Solids Training Tutorial

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Mastercam X5 Solids Training Tutorial Copyright: 1998 -2010 In-House Solutions Inc. All rights reserved Software: Mastercam X5 Author: Mariana Lendel ISBN: 978-1-926566-81-8 Revision Date: October 25, 2010 Notice In-House Solutions Inc. reserves the right to make improvements to this manual at any time and without notice. Disclaimer Of All Warranties And Liability In-House Solutions Inc. makes no warranties, either express or implied, with respect to this manual or with respect to the software described in this manual, its quality, performance, merchantability, or fitness for any particular purpose. In-House Solutions Inc. manual is sold or licensed "as is." The entire risk as to its quality and performance is with the buyer. Should the manual prove defective following its purchase, the buyer (and not In-House Solutions Inc., its distributer, or its retailer) assumes the entire cost of all necessary servicing, repair, of correction and any incidental or consequential damages. In no event will In-House Solutions Inc. be liable for direct, indirect, or consequential damages resulting from any defect in the manual, even if In-House Solutions Inc. has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of implied warranties or liability for incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you. Copyrights This manual is protected under International copyright laws. All rights are reserved. This document may not, in whole or part, be copied, photographed, reproduced, translated or reduced to any electronic medium or machine readable form without prior consent, in writing, from In-House Solutions Inc. Trademarks Mastercam is a registered trademark of CNC Software, Inc. Microsoft, the Microsoft logo, MS, and MS-DOS are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; NSee is a registered trademark of Microcompatibles, Inc.; Windows, Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows NT are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation.

Solids Training Tutorial Contents

Getting Started ...................................................................................................A-1 Tutorials
Tutorial #1 Tutorial #2 Tutorial #3 Tutorial #4 Tutorial #5 Tutorial #6 Tutorial #7 Tutorial #8 ......................................................................................................................... 1-1 ......................................................................................................................... 2-1 ......................................................................................................................... 3-1 ......................................................................................................................... 4-1 ......................................................................................................................... 5-1 ......................................................................................................................... 6-1 ......................................................................................................................... 7-1 ......................................................................................................................... 8-1

General Notes ..................................................................................................... B-1 Quiz Answers ...................................................................................................... C-1

Solids Training Tutorial

TUTORIAL #21

TUTORIAL #2
Objectives:
The Student will design 2-D wireframe in the Top and Front Cplane using:  Creating a rectangle anchored to a center point.  Creating circle center points.  Creating parallel lines.  Create an Arc Tangent to 3 entities.  Create fillets.  Use Xform Translate to copy geometry.  Using the trim command to clean up the geometry. The Student will create the solid using:  Changing the main color.  Create a solid body by revolving a chain  Cut holes through the solid by extruding circles.

Solids Training Tutorial

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Solids Training Tutorial

SETTING UP THE GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE

TUTORIAL #21

WIREFRAME CREATION

STEP 1:

SETTING UP THE GRAPHIC USER INTERFACE

Before starting the geometry creation we should customize the toolbars to see the toolbars required to create the geometry and create a solid part. See Getting started page A-4 for details. Make sure that the Grid is enabled. It will show you where the part origin is. See Getting started page A-6 for further information. Select the Solids Manager to the left of the screen. If it is hidden press Alt+O to display it.

Figure: 1.0.1

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 2:

SET THE CONSTRUCTION PLANE AND CHANGE CURRENT COLOR

SET THE CONSTRUCTION PLANE AND CHANGE CURRENT COLOR

Select the Front (WCS) icon from the toolbars.

NOTE: You may skip this step if your color is already set to Green 10.
Left Click on the System Color button in the status bar.

Select the color Green #10 by either entering in the number in the current color area or selecting it from the pallet as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the dialog box.

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Solids Training Tutorial

CREATE A RECTANGLE TO CREATE THE OUTSIDE BOUNDARY

TUTORIAL #21

STEP 3:

CREATE A RECTANGLE TO CREATE THE OUTSIDE BOUNDARY

In this step you will learn how to create a rectangle knowing the width, the height and the anchor position.

Step Preview:

Create Rectangle Enter the Width and the Height and make sure that Anchor to Center is enabled as shown below. Press Enter after typing the values to see a preview of the rectangle. [Select position of base point] Select the Origin as shown in Figure 3.0.1. Figure: 3.0.1

Make sure that when selecting the Origin, the visual cue of the cursor changes as shown.

