About Part

Creo Elements/Pro Part enables you to design models as solids in a

progressive three-dimensional solid modeling environment. Solid models
are geometric models that offer mass properties such as volume, surface
area, and inertia. If you manipulate any model, the 3D model remains
solid.
Creo Elements/Pro provides a progressive environment in which you
create and change your models through direct graphical manipulation.
You drive the design process for your project by selecting an object
(geometry) and then choose a tool to invoke an action on that object.
This object-action workflow provides greater control over the design of
your models while allowing you to express your creativity. The user
interface provides further support for this design process
As you work with your model, the context sensitive user interface guides
you through the design process. After you choose an object and an
action, Creo Elements/Pro interprets the current modeling context and
presents requirements and optional items to complete the task. This
information is displayed in a non-obtrusive user interface called the
dashboard that enhances your ability to directly work with your models
by assessing your actions and guiding you through the design process.
The Creo Elements/Pro progressive modeling environment streamlines the
design process enabling you to concentrate on product development and
drive your designs to new levels of creativity.

Design Concepts
You can design many different types of models in Creo Elements/Pro. However, before you
begin your design project, you need to understand a few basic design concepts:
Design IntentBefore you design your model, you need to identify the design intent.
Design intent defines the purpose and function of the finished product based on product
specifications or requirements. Capturing design intent builds value and longevity into your
products. This key concept is at the core of the Creo Elements/Pro feature-based modeling
process.
Feature-Based ModelingCreo Elements/Pro part modeling begins with creating
individual geometric features one after another. These features become interrelated to other
features as you reference them during the design process.
Parametric DesignThe interrelationships between features allow the model to become
parametric. So, if you alter one feature and that change directly affects other related
(dependent) features, then Creo Elements/Pro dynamically changes those related features.
This parametric ability maintains the integrity of the part and preserves your design intent.
AssociativityCreo Elements/Pro maintains design intent outside Part mode through
associativity. As you continue to design the model, you can add parts, assemblies, drawings,
and other associated objects, such as piping, sheet metal, or electrical wiring. All of these
functions are fully associative within Creo Elements/Pro. So, if you change your design at any
level, your project will dynamically reflect the changes at all levels, preserving design intent.

Planning Your Design

You can immediately begin designing models in Creo Elements/Pro, and
with product deadlines, it is tempting to jump in and start creating
models. However, to build value in your designs, you need to create
products that can keep up with the constant design changes driven by
market demands. You need to build flexibility in your designs. Flexibility is
the key to a friendly robust product design while maintaining design
intent, and you can accomplish it through planning.
To plan your design, you need to have a basic understanding of your
model from a broad perspective. In other words, understand the overall
function, form, and fit of the product. This understanding includes the
following points:
Overall size
Basic model characteristics
The way in which the model can be assembled
Approximate amount of components the assembly would contain
The way in which the model can be manufactured

Design Approaches
Even the best plans are imperfect. However, you can eliminate many future modeling
issues if you think out your model before starting your design. The following two design
approaches can help you in determining your planning strategy:
Top Down DesignYou analyze your product from the finished product and work
down. So, you begin with the master assembly and break it down into assemblies and
subassemblies. Then, identify the main assembly components and their key features.
Finally, understand the relationships within and between assemblies, and assess how
the product will be assembled. With this information, you can plan a design and
leverage overall design intent into your models. Top down design is the industry
paradigm for companies that design products that undergo frequent design
modifications or for those companies that design diverse products.
Bottom Up DesignYou analyze your product from the component level and work
up to the master assembly. Note that successful bottom up design demands a basic
understanding of the master assembly. Designs based on the bottom up approach do
not fully leverage design intent. Even though the end result can be the same as using
top down design, you increase your risk for design conflicts and errors that result in a
less flexible design. Bottom up design remains the most used paradigm in the design
industry today. Companies that design similar products or products that do not demand
frequent modifications during their life cycle use bottom up design approach.

Features and Parts

All models that you build contain the following fundamental
anatomical attributes:
FeaturesIndividual geometry created one at a time.
Features include datums, extrusions, holes, rounds, chamfers,
surface features, cuts, patterns, sweeps, and so on. You can
have multiple features in a part.
PartsCollection of geometric features that define the
geometric entity called the part. Parts are referred to as
components in an assembly. You can have multiple
components in an assembly.
AssembliesCollection of components assembled together
to create the model. You can have multiple assemblies and
subassemblies in a hierarchical order according to their
relationships with other assemblies and the master assembly.

Parent-Child Relationships
You can use various types of Creo Elements/Pro features as building blocks in
the progressive creation of solid parts. Certain features, by necessity, precede
other more dependent features in the design process. Those dependent
features rely on the previously defined features for dimensional and geometric
references. This is known as a parent-child relationship.
The parent-child relationship is one of the most powerful aspects of Creo
Elements/Pro and parametric modeling in general. This relationship plays an
important role in propagating changes across the model to maintain the design
intent. After a parent feature in a part is changed, all children are dynamically
altered to reflect the changes in the parent feature. If you suppress or delete a
parent feature, Creo Elements/Pro prompts you for an action pertaining to the
related children. You can also minimize the cases of unnecessary or unintended
parent-child relationships.
It is therefore essential to reference feature dimensions so that Creo
Elements/Pro can correctly propagate design changes throughout the model.
When working with parent-child relationships, it can be helpful to remember
that parent features can exist without child features. However, child features
cannot exist without their parents.