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IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 About IRONCAD
IRONCAD - The Fastest and Easiest way to 3D .................................................................................................. 1-3
IRONCAD – Productive Solid Modeling for Creative Design ............................................................................ 1-3
Parts ................................................................................................................................................................ 1-4
Assemblies and Products ................................................................................................................................ 1-5
Working with IRONCAD ..................................................................................................................................... 1-5
Setting the Scene ............................................................................................................................................ 1-6
The Stages of an IRONCAD Project .............................................................................................................. 1-6
Visual and Precision Part Design ................................................................................................................... 1-6
IRONCAD Features .............................................................................................................................................. 1-7
About IRONCAD
IRONCADª is the productivity leader when it comes to moving creative ideas into full 3D
reality. It utilizes a breakthrough Creative Design approach that delivers a level of design
freedom unmatched in the industry today. IRONCAD is the tool of choice for design engineers
when deadlines are tight and a high degree of unanticipated change is to be expected. It
provides a fresh alternative to today’s history based parametric systems utilizing a radical new
drag and drop 3D environment that delivers unmatched ease-of-use, and superior productivity.
This Getting Started Guide will help you to quickly begin using IRONCAD to build 3D
parts and assemblies; create 2D drawings; apply colors, textures, add a variety of rendering
techniques; add animation effects; and communicate the results to the outside world.
This chapter will give you a quick overview of IRONCAD and its basic concepts. The next
chapter, Starting IRONCAD, provides instructions on installing, starting and navigating
IRONCAD. Chapters 3 through 8 offer sample exercises:
• Chapter 3 walks through a quick start guide to working with IRONCAD;
• Chapter 4 introduces the 3D design process using abstract parts;
• Chapter 5 focuses on IRONCAD’s advanced capabilities for creating and editing
IntelliShapes using 2D geometry;
• Chapter 6 demonstrates some of the more advanced capabilities of the TriBall;
• Chapter 7 demonstrates some of the more advanced features of IRONCAD’s 2D drawing
creation capabilities;
• Chapter 8 introduces Surface modeling capabilities.
• Chapter 9 outlines the Rendering options.
• Chapter 10 demonstrates IRONCAD’s Animation capabilities.
• Chapter 11 serves as a centralized reference for IRONCAD’s default shortcut and function
key assignments introduced throught the various chapters of the Getting Started Guide.
More experienced users may want to begin with the installation instructions in Chapter 2 and
then move to Chapters 3 through 8.
In this chapter:
• IRONCAD - The Fastest and Easiest way to 3D
• IRONCAD – Productive Solid Modeling for Creative Design
• Working with IRONCAD
• IRONCAD Features
Parts
You use IRONCAD to build parts. A part is more than a collection of 3D geometry: it is a
combination of components that intelligently interact with each other. In IRONCAD, these
components can be generated by the ACIS or Parasolid kernel.
• IntelliShapes®. These geometric forms are the building blocks of a part. You can start
with the basic IntelliShapes in the IRONCAD catalogs or design custom IntelliShapes for
special needs. IntelliShapes instinctively interact when they’re joined or repositioned on
the surface of another.
• SmartPaints™. Use these colors, finishes and surface textures to add a realistic
appearance to parts.
• SmartMotions®. Not all parts are stationary. For example, if you build a robot arm, you
can simulate its motion. IRONCAD includes a catalog of SmartMotions which are basic
motion sequences, such as spinning, bouncing and moving along an axis. You can
combine and edit SmartMotions to create complex animations.
For even more sophisticated animations, you can create and save SmartMotions on
custom-designed paths, offering complete control of the part’s animation.
Here are some sample IntelliShapes:
You can combine these IntelliShapes to form a part similar to the one below.
The shapes that compose a part interact with one another in an intelligent fashion. They know
how to land on one another and position themselves when moved. At any point in the part
Note design process, you can select and work with the individual component shapes. For instance,
the next illustration displays a part with a component shape highlighted.
Throughout the documentation,
the term “shape” generally
refers to an IntelliShape.
Every part has at least one IntelliShape and at least one SmartPaint component; SmartMotions
are optional. If you want animation effects, you can add SmartMotions to the part from the
Animation catalog or create a custom animation path.
These intelligent components of a part are unique in the world of 3D software. They assist you
in creating parts with more flexibility, extra speed and increased efficiency.
Other products are more complex and may require that individual components be created as Assemblies are made from
parts that are then joined into assemblies. multiple parts.
Suppose you want to design a new coffee maker. You might want to start by combining a
number of IntelliShapes to build the heating element section. You could go on to build parts
for the carafe, the reservoir and other components. Finally, you could join these individual
parts to create the finished assembly.
And, of course, very complex products may contain multiple assemblies, each containing
several parts.
IRONCAD facilitates creation of product designs at all levels of complexity. The project can
be contained in a single file or in multiple files linked to a single master assembly file.
IRONCAD Features
IRONCAD includes many other powerful features that will help in designing parts more
quickly and efficiently.
• Dual kernels. Based on your specific design needs, IRONCAD offers the flexibility of
dual kernels -- ACIS or Parasolid.
• Drag-and-drop. For quick placement of IntelliShapes, SmartPaints and SmartMotions,
simply drag them from catalogs and drop them in the desired location.
• Face modeling. IRONCAD provides tools to directly edit a selected face, irrespective of
its creation history.
• Boolean. Add, delete and move shapes with intelligent Booleans.
• SmartSnap® functionality. IRONCAD’s SmartSnap features aid in visually positioning
the components of a part. When positioning an IntelliShape, valuable SmartSnap
feedback is displayed.
• Precision tools. The TriBall®, Mate and Align Positioning and Constraint tools,
SmartDimensions, attachment points, scene grid, and many other features are available
in IRONCAD for precision part design.
• Extensive 2D drawing and editing tools. Create intricate 2D cross-sections for creating
custom IntelliShapes.
• 2D drawing layout. Create fully annotated 2D drawings that are fully associative to 3D
parts/assemblies.
• SmartRender®. SmartRender keeps projects on schedule by switching to less complex
rendering methods while dynamically manipulating parts.
• Extensive right mouse button support. The right mouse button accesses powerful
IRONCAD functions. Most onscreen objects react to a click of the right mouse button,
often displaying a pop-up menu, a dialog box or other items.
• Catalogs. IRONCAD’s catalogs contain hundreds of shapes and pre-designed parts,
textures and other resources. You can organize your project by creating new catalogs to
contain your own shapes and parts.
• Customizable menus/toolbars/hot keys. IRONCAD’s default menus, toolbars, and hot
keys are fully customizable to meet specific user needs.
• Complete compatibility. IRONCAD is compatible with Windows® XP Professional,
2000, as well as Windows NT®.
• Custom macros generated using Microsoft’s Visual Basic for Applications (VBA).
Starting IRONCAD
To begin working with IRONCAD as quickly as possible, follow the instructions in this
chapter.
In this chapter:
• System requirements
• What you need to know to work with IRONCAD
• Installation
• Starting IRONCAD
• Navigating the system
• Exiting IRONCAD
• Getting help and other information
Installation
Installing IRONCAD under Windows XP
Professional and 2000
Make sure no programs are running on your system. If you use an anti-virus program, disable
(turn off or exit) it before beginning the IRONCAD install process. You can re-enable the anti-
virus and other programs after the IRONCAD installation is finished.
IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have a previous version of IRONCAD already
installed, it is recommended that you uninstall it and restart your
computer before installing the latest version. If you have customized any
files in the IRONCAD folder (such as catalogs, templates, and/or any other
file or sub-folder), make a backup copy of those files to an alternate folder
or disk. After the installation process is finished, you can copy those files
or folders into the IronCAD folder in their respective locations.
If you have created a custom toolbar (.tbc) file, create a copy and then move it back after
installation. However, the old .tbc files will not have any of the new toolbars that are included
in the newer version of IRONCAD. We recommend using the new .tbc file and adding the old
custom information to the new file.
Starting IRONCAD
As with installation, the procedure that you use for starting IRONCAD is the same for
Windows XP and 2000.
To start IRONCAD under Windows XP and 2000:
1. On the Windows task bar, click the Start button.
2. On the task menu, select the Programs option.
3. On the Programs menu, select IRONCAD to display a cascading menu.
4. From the cascading menu, select IRONCAD x.x.
The IRONCAD opening screen appears.
After the IRONCAD opening screen, a dialog box is displayed asking if the user would like to
register the product now.
• If the user decides not to register at this time, the product will run for 60 days. After the
60-day period, the product must be registered to continue using it.