Select the Ok button to exit the command.

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TUTORIAL #21

CREATE PARALLEL LINES

Use the Fit icon to fit the drawing to the screen.

NOTE: During the geometry creation of this tutorial, if you make a mistake you can undo the
last step using the Undo icon. You can undo as many steps as needed. If you delete or To delete unwanted geometry, select it

undo a step by mistake, just use the Redo icon. first and then press Delete from the keyboard. The part should appear as shown in Figure 3.0.2.

Figure: 3.0.2

STEP 4:

CREATE PARALLEL LINES

In this step, you will learn how to create parallel lines, from the rectangle created in the previous step. These lines will be used as construction lines to create the rest of geometry in the tutorial.

Step Preview:

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Solids Training Tutorial

CREATE PARALLEL LINES

TUTORIAL #21

Create Line Parallel [Select a line]: Select Entity A.

[Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point to the right of the selected line.

NOTE: The color of the geometry is cyan which means that the entity is "live" and you can still change the line parameters if needed.

Enter the Distance

0.625 (press Enter).

NOTE: To continue using the same command you can either select the Apply button
press Enter. To exit the command you can either start a new command or select the OK button.

or

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select a line]: Select Entity A again. [Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point to the right of the selected line. Type the Distance 0.75 (Enter).

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select a line]: Select Entity A again. [Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point to the right of the selected line. Type the Distance 1.1 (Enter).

Select the Apply button to continue. The part should appear as shown in Figure 4.0.1.

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TUTORIAL #21

CREATE PARALLEL LINES

Figure: 4.0.1

[Select a line]: Select Entity B as shown in Figure 4.0.2. Figure: 4.0.2

[Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point below the selected line. Type the Distance 1.0 (Enter).

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select a line]: Select Entity B again. [Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point below the selected line. Type the Distance 1.75 (Enter).

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select a line]: Select Entity B again. [Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point below the selected line. Type the Distance 2.5 (Enter).

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select a line]: Select Entity B again. [Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point below the selected line. Type the Distance 3.25 (Enter).

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select a line]: Select Entity B again. [Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point below the selected line.

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Solids Training Tutorial

CREATE PARALLEL LINES

TUTORIAL #21

Type the Distance

3.5 (Enter).

Select the Apply button to continue. [Select a line]: Select Entity B again. [Select the point to place a parallel line through]: Pick a point below the selected line. Type the Distance 3.6 (Enter).

Select the OK button to exit the command. The drawing should look as shown in Figure 4.0.3 Figure: 4.0.3

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 5:

CREATE TANGENT ARCS

CREATE TANGENT ARCS

In this step we will use the Arc Tangent command to create arcs made from the construction lines we created in the previous step.

Step Preview:

Create Arc Tangent Select the Arc Tangent 3 Entities button in the ribbon bar as shown below. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity A as shown in Figure 5.0.1. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity B as shown in Figure 5.0.1. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity C as shown in Figure 5.0.1. Figure: 5.0.1

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Solids Training Tutorial

CREATE TANGENT ARCS

TUTORIAL #21

[Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity D as shown in Figure 5.0.2. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity E as shown in Figure 5.0.2. [Select the entity that the arc is to be tangent to] Select Entity F as shown in Figure 5.0.2. Figure: 5.0.2

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure 5.0.3. Figure: 5.0.3

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 6:

CREATE LINES KNOWING THEIR ENDPOINTS

CREATE LINES KNOWING THEIR ENDPOINTS

In this step we will use the Line Endpoint command to create angled lines from the parallel lines that we created earlier.

Step Preview:

Create Line Endpoint

Enable the Multi-Line icon in the ribbon bar. Multi-line will allow you to create multiple lines connected at their endpoints. [Specify the first endpoint] Select Endpoint A as shown in Figure 6.0.1. [Specify the first endpoint] Select Endpoint B as shown in Figure 6.0.1. [Specify the first endpoint] Select Endpoint C as shown in Figure 6.0.1. [Specify the first endpoint] Select Endpoint D as shown in Figure 6.0.1. Figure: 6.0.1

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Solids Training Tutorial

CLEAN UP THE GEOMETRY

TUTORIAL #21

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure 6.0.2. Figure: 6.0.2

STEP 7:

CLEAN UP THE GEOMETRY

In this step we will delete un-needed geometry, and use the trim command to clean up the geometry.

