
Since this document contains parts that could be constructed using
different materials, the first step is to set the properties for one of the
parts. If the properties are calculated now Solid Edge assumes that all of
the parts are the same material type.
2. Select the mounting pin (MTGPIN.PAR) from Assembly PathFinder
on the EdgeBar with a right mouse button click. Use the Open in Solid
Edge Part command on the shortcut menu to open the part in the Part
environment.
3. On the File menu, click Properties.
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4. On the Properties dialog, click the Advanced Units tab.

5. On the Advanced Units tab set the following:
Volume Readout: Unit/mm^3
Precision/0.123456
Mass Readout:
Precision/0.1
Density Readout: Unit/kg/m^3
Unit/Kg
Precision/0.123456
6. Click the OK button.

7. On the Tools menu, click Physical Properties.
8. On the Global tab, type 0.0027 in the Density box.
9. Insure that the three check boxes for surface area calculation, center of
mass symbol and center of volume symbol are checked. Click the
Update button.
10. The properties are reported on the tabs, and the symbols are displayed
on the part. Review the calculated properties.
11. On the Physical Properties dialog box, click the Close button.
12. On the File menu, click the Close command, save the changes when
prompted. The user will be returned to the assembly.
13. Click the Physical Properties command from the Tools menu.
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Check the Center of Mass and Center of Volume boxes. Click the Update
button at the bottom of the dialog box and view the results. Any part in
the assembly can have individual density assigned as was done with the
MTGPIN.PAR.
Note: Normally density should be assigned to each part during the initial
modeling phase of the part while in that file. Activity is complete.
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Activity Checking Interference

Objectives
In this activity, check for interference between parts in an assembly.
1. Open the assembly file called OVERLAP.ASM.
2. On the Tools menu, click the Check Interference command.
3. On the Check Interference SmartStep ribbon bar, click the Options
button.
4. On the Options tab, for the Check select set 1 against option click All
other Parts in the Assembly, and check the Output Options to Report,
Interfering volumes to Show, and Highlight interfering parts.
5. On the Report tab, click the Part Names and Interference Volume
options.
6. Click the OK button.
7. Select the channel head part (CHEAD.PAR) to define the first set.
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8. On the Check Interference SmartStep ribbon bar, click the accept

button (green check mark) to accept.
9. On the Check Interference SmartStep ribbon bar, click the Process
button.
10. Notice that the volumes of interference are displayed in the highlight
color (red by default), and the parts, which have interference, are
displayed in the selected color (yellow by default). There is
interference between the right side plate and the channel head block.
The plate is set too far in.
11. Use the Select command to select the right side plate (SPLATE.PAR)
on the PathFinder with a left mouse button click.
12. In the bottom pane of Assembly PathFinder in EdgeBar, select the
Mate relationship and set the offset to 0.0 on the ribbon bar.
13. Repeat steps 2 through 8 to verify there is no longer any interference
in the assembly.
Notice the following message:
This completes the activity.
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Summary
In this module the following tasks have been examined.
Calculating the physical properties for a part.
Calculating the physical properties for an assembly.
Checking for interference between parts in an assembly.
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C O U R S E

Solid Edge Fundamentals

This document replaces MT01415 Version 7.

Restricted Rights Legend

Warranties and Liabilities

Solid Edge Fundamentals Volume 2 ....................................................... i

More Sheet Metal.................................................................................... 51

Table of Contents Solid Edge Fundementals Course Guide Volume 2

Assembly Design ................................................................................. 133

Document Management....................................................................... 227

Saving Images ...................................................................................... 285

Physical Properties and Interference Checking................................ 291

Before You Begin

Who Should Read This Book

Indicates keyboard keys, file names, and file

Sheet Metal Features

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Suggested Sheet Metal Workflow

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Part Properties (Global Settings)

MaterialSpecifies the material for the model. This information is not

Material DensitySpecifies the density of the material which is used in

Material ThicknessSolid Edge will apply this metal thickness to every

Relief WidthThe width of a bend relief placed by the system is controlled

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Bend Equation--By default, the sheet metal environment works off of a

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

The Contour Flange command constructs a feature by extruding a profile that

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Lofted Flange OptionsGeneral Tab

General Tab Options

Bend RadiusSpecifies the bend radius value for the flange.

DepthSpecifies the depth of the bend relief.

WidthSpecifies the width of the bend relief.

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Adding Additional Features

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Flange Dimension Side

Inside Dimension Positions the origin of the flange length dimension on

Outside Dimension Positions the origin of the flange length dimension on

Flange Width (Ribbon Bar Options)

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Flange Offset Step (Ribbon Bar Options)

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Flange - Dialog Box Options

Depth Specifies the depth of the bend relief.

Width Specifies the width of the bend relief.

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Contour Flange (Plane Origin)

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Contour Flange Extent

Module 1 Solid Edge Fundamentals Course Guide Volume 2

Contour Flange Options--General Tab

Sheet Metal Features Module 1

Contour Flange Option Form--Miter Tab