• If the user decides to register the product, an activation wizard will open to guide the user
through the process of registering the product for the current machine. The serial number
and codeword shipped with the product, along with the user’s information, are used to
create an activation code that will be emailed back to the user. The registration process can
be completed by sending this information to IronCAD via the web or by fax.
The Welcome dialog box appears. Before you can begin working in IRONCAD, it’s
necessary to create a new scene.
To create a new scene:
1. Choose Create a new Scene to begin a new project.
Menus
Most of the default main menus follow conventions widely used in desktop software. For
example, if you have more than one scene/drawing open, you can switch between them using
the Window menu.
You can access detailed descriptions of all menu options in the IRONCAD On-line Help
system.
In addition to the main menu bar, many elements of IRONCAD have pop-up menus.
Note Right-click on the element to display a pop-up menu with commands related to the selected
The convention of right-clicking
element.
is used throughout IRONCAD.
In addition to revealing pop-up
menus, you can use right-clicks
Toolbars
to position or copy a part. The toolbars available in the IRONCAD scene environment are:
• Standard • 3D Dimensions
• Selection • 2D Technical Drawing
• Text Format • 2D Constraints
• Camera • 2D Editing
• IntelliShape Creation • 2D Construction
• SmartPaint • Face/Edge Edit
• SmartMotions • 3D Curves
• SmartMotions • Surface
• Camera Picker
The toolbars available in the IRONCAD drawing environment are:
• Standard • Text Format
• Viewing • Sheet Drawing
• Annotation • Sheet Editing
• Styles and Layers • Selection
• View • Dimensions
You can choose the toolbars that appear in the IRONCAD display.
To display a toolbar:
1. Choose Toolbars from the View menu or right-click on any currently displayed
toolbar.
2. On the Toolbars dialog box or the drop-down menu, check the box beside the
name of the toolbar you want to display.
To hide a toolbar, clear its checked box.
3. Choose Close in the dialog box.
Here are three of the toolbars in IRONCAD: IntelliShape Creation, Camera, and
View.
IRONCAD’s toolbars will help you implement many scene and drawing functions easily and
quickly.
Moving and Resizing a Toolbar
When you first start IRONCAD, the toolbars may appear across the top, down the left side, and
Note
across the bottom of the workspace. They don’t have to remain in these default locations,
however. You can position them anywhere in the IRONCAD window. Move a toolbar anywhere in the
IRONCAD window.
To move a toolbar, use the mouse to drag it to a new location.
Drag a toolbar by left-clicking its background between the available options and moving it to a
new location. If you drop it near an edge of the IRONCAD window, it appears as a horizontal
or vertical strip. If you drop it over a sheet or scene, it appears as a palette that “floats” over the
workspace.
To resize a floating toolbar, drag one of its corners.
Click and drag the corner to display an outline of the toolbar’s new shape. Drop the toolbar
when the desired shape is displayed.
Catalogs
The IRONCAD scene environment includes the following default catalogs installed on your
hard drive:
• Shapes. This catalog contains a basic set of IntelliShape primitives such as blocks and
spheres. You combine these IntelliShapes to build parts.
• Advanced Shapes. This catalog contains IntelliShape primitives that allow the user to
customize a shape’s appearance by editing a set of variables.
• Sheet Metal. This catalog includes IntelliShapes for items used in sheet metal design,
such as stock, bends, stamps, and punches.
• Tools. This catalog contains a set of parameterized IntelliShapes created using the OLE
automation capabilities within IRONCAD. They present the user with an input dialog for
customization.
• Animation. This catalog contains motion effects to use to animate your parts.
• Surfaces. Obsidian, Rubber, and Shiny Blue are a few of the items in this catalog that can
be dragged and dropped onto parts and shapes in the scene.
• Textures. Use a variety of textures, such as Marble, Chrome, or Wood to add realism to
your parts.
• Bumps. This catalog contains a variety of different images that use bump mapping to add
realistic textures to parts.
• Color. Use a variety of standard windows colors to quickly add color to parts in the scene.
Many other catalogs, including specialty catalogs, are available on the IRONCAD CD-ROM.
You can work with the default catalogs installed on your hard drive or any supplementary
catalogs available on the CD-ROM. The advantage of working with catalogs on the CD is that
it saves hard disk space. Of course, when you want to access a catalog on the CD, the CD must
be in your drive. If you work with a particular catalog frequently, you may want to copy its
Exiting IRONCAD
When you’re finished working with IRONCAD and have saved your work in a file, close the
program and return to Windows.
To exit IRONCAD, choose Exit from the File menu.
You will return to Microsoft Windows.
Note Tooltips
Use Tooltips to view the label In addition to the manuals, IRONCAD itself offers on-line help in several forms. For instance,
for a button on a toolbar. if you aren’t sure about the functionality of a toolbar option, you can find out very quickly.
To display the name of a particular tool, point to it.
IRONCAD displays a Tooltip, a small box with the name of the tool. If you’d rather not
display Tooltips, it’s easy to disable them.
To disable Tooltips display:
1. From the View Menu, select Toolbars.
2. On the Toolbars dialog box, clear the Show Tooltips box, then choose OK.
In this chapter:
• Setting Up the Working Environment
• Using IntelliShapes, SmartDimensions and SmartSnap
• Creating a New IntelliShape Feature by Sketching a Profile
• Shelling a Part
• Blending Edges
• Using a Custom Hole
• Creating and Using Custom Catalogs
• Importing a Part
• Using Direct Face Modeling
• Using the Mate and Align Positioning Tool
• Creating an Assembly
• Creating a 2D Drawing from a Part
• Creating a Section View
• Creating a Detail View
• Adding a Dimension
9. Click and drag one of the H Cylinder’s side sizebox handles until the hole’s diameter is
approximately the size shown in the following illustration.
10. Select the H Cylinder at the IntelliShape editing level and then, from the Create menu,
Note select SmartDimension, and then Linear.
Placing a Smart-Dimension Alternately, you can select the Linear SmartDimension tool on the Dimensions
between components of the toolbar.
same part at the
IntelliShape editing level (with 11. To place the SmartDimension, click the center of the H Cylinder, then click the top
the exception of an edge on face of the block (not the edge), and release.
first selection), or between
separate parts at the part
To place the SmartDimension,
editing level, adds a fully
functional SmartDimension click here...
which can be edited and/or
locked, as necessary.
SmartDimensions applied to
components of the same part at
the part editing level function ...then click here.
only as annotation dimensions.
and cannot be edited/locked.
Dimension Value
12. With the H Cylinder still selected at the IntelliShape editing level, right-click on the
dimension value and choose Edit this SmartDimension from the resulting pop-up
menu.
13. Enter a value of 45, select the Lock option, and then choose OK.
14. Select the H Cylinder Intellishape by clicking anywhere on its inner surface (except the
center) and drag it to the end face of the block. Notice the "constrained" movement of
the H Cylinder as it is dragged around the block’s corner.
15. Drag the H Cylinder back to its approximate original location.
16. With the H Cylinder selected at the IntelliShape editing level, right-click on the
SmartDimension value and choose Delete from the resulting pop-up menu.
17. Still at the IntelliShape editing level, select the H Cylinder and, depressing the Shift
key (to activate SmartSnap), drag the center of the H Cylinder so that it snaps to the
center of the end face of the block, as shown.
9. Select the Two Point Line tool from the 2D Technical Drawing toolbar.
10. Using SmartSnap feedback to locate the midpoints, click and drag to draw a line
from the midpoint of one projected edge to the midpoint of the other, as shown.
Tip
A small green dot indicates
snapping to the line, and a large
green dot indicates a midpoint
or endpoint. The small red dots
indicate “unconnected”
endpoints, which must be
connected before completing the
profile sketch (except for surface
creation).
11. From the 2D Editing toolbar, select the Trim Curve tool.
12. Trim the lines, as shown below.
Pick 1
Pick 2
Tip
13. Choose Finish Shape. On a three-button mouse,
the middle button can be
14. Use the Orbit Camera tool (F3) from the Camera toolbar to move your viewpoint used to “Orbit” the camera at
around the block to view the IntelliShape which has been created. anytime.
We will now use the Extrude to Add Material to the part in a new feature.
15. From the Create menu, choose IntelliShape, and then Extrude.
16. Click the top face of the part.
17. On Page 1 of the Wizard, choose Add Material, and then Next.
18. On Page 2, choose Next again.
19. On Page 3, enter a distance value of 8, and then choose Next.
20. On Page 4, Choose No for display of drawing grid, and then choose Finish.
Shelling a Part
1. Select the block at the part editing level, displaying its cyan blue outline.
2. From the Modify menu, select Shell Part.
Alternately, you can select the desired face and select the Shell Part option on
the Face/Edge Edit toolbar or you can right-click the part, and select Shell
from the resulting pop-up menu.
The Shell Part session bar appears to the right of the Selection toolbar.
3. Click the top face of the block to specify that it should remain “open” after shelling.
4. Enter 4 in the Thickness field on the Shell Part session bar and select the Apply
and Exit Command option.
Blending Edges
1. Select the inner cylindrical surface of the H Cylinder at the surfaces editing level.
It will become highlighted with green edges.
2. From the Modify menu, select Blend Edges.
Blend this
Alternately, you can right-click the surface and choose Blend Edges from the
resulting pop-up menu, or select the Blend Edges option on the Face/Edge Edit
toolbar.
The Blend Edges session bar appears to the right of the Selection toolbar.
3. On the Blend Edges session bar, select Constant as the type of blend and, in the
constant blend radius field, enter 8.
4. Select the Apply and Exit Command option to apply the blend and exit the blend
operation.
5. Use the Orbit Camera tool (F3) to observe the results of the blending operation.
Importing a Part
1. From the File menu, choose Import.
2. From your hard disk, locate Program
Files\IronCAD\IRONCADx\Documentation\Tutorials and open the
Tutorials folder.
3. Choose the part labeled SampleTop.sat and select Open.
The new part will appear in the scene. Select the Fit Scene tool, if necessary, to view
both parts. Note that even if Parasolid is set as the default kernel, the imported part
remains a .sat file, indicated by its gray surface color.
11. Right-click on the TriBall’s distance value and choose Edit Value from the resulting
pop-up menu.
12. Enter a value of 10.
13. Select the Apply and Exit Command option on the session bar, which will
complete the Move Face operation.
Note 14. From the Edit menu, choose Deselect All.
The Face Editing Alternately, you can click anywhere in the scene background to deselect current
Notification dialog is
displayed after completion of all selections.
face editing operations,
informing you that the
highlighted IntelliShapes will be
combined and that any future
modifications must be made
using the face editing tools. It
offers the option of proceeding
Using the Mate and Align Positioning
with the operation or canceling
it. Tool
1. Select the imported part at the part editing level.
2. Select the Mate and Align Positioning tool from the Standard toolbar.
Alternately, from the Tools menu, you can choose Mate and Align Positioning
Tool.
3. Move the cursor over various areas of the selected part and note the arrow feedback.
4. Click on the midpoint of the lower edge of the closest face, as shown. (A green
SmartSnap dot indicates the edge’s midpoint.)
Creating an Assembly
1. Select the Scene Browser option on the Standard toolbar (or select Scene
Browser from the View menu.)
The Scene Browser is displayed to the left of the scene. The two parts in the current
scene are represented by red block icons.
2. Right-click on the imported part in the Browser and choose Part Properties from
the resulting pop-up menu.
3. Enter Top in the User Name field and choose OK.
7. Add the Top part to the new assembly by dragging its icon and dropping it on the
Assembly icon, as shown.
8. Select the Assembly in the scene and note that both parts within the assembly are
highlighted in yellow.
Alternately, you can select the Section View option on the View toolbar.
3. Select the Vertical Section tool.
4. Click to position the vertical cut line on the drawing, approximately as shown.
Note
If hidden edges aren’t
displayed, right-click on the
view, select Properties from the
resulting pop-up menu, select
Hidden edges under Display
options, and select OK.
5. Select the Flip Direction tool so that the section arrows point to the right.
3. Move the cursor near the center of the sheet and click to specify the location of the new
detail view.
Adding a Dimension
1. Use the Window Zoom tool to zoom in on the Front view (lower left).
2. From the View menu, choose Toolbars, and then Dimensions.
The Dimensions toolbar is displayed.
3. Select the SmartDimension tool, and then click on the rightmost vertical edge of the
part, as shown. Drag the dimension to the right and click again to position it.
Click here to add
3D Design Overview
This chapter illustrates the six potential stages of an IRONCAD project. Like most of the
examples you’ve seen so far, the sample project uses simple geometric shapes to illustrate the
features of IRONCAD.
In this chapter:
• Knowing the Process
• Starting the Project
• Building a Part
• Assembling Parts
• Creating a 2D Drawing
• Rendering a Part
• Animating a Part
• Communicating a Part
Building a Part
You can begin a part with a single IntelliShape. This shape could be one of IRONCAD’s
standard IntelliShapes or a custom shape of your own design. Shapes and parts are initially
generated by the specified default modeling kernel -- either ACIS or Parasolid. However,
IRONCAD offers the option of switching between the two kernels, on a part-by-part basis, by
selecting the part in the scene and then pressing Ctrl+K. ACIS kernel support is indicated by a
gray surface color on the selected part, Parasolid by beige. To change the default kernel, select
Options from the Tools menu, select the Parts tab, and at the bottom left of the dialog box,
select the desired option under Default kernel type for new parts.
Sample shapes
When you drag a shape from a catalog and drop it in the scene, you’re practicing the visual
method of part design. Much of your part design can be accomplished using the drag-and-drop
technique with shapes, colors, textures, lights, and other items.
At other times, however, you may require precise results that are beyond the capability of
visual, drag-and-drop part design methods. For example, if none of the predefined
IntelliShapes meet your requirements, you can create a custom shape using one of the available
Note IntelliShape Creation tools.
For precise part design, you can To create a custom shape, use the 2D Technical Drawing tools to create the desired cross-
use the 2D Technical Drawing section, as shown on the left below:
tools to create a cross-section
and then extend it into 3D.
2D cross-section . .
Using the mouse, you can drag a handle to edit the shape’s size. Here’s the result of dragging
one of the sizebox handles on the block shape:
Resized IntelliShape
Naturally, this method assumes that you can visually judge the correct size. However, you may
require a precisely sized block. IRONCAD offers a number of tools for precision sizing.
Note
Once the initial shape has been created, you can add additional shapes to build your 3D part.
You might drag a second shape from a catalog and drop it on the first one. Add new shapes to build your
part.
One of the “intelligent” properties of IntelliShapes is that they instinctively interact with one
another. When you drop a new shape on an existing one, the new shape lands in the same way
as a physical object would land.
In more complex situations, you can use measuring and positioning tools, such as the TriBall
and SmartDimensions, for accurate results.
Assembling Parts
Some projects require multiple parts to complete the design. This is no problem for
IRONCAD. New parts can be created in the same scene as existing parts or, if desired,
previously created parts can be linked into the current scene from the outside.
Assemblies are formed by simply selecting the desired parts and then choosing the
Assemble option on the Assembly toolbar. Assembly structure can be maintained by
repositioning parts and assemblies within the hierarchical display found in the Scene
Browser.
Parts linked into an assembly from the outside are fully associative: any changes made to the
linked file will automatically update in the current scene.
Rendering a Part
IRONCAD has many features for adding realistic surfaces to your part in the next phase of
design and offers OpenGL features, as supported by your graphics card. The easiest way to
add a color or texture is to drag one of the SmartPaints from an IRONCAD catalog and
drop it on a shape or part. For example, if you drag the Silver Gradient texture from the
Texture catalog and drop it on a part, the results are similar to that shown below:
In addition to colors and textures, IRONCAD allows you to create bumpy and transparent
surfaces with realistic reflections. Experiment with different surfaces and textures. Try the
default catalog set or use other catalogs available on the IRONCAD CD.
Some IRONCAD projects end after one or more of the first four phases. Other projects include
animating parts and/or sharing them with the outside world.
Animating a Part
IRONCAD includes a catalog of animation effects called SmartMotions. For example, if you
want to make a gear spin around a shaft, drag the Height Spin SmartMotion from the
Animation catalog and drop it on the gear.
Note
As with all other aspects of the program, IRONCAD has precision tools to complement simple Use SmartMotions for drag-
drag-and-drop animation effects. You can use the SmartMotion Editor to create complex, and-drop animation.
multi-track animation for presentations, multimedia development, and other demanding
applications. The SmartMotions tools offer even more flexibility and control in creating
custom animation sequences.
5-2 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
Using 2D Cross-sections in Shape
Creation and Modification
Creating the Flywheel with a Spin IntelliShape
A spin IntelliShape is a 3D shape created by revolving (spinning) a 2D profile (cross-section)
about an axis. The profile must consist of one or more closed loops of connected 2D lines with
no overlaps and no lines that cross over the spin axis (the Width axis).
1. From the File menu, select New, Scene, and click OK. From the Metric tab, select
the template Gray.ics and click OK.
2. To create a spin IntelliShape, click the Spin tool from the IntelliShape Creation
toolbar, or click Create, IntelliShape, Spin from the menu bar, and then click
anywhere near the center of the screen to specify the location of the shape. Note
The Spin Shape Wizard appears.