Step Preview:

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TUTORIAL #21

CLEAN UP THE GEOMETRY

Edit Delete Delete Entities [Select Entities] Select the lines that appear as hidden (dotted) lines in Figure 7.0.1. Figure: 7.0.1

Once you have selected all of the entities, click on the End Selection button lines. The part should appear as shown in Figure 7.0.2.

to delete the

Figure: 7.0.2

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Solids Training Tutorial

CLEAN UP THE GEOMETRY

TUTORIAL #21

Edit Trim/Break Trim/Break/Extend Enable the Divide button in the ribbon bar. [Select the curve to divide/delete] Select the lines that appear as hidden (dotted) lines in Figure 7.0.3. Figure: 7.0.3

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure 7.0.4. Figure: 7.0.4

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 8:

TRANSLATE GEOMETRY

TRANSLATE GEOMETRY
In this step, you will learn how to use the Xform Translate command. We will use this command to copy previously created geometry.

Step Preview:

Xform Translate [Translate: select entities to translate] Holding the Shift key on your keyboard, select Entity A as shown below.

NOTE: Holding the Shift key and selecting an entity will force Mastercam to select a chain.
Click on the End Selection button in the toolbars.

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Solids Training Tutorial

TRANSLATE GEOMETRY

TUTORIAL #21

The Translate dialog box will appear, match the settings that are established below.

# is used to indicate the number of translated entities in the direction you specify. Delta allows you to define a transformation vector using Cartesian (XYZ) coordinates that you enter for the transformed entities. From/To allows you to define a transformation vector using the distance and angle between two points that you select from the graphics window. Polar defines a transformation vector using the polar coordinates (a linear distance and an angle) Once you enter in the parameters as shown above, press enter and a preview should be displayed on the screen as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the command. Select the Clear Colors button to return the geometry to its original color. The part should appear as shown in Figure 8.0.1.

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TUTORIAL #21

TRIM THE GEOMETRY

Figure: 8.0.1

STEP 9:

TRIM THE GEOMETRY

In this step we will use the Trim Divide command to delete geometry on the "grooves" we just created.

Step Preview:

View Zoom Window

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Solids Training Tutorial

TRIM THE GEOMETRY

TUTORIAL #21

[Specify zoom window] Left click and hold down the mouse button in the upper left corner, drag the mouse down to a location as shown in the graphic below and release the mouse button.

Edit Trim/Break Trim/Break/Extend Enable the Divide button in the ribbon bar. [Select the curve to divide/delete] Select the lines that appear as hidden (dotted) lines in Figure 9.0.1. Figure: 9.0.1

Select the Ok button to exit the Trim/Break/Extend command. The part should appear as shown in Figure 9.0.2.

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TUTORIAL #21

FILLET THE PART

Figure: 9.0.2

STEP 10:

FILLET THE PART

In this step we will use two different fillet commands to fillet the part, fillet chains and fillet entities.

Step Preview:

Create Fillet Chains

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Solids Training Tutorial

FILLET THE PART

TUTORIAL #21

[Select chain 1] Enable the Partial chaining mode in the Chaining dialog box.

NOTE: Partial chaining mode allows you to select one entity and another entity and creates a chain in between the two entities.
[Select the first entity] Select Entity A as shown in Figure 10.0.1. [Select the last entity] Select Entity B as shown in Figure 10.0.1. Figure: 10.0.1

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining dialog box. A warning will appear on the screen indicating that old fillets will have a new fillet radius applied to them. Select the No button.

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TUTORIAL #21

FILLET THE PART

Change the Radius and any other parameters as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The part should appear as shown in Figure 10.0.2. Figure: 10.0.2

Select the Fit icon to fit the drawing to the screen. Create Fillet Entities Change the Radius in the ribbon bar and make sure trim is enabled as shown below. [Fillet: Select an entity] Select Entity A as shown in Figure 10.0.3. [Fillet: Select another entity] Select Entity B as shown in Figure 10.0.3. Figure: 10.0.3

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Solids Training Tutorial

FILLET THE PART

TUTORIAL #21

Select the Apply button to stay within the command. Change the Radius in the ribbon bar as shown. [Fillet: Select an entity] Select Entity C as shown in Figure 10.0.4. [Fillet: Select another entity] Select Entity D as shown in Figure 10.0.4. Figure: 10.0.4

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The finished part should appear as shown in Figure 10.0.5. Figure: 10.0.5

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 11:

CREATE THE CIRCLES IN THE TOP PLANE

CREATE THE CIRCLES IN THE TOP PLANE

In this step, we will change the construction plane to TOP and create the circles to finish the part.

Step Preview:

Select the Isometric view from the toolbars.

Ensure the Construction Mode is set to 3D. Create Arc Circle Center Point Change the Diameter in the ribbon bar as shown below. [Enter the center point] Select Endpoint A as shown in Figure 11.0.1. Figure: 11.0.1

Select the Apply button to stay within the command.

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Solids Training Tutorial

CREATE THE CIRCLES IN THE TOP PLANE

TUTORIAL #21

Change the Diameter in the ribbon bar as shown below. [Enter the center point] Select Endpoint B as shown in Figure 11.0.2. Figure: 11.0.2

Select the Apply button to stay within the command. Change the Diameter in the ribbon bar as shown below. [Enter the center point] Select Endpoint B as shown in Figure 11.0.3. Figure: 11.0.3

Select the Ok button to exit the command. The finished part should appear as shown in Figure 11.0.4.

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TUTORIAL #21

SAVE THE FILE

Figure: 11.0.4

STEP 12:

SAVE THE FILE

File Save As Enter in the File name: "Wireframe 2"

SOLID CREATION
A Solid is a geometric entity that occupies a region of space and consists of one or more faces, which define the closed boundary of the solid.

STEP 13:

CHANGE THE COLOR TO RED #12

Select Color from the Status Bar.

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Solids Training Tutorial

CHANGE THE MAIN LEVEL TO 2

TUTORIAL #21

Select the color Red #12.

Select the Ok button to exit the Colors dialog box.

STEP 14:

CHANGE THE MAIN LEVEL TO 2

In this step we will change the main level to 2, to put the solid on level 2 when we create it.

Left click in the number area to the right of the Level button.

Change the level number to 2. Press the Enter key on your keyboard.

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 15:

CREATE THE SOLID BODY BY REVOLVING A CLOSED CHAIN

CREATE THE SOLID BODY BY REVOLVING A CLOSED CHAIN

Solid Revolve: Performs an operation that results in the creation of one or more new solids. Mastercam revolves entities by driving the shape of the curves about an axis using given start and end angles as well as other parameters which define the results.

Step Preview:

Solids Revolve [Select chain(s) to be revolved 1] Leave the default settings in the Chaining Dialog box and select Entity A to create the chain as shown below.

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining Dialog box. [Select line to be used as axis...] Select the Center Line as shown in Figure 15.0.1.

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Solids Training Tutorial

CREATE THE SOLID BODY BY REVOLVING A CLOSED CHAIN

TUTORIAL #21

Figure: 15.0.1

The Direction dialog box will appear, and a visual cue of the revolve direction will be displayed in the graphics area. In the dialog box you have the option to reselect the Axis line or reverse the axis direction if you wish. Select the Ok button.

The Revolve Chain dialog box will appear. You are forced to Create Body and the Start and End angles should both default to 0 and 360 respectively.

Select the Ok button to exit the Revolve Chain dialog box and generate the solid. The part should appear as shown in Figure 15.0.2.

Solids Training Tutorial

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TUTORIAL #21

EXTRUDE CUT THE 0.25" CIRCLE

Figure: 15.0.2

STEP 16:

EXTRUDE CUT THE 0.25" CIRCLE

In this step we will use the Extrude command to "cut" the 0.25" hole through the entire part. We will also enable translucency in the system settings to be able to see the extrude cut through the solid model.

Step Preview:

Settings Configuration

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Solids Training Tutorial

EXTRUDE CUT THE 0.25" CIRCLE

TUTORIAL #21

The System Configuration dialog box will appear, select Shading from the tree view list on the left hand side of the dialog box, and enable Translucent on the right hand side.

NOTE: Translucent entities let diffuse light pass through them so that objects on the other
side are partially visible.

Select the Ok button. Select the Yes button to save the settings.

