Parametric design

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Parametric design

• With Pro/Engineer (Pro-E)
• Parametric Technology Corporation
• (ptc)

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What is Pro/Engineer?

• 3D solid modeling and design program
• Fundamental proE concepts
• Feature-based modeling
• Associative
• Parametric

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What does feature-based mean?

• Feature-based modeling means you start with
  simple basic features and then add more features
• Part is constructed so that its individual
  features describe the way the geometry should
  behave - ie a cut knows its shape and location
  and the fact it has negative volume

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Associative
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Parametric Design

• Each feature you give the part is a parameter
  which can be changed
• Parent-child relations are important to understand

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Implicit vs. Explicit Relationships

• Implicit - new geometry or feature is
  sketched/dimensioned based on some existing part
• Explicit - new geometry is defined mathematically
  by the user, ie any number of spoke holes in a
  bike rim are all equally distant to each other

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What is parametric modeling used for?

• CAD
• Analysis of design concepts
• Improvement of rapid prototyping process
• Reduced iterations and increased optimization
• Simulation
• Actual performance of design
• FEA (finite element analysis)
• Simulated performance under extreme conditions
  safely - fire, earthquake, max. loads

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Where is ProE available from?

• Student version is available from ptc website or
  bookstore, etc.
• Student version also available in EBUII 239 and
  203 computer labs
• Note- student version and full version
  incompatible!

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Some examples
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Examples
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Harley Davidson Design
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Prosthetic feet
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Lotus Elise design (rendered image)
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Gas Turbine design - try this in AutoCADand test
your sanity
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Examples
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Now to proE
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Pro-E Assembler

• Methods of Assembly
• -parametric assembly
• -)assign the position of a part relative to
  the base part or subassembly
• -nonparametric assembly
• -)package option in component menu, and
  change relative position
• -create parts directly in the assembler

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How to think about assembling

• Bottom up assembly design
• Existing parts are assembled to your
  specifications
• Top down assembly design
• Create parts in the assembler relative to others
• Combination
• Assemblies can be edited for organization,
  placement, and can even become subassemblies in a
  larger assembly

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Hints for successful sessions

• Know how to fix your mistakes! If some dimension
  is wrong or a feature is not as wished, change
  it! This is a feature-based program, so all
  features remain editable.
• Apply your understandings of other three
  dimensional programs and even art to creating
  models in proE- you'll find you can pick up more
  about proE faster that way.
• Always make a folder for your new parts or
  assemblies then change your working directory to
  that, as the previous models tend to mount up.
  If you don't change the directory, the root
  directory of your hard drive will soon become a
  big group of blank icons.

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More hints

• Above all...stay calm. The more angry you get,
  the less well pro-E will work for you...trust me.
  If something isn't working, take a break, go get
  a glass of water, a coffee, go lie down
  somewhere, or meditate.

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References

• The web
• Many online tutorials, examples, resources
• www.ptc.com/community/
• Books
• Bookstore carries training books
• Books by Louis Gary Lamit such as Pro/Engineer
  2000i2
• Professors doing research with ProE/ProMechanica
• Practice, practice, practice!!!
• Model your entire home and prove to your
  significant other that that new couch really will
  fit
• Warning! The model is never the true system!
• Model your car, your bike, your bird, etc.

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End of Talk

• Questions?

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Appendix
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What is a Datum?

• Points, planes, axes, coord systems, curves

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Why use Datums?