To Control which toolbars are
3. Click Next and Next again to accept default values for the first two steps, and then displayed, click View,
specify the settings for the third step, as shown, and click Finish. Toolbars from the main
menu bar. Alternately, right-
click on any blank space next to
a toolbar and select from the
list displayed.
4. To position your view normal to the drawing surface, click the Look At tool and then
click on the drawing surface. Use the other camera positioning tools as needed to orient
your view so it looks approximately like this:
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-3
Setting the Drawing Options
Before you begin, make sure your 2D drawing options match those used in this chapter.
1. Right-click (click the right mouse button) anywhere in the view and select Snap...
from the menu, as shown. Alternately, click Format, Grid... from the menu bar and
select the Snap tab.
3. Click the Constraints tab, set the options, as shown, and click OK.
5-4 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
4. Click the Show Endpoint Positions tool from the 2D Editing toolbar so that it's
depressed "in," as shown. Notice that this tool does not invoke a command. It just
toggles on (in) and off (out) each time you click it.
2. If you made a mistake and any line is not aligned, as shown, just drag its endpoint until
it snaps into the desired alignment.
3. Experiment with modifying the profile by dragging lines and vertices. Notice that a
vertex moves freely when you drag it, but a line only moves perpendicular to its length.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-5
time.
1. Select the leftmost vertical line below its midpoint, as shown. Now move your mouse
cursor over the horizontal endpoint dimension text until it changes to a "hand" icon, and
then right-click and select Edit Value....
1. Click
15.9
2. Right-Click and
select Edit Value
2. Change the Horizontal distance to 12.7, as shown, and then click OK.
3. Repeat this same technique to position the adjacent horizontal line to 25.4 mm above
the horizontal axis: select the line, right-click on its vertical endpoint dimension, select
Edit Value..., change the Vertical distance to 25.4 mm, and click OK.
107.7
25.4
4. Select the next horizontal line, as shown, and change its Vertical position to 63.5
mm.
5-6 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
63.5
5. Select the vertical lines shown and change their Horizontal distances to 139.7 and
127
139.7
127
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-7
2. Select the angled line shown at a point above its midpoint (notice the difference if you
select it below its midpoint). Place your cursor over the blue dot connected to the
TIP angular dimension and notice how your cursor changes to a hand. These blue dots are
called curve handles. Drag the angular curve handle clockwise by a few degrees to
If you press and hold the Shift change the angle of the line.
key while dragging the curve
handle, you’ll notice that it
temporarily disables the
Smart Cursor (which
activates green lines that
indicate relationships between
the cursor location and other
lines). This is useful for cases
when the cursor is too “snap
happy” (snapping when you
don’t want it to). You can also 36.4
disable the smart cursor by
right-clicking on the drawing
grid, selecting Snap and
deselecting the Smart
Cursor option.
3. Now set the angle by typing in a value. Right-click the angular dimension text and
select Edit Value.... Change the value to 45-degrees and then click OK.
4. Select the adjacent vertical line, as shown. Grab the linear curve handle (not the angular
curve handle) and drag it over to the vertex shown, and release.
Linear
curve 38.1
handle
5-8 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
5. Adjust the uppermost angular line to also lie at 45 degrees, as shown.
TIP
If an item you wish to select is
obstructed by an endpoint
dimension or curve dimension,
just zoom in slightly. The
geometry, of course, will
appear larger as you zoom in,
but items such as curve handles
and dimension text will remain
the same size.
2. Select the uppermost angular line, as shown. Drag its lower arrowhead over to the other
angular line until it snaps onto the line. Change its Vertical value to 19.
Click
19
25.4
Drag
3. Select a different line and notice that the vertical dimension still references the angled
line. Drag the dimension arrowhead back to the horizontal axis.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-9
Endpoint dimensions and curve handles also may be used to position multiple lines
simultaneously.
1. Click the Box Select tool on the Selection toolbar and draw a box around the
lines, as shown. Alternately, you can select the lines by clicking one of them and then
Shift-clicking the rest (hold the Shift key while clicking).
2. While all five lines are still selected, click the line shown and change its Horizontal
distance to 152.4.
152.4
39.6
3. Now suppose you've changed your mind and want to position this group of lines relative
to the "outer" line instead of the "inner" line. To do this, first make sure all five lines are
still selected (or box select them again if they are not), and then click on the outer line,
as shown, and change its Horizontal distance to 152.4.
152.4
25.4
5-10 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
4. To spin the cross-section into a solid 3D shape, click Finish Shape from the Edit
Cross-section menu. Alternately, right-click anywhere on the drawing surface and
select Finish Drawing. Note
The cross-section is revolved (spun) 360-degrees about its vertical axis and a new 3D
part is created. Whenever you see a red dot in
your cross-section, it indicates
a vertex that belongs only to a
single line, as opposed to
connecting two lines. You
should eliminate all red dots
before you finish a shape.
IRONCAD can only create a
shape if the cross-section
contains closed “loops” of
lines without any overlaps or
disconnection. If you reposition
a disconnected endpoint onto
another endpoint and the red
dot still remains, right-click on
the dot and select Connect.
If that doesn’t work, then the
endpoints are slightly
misaligned.
1. Select the flywheel at the IntelliShape level. (Click on it until it highlights in yellow, as
shown.)
2. Move your mouse cursor over the cyan colored outline of the 2D profile. Notice that
each line segment of the profile displays a red handle as the cursor touches it.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-11
3. Experiment with pulling on the handles to modify the shape.
Notice that the 2D lines are displayed in the context of the 3D part. Normally, they should be
easy to view, but the visibility can be affected by your various rendering and color settings, and
by the complexity of the shape. To improve the visibility of the 2D lines, experiment with one
or both of these techniques:
• Turn part edges off. From the main menu bar, select Format, Rendering... and
deselect the Draw part edges option.
• Turn perspective off. Use the Perspective Camera tool on the Camera toolbar.
This is particularly useful if your view is exactly normal to the drawing surface and you
wish to see the exact relationship between 3D edges and 2D lines.
5-12 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
2. Select the three (3) lines shown (click the first line, and then Shift-click the remaining
two lines).
3. Shift-Click
2. Shift-Click
1. Click
Using 2D Constraints
You’ve seen how IRONCAD enables you to easily create and modify shapes without forcing
you to worry about exact dimensions or constraints if you don’t want to. This freedom is
especially useful when you’re in the conceptual design phase. However, when you want to
enforce exact dimensions and constraints, including parametric relationships, IRONCAD
allows you to do that too. You can enforce as much or as little “design intent” information, as
desired.
1. Select the flywheel shape at the IntelliShape level.
2. Grab the Spin Angle handle, as shown, and drag it approximately 100 degrees.
Alternately, you can right-click on the handle, select Edit Value... and enter an exact
value.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-13
Drag ~100-degrees
4. Click the Dimension Constraint tool on the 2D Constraints toolbar and apply
the three dimensions shown by clicking in the order shown. For the third dimension
(referenced by the number 7), notice that you can orient the dimension either as
horizontal, vertical, or “shortest distance between two points” simply by moving your
cursor until it snaps into the desired orientation.
5-14 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
19
4.
3. 5.
2. 68.2
19 6. 7.
1.
5. Click the Angle Constraint tool and apply the angular dimension shown by clicking
the two lines that define the angle. Notice that you can reposition a dimension at any
time after placing it. Just end any currently active command, and then drag the
dimension text to a new location.
68.2
1.
2.
6. Click the Parallel Constraint tool and click the two angled lines.
68.2
7. Right-click on each blue icon that indicates a horizontal or vertical line and select
Lock.
TIP
You can also lock horizontal
and vertical lines automatically
as you draw them. Just right-
click on the drawing grid,
select Constraint... and then
select the Horizontal/Vertical
option.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-15
19
Right-Click on ALL Horizontal
and Vertical icons and select Lock.
68.2
19
8. Dimension the vertical distance of the two angled lines, as shown. Modify the location
of any previously placed dimensions, as desired, by simply dragging the dimension text.
19
68.2
22.7
33.9
9. To modify the value of an existing dimension, simply right-click on the dimension text
and select Edit.... Use this technique to change the dimensions to the values shown.
12.7
12.7 63.5
25.4 25.4
5-16 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
10. Experiment with dragging lines and vertices, as shown. Notice that you can move and
stretch the profile to some extent, but only in a manner that does not violate any of the
constraints. This is possible because the profile is not yet fully constrained.
Drag
Drag
12.7 63.5
25.4
If you wish to fully constrain the profile, you must somehow dimension or constrain it relative
to a fixed point. One way to do this is to right-click on a vertex and select Lock Position.
Another way is to dimension a vertex relative to some other fixed point, such as the origin.
For this profile, we don’t want to lock down any particular vertex, so it makes sense to
dimension relative to the origin.
11. Use the Two Point Line tool to draw a horizontal line with one endpoint at the origin
and the other endpoint to the left of the origin.
12. Right-click the endpoint at the origin and select Lock Position.
13. Right-click the blue horizontal icon and select Lock.
Construction
Line
25.4
Lock Lock
14. Right-click the line and select Use Outline for Construction Only.
15. Apply a horizontal dimension between the top right corner of the profile and the origin.
148.2
12.7
12.7 63.5
25.4 25.4
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-17
16. Click the Colinear Constraint tool and then click the bottom horizontal line of the
profile and the horizontal construction line. This constrains the profile relative to the
horizontal axis. Alternately, you can apply a vertical dimension between endpoints of
these two lines and set the value to zero.
1. Click
25.4
2. Click
17. Apply a horizontal dimension between the origin and the vertex at the bottom left
corner of the profile. Edit the value and change it to 1.0. The profile is now fully
constrained.
25.4
25.4
25.4
25.4
5-18 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
3. Drag the line (or one of its vertices) and notice that the line moves freely and the value
of the unlocked dimension updates accordingly.
TIP
32.1
Pull
6. Grab the Spin Angle handle and swing it back around to a full 360-degree spin.
Alternately, right-click on the handle, select Edit Value... and enter a value of 360
degrees.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-19
2. Right-click on the horizontal dimension that determines the radius of the hole and select
Delete.
25.4
38.7
3. Drag the leftmost vertical line until it snaps to the vertical axis.
4. Right-click on the bottom left vertex and select Lock Position.
5. Click Finish Shape from the Edit Cross-section dialog.
The hole in the center of the flywheel should now be gone.
6. Open the Shapes catalog on the right side of your screen and drag the H Cylinder
shape to the center of the flywheel, as shown. As you're dragging the H Shape, notice
that when your cursor touches the top surface of the flywheel, the center point is
highlighted with a dark green dot, which turns to bright green when your cursor touches
it. This behavior is an example of SmartSnap feedback. Use it to ensure that you
snap to the exact center of the flywheel.
7. To adjust the diameter of the hole to 2 inches, right-click the handle shown, select Edit
Sizebox..., change the Length or Width value to 50.8, and click OK. Note that,
for this particular IntelliShape, the Length and Width values are constrained to be
equal.
5-20 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
Setting Part and IntelliShape Names and Color
As your design starts to become more complex, you may want to start naming individual parts
and their various IntelliShapes. It's also useful to add some color.
1. Open the Scene Browser using the Scene Browser tool on the Standard menu.
2. Click the "+" symbol next to the flywheel part to display its component IntelliShapes.
3. To change the name of the part, click the part name once, wait a moment, and then click
it again and the name will become editable. Change the name to Flywheel and press
Enter.
Alternately, you can right-click on the part name, select Part Properties..., select
the General tab and edit the User name.
4. Repeat this same procedure to change the name of Shape 1 to Spin Profile.
5. To change the color of the flywheel part, open the Surfaces catalog on the right side
of the screen and drag a new SmartPaint item anywhere onto the part. For example,
try using the Gold surface. Alternately, you can select the part, then right-click on it, Note
select Smart Paint... and edit the SmartPaint properties.
If you don’t see a tab for the
Surfaces catalog, select the
Creating a Bolt Hole Pattern Catalogs, Open... menu and
search for the catalog under the
1. Open the Advshapes catalog, drag out the H Bolt Circle shape and use IRONCAD installation
SmartSnap feedback to center it on the flywheel, as shown. If you have difficulty directory (for example,
snapping to the center, make sure your view is oriented exactly, as shown. This is C:\Program Files\
important because SmartSnap feedback only works when your cursor is over a face - InnovationSuite\Catalogs).
- it cannot snap to "air." In other words, the flywheel must be oriented such that your
cursor can touch both the center point and the cylinder face at the same time.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-21
2. While the H Bolt Circle IntelliShape is selected, right-click on one of its Width or
Length handles, select Edit Sizebox... and change the value to 101.6. This gives
the bolt pattern a radius of 50.8 mm.
3. Now zoom in on one of the bolt holes so that you can easily select it, then right-click on
the face of the hole, as shown, and select IntelliShape Properties...
4. Select the Variables tab and change the Number of Circles value to 6 and the
Radius of Circles value to 6.35 * .001 (the .001 multiplier is necessary because
the variable units are meters). Click OK. A message will appear asking you if you want
to replace the formula for the Radius of Circles parameter. Click Yes.
5-22 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
2. Select Stand alone so this shape will create a new part.
3. Click Next three times to review and accept the remaining default values, and then
click Finish.
A 2D drawing surface appears.
4. Click the Project Edge/Face tool from the 2D Editing toolbar, and then click the
top face of the flywheel, as shown.
Click
5. Press the Esc key or click the Project Edge/Face tool again to turn it OFF.
6. Click any blank area on the drawing surface to deselect the lines.
Note
7. Right-click on the outer (largest) circle, select Curve Properties... and change the
Major Radius to 76.2.
Notice that, unlike most 3D
Alternately, turn on Show Curve Dimensions, select the circle, right-click on the CAD systems, IRONCAD does
not require you to create each
radius dimension text, select Edit Value..., change the value to 76.2, and click OK. part in a separate environment
8. Delete the innermost circle. (and a separate file) and then
switch to an “assembly” mode
9. Click Finish Shape. The 2D profile is extruded and a new part is created. to put them together. It’s very
simple to create the parts in the
context of their mating parts,
enabling what we call “fit by
design.” By default, the parts
are all created in one file.
However, individual parts and/
or subassemblies may be split
out into separate linked files to
enable multiple team members
to work concurrently on an
assembly. Conversely, you can
build parts in separate files
first and then link them
together in other files.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-23
10. To adjust the height of the new shape, right-click the shape, select Edit Forward
Condition, Extrude to Distance, change the Distance value to 25.4, and click OK.
Note that this value also could have been specified at the time of initial creation in the
Extrude Shape Wizard dialog.
2. Now drag and drop a cylinder onto the other side of the crankshaft, as shown. Adjust the
Length and Width to 48.3 and the Height to 31.8.
5-24 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
3. To bevel the front edge of the crankshaft, click the Chamfer Edges tool from the
Face/Edge Edit toolbar, and then click the front/top edge of the crankshaft. Type in a
distance of 6.35 for both sides of the chamfer and then click the Apply and Exit
Command button.
4. Repeat this same process using the Blend Edges tool to blend the crankshaft edge to
a radius of 6.35, as shown. Blends are also sometimes referred to as "rounds" or
"fillets."
2. Click Extrude Shape on the IntelliShapes toolbar and then use SmartSnap
feedback to center the origin of the extrude shape on the crankshaft end, as shown.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-25
3. Click Stand alone in the Extrude Shape Wizard and then click Next and
Next again.
4. Set the Distance to 50.8, and then click Finish.
5. Use the Look At tool and other camera tools as needed to position your view of the
drawing grid, approximately as shown.
6. Use the Project Edge/Face tool to project the circular edge from the end face of the
crankshaft and then turn the tool OFF by pressing the Esc key or clicking the tool
button again.
7. Now use the Circle: Center Radius tool to create three more circles, as shown, for
a total of two pairs of concentric circles.
TIP
Notice that when you activate a
command by pressing a tool
button, a context sensitive
prompt is displayed in the
lower left corner of the
IRONCAD window. You should
get in the habit of reading these
prompts. They often reveal
“secrets” that you might not
otherwise notice. For example,
most of the 2D editing
commands assign special
behavior to a right-mouse- Creating Tangent Lines
click. These right-mouse-click
behaviors often add substantial Now you will connect the two outer circles with tangent lines and then trim away portions of
power to the command. the circles to form a single closed profile with two holes.
1. Click the Tangent Line tool and select the left outer circle anywhere along the top
half of the circle. Now move your cursor around and notice that the line stays tangent to
the circle regardless of your cursor location. Notice also the prompt in the bottom left
5-26 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
corner of the IRONCAD window. The system is prompting you to either pick another
point, or to right-click to specify a distance and angle.
2. Move your cursor along the top edge of the right outer circle until the line snaps to the
tangent point of the circle, as shown, and then click that point. If you have difficulty
snapping to the desired point, try holding down the Shift key to disable
SmartCursor snapping.
3. While the Tangent Line tool is still active, repeat to create a tangent line along the
bottom sides of the outer circles, as shown, and then press the Esc key to end the
command.
4. Use Trim Curve Between Curves to trim the interior portion of each outer circle.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-27
Right-click
to lock
2. Select the left inner circle and then right-click its center point and select Lock
Position.
3. Click Concentric circle or arc and apply the two concentric relationships, as
shown.
1.
4.
2. 3.
4. Using the Dimension Constraint tool, dimension the radius of each circle and arc.
Click once to select the circle or arc and once again to specify the dimension location.
52.1
40.2
25.4
15.4
5. Using the Dimension Constraint tool again, dimension the horizontal distance
between the two inner circles. Click one circle, then click the other circle and then click
to locate the dimension.
5-28 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
115.5
52.1 3.
40.2
25.4
1. 2. 15.4
6. Place another dimension between the circle centers, but this time align it vertically and
make sure it’s set to 0.0.
7. Now edit each dimension to achieve the values shown.
76.2
50.8
38.1
27.9
19.1
27.9 mm
50.8 mm
19.1 mm
38.1 mm
76.2 mm
mm
3. Enter the expressions shown below for the R1 and R2 parameters. (In this example, R1
is the radius of the right arc and R2 is the radius of the right circle. Your parameter
names may be arranged differently. If so, you need to compensate accordingly). Click
OK to apply the changes.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-29
27.9 mm
50.8 mm
27.9 mm
36.8 mm
76.2 mm
mm
4. Notice that the dependent dimension values are now calculated correctly. They are also
highlighted in a different color than the red (independent) dimensions.
76.2
50.8 36.8
27.9
27.9
Creating an Assembly
In this section you'll organize the parts you've designed by combining them into a new
assembly and editing their names and colors.
1. Make sure everything in the scene is deselected, either by clicking on the scene
background or by choosing Deselect All from the Edit menu.
2. Select all three parts simultaneously by clicking one part then shift-clicking the other
two. All three parts should be highlighted with cyan colored edges. Alternately, you can
select the parts from the Scene Browser.
3. Select Assembly, Assemble from the main menu bar.
4. Open the Scene Browser to view the newly created assembly.
5-30 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
5. Rename the assembly and its component parts, as shown.
6. Open the Surfaces catalog and drag your favorite color onto the crank arm. If you
have the assembly selected, or nothing selected, you will be prompted to choose
whether to apply the new SmartPaint object to the entire assembly or only to the
part. Choose Replace SmartPaint for this part only. If the part is selected
when you drop the SmartPaint onto it, you will not be prompted and only the
selected part will be affected.
7. To blend the outer edges, click Blend Edges, set the radius to 6.35, select Extend
to smoothly connected edges and then pick the two outer edges, as shown, and
apply the command.
6.35 6.35
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-31
Click
2. Select Remove Material in the Extrude Shape Wizard and then click Finish.
Now use the TriBall to position the origin of the drawing surface at the center of the back face
of the flywheel.
3. Click the TriBall tool and then right-click on the center of the TriBall, as shown, and
select To Center Point. Click the circular edge of the back face of the flywheel, as
shown. The origin of the drawing surface should now be located at the center of the
back face of the flywheel.
1. Right-click
2. Click
Click
7. Click any blank spot on the drawing surface to deselect the projected circle. Notice that
the circle has been projected as construction geometry instead of regular geometry.
8. Select the horizontal datum line and then drag it by its vertex (at the origin) and snap it
to the intersection of the vertical datum and the projected circle, as shown.
5-32 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
Drag
-60.00 3.7
3.2
2.0
12. With the line just created still selected, click the Mirror tool and then click the vertical
datum line. A mirror copy of the line segment is created.
13. Use the Two Point Line tool to create two horizontal lines connecting the angled line
segments, as shown.
You've just created a profile for cutting out material between two teeth, but now you must make
radial copies of this pattern all the way around the perimeter of the Flywheel.
14. Right-click any one of the four line segments comprising the trapezoid and choose
Select Outline. All four lines should now be selected.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-33
15. Click the Rotate 2D Curves tool and use the right mouse button to drag the outline
a few degrees clockwise. When you release the mouse button, select the Copy Here
option.
16. Enter 5 for Rotation Angle and 360/5 - 1 for Number of copies.
17. Click Finish Shape.
18. Now specify the depth of the cut to ensure that it goes all the way through the edge of
the flywheel.
19. With the newly created shape selected at the IntelliShape editing level, right-click on
one of its faces, select Edit Forward End Condition and then Extrude thru
Part. This ensures that the extrusion always goes through the entire part, regardless of
any dimensional changes made to other features of the part.
3. Click Finish Shape. You should now have only a single cutout, as shown.
4. With the shape still selected, click the TriBall and then click the handle on the axis of
the TriBall running parallel to the axis of the crankshaft, as shown. The axis is
highlighted in yellow to indicate that it is "locked." It is temporarily constrained to
only allow motion about or along this axis. Now use the right mouse button to rotate the
TriBall about the locked axis using an upward dragging motion, as shown. Upon
releasing the mouse, select the Link Here option. Enter 360/5 -1 for Number and 5
for Angle and then click OK.
5-34 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
3. Choose Link Here
1. Click
2. Right-Drag
5. Turn OFF the TriBall, open the Scene Browser, and notice the shapes listed under
the flywheel shape. Now instead of just one extrude IntelliShape, thee are 72 linked
instances of a single extrude shape! If you make a geometric change to any one of these
shapes it will apply to all of them, as you will see in the following section.
2. Click the Fillet tool and then click the bottom right vertex. Now the system is
prompting you to left-click and drag if you want to visually specify the radius, or to
right-click and drag to precisely specify the fillet radius. Right-click and drag, enter a
value or 1.3, and click OK. Repeat for the bottom left vertex.
1. Click
2. Right-Click anywhere
and enter radius
3. Delete one of the rounded corners (right-click the arc line segment and select Delete
or select it then press the Delete key). Notice that the sharp corner reappears.
4. Press Undo to undo the delete, or create the fillet again.
IRONCAD Getting Started Guide - Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections 5-35
5. Click Finish Shape. Notice that this change is reflected in all 72 linked instances of
the shape.
This concludes the chapter, demonstrating some of the more advanced capabilities of the of
creating and editing shapes using 2D cross-sections.
5-36 Creating and Editing Shapes Using 2D Cross-sections - IRONCAD Getting Started Guide
Chapter 6
2D plane.
Drag this to move
freely within the
selected virtual
plane.
2. Click this
face.
4. Position the key into the keyway by dragging the center of the TriBall to the corner
point of the shaft, as shown. Alternately, right-click the center of the TriBall and
choose To Point from the resulting pop-up menu and then select the corner point of
the shaft. Both approaches have the same result.
1. Right-click and
choose To Point.
2. Click this
point.
Right-click and
choose Reverse.
2. Pick this
center point.
3. Pick this
center point.
Drag center of
TriBall to center of hole.
2. Select the shaft and turn on the TriBall. Move the shaft to the center of the socket by
first right-clicking on the center of the TriBall and selecting To Center Point from
the resulting pop-up menu. Then click the inner spherical surface, as shown. In this
case, the outer spherical surface could be chosen as the target, as well, which would
have the same result since the inner and outer spherical surfaces are concentric.
2. Click this
spherical surface.
2. Click the Move Face tool from the Face-Edge Edit toolbar.
4. Enter 3.5 for “Distance 1” and 2 for “Distance 2” and click OK.
5. Click the Copy Feature icon on the Move Face toolbar then click Apply and Exit
Command.
1. Click this
handle.
2. RIGHT-MOUSE-
drag the TriBall center
to the midpoint of this
line and . . .
Drag to this
center snap point.
7. Click the outer TriBall handle, as shown, to constrain the axis. Now, drag the indicated
orientation handle to the base surface shown. This is an example of using the drag-and-
drop capabilities of the orientation handles (as opposed to the “right-click/select”
methods).
8. Turn off the TriBall.
10. In the resulting Custom Hole dialog box, edit the values, as shown and then click OK.
Hole Depth
(h): 0.375
C’bore Diameter
(bd): 0.375
Threads On
Note
Right-mouse-clicking inside the
TriBall (not on a handle)
activates a pop-up menu with a
variety of settings. For
instance, the Orient to Global
setting is useful for resetting the
Using Increment Snapping with the TriBall orientation of a “skewed”
object with respect to the global
1. Select the Custom Hole and turn on the TriBall. scene coordinates.
2. Then, right-click in an empty area inside the TriBall (i.e., not on a handle) and choose
Change Snap Increments... from the resulting pop-up menu.
3. Enter Distance value of 0.125 in the TriBall Snap Increments dialog then click OK.
CTRL - Drag
4. Now, create a radial array of holes about the center. To accomplish this, click the outer
TriBall handle shown to specify the axis of rotation.
5. Next, right-mouse-drag in an empty area within the TriBall (not on a handle). Release
the right mouse button and choose Create Radial Pattern from the resulting pop-
up menu.
2. RIGHT-MOUSE-drag
to about 45 degrees
and choose Link Here.
The part should appear as shown. (If the threads aren’t displayed on all of the holes, just
access Add-On Properties by right-clicking on the IntelliShape.)
This concludes this chapter, demonstrating some of the more advanced capabilities of the
TriBall.
3. Using the same method, change the scale of the front and top views to 1:2. The
drawing should look like this:
2. Zoom in on the Top view. Using the same technique, add the secondary (B) and tertiary
(C) datums, as shown.
30
2. Now add the point-to-line SmartDimension shown by clicking the two locations
indicated, in the order shown. Note that the dimension measures the perpendicular
distance from the point to the line.
30
102
15
15
127.9
R 30
37.3
269.8
7. Use the SmartDimension tool to add the radial dimension shown. Again, note
that when clicking on any circular arc (except for its midpoint) with the
Note SmartDimension tool, a radius dimension is automatically inferred.
When clicking on a circular arc
(except for its midpoint) with R 23.9
the SmartDimension tool, a
radial dimension is
automatically inferred.
When clicking on a circle with
the SmartDimension tool, a
diameter dimension is
automatically inferred. If this is
not desired, use the Radial or
Diameter Dimension tool
instead of a SmartDimension.
102
f 100.6
R 23.9
102
9. Use the SmartDimension tool to add the line-to-line dimension shown. Hold the
Shift key for the first click. The Shift key will override the single-click behavior
Note
(measuring the length of the selected line with one click) of the SmartDimension
tool. The SmartDimension tool has a
default "single click" behavior.
This behavior allows
dimensions to be applied with a
single mouse click when the
first selection is a Line, Arc, or
Circle. To override this
behavior, hold down the Shift
key when making the first pick.
10
Note
10. Use the SmartDimension tool to add the point-to-line dimension shown. Hold
the Shift key for the first click. The Shift key will override the “single-click” behavior
of the SmartDimension tool and use the center point of the circle as the point from
which to measure.
30
102
R 30
10
210.1
11. Use the SmartDimension tool to add the point-to-line dimension shown.
202.5
10
210.1
202.5
269.8
2.5
2. To hide the leader line for the Control Frame, click the More button, deselect Show
Leader Line, and click OK and then OK again.
The Feature Control Frame should now resemble that below:
R 23.9
2.5
101.2
Creating Centerlines
1. Zoom in on the Front View and add a centerline to the hole shown below by clicking the
Linear Centerline tool and then clicking on the circle, as shown. There are four
extension lines which can be sized by selecting the centerline and dragging the red
handles. Dimensions can be applied to these lines.
Note
The angular orientation of a
centerline can be changed by
right-clicking on it and choosing
Properties.
35.1
15
160.5
3. Set the exact position of the Reference Line by right-clicking on it, choosing
Properties, and entering an offset value of 38.1. Also change the style to Dot.
4. Repeat the steps above to add another Reference Line, but with an offset of 12.7.
25.4
105
160.5
6. Add a textbox, as shown, by clicking the Text With Leader tool, clicking on the
part, dragging to the location shown, and then entering PAINT ZONE as the text.
25.4
105
160.5
4. Zoom in on the Top view. Select the Section View tool and then click the location
shown to place the section line.
6. Right-click on the section view, choose Properties, and check the Name option.
Click OK.
7. Select the Detail View tool and then click the location shown to place the center point
of the detail area. Drag the mouse to the approximate diameter shown and then click to
complete the detail area.
8. Zoom out and then click to position the new view, as shown.
9. Right-click on the detail view and choose Properties. Turn ON the Name and
Scale check boxes. If necessary, change the View Label to B. Click OK.
11. Zoom out and click to place the view, as shown. Note that the view is automatically
aligned with the auxiliary view direction.
12. Select the auxiliary line and size it, as shown, with the red endpoint handles.
13. Right-click on the auxiliary view and choose Properties. Change the View label to C
and turn ON the Name check box. Click OK. (Notice that the labels on the auxiliary
line updated to reflect the new view name.)
22. Right-click on the view and choose Properties, change the scale factor to 1:1, and
then choose OK. The sheet should resemble the following:
Named Styles
There are a variety of options available for changing the appearance of a drawing, such as
dimension styles and layers. For example, a dimension's style can be changed individually by
right-clicking it and choosing Properties. On the other hand, changing the styles for the
entire drawing at once can be achieved using Named Styles.
1. To change the dimension style for the entire drawing, first click on the Named
Styles tool on the Styles and Layers toolbar. In the Type of named Style
drop down list, choose Dimension Styles, then choose ISO as the named style and
click the Modify button.
2. Select the Font tab and choose:
• Name: Arial Narrow
• Style: Regular
• Size: 12
Then choose OK and Close. All dimensions on the drawing should now update to
reflect the changes.
3. Move the B datum from Sheet 1 of the drawing to the DATUMS layer by right-clicking
on it, selecting Properties, selecting More, and then selecting the layer, DATUMS.
Click OK twice. Now the B datum will be displayed in blue on the drawing.
Part/Drawing Associativity
When a change is made to the geometry of a 3D part, the changes can be updated in the
associated drawing(s). In many cases the dimensions will also automatically update.
1. Right-click on the ISOMETRIC view and choose Edit Scene. The 3D part file will
open. Select the inner cylindrical face of the hole shown, right-click, choose Edit
Face Radius, and enter a value of 27.9. Click OK.
27.9
2. Select the outer circular edge of the feature shown, right-click, choose Blend Edges,
enter a constant radius of 12.7, and click the green button to apply the blend.
12.7
f 100.5
R 27.9
2.5
102
This concludes this chapter, demonstrating some of the more advanced features of IRONCAD's
drawing creation capabilities.
In this chapter:
• Create 3D Curves from points and from 2D profiles
• Create Surfaces from Solids
• Create Sweep, UV Mesh, Edge and Ruled Surfaces
• Complete a Closed Volume Surface Model to a create Solid Model of a Faucet
This guide will walk you through using IronCAD’s surfacing modeling tools to create this
faucet base part:
Creating 3D Curves
1. Drag the Slot from the Shapes catalog and drop it into the scene.
2. Select the slot at the IntelliShape editing level and resize using the Edit Sizebox
dialog.
3. Enter the following values then click OK:
• L: 130
• W: 40
• H: 15
4. Click the Insert 2D Shape tool then click on the center of the front face of the Slot
shape.
5. Activate the TriBall and move the grid out from the face 100mm and up 65mm.
1
3
11. Finally move it up about 44mm and it will be in place. The exact location isn’t critical
and you can adjust it to vary the shape of the faucet. Click Apply to finish the 3D
12. Repeat the 3D Curve to connect the other 3 points on the Slot to the other corners of the
rectangle. It’s a good idea to use the TriBall to mirror the curves from one side to the
other to insure symmetry. Also, create a curve down the middle of the faucet, using the
same TriBall technique, to give it a more raised surface in the middle.
The Curves should look similar to this when you are finished:
Creating Surfaces
1. The Sweep Surface gives you many options for driving cross sections along “rails”
to create unique shapes. Click the Sweep Surface icon from the Surface toolbar.
2. Click a vertex on the Slot surface. Then choose the follow options from the Sweep
Surface ribbon bar:
NOTE: Make sure you click the Add as Intellishape icon. This is an important
option to add the new surface to the existing surface so that it remains one part.
3. Select the two Guide Curves first (longer 3D Curves) then the arc edge of the Slot and
the side of the rectangle as the cross sections then click the Apply button. Make sure the
two match points (red dots) line up on corresponding ends of the cross section otherwise
the surface will twist. Also, the two red arrows should face the same direction.
2 4
4. Repeat the Sweep process for the other side of the part.
5. Click the Mesh Surface icon and select a vertex on the model, then click the Add
as Intellishape icon from the Mesh Surface ribbon bar.
6. The Mesh Surface requires curves running in two directions to create a mesh “network”
that defines the surface shape. Select the top two shorter curves for the “U” curves then
U1
V1
V2
V3
U2
7. The Edge Surface is used to create a “patch” connection 3 or 4 edges. Click the
Edge Surface icon and select a vertex on the model, then click the Add as
Intellishape icon from the Edge Surface ribbon bar.
4
2
9. The Ruled Surface is used to create a straight transition between two edges. Click
the Ruled Surface icon and select a vertex on the model, then click the Add as
Intellishape icon from the Ruled Surface ribbon bar.
The model is now completely closed and automatically converts to a solid model. You can
now experiment by adding more features to finish the design.
It is important to keep in mind that the best rendering style for many applications is not
necessarily the 'highest' settings. The following is a series of images of the same scene, with
different rendering styles and a description of when the style is most useful.
Wireframe - this style is rarely used for final renderings, unless there is a particular need to
see the actual polygons on the models.
Smooth shading - this style displays models with continuously shaded smooth surfaces, which
eliminates the 'faceted' look which is apparent with the wireframe and facet shading styles.
Realistic shading - this style displays more realistic highlights and textures than smooth shad-
ing. This style will also display the effects of spotlights and bump maps.
Realistic shading / shadows / antialiasing - same as above with the addition of shadows, which
can add a nice touch of realism in some cases, however many times it can be distracting for
visualization purposes, especially when there are multiple light sources which are casting
shadows. Use with discretion.
Lighting
Proper lighting is essential for good rendering. The default lighting scheme in IronCAD
consists of four directional lights, equally positioned around the center of the scene (see
figure). This lighting scheme is intended to provide equal lighting from all viewing angles.
While this is very desirable for modeling tasks, it is not usually the best lighting arrangement
for good renderings. To quickly change the lighting for better renderings, follow these simple
steps:
• On the camera toolbar, choose Save Camera. (This saves the current view so it can be
recalled later.)
• From the View menu, choose Lights. (This shows all lights in the scene.)
• On the camera toolbar, choose Fit Scene
• Click and drag the directional lights to get better highlights and contrast in the scene.
• From the View menu, choose Lights. (Which hides the lights again.)
• On the camera toolbar, choose Restore Camera. (This restores the previously saved view.)
The figures below show an example of how dramatically simple lighting changes can improve
an image. Note that both images are rendered with the same rendering style, only the default
lighting has been changed slightly. Even more dramatic effects can be achieved by adding other
types of lights (i.e. point lights and spotlights) and adjusting advanced light settings such as
intensity, shadow softness, attenuation, etc.
Simply zooming in on a model or performing a fit scene does not produce an accurate
perspective of a model.
Surface Smoothness
If you have a solid or surface model, IronCAD allows you to increase the surface smoothness,
a feature that is useful when rendering photo-realistic images within IronCAD. To do this, right
click on a model and choose Part Properties. Choose the Rendering tab and increase the
Surface Smoothness slider bar. The image below shows the effect of changing the surface
smoothness. The slider stops at 72, for higher values type directly into the box.
Rendering Time
There are many factors which can affect the amount of time required to render an image. The
major factors are:
• Rendering Style
• Resolution (# of pixels)
• Number of models
• Complexity of models
• Surface properties (reflection and/or transparency)
• Texture image file size
The following is a table of rendering times for a sample scene.
• System Configuration - 200 Mhz Pentium Pro with 64M RAM
• Image resolution - 800x600 pixel, TIFF format
Realistic 7 sec.
Realistic w/ 66 sec.
Antialiasing,
Shadows, and
Ray Tracing
Reflection: 100 Reflection Map: NONE Rendering Style: Ray tracing w/ antialiasing
Transparency Effects
A variety of transparency effects can be achieved in IronCAD, depending on the surface and
rendering style settings. To change the transparency of an object, right click on it and choose
SmartPaint, then choose the Transparency tab.
The transparency setting controls how transparent the object is, with 0 being opaque and 100
being completely transparent.
The Transparency at edges setting can be used to give a realistic 'glassy' effect to the edges.
Ray tracing is not required for this effect.
The Index of refraction setting controls how transparent objects distort the light rays passing
through them. This property can be thought of as a 'magnifying' property, and it can be varied
to simulate real world materials such as:
• Flint Glass: 1.71
• Crown Glass: 1.51
• Diamond: 2.47
The most import point to understand about transparency is that for most situations, ray tracing
is not needed to produce acceptable transparency effects. In fact, the refractive effects caused
by ray tracing can be very distracting in situations where the transparency is being used for
visualization purposes.
In the image above, although the cylinders are actually touching the flat surface, the shadows
are 'floating' away from the base of the object. Also notice the poor quality of the shadow
edges.
In the previous image, the 'floating' problem is eliminated by decreasing the shadow 'bias'
setting. However the quality of the shadow edges is still poor.
In the above image, the quality of the shadow edges has been greatly improved by increasing
the shadow 'sampling rate' and 'resolution' settings.
This image shows the effect of 'ray traced' shadows. Ray traced shadows will eliminate the
'floating' effect and solve shadow edge quality problems, however this method can only
produce sharp shadows.
Templates
One of the quickest and easiest ways to create quality renderings is by using templates.
IronCAD templates are simply blank scenes which have been 'preset' with various types of
props, lights and rendering settings. To open a template, simply choose File / New, then choose
the appropriate tab / file. Custom templates can be created be simply adding IronCAD files to
the 'Templates' directory where IronCAD is installed. Custom template 'tabs' can also be
created by simply creating subdirectories under the 'Templates' directory.
Projection Types
When applying any texture, decal, or bump map in IronCAD, a projection method is used to
determine how the image is 'wrapped' onto the surface(s). There are a variety of interactive
projection tools in IronCAD which allow the user to manipulate, position, and orient images
directly on the object itself. When an object is selected, the appropriate projection type(s) will
be highlighted on the editing toolbar (move texture, move bumps, or move decal). These
buttons can be selected to activate the interactive projection tool. As shown below, each
projection type has an on-screen representation which can be manipulated with 'handles'
(except for 'Automatic' and 'Natural' - see the IronCAD documentation).
Tip: In addition to using the handles, the TriBall can also be used to manipulate the projection
tools. To do this, just turn on the TriBall when a projection tool is active.
Tip: The projection type can be changed 'on the fly' by right clicking when a projection tool is
active.
Cylindrical
Bump Maps
Bump mapping is a rendering technique that uses an image file to give the illusion of a 3D
'bump' appearance to a surface. The image file and placement of a bump map is the same as
that of normal textures / decals, but the way it is rendered is quite different. The following two
images show the difference between using an image as a texture and as a Bump Map. The third
image illustrates how Image Maps and Bump Maps can be used together to create very realistic
surfaces. Rendering must be set to Realistic to see bump effects.
For instance if a 'Height Move' from the Animation catalog was dropped onto this cylinder, it
would move a certain distance upward, along the Height axis of the anchor. Similarly, if a
"Width Spin" were dropped onto the cylinder instead, it would rotate about the Width axis of
the anchor using the anchor as the center of rotation, or 'pivot' point.
In many cases it is necessary or useful to reposition the anchor to control the animation
behavior of an object. For example, consider the model shown in the image below. If point A is
the initial position of the model's anchor and a "Height Spin" is applied, the model will rotate
about axis A, using the default anchor location (point A) as a pivot point. If the desired effect is
that the model rotate about a different point/axis on the model, let's say B, then the easiest way
to achieve this is by moving the anchor location. If the anchor can be relocated to point B then
the desired effect will be achieved and the animation itself does not have to be modified.
By noting the position of each part's anchor, it is easy to determine what type of animation
should be used on each part (see image below): a Height Move for parts A and C, and Length
Move for part B. Part D doesn't require an animation since all of the other parts are moving
away from it.
4. In the SmartMotion editor, adjust the animations so that they occur sequentially as
shown below. The order is not important.
5. Play the animation. If the model / group spins out of the view port, the anchor may need
to be repositioned nearer to the center of the model / group.
6. Export the animation. Choose Export Animation from the File menu.
onto a surface on the model which is perpendicular to the direction of the desired
cutaway direction.
2. Resize the block so that it cuts away the appropriate size cross-section. In general, it
should be larger than the entire model, especially in the direction of the cutaway.
3. Drop a 'Height Move' animation
from the catalog onto a surface that the H Block is cutting. The animation path will
appear.
*To set the frame rate, right click on the background of the SmartMotion Editor and choose
Properties, then type in the appropriate frame rate. The total number of frames will be
increased/decreased appropriately.
Animated GIF
GIF is also a compressed animation format, and was developed for transferring graphics
'online.' Traditionally the GIF format is used to store single image files, but beginning with GIF
version 89a the format is also used store animations, or 'flipbooks' of GIF images in sequence.
This is currently the most popular format for animations on the Web and is supported by all
newer browsers.
Translation handle
Shift + drag ........................................ Activate SmartSnap feedback to TriBall center