The part should now appear translucent as shown in Figure 16.0.1. Figure: 16.0.1

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TUTORIAL #21

EXTRUDE CUT THE 0.25" CIRCLE

Solids Extrude Leave the default settings in the Chaining Dialog box and chain the 0.25" circle as shown below to create the chain.

NOTE: The chaining direction doesnt matter because the direction of extrusion can be
changed afterwards.

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining dialog box. The Extrude Chain dialog box will appear and an arrow will appear on the geometry. This arrow will indicate the direction of the extrusion operation. If the arrow appears to be pointing upwards, click on the point as indicated in the graphic to change the direction.

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Solids Training Tutorial

EXTRUDE CUT THE 0.25" CIRCLE

TUTORIAL #21

Change any parameters as shown below to indicate the Extrusion Operation and Extrusion Distance as shown below.

Select the Ok button to Extrude the chain. The drawing should appear as shown in Figure 16.0.2. Figure: 16.0.2

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 17:

EXTRUDE CUT THE 1.0" HOLE

EXTRUDE CUT THE 1.0" HOLE

In this step we will cut the 1.0" hole through the solid by a specific distance.

Step Preview:

Solids Extrude Leave the default settings in the Chaining Dialog box and chain the 1.0" circle as shown below to create the chain.

NOTE: The chaining direction doesnt matter because the direction of extrusion can be
changed afterwards.

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining Dialog box.

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Solids Training Tutorial

EXTRUDE CUT THE 1.0" HOLE

TUTORIAL #21

The Extrude Chain dialog box will appear, change the Extrusion Operation to Cut Body and enable Extend by specified distance with the specified amount as shown below. Ensure the direction is pointing upwards to identify the extrusion direction.

Select the Ok button to exit the Extrude Chain dialog box. The part should appear as shown in Figure 17.0.1. Figure: 17.0.1

Solids Training Tutorial

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TUTORIAL #21 STEP 18:

EXTRUDE CUT THE 1.25" HOLE

EXTRUDE CUT THE 1.25" HOLE

In this step, we will create another extrusion operation to cut the 1.25" hole from the solid body to a specific depth to finish the part.

Step Preview:

Solids Extrude Leave the default settings in the Chaining Dialog box and chain the 1.25" circle as shown below to create the chain.

Select the Ok button to exit the Chaining Dialog box.

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Solids Training Tutorial

SAVE THE FILE

TUTORIAL #21

The Extrude Chain dialog box will appear, change the Extrusion Operation to Cut Body and enable Extend by specified distance with the specified amount as shown below. Ensure the direction is pointing upwards to identify the extrusion direction.

Select the Ok button to exit the Extrude Chain dialog box. The part should appear as shown in Figure 18.0.1. Figure: 18.0.1

STEP 19:

SAVE THE FILE

File Save As Enter in the file name "Solid_2"

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TUTORIAL #21

REVIEW EXERCISE -STUDENT PRACTICE

REVIEW EXERCISE -STUDENT PRACTICE

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Solids Training Tutorial

CREATE THE GEOMETRY FOR THE TUTORIAL #2 EXERCISE

TUTORIAL #21

STEP 20:

CREATE THE GEOMETRY FOR THE TUTORIAL #2 EXERCISE

Use these commands to create the geometry. Create the left half of the geometry. Create line endpoints. Create arc endpoints. Create Line Parallel. Fillet Entities. Xform Mirror. Trim/Break/Extend. Delete Entities.

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TUTORIAL #21

CREATE THE SOLID FOR THE TUTORIAL #2 EXERCISE

CREATE THE SOLID FOR THE TUTORIAL #2 EXERCISE

Create the solid for Tutorial #2 Exercise as per the instructions below.

Revolve the rounded shape to create the main body. Chain the outside profile to revolve. Select the centerline as the axis. Create a body 360 degrees.

Add bosses to the body. Use the revolve command. Use the centerline as the axis. Specify to add bosses to the solid. Only revolve the bosses from -10 to 10 degrees.

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Solids Training Tutorial

NOTES:

TUTORIAL #21

NOTES:

Solids Training Tutorial

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TUTORIAL #21

TUTORIAL #2 QUIZ

TUTORIAL #2 QUIZ
How does a solid revolve operation work?

What does the Xform Translate command do?

What is a CPlane?

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Solids Training Tutorial