CADKEY

19Product Enhancements

This document highlights all the new functionality in CADKEY 19, DRAFT-PAK 19, CADKEY PARAMETRICS 19, and the CDEs Smart Layout, FileManager, Dimension Wizard, PlotDate, CKTools and PlotFast for Windows.

This information is also included in the "What's New" section of the help filesfor each product.

CADKEY Corporation

33 Boston Post Rd. West

Marlborough, MA 01752 USA

PH (508) 229-2020 FX (508) 229-2121

www.cadkey.com

Copyright and Trademark Notice

CADKEY 19

Copyright 2000 CADKEY Corporation All Rights Reserved

CADKEY Corporation33 Boston Post Road WestMarlborough MA, 01752 USATel : (508) 229-2020Fax: (508) 229-2121

This documentation may not be reproduced in any form, for any purpose, unless itcomplies with the terms presented in the CADKEY Corporation Software LicenseAgreement.

CADKEY Corporation and the program authors have no liability or responsibility to thepurchaser or any other person or entity with respect to liability, loss or damagecaused, or alleged to be caused either directly or indirectly by this software, includingbut not limited to, any interruption of service, loss of business or anticipatory profits orconsequential damages resulting from the use or operation of this software.

Updates will be made to this documentation periodically and incorporated in futureeditions.

CADKEY is a registered trademark of CADKEY Corporation.

ACIS is a registered trademark of SPATIAL TECHNOLOGY INC.

Microsoft, MS-DOS, and Windows are trademarks or registered trademarks ofMicrosoft Corp.Wintab is a trademark of LCS/Telegraphics.SOFT ENGINE is a trademark of Vibrant Graphics, Inc.

OpenGL is a trademark of Silicon Graphics, Inc.

MS-DOS is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corp.

Pentium is a trademark of Intel, Corp.

DXF is a trademark of Autodesk, Inc.Portions copyright OpenDWG Alliance. All rights reserved.

All other brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respectiveowners.

Final November, 2000

Table of Contents

Introduction..........................................................................................................................1CADKEY Core Enhancements.............................................................................................2Zoom...................................................................................................................................3

Zoom In...................................................................................................................3Zoom Out................................................................................................................3

Rotate Part...........................................................................................................................4Rotate Part Dynamic.................................................................................................4Rotate Up.................................................................................................................4Rotate Down............................................................................................................5Rotate Left...............................................................................................................5Rotate Right.............................................................................................................5Rotate Clockwise.....................................................................................................5Rotate Counterclockwise..........................................................................................5

Pan......................................................................................................................................6Pan Window.............................................................................................................6Pan Up.....................................................................................................................6Pan Down................................................................................................................7Pan Left...................................................................................................................7Pan Right.................................................................................................................7

Arc.......................................................................................................................................8Arc by Offset...........................................................................................................8

Point..................................................................................................................................10Mid-Point...............................................................................................................10

Ellipse................................................................................................................................11Ellipse by Outer Axes.............................................................................................11Ellipse by Inner Axes.............................................................................................12

Rectangle...........................................................................................................................13Using Corners and Rounded Corners.......................................................................14Using Width/Height and Rounded Width/Height.....................................................14Using Anchor and Rounded Anchor........................................................................14

DWG/DXF AutoCAD 2000 Support...................................................................................16Supported Versions................................................................................................16

Solid Enhancements...........................................................................................................18Blend Edges and Vertexes of a Solid...................................................................................19

Variable Radius Edge Blending..............................................................................20Body Warping Commands..................................................................................................27

Twist.....................................................................................................................27Stretch...................................................................................................................29

Create Shell from Solid......................................................................................................33Shelling Inward/Outward........................................................................................33Multi-Offset Shelling..............................................................................................34

Introduction

2 CADKEY 19

Use of Multiple Profiles......................................................................................................37DRAFT-PAK Enhancements..............................................................................................39Feature Setup.....................................................................................................................40Creating a Structural Shape.................................................................................................41Spring................................................................................................................................42Parametrics Enhancements.................................................................................................43Features.............................................................................................................................44

Draft......................................................................................................................44Multiple Loops...................................................................................................................48CADKEY CDEs Added......................................................................................................49Smart Layout......................................................................................................................50

Create Layout.........................................................................................................50Modify Layout.......................................................................................................51Load Pattern...........................................................................................................52M/L Copy..............................................................................................................52Setting...................................................................................................................53About.....................................................................................................................53Help.......................................................................................................................53

Part File Manager...............................................................................................................54Open Part File........................................................................................................54Save Part File.........................................................................................................55Search Part File......................................................................................................59About.....................................................................................................................62Help.......................................................................................................................62

Dimension Wizard..............................................................................................................63Automatic Dimensioning........................................................................................63Configuration Settings............................................................................................64Dimension Merge...................................................................................................70Reassociate Dimension...........................................................................................71Help.......................................................................................................................71Info........................................................................................................................71

PlotDate.............................................................................................................................72Application Menu Functions...................................................................................72

CKTools............................................................................................................................76Create Tools.......................................................................................................................77

LINANGLE ...........................................................................................................77L-COORDS...........................................................................................................78O-LINES................................................................................................................78PARLINE ..............................................................................................................78TANANG ..............................................................................................................79PARARC...............................................................................................................79ALONGAX............................................................................................................79BOLTCIRC............................................................................................................81MIDPOINT............................................................................................................82

Zoom In

Enhancements 3

P-COORDS............................................................................................................83CUBIC...................................................................................................................83PARSPL................................................................................................................83SPIRALS...............................................................................................................84

Detail Tools.......................................................................................................................85ACTDIM ...............................................................................................................85BALLOONS..........................................................................................................92CNTRLINE............................................................................................................93COORDS...............................................................................................................94NOTEPATH..........................................................................................................95NOTES..................................................................................................................95SETTEXT..............................................................................................................96TABLES................................................................................................................97VALIDATE ...........................................................................................................97

Modify Tools.....................................................................................................................99PTRIM...................................................................................................................99KINK .....................................................................................................................99MOVEND............................................................................................................100ARCEDIT............................................................................................................100JOIN ....................................................................................................................101EXPLODE...........................................................................................................101ALIGN ................................................................................................................102OFFSET..............................................................................................................102TUBES................................................................................................................103

Utility Tools.....................................................................................................................104CLEAR................................................................................................................104COUNT...............................................................................................................104HOLESIZE..........................................................................................................104MASK .................................................................................................................105SAMEAS.............................................................................................................105PAN.....................................................................................................................105SCROLL..............................................................................................................105SHOW.................................................................................................................106D-LAST...............................................................................................................106V-COORDS.........................................................................................................107

PlotFast for Windows.......................................................................................................108Install and Setup...................................................................................................108Generic Driver Installation....................................................................................110PlotFast Configurations........................................................................................111PlotFast Dialog Box.............................................................................................113Drag and Drop Capabilities...................................................................................116Plotting in PlotFast...............................................................................................116

Introduction

CADKEY 19 incorporates changes to the core product, Solids, Parametrics and DRAFT-PAK.CADKEY 19 also contains some additional CDE utilities such as Smart Layout, Part FileManager, Dimension Wizard, PlotFast for Windows, PlotDate, and CK Tools.

See the README.TXT file on the root directory of the CADKEY 19 CD (alsocopied to the root directory of CADKEY once it is installed on your harddrive) for any last minute updates to this documentation.

CADKEY Core Enhancements

2 CADKEY 19

CADKEY Core Enhancements

View Control Functionsn Zoom

n Pan

n Rotate

New Creation functionsn Create Ellipse Function Group

n Create Ellipse by outer axes

n Create Ellipse by inner axes

n Create Arc by Offset

n Create Mid-Point

n Rectangle by Lines function is enhanced to have two new components:

n Rounded rectangle.

n Anchored rectangle.

Data Exchangen Support for AutoCAD 2000 files

Zoom In

Enhancements 3

Zoom

Controls the display scale. Zoom options change only the appearance of the part, not the part data.

When you choose Zoom from the View Menu, the following options appear:

Zoom InZoom In multiplies the scale by 110%.

Zoom OutZoom Out multiplies the scale by (1 / 1.10 =90.909090%). This guarantees that hitting ZoomIn and then Zoom Out will return you to the same scale.

Rotate Part

4 CADKEY 19

Rotate Part

Rotate Part DynamicDynamically rotates your part in the active viewport. Note that you are actually rotating theviewpoint, not the actual orientation of the model in world space.

Multiple click and drag operations can be performed while rotating the part.

1. Choose Rotate Part>Rotate Part Dynamic from the Menu bar or click the icon (left)on the toolbar.

2. Indicate a rotation center point for the part using the standard Position Menuoptions.

3. Click on the screen with the left mouse button and drag to dynamically move thepart with the cursor.

4. Release the mouse button when the part is in the position you want. You cancontinue to dynamically move the part until you choose ACCEPT.

5. Choose ACCEPT to accept the defined view.

Rotate UpThis function rotates the viewport up along a horizontal axis through the center of the view by10 degrees each time the function is invoked.

Rotate Down

Enhancements 5

Rotate DownThis function rotates the viewport down along a horizontal axis through the center of the viewby 10 degrees each time the function is invoked.

Rotate LeftThis function rotates the viewport left along a vertical axis through the center of the view by10 degrees each time the function is invoked.

Rotate RightThis function rotates the viewport right along a vertical axis through the center of the view by10 degrees each time the function is invoked.

Rotate ClockwiseThis function rotates the viewport clockwise perpendicular to the view by 10 degrees eachtime the function is invoked.

Rotate CounterclockwiseThis function rotates the viewport counterclockwise perpendicular to the view by 10 degreeseach time the function is invoked.

Pan

6 CADKEY 19

Pan

Pan Window Redefines the center of a viewport. This option does not alter coordinate data. Pan is modalor repetitive which means that while selecting entities you can continuously pan to get a betterview of your part.

1. Choose Pan from the View Menu.

2. If working with multiple viewports, choose the viewport to pan. A highlighted rectangleor square matching the selected viewport appears on screen. Your cursor is the center ofthe highlighted viewport. The highlighted viewport moves dynamically with cursormovements.

3. Move the cursor until the part is in the area of the highlighted viewport you want.

4. Click the left mouse button once.

The part moves to the indicated position. The highlighted viewport remains on screen forfurther panning.

5. Choose [Esc] to stop panning.

Pan UpWhen panning up the object moves up the screen by 5% each time you invoke the function.

Pan Down

Enhancements 7

Pan DownWhen panning down the object moves down the screen by 5% each time you invoke thefunction.

Pan LeftWhen panning left the object moves to the left of the screen by 5% each time you invoke thefunction.

Pan RightWhen panning right the object moves to the right of the screen by 5% each time you invokethe function.

Arc

8 CADKEY 19

Arc

To create an arc, choose Arc from the Create Menu. The Arc options appear.

CADKEY measures positive angles counterclockwise from the start to the endangle. Start and end arc angles can be negative or positive.

In 2D construction mode, CADKEY creates the arc and projects the center andedge points to the current construction plane.

In 3D construction mode, CADKEY locates a plane that is parallel to the currentconstruction plane and that passes through the center point. It projects the edgepoint to the plane and creates the arc in the plane.

Arc by OffsetThis allows you to create an arc (or circle) offset from a selected arc. The new arc will havethe same start and end angle as the original arc (or circle).

The radius of the new arc can be determined in two ways. The first is by giving a distance,and choosing a side of the arc to offset by that distance. The second is by choosing a pointthat the new arc will pass through.

If you choose a distance that is greater than the radius of the arc, and then choose the innerside of the arc, an error will be given, and no arc will be created.

Arc created by distance

Arc by Offset

Enhancements 9

Note that the through-point selection does not have to be one that liesbetween the start and end angle of the arc.

Arc created by point

Point

10 CADKEY 19

Point

Choose Point from the Create Menu. The Point options appear:

The display size of points is dependant on the Graphics Marker setting in the Display tabof the "Default Options" dialog box (accessible by selecting Tools, Options from theMenu bar). After changing this setting, you should regenerate your drawing to update thepoint size display.

Mid-PointGiven two positions, this function will create a new point that is halfwaybetween them.

In 3D construction, any two points form a line. The mid-point is the center of this line. Thisis not true when 2D construction is employed. When 2D construction is used, the mid-pointwill be placed on the CPlane and depth currently set.

Ellipse by Outer Axes

Enhancements 11

Ellipse

An ellipse is a set of points within a plane where the sum of the distance between one fixedpoint to any two other fixed points is constant. There are three ways to create an ellipse: byValues and Outer or Inner Axes.

The two new additions are Ellipse by Outer Axes and Ellipse by Inner Axes.

Ellipse by Outer AxesCreates an elliptical arc by selecting three points that represent the major axes of a rectangle.An ellipse is then created that is bounded by that rectangle.

1. Select Ellipse by Outer Axes from the Ellipse submenu.

2. Indicate the origin of the ellipse using one of the Position Menu options.

3. Indicate the major axis point.

The major axis is the absolute distance from the origin point to the X axis point.

4. Indicate the minor axis point.

The minor axis is the absolute distance from the origin point to the Y axis point.

5. You will then be prompted for the start angle (default 0 degrees) and end angle(default 360 degrees) of the ellipse.

CADKEY projects the origin to the current construction plane, and creates theelliptical arc in the current construction view, at the current depth.

Ellipse by Outer Axes

Ellipse

12 CADKEY 19

Ellipse by Inner AxesCreates an elliptical arc by selecting two points that represent the position and magnitude ofthe major axis. Then select two points that represent the position and magnitude of the minoraxis. An ellipse is created that is centered on the intersection of the two axes, and orientedwith the major axis.

1. Select Ellipse by Inner Axes from the Ellipse submenu.

2. Indicate the origin of the ellipse using one of the Position Menu options.

3. Indicate the major axis point.

The major axis is the absolute distance from the origin point to the X axis point.

4. Indicate the minor axis point.

The minor axis is the absolute distance from the origin point to the Y axis point.

5. You will then be prompted for the start angle (default 0 degrees) and end angle(default 360 degrees) of the ellipse.

CADKEY projects the origin to the current construction plane, and creates theelliptical arc in the current construction view, at the current depth.

Ellipse by Outer Axes

Ellipse by Inner Axes

Enhancements 13

Rectangle

Creates a rectangle with entered values for the width and height, or with indicated positions for twocorners of the rectangle. You can create three different types of rectangles:

Line

Polyline

Polygon

In 2D construction mode, CADKEY creates the rectangle and projects the reference point to the currentconstruction plane. In 3D construction mode, CADKEY creates the rectangle in the plane that is parallelto the construction plane and passes through the indicated reference position.

When creating rectangles keep these things in mind:

n The line rectangle has four separate line entities. Select each entity to make changes tothe whole rectangle.

n The current depth must stay the same once you designate a position.

n CADKEY does not fill the corners of a line rectangle when you select line widths greaterthan one.

To make a rectangle of lines follow these steps:

1. Choose Rectangle from the Create options.

2. Choose the rectangle creation type:

n Corners - Creates a rectangle with indicated positions for two opposite corners.

n Width/Height - Creates a rectangle with specified values for the width and height,and an indicated position for the lower-left corner.

n Anchor - Previously when creating rectangles they were automatically anchored bythe lower-left corner. Now you have the option of 9 placement points to anchor therectangle. This option creates a rectangle with specified values for the width andheight and an indicated position for the anchor point of the rectangle.

n Rounded Rectangle by Corners- Creates a rectangle with indicated positions for twoopposite corners with filleted corners.

n Rounded Rectangle by Width/Height - Creates a rectangle with filleted corners withspecified values for the width and height and an indicated position for the lower-leftcorner.

Rectangle

14 CADKEY 19

n Rounded Rectangle Anchor - Creates a rectangle with filleted corners with specifiedvalues for the width and height and an indicated position for the anchor point of therectangle.

The Rounded Corners options do not apply to polyline and polygonrectangles, only line rectangles.

Using Corners and Rounded Corners1. Choose Corners or RCorner from the rectangle options.

2. If using RCorner enter the fillet radius for the corners.

3. Using your mouse, left click to indicate a position for one corner of the rectangle.

A rubberband box connects to the cursor to dynamically display the shape of therectangle as you create it.

4. Click and drag your mouse to indicate a position for the diagonally opposite corner of therectangle.

5. When you create a Polygon Rectangle, choose Outline or Filled to create an outlined orfilled rectangle.

6. When filling, choose a color to fill the rectangle from the Color Selection dialog box.If you outline the rectangle, it is outlined in the current color.

CADKEY creates the rectangle. CADKEY always creates the rectangle in the currentconstruction plane.

Using Width/Height and Rounded Width/Height1. Choose Wid/Ht or RWd/Ht from the rectangle options.

2. If using RWd/Ht enter the fillet radius for the corners.

3. Enter the width and height of the rectangle.

4. When you create a Polygon Rectangle (by Wid/Ht only), choose OutLine or Filled tocreate an outlined or filled rectangle.

5. When filling, choose a color to fill the rectangle from the Color Selection dialog box.If you outline the rectangle, it is outlined in the current color.

6. Using your left mouse button, indicate a position for the lower-left corner of therectangle.

Using Anchor and Rounded Anchor1. Choose Anchor or RAnchor from the rectangle options.

2. Choose one of the Anchoring methods available:

Using Anchor and Rounded Anchor

Enhancements 15

n UprLft (Upper Left) - Places the rectangle by the upper left corner.

n CntLft (Center Left) - Places the rectangle by the center point of the left line.

n LwrLft (Lower Left) - Places the rectangle by the lower left corner.

n UprCnt (Upper Center) - Places the rectangle by the upper center point of the topline.

n CntCnt (Center Center) - Places the rectangle by the center of the rectangle itself.

n LwrCnt (Lower Center) - Places the rectangle by the lower center point of thebottom line.

n UptRgt (Upper Right) - Places the rectangle by the upper right corner.

n CntRgt (Center Right) - Places the rectangle by the center point of the right line.

n LwrRgt (Lower Right) - Places the rectangle by the lower right corner.

3. If using RAnchor enter the fillet radius for the corners.

4. Enter the width and height of the rectangle.

5. Using your left mouse button, indicate a position for the specified anchor of the rectangle.

DWG/DXF AutoCAD 2000 Support

16 CADKEY 19

DWG/DXF AutoCAD 2000 Support

Supported VersionsThe DWG/DXF translator supports the following versions of CADKEY and AutoCAD:

n You can import drawings created with AutoCAD Release 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 2000into CADKEY 19.

n You can export CADKEY part files into AutoCAD Release 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and 2000.

n You can import AutoCAD DWG or DXF files, work with them in CADKEY asAutoCAD entities and then export them to AutoCAD.

Supported EntitiesThe following additional AutoCAD entity types are now supported in CADKEY.

AutoCAD Entity Imported into CADKEY as:

Dimension The translator supports linear, circular (radial and diametric),aligned, and ordinate dimensions. It skips associated blocks.The translator supports all attached attributes, as well as somespecial characters in the text, such as +/-, , and the radius ordiameter symbol.

It defaults as converting the AutoCAD dimension entity into aCADKEY Gendim collective.

Spline Entity CADKEY Spline entity.

Entities Not SupportedThe following additional AutoCAD entity types are not supported in CADKEY.

Entity Type AutoCAD Entity Name

Solid 3D AD_ENT_SOLID3D

Body AD_ENT_BODY

Supported Versions

Enhancements 17

When importing DWG and DXF files, a progress message window is now provided formonitoring the translation process.

Solid Enhancements

18 CADKEY 19

Solid Enhancements

Blending Enhancementsn Blend Interference Checking

Variable Radius Enhancements

n Constant Width Blend

n Rotated Ellipse

n Constant Radius

Body Warping Commands category addedn Bend

n Twist

n Stretch

Shellingn Multi-offset shelling

n Shelling inward/outward

n Create Lip

Multiple Profiles

Supported Versions

Enhancements 19

Blend Edges and Vertexes of a Solid

Solid blending is currently separated by blend functionality into four categories available through atabbed dialog. The options are:

n Vertex Blending

n Constant Radius Edge Blending

n Variable Radius Edge Blending

n Face Blends

The four categories of blending are covered in the following sections.

All four blend types support Blend interference checking. A blend interference checkbox appears on allthe tabs. It can be enabled/disabled in the dialog separately for each blend option.

Allow for blend interference checking enables CADKEY to check for features that might interfere withthe path of the blend surface and allows the blend to complete properly despite the interference. Aninterference such as a hole, protrusion or other geometric feature normally would cause the blend to failor to complete but cause a self-intersecting solid. Enabling this checkbox prevents self-intersectionsfrom occurring and allows the blend to complete properly.

Interference checking is performing additional calculations in the background sonote that when it is enabled the blending process will be slower than blendingwithout interference checking.

For example, if interference checking is not enabled if a blend is placed in such a way that the blend facewill partially intersect a protrusion/hole, then the protrusion/hole is inappropriately blended. If the blendcompletely covers the area taken up by the protrusion/hole, then that protrusion/hole will be deleted.Enabling blend interference checking allows the blend to blend around the protrusion/hole.

Before Blend

Blend Edges and Vertexes of a Solid

20 CADKEY 19

Blend with interference checking turned off

Blend with interference checking turned on

In the example above with interference checking turned off, the protruding section is swallowed by theblend. But with interference checking on, the blend and the protrusion are properly trimmed to eachother.

To get a better understanding of how blend interference checking affects your models try this example.Create a 10 x 5 x 2 block and shell it by a thickness of .2. Blend an outer edge by 1.0, the result is aself-intersecting body. If the blend interference checking is enabled, then this intersection will bedetected and blended appropriately.

In CADKEY 19 there have been additional options added to the Variable Radius Edge Blending. Seedetails to follow.

Variable Radius Edge BlendingThis option blends the edges of a solid with a variable radius. Some of the options in this tab are for thebenefit of designers who want non-exact methods of changing the shape of blends. They will be usefulfor designing parts for which the shape is mostly aesthetic.

There are six types of variable radius blending as listed below. The three new options constant radius,constant width and rotated ellipse are discussed in detail below.

Variable Radius Edge Blending

Enhancements 21

n Constant Radius - This option creates a blend that has a constant radius, but whose crosssection could be non-circular through the use of thumb weights.

n Constant Width - This blend allows you to enter a width that specifies the distancebetween the edges of the blend.

n Rotated Ellipse - This option will create a blend whose cross section is elliptical.

n Start and End - The blend radius is computed as a linear taper from starting value toending value of the edge sequence to be blended.

n Point/Radius Pairs - The blend radius is computed as a function of a smooth curve joininga sequence of points whose radii are provided at certain points along the edge to beblended.

n 2D Spline Function - The blend radius is computed as a function of a 2D curve lying onthe X-Y plane centered about the origin. The value along the Y axis represents theradius, while the value along the X axis represents the length along the edge to beblended.

The cross sectional shape options are available for all Variable Radius Edge Blends exceptRotated Ellipses. The cross sectional shapes may be varied from circular (the default) to anon-circular spline shape. The default value of 1.0 produces a circular cross section.When the thumb weight values are increased from 1.0, the blend tends to bunch up andwhen the values are reduced below 1.0, the blend flattens out.

Thumb weighted geometry is constructed of splines. Note this differs from other blendtypes that are composed of arcs.

Thumb weights are entirely for aesthetics. When working with thumbweights there will be a lot of trial and error. There is no way to get an exactdesired shape, only an approximate shape can be obtained. You will needto adjust the numbers until you achieve the results you want.

When entering thumb weight values keep in mind that as the thumb weight valueapproaches infinity, the cross section tends to a sharp corner. As it approaches zero, ittends towards a pure chamfer. The highest (1,000,000) and lowest (1e-9) thumb weightvalues indicate the maximum stretching or squeezing of the cross sectional shape.

Thumb weight values affect the shape of the cross section. Think of it this way. Put yourthumbs on the edge of the blend and apply some pressure to "squeeze or push" the blendcross section. Entering thumb weight values less than 1.0 has the reverse effect. Yourthumb "pulls or stretches" the blend cross section and flattens it out.

Blend Edges and Vertexes of a Solid

22 CADKEY 19

Thumb weights = 4.0 Thumb weights = 0.4

Three checkboxes appear at the bottom of the dialog for all options:

When you wish Solids to also blend connected edges that continue smoothly (no abruptchange in tangent) from the selected edges, select the Blend along smooth edges checkbox.

Preview the blend allows you to preview the proposed blend surface geometry prior toapplying the changes to the model. Preview blends are computed and drawn quickly in theCADKEY rubberband color. Blend preview surfaces are approximations of the actualresulting blend surfaces so they may not be drawn as precisely as the final outcome.

When previewing the blend, you may use immediate mode commands todynamically pan, zoom and rotate the model in order to view the previewsurfaces from any angle.

Allow for blend interference checking enables CADKEY to check for features that mightinterfere with the path of the blend surface and allows the blend to complete properly despitethe interference. Interference's such as holes, protrusions or other geometric features normallywould cause the blend to fail or to complete but cause a self-intersecting solid. Enabling thischeckbox prevents self-intersections from occurring and allows the blend to completeproperly.

Variable Radius Edge Blending

Enhancements 23

Three checkboxes appear at the bottom of the dialog for all options:

When you wish Solids to also blend connected edges that continue smoothly (no abrupt change intangent) from the selected edges, select the Blend along smooth edges checkbox.

Preview the blend allows you to preview the proposed blend surface geometry prior to applying thechanges to the model. Preview blends are computed and drawn quickly in the CADKEY rubberbandcolor. Blend preview surfaces are approximations of the actual resulting blend surfaces so they may notbe drawn as precisely as the final outcome.

When previewing the blend, you may use immediate mode commands todynamically pan, zoom and rotate the model in order to view the previewsurfaces from any angle.

Allow for blend interference checking enables CADKEY to check for features that might interfere withthe path of the blend surface and allows the blend to complete properly despite the interference.

Constant RadiusThis blend allows for the radius to be constant with a circular cross section or have a constantradius but at the same time have a non-circular cross section through the use of thumbweights.

Blend Edges and Vertexes of a Solid

24 CADKEY 19

Note that this constant radius blend is not exactly the same as doing anormal constant radius blend. If you want a pure circular constant radiusblend then use the Constant Radius Blend tab in the dialog box.

Constant WidthWith this blend you can specify a width which will specify the distance between the edges ofthe blend. It allows for the width or the distance between the edges of the blend surface toremain at a constant width. The radius values are calculated to maintain the desired width.

The width of a constant radius blend changes if the two faces are not perpendicular and theblended edge is not perpendicular to the next edge. This will not happen with a variable radiusconstant width blend.

In the examples below, when the edge of the solid is blended with a constant 2 inch radiusblend, the width of the blend varies with the angle of the faces in contrast with the 2 inchconstant width blend.

Variable Radius Edge Blending

Enhancements 25

Before Blend 2 inch constant radius blend

2 inch constant width blend

Rotated EllipseThis option will create a blend whose cross section is elliptical. The major and minor axisvalues you enter in the dialog will determine the shape of the ellipse. The angle from normalwill specify the rotation of the ellipse, as measured from the normal of one of the two facesadjacent to the blend edge. The surface normals are displayed at the mid point of the edge,and you are prompted to select the direction vector for the ellipse major axis. Any anglespecified is measured from this vector.

Blend Edges and Vertexes of a Solid

26 CADKEY 19

Surface normals are displayed

The edge is blended with an elliptical blend

Twist

Enhancements 27

Body Warping Commands

The body warping commands consist of bend, twist and stretch functions. New in this version are twistand stretch. All of these functions allow you to manipulate your solid bodies. Each one is discussed indetail in its own section.

Bend

Twist

Stretch

TwistThis function provides the capability to twist solids, sheet bodies and wireframe entities. Thisis ideal for modeling parts that are manufactured in a flat condition then twisted into finalshape.

The region of twist is defined by two points, which you must indicate. These two pointsdefine a line that serves two purposes. First, it defines the axis about which the twistingoccurs. Secondly, it defines the extents of the twist region. Perpendicular planes at each endof the line are intersected with the body being twisted, and only the area between the planeswill be modified.

There are several options available in the Twist a Body dialog box to assist you in thecreation of a twist. The options are:

Twist angle - Enter the angle of the twist. There is no limit to the angle of twist. A positivetwist angle indicates the direction of the twist, but you may specify a negative angle if youwant to twist in the opposite direction. The two points selected to define the axis of twist alsoindicate the direction of the "Z" axis. Use the right-hand rule to determine the positivedirection of twist.

Type of entities to twist - Choose to twist solid/sheet bodies or wireframes.

Body Warping Commands

28 CADKEY 19

Desired continuity between twisted and untwisted sections - You can control the degree ofcontinuity (smoothness) between the non-twisted and twisted portions of the body. Threechoices of continuity are available:

n G0 Positional - This ensures that the edge at the end of the untwisted section and theedge at the beginning of the twist meet.

n G1 Tangential - This ensures that the edge at the end of the untwisted section istangent to the edge at the beginning of the twist.

n G2 Curvature - This ensures that the curvature at the end of the untwisted section isthe same as the curvature at the beginning of the twist. This option is one level ofcontinuity higher than tangent continuity. Curvature continuity uses a 5th degreepolynomial as compared to the 3rd degree (cubic) used for tangential continuity.This more naturally approximates what a real part would do when it deforms.

Once you've made your selections in the dialog box click OK to close the dialog.

Keep in mind that when twisting, one part stays fixed in place, while the other side of the partrotates along with the twist. The part of the body (if any) before the starting point of the twistaxis is the side that remains fixed as long as the entire body is within the twist region. If theentire body is within the twist region then there is no part of the body before the starting point.The part of the body (if any) after the twist's ending point will be rotated about the axis by theamount of the twist angle.

To perform the twist:

1. You are first prompted to select the body to twist.

2. Next indicate the start point of the twist axis using one of the Position Menu options.

3. Then indicate the end point of the twist axis. The twist is performed.

Part before twisting

Stretch

Enhancements 29

After 275 degree twist. The twist region starts at the centerline of the first hole and ends at the tip.

StretchThe stretch command provides the capability to stretch a part along an axis for a givendistance, and also to compress or squeeze a part together in a similar manner. The stretchcommand is very much like a Local Operation in the editing effects that it provides.

Solids, sheets and wireframe entities can all be stretched and squeezed. You must indicatetwo points that define the stretch region. Perpendicular planes at each end of the line areintersected with the body and only that region between the planes will be modified. You canthink of the body as being clamped at these two planes and then stretched to the left or rightsides as desired. The left side of the stretch is defined where the first point is indicated.

Stretch may also be applied to the left and right sides independently. This means that in a leftend stretch, the left end moves, but the right end does not. Think of it as holding the bodywith both hands. Each hand is located at the ends of the stretch axis. If you hold your righthand fixed then pull to the left with your left hand, this is a left hand stretch (zero stretch to theright and positive stretch to the left). You can stretch to the left only, right only or somecombination of both and the amount stretched left to right can differ.

Stretch will create law surfaces when the geometry of the stretch requires it, but it will alsomaintain simple analytic geometry whenever possible. Law surfaces are one of the many"spline" surface types in ACIS. Law surfaces would be created anytime the stretch was donein such a way that the geometry was no longer a simple definition.

A law surface can be identified by using the Verify>Entity Info>Examine a Face function.Select the face to verify and a dialog box will come up stating "This face type is: lawsur-spline."

For example, if you stretch a cylinder using the centerline of the cylinder as the stretch axis,then the geometry of the cylinder doesn't really change. It just gets longer and the analyticcylinder is preserved with no need for a law surface. But if you use a stretch axis that runs atan angle to the centerline, then you create a different shape that most likely requires a lawsurface to be built.

Body Warping Commands

30 CADKEY 19

There are options available in the Stretch a Body dialog box to assist you in the creation of astretched or squeezed body. The options are:

Stretch to the left - Enter a value to stretch or squeeze the left side of the body. The value youenter will indicate how far the body will be stretched to the left. When positive values areentered the body is stretched. When negative values are entered the body is squeezed.

Stretch to the right - Enter a value to stretch or squeeze the right side of the body. The valueyou enter will indicate how far the body will be stretched to the right. When positive valuesare entered the body is stretched. When negative values are entered the body is squeezed.

For example, if the left stretch value is one and the right stretch value is one, then the bodywill be stretched for a total of 2 inches, one inch to the left and one inch to the right.

Types of entities to stretch - Choose to stretch solid/sheet bodies or wireframe entities.

Once you've made your selections in the dialog box click OK to close the dialog.

To perform a stretch:

1. You are first prompted to select the body to stretch.

2. Next indicate the start point of the stretch region using one of the Position Menuoptions.

3. Then indicate the end point of the stretch region. The stretch or squeeze isperformed.

The only region of the body that will be affected by the stretch is defined by the part of thebody contained within two planes perpendicular to each end of the stretch axis.

Stretch

Enhancements 31

Manifold part before stretching

Manifold after stretching 3 inches

Body Warping Commands

32 CADKEY 19

Collar part before stretch

Collar part after stretching 1 inch up in Z direction

Collar after squeezing .25 inches down in Z direction

Shelling Inward/Outward

Enhancements 33

Create Shell from Solid

Use this local edit function to transform a solid body into a body which represents the walls of theoriginal body with at least one face left open. Enable the checkbox to Select the faces to be opened inthe dialog box.

Shelling Inward/OutwardShelling inward and outward at the same time is possible. Note that only positive values can be enteredfor the shell thickness in the dialog box.

The options available in the dialog box are:

Shell Inward - If this checkbox is enabled, the wall will be shelled inward at the offset value youspecify.

Shell Outward - If this checkbox is enabled, the wall will be shelled outward at the offset value youspecify.

Select faces to be opened - If this checkbox is enabled, you will be prompted in the Conversation bar forthe faces to leave open. If this box is disabled, the shell will be a closed body with an internal void. Toleave at least one face open when creating the shell, enable this checkbox (4).

Create lip around opened faces - This checkbox is only available when you have selected to leave facesopen. This option will create a 'lip' around the open faces of the shell. The lip width and thickness canbe specified separately. The lip width is measured along the bottom or overhang of the lip. The lipthickness is the height of the lip, measured perpendicular to the open faces.

Create Shell from Solid

34 CADKEY 19

The oil pan above was created using a shell hollowed inward at an offset of .375 and offsetting theinner faces outward to create the lip around the open faces with a wall thickness of .05.

Multi-Offset ShellingIndividual faces may have different offset values applied to them, allowing for different wall thicknessin the shelled part. This will be enabled when the Select faces for specific offsets checkbox is enabled.You will prompted to select each face and enter a thickness in the Conversation bar. Inward andoutward offsets may be specified for different faces by entering negative and positive values,respectively.

When shelling a part, you can hit [Esc] to interrupt the operation.

When applying different offset values for individual faces, those faces which are smoothly connected toone another (e.g. blended faces), should have the same offset value. This is because the offsettingalgorithm will probably fail to re-intersect the offset faces. Faces that join with sharp intersections aregood candidates for multi-offset shelling because they will reliably intersect.

When specifying specific offset values, you will be prompted to indicate a face, then enter an offsetvalue on the prompt line. A positive value indicates an inward offset, and a negative value indicates anoutward offset. Faces are offset the default amount (.2) if they are not specified explicitly in the dialogbox.

Multi-Offset Shelling

Enhancements 35

Before shelling

After shelling .2 inches inward and offsetting inward faces outward .1 inches creatinga lip around the opened top and side faces.

Create Shell from Solid

36 CADKEY 19

A different view of the same part

Multi-Offset Shelling

Enhancements 37

Use of Multiple Profiles

Extrusions, Sweeps, Revolves and Planar Boundary Surfaces now support the use of multiple profiles.

The following sections have been added to the existing documentation.

After clicking OK in the dialog box, you will be allowed to select the individual curves that comprisethe closed planar profile. The following rules apply:

n All curves must be lines, arcs, conics, or splines.

n The order of selection is unimportant.

n The entire set must represent closed curves.

n The entire set must lie on a plane

n Multiple closed co-planar profiles may be chosen in one operation.

When choosing multiple profiles keep in mind that:

n Overlapping and intersecting profiles are automatically trimmed to one another.

n Profiles that are intended to be holes within a larger outer profile are automaticallydetected and cut away.

n Non intersecting profiles that do not satisfy the above two conditions will result in onebody with multiple lumps. If "n" such non-intersecting closed profiles are selected, onebody with "n" lumps will be created.

Case 1: Overlapping profiles are trimmed to one another

Case 2: Profiles intended to be holes in a larger profile are cut away

Use of Multiple Profiles

38 CADKEY 19

Case 3: Non intersecting profiles result in one body with multiple lumps.

Multi-Offset Shelling

Enhancements 39

DRAFT-PAK Enhancements

Feature Setupn CADKEY XForm>Copy operations will now maintain DRAFT-PAK Feature data (hole

type and size) used by Autolabel and Tabular Dimension functions.

Structural Shapesn Structural shapes dialog fields now default to values previously entered in a session for

each type of shape

Springsn Springs with square ends can now be created as a solid.

Feature Setup

40 CADKEY 19

Feature Setup

Select the Feature Setup icon from the Feature Menu or click on the SETUP button in any feature dialogbox to bring up the Feature Setup dialog box. The Setup options give you greater flexibility whencreating features, allowing you to customize the features to your drafting standards. The changes youmake to the configuration will be reflected in the Preview windows of the feature dialog boxes as youcreate features.

CADKEY XForm>Copy operations will now maintain DRAFT-PAK Feature data (hole type and size)used by Autolabel and Tabular Dimension functions. Thus the following section has been added underUse Collectives.

n Use Collectives - Check this check box if you want the feature geometry to be made intoa collective. Feature collectives will not be named.

Features created as collectives will keep their copious data with them. ThusXForm>Copied and Moved features are able to be autolabeled. The hole list chart willreflect this. For example, a blind, drilled, XForm>Copied hole's actual depth will bewritten into the hole list chart instead of being listed as THRU. This behavior affectsXForming only. Cut, Copy and Pasted features will not keep their copious data.

Features not created as collectives have no copious data thus they can not be autolabeled.

Multi-Offset Shelling

Enhancements 41

Creating a Structural Shape

Select the Struct icon from the Mech Menu. The Structural Shape dialog box will appear. The shapeyou are creating will be displayed in the Preview section of the dialog box.

The "Structural Shapes" dialog box will default to previous user settings, whether using backup orinvoking the function after using the function previously. When you change the type of the structuralshape, the values for that type will default to the most recent user entered values.

Spring

42 CADKEY 19

Spring

Select the Spring icon from the Mech Menu. The Spring dialog box will appear. Enter theinformation about the spring in this dialog box. Your selections will be displayed in the Previewwindow.

Select the End Conditions for the spring. The choices are:

n Plain (Side, Wire 3D and Solid)

n Squared (Side, Wire 3D and Solid)

n Plain and Ground (Side view only)

n Squared and Ground (Side view only)

Note that springs with square ends can now be created as solids.

Multi-Offset Shelling

Enhancements 43

Parametrics Enhancements

Additional Feature Optionn Draft Feature

Sketch Improvementn Multiple loop profiles

Features

44 CADKEY 19

Features

DraftUse this function to add draft to faces of a body. You can add draft with respect to an edge onthe face, or with respect to a reference plane. This operation is also referred to as taper.

When you choose the Draft function from the Application Button Window, from theParametrics pull down menu or from the Features right click Context Sensitive Menu the"Draft Properties" dialog box will appear.

Draft

Enhancements 45

The Angle field should be used to enter the value of the draft angle.

The Faces field contains the name(s) of the face(s) selected. Draft can be performed onmultiple faces. If you have not already selected a face(s) to draft, click the SELECT button tochoose a face on the solid in the currently active viewport. The name of that face will thenappear in the display list. Use the ADD button to allow selection of additional faces to adddraft to. Use the DELETE button to delete a currently selected item in the list.

Note that when selecting faces you can hold down the [Ctrl] key on thekeyboard to select multiple faces.

The SELECT, ADD and DELETE keys are described below:

Select - Discards previous list and allows complete re-selection of items.

Add - Keeps current list and allows selection of additional items.

Delete - Deletes currently selected item in the list.

You can add draft to faces primarily by two methods:

n With respect to a draft or reference plane

If you prefer to define the draft angle with respect to a parametric plane entity, usethe Draft Plane option on the draft faces dialog box. Use the SELECT button toselect the parametric plane entity. Parametric plane entities may either be selectedby geometry or from a list of the existing planes listed in a dialog.

n With respect to an edge on the face selected

If you use the Edge of a face option, you will need to select the edges that the faceswill draft about and a draft reference vector.

The Edges of the faces field contains the name(s) of the edge(s) selected. Click theSELECT button to choose an edge(s) on the solid in the currently active viewport.The name(s) of that edge(s) will then appear in the display list. Use the ADD buttonto allow selection of additional edges. Use the DELETE button to delete a currentlyselected item in the list. The behavior of the SELECT, ADD and DELETE buttonsare the same as described above for face selection.

You must make sure that each edge in the Edges of the Faces fieldcorresponds to each face in the Faces field. For example if there are 4faces selected to add Draft to, there must be 4 edges selected. Face #1 inthe Faces field will attempt to Draft about Edge #1 in the Edges of theFaces field, Face#2 about Edge #2 and so on.

The Draft Reference Vector fields contain the I, J, K components of the vector. Use theSELECT button to select a vector entity created with Solids.

Features

46 CADKEY 19

Before

After

While the taper in the example above has caused a lot of change to the shape of this solidbody, there has been no change to the topology of the model. There remains the same numberof faces, edges, and vertexes after the edit as before, and the relationship between each pair offaces as they intersect to form the edges of the model is also left unchanged.

Shadow DraftThis local edit function provides draft to curved faces in a mold. It fills in gaps that are notvisible from a specified direction.

The Shadow Draft Mold Extraction Vector fields contain the I, J, K components of thevector. Use the SELECT button to select a vector entity created with Solids.

Draft

Enhancements 47

The purpose of this operation is to remove face regions with normals perpendicular to the draftdirection. It introduces new ruled faces in order to remove regions from the nominated faceswhere the draft is thought of as being in shadow from a beam of light traveling with the draftdirection and angle. It detects special geometry cases on spheres, cones, and tori and makes acone or plane for the draft surface rather than a spline.

The mold extraction direction is very important as it determines the direction on which to basethe angled silhouette curve, also known as an iso-cline curve. An incorrect direction vectorwill not produce the desired result.

The special silhouette curve is calculated and ruled faces are added into the model andsurrounding faces are extended and re-intersected with the new ruled faces. Some faces maybe swallowed up in the process.

For the example below, a draft needs to be added to the spherical face. The draft angle was 30degrees. The vector (0,0,1) was used as the mold extraction factor.

Before - shows the model before the draft is performed on the spherical face.

After - shows the model after the spherical face is tapered at an angle of 35 degrees.

Multiple Loops

48 CADKEY 19

Multiple Loops

Parametrics will support multiple loops in a single sketch.

If the loops intersect with each other, Parametrics will trim the appropriate entities to form a single outerloop before any 3D operations are performed.

If the loops do not intersect with each other and no loop is contained in any other loop, Parametrics willgenerate multiple lumps for the 3D operation.

If the loops do not intersect with each other but some loops are contained in other loops, Parametricswill generate a body with holes in the shapes of those inner loops.

Draft

Enhancements 49

CADKEY CDEs Added

New CDEs added to CADKEY 19n Smart Layout

n Part File Manager

n Dimension Wizard

n PlotDate

n CKTools

n PlotFast for Windows

Smart Layout

50 CADKEY 19

Smart Layout

Smart Layout is a CDE based application that runs within CADKEY. The CKLayout.CDE can beloaded through the CDE Load function in the Application drop down menu. Or you can add it to yourautoload list in Tools>Options>Startup. Once loaded, it can be accessed from the Application dropdown menu or via Accelerator Keys (if assigned). The Smart Layout functions will then appear in theApplication Menu Window.

This CDE (CKLayout.cde) will run within CADKEY 19 and will provide the ability to automaticallygenerate a layout in DLM (Drawing Layout Mode).

n Create Layout

n Modify Layout

n Load Pattern

n M/L Copy

n Setting

n About

n Help

Create LayoutWhen the Create Layout button is selected the "Smart Layout" Dialog box appears. In thisdialog box you can enter the following information:

Layout Name - Name the layout. An error message will appear if you try to give the layout aname that already exists. The layout name can be a maximum of 20 characters.

Description field - Allows you to add more detailed information about the layout. Thedescription field will accept a maximum of 40 characters.

Save Settings - This checkbox can be enabled (4) to save settings so each layout you createwill have these same characteristics. This switch is disabled by default. For example, you canset your paper size to be A, with 2 instances in the upper position, with a specific patternloaded. If the Save Settings checkbox is enabled then these settings will remain each time youcreate a new layout. To change the settings and not save them, make sure to disable thecheckbox.

Paper Size - Stores a variety of standard paper sizes. The different paper sizes can be accessedvia the drop down menu. The paper size options cover the American standard sizes A-E, theinternational sizes A4-A0 and Key-in for a user-defined paper size. The selected paperdimensions in both inches and millimeters are displayed in the windows below the drop down.The first window is the height (X direction) and the second is the width (Y direction).

Modify Layout

Enhancements 51

Load Pattern - Is a checkbox that when enabled (4) will automatically load a pattern file intothe layout with the base position at 0,0. The file name below the Load Pattern switch willdisplay the name of the Pattern file being loaded.

Scale - The scale area displays the scale of the instances. If Auto is enabled (4) the scaleratio is grayed out and the scale is determined by the paper size that has been selected. If Autois disabled, the fields become active and you can type in a scale.

Instances - The Instances section is where you are able to configure/manipulate how the layoutis going to look as far as the instance view placement. From the drop down box you can selectfrom seventeen (17) predefined options for instance view placement. Twelve edit fields existthat will display the numbered views (instances) and the order in which the instances will beplaced. These fields can be edited if the predefined selections are not adequate.

An Add Isometric checkbox is present, which when enabled (4) will automatically add theisometric view to all the predefined options.

Modelize and Instance radio buttons determine if the layout is going to be modelized orcreated as associated instances.

Modify LayoutThis function only works in Layout mode. The Conversation bar will display a messagestating "Model mode now. Execute in Layout mode," if the icon is selected while in modelmode.

Smart Layout

52 CADKEY 19

When this function is selected the "Modify Layout" dialog box appears. In this dialog you canchange the paper size and the scale of the layout.

Paper allows you to change the paper size, this is reflected in the adjustment of the paperboundary box. The fields that reflect the paper size are grayed out and will change when anew paper size is selected from the drop down menu. If KEY-IN has been selected the fieldswill no longer be grayed out to accept user input for the paper size.

Scale allows you to select a ratio from the drop down menu or you can select KEY-IN to typein an actual scale factor for display of the part.

Load PatternLoad Pattern will initiate the standard "Pattern Load" dialog box from CADKEY. This willallow you to load a pattern file into your layout. A pattern file can contain geometric ordimensioning entities. Pattern files are like libraries of frequently-used information that youcan retrieve and reuse in many parts.

M/L CopyM/L Copy allows for copying geometry from Layout mode to Model mode or visa versa. Itwill only work with Layout specific geometry or modelized geometry when in Layout mode.This function works both in Model mode and Layout mode.

When the function is selected the CADKEY Selection Menu appears. Select the geometrythat you want to copy. The Position Menu appears and you are prompted to select a baseposition. Once the base position is selected the CADKEY window will change from Layout toModel mode or Model to Layout mode, depending on the mode in which the function wasinitiated. The CADKEY Position Menu appears and you are prompted to select a baseposition to place the new geometry.

Setting

Enhancements 53

SettingThe Setting function opens a dialog box that allows you to set the level that the border (patternfile) will be placed on. The dimension height and note height are also set here.

AboutAbout displays the version number and the copyright date of the product.

HelpAccesses the help file.

Part File Manager

54 CADKEY 19

Part File Manager

The CKFILEMGR.CDE can be loaded through the CDE Load function in the Application drop downmenu. Or you can add it to your autoload list in Tools>Options>Startup. Once loaded, it can beaccessed from the Application drop down menu or via Accelerator Keys (if assigned). The Part FileManager functions listed below will then appear in the Application Menu Window.

Part File Manager manages and searches part files based on property information. Property data is user-defined information that is added to the part file. This allows you to add detailed information such asscale, paper size, revision number, and material to be saved with the part file. This will be helpful inidentifying the part to open, especially if there are numerous versions of the same part.

n Open Part File

n Save Part File

n Search Part File

n About

n Help

Open Part FileThe Open Part File command helps you open the appropriate part file by checking theproperty data and an image of the part file, if one exists.

A file can contain title, description and a preview bitmap. When creating the property datakeep these specifications in mind. The item name is completely customizable. The maximumnumber of items is 64. The maximum characters for an item name is 16. The maximumcharacters for property data is 128.

Save Part File

Enhancements 55

When the part file name is selected by highlighting it, the corresponding property data andimage are displayed, if they exist.

Note that an image file must be created manually for a preview of the part file to exist. This isdone when saving the part file. See the Save Part File section for more details.

To open the selected part file, press the OPEN button.

Calling the Search function from the "Open" dialog boxBy pressing the SEARCH button, the Search Part File command can be invoked. See theSearch Part File command section for details.

Save Part FileThe Save Part File function allows you to input part file property information and previewimages when saving the part file.

If a part image file exists in the directory, it is displayed in the Preview window located in theupper right of the dialog.

Pressing the CAPTURE button can create an initial image or an updated image if one alreadyexists. When the button is depressed, the dialog box disappears and you are prompted toindicate the viewport that contains the image to capture. Mouse click in the viewport and animage will be created and appear in the preview window of the dialog box which reappears.

Part File Manager

56 CADKEY 19

Note the size of the image file could be very large if you indicate a largewindow viewport. Reducing the size of the image file helps improve theperformance of the Part File Search function.

Editing the Property Data FieldsTo edit the part file property information highlight that property item and press the EDITbutton, F2 key or double click on the title.

Note entities in the part file can be used to populate the property data fields, to do thishighlight the property item and press the CAPTURE NOTE button. Once this button ispressed, the dialog box disappears and lets you indicate the note in your part file. Mouse clickon the note entity and you are returned to the dialog box. The note text will appear in thedescription of the selected item. Keep in mind that this is a one-time copy and will need to berecaptured if you change the note in CADKEY and want that change reflected in the propertydata.

Save Part File

Enhancements 57

When you have finished in the "Save" dialog box, save the part file by pressing the SAVEbutton or the SAVE AS button. The image is saved with the same file name as the part filebut with a .BMP extension in the same directory as the part file.

Note if the BMP file is not in the same directory as the PRT file, the previewwill not be available.

Reconfiguring the Property Information by Editing the PROFIELD.CSV FileYou can also reconfigure the property information that is gathered. The PROFIELD.CSV filelocated in the CK19/NOT directory can be edited to change the property fields. This file is acomma delimited text file that can be opened in a text editor such as Notepad. When openedin Notepad, all of the text is separated by commas as shown below:

Part File Manager

58 CADKEY 19

field, type, length, desc, captionname, STRING, 128, 1, "NAME"scale, STRING, 32, 1, "SCALE"paper, STRING, 32, 1, "PAPER"projection, STRING, 32, 1, "PROJECTION"approved, STRING, 128, 1, "APPROVED"revision, STRING, 128, 0, "REVISION"date2, STRING, 32, 0, "DATE"product, STRING, 128, 0, "PRODUCT"unitname, STRING, 128, 0, "UNIT"pname, STRING, 128, 0, "PARTS"pcode, STRING, 128, 1, "CODE"material, STRING, 128, 0, "MATERIAL"process, STRING, 128, 0, "PROCESS"quantity, STRING, 32, 0, "QTY"

When editing this file, keep the following in mind:

n First line "field,type,length,desc,caption" - Do not remove this line. This line indicatesthe meaning of each column.

If the file is to be customized with additional title captions, the added lines must be in thesame format as the existing lines and separated by commas. The file can contain up to 64items. The first, or field column, must contain at least one character of text. The exacttext of this column is not important. It is recommended that field names be unique. Thetype column must contain the text STRING. The length and desc columns shouldcontain a number. Zero can be used in both columns. The caption column must havetext no longer than 16 characters. Text over 16 characters will not display properly or notdisplay at all. As noted above, the text must be enclosed in quotes.

n Each line from line 2 down is the property data used by Part File Manager.

n Each line consists of 5 columns. The only columns that should be edited are Column 1and Column 5. Columns 2 - 4 should not be edited and should exist as they do in thedefault file.

n Column 1: (Field name) String data saved with property data as copious.

n Column 5: (Field caption) This string is used as each the title of the file propertydata.

When editing the existing file, the text in the caption column is the text that isdisplayed as the Title in the "Save Part File" dialog box. The title caption must beenclosed in "quotation marks" in the CSV file. If the trailing quotation mark ismissing, a vertical bar will be displayed after the caption text. Although the captiontext is in all capital, or upper case, characters by default, both upper and lower casecan be used. Numbers and symbols can also be used but commas and quotationmarks can not.

To edit this file in a program other than Notepad, copy the information out of Notepad andinto Microsoft Word. Then convert the text to a table by the commas. Once you've madeyour changes you can convert the table back to text by and save the file as a text file with a.CSV extension. Make sure you do not save it as a DOC file.

Search Part File

Enhancements 59

To save the edited PROFIELD.CSV file, choose File>Save As from the program Menu bar.Be sure to save the file in the CK19/NOT directory.

Search Part FileThe Search Part File function searches part files by search word(s) in the part property data.

Condition TabSpecify the folder to start the search in. To contain subfolders, enable (4) the Sub Foldercheckbox. To change the start folder, use the File>Open Folder command from the Menu bar.

By default, the search conditions set apply to every part file. The CLEAR button will changethe search condition back to the defaults at any time.

To set search condition(s), select Name, Condition, and input a search word in the Query field.Condition2 is valid only when Compound conditions are selected, "Or" or "And".

Press the START button to begin searching.

The number of files found is displayed in the status bar (Hit: n files). If an image files existsfor those files, they are displayed in the Image and Browse tab. If you click the file in the filelist, you are brought to the Image tab automatically.

Search results can be copied to the Windows clipboard in text data format with tab spacing.The Edit>Copy result command does this when one or more file(s) are found.

Part File Manager

60 CADKEY 19

Some spreadsheet or database software (such as Excel) can use this data. To bring thisinformation into Excel, for example, simply open Excel and select Edit>Paste and the searchresults will be pasted into the spreadsheet as shown below.

Image TabThe Image tab in the dialog will display the image and property information of the file youselected on the Condition tab, if these items are available. Double clicking on the image orright clicking and selecting Open with CADKEY from the Context Sensitive Menu will openthe part file.

The property information display, to the right of the image preview, can be turned on and offby choosing View>Property from the Menu bar. A checkmark (4) will appear if the view ison and will disappear when the display is off.

Search Part File

Enhancements 61

Browse TabAll images available for file list are displayed in the browse tab.

Double clicking on the image or right clicking and selecting Open with CADKEY from theContext Sensitive Menu will open the part file.

You can print the images by choosing File>Print from the Menu bar.

Part File Manager

62 CADKEY 19

AboutA dialog box with the product information and the version number will be displayed.

HelpAccesses the help file.

Automatic Dimensioning

Enhancements 63

Dimension Wizard

CADKEY Dimension Wizard is a CDE (CADKEY Dynamic Extension) that provides you with a set oftools to help you quickly generate dimensions on a drawing. You can automatically generatedimensions in either Model mode or Layout mode.

From the Application Menu on the Menu bar select CDE Load to load the DIMWIZ.CDE. If you wantto add this CDE to your autoload list go to Tools>Options>Startup and add the DIMWIZ.CDE to yourautoload list at the bottom of the dialog box.

Once you have the CDE loaded either manually or through autoload, select Dimension Wizard from thedrop down Application Menu on the Menu bar. The Dimension Wizard Menu (shown below) willappear in the Application Menu Window.

See the Dimension Wizard Tutorial to help get you started using this dimensioning tool. See theDimensioning Wizard Tutorial 2 for an example of creating ordinate linear dimensions and tabular holedimensions.

Automatic DimensioningBefore using this function you need to either create a configuration setting or use a previouslycreated CDW configuration setting file. Go to the Config icon to set your configurationproperties.

If you invoke this function and no setting information is found an error message will appearasking you to run the configuration function.

Dimension Wizard

64 CADKEY 19

The Automatic Dimension (AutoDim) function automatically creates dimensions based on theconfiguration settings you've selected in the "CADKEY Dimension Wizard Configuration"dialog box.

Auto Dim will operate in both Model mode and Layout mode.

Configuration SettingsWhen you select the Config icon the "CADKEY Dimension Wizard Configuration" dialogbox will appear.

With the settings available in this dialog box, you will be able to control the way DimensionWizard will automatically generate the dimensions in your drawing. You can use the defaults,set new criteria or load an existing Configuration file.

Vertical Dimension

Vertical Dimension: When this checkbox is enabled, pressing AutoDim will create verticaldimensions. If the checkbox is disabled, you will not be able to change any of the settings inthis area.

Configuration Settings

Enhancements 65

AutoDim will dimension from the lowest selectable EndEnt to the second lowest selectableEndEnt, then from the second lowest to the third lowest and so on until all selectable EndEntsare dimensioned.

Position - Determine on which side of the part the dimensions will be created.

n Right indicates that the text will be placed the Distance from the selectable EndEntfarthest on the right of the part.

n Left indicates that the text will be placed the Distance from the selectable EndEntfarthest on the left of the part.

n If Both is selected the part is virtually divided in two parts based on the center andthe dimensions are created on the right and the left of the part.

Type - Indicates whether AutoDim will create Serial dimensions or Ordinate dimensions.These dimensions will conform to CADKEY's Linear dimension and Ordinate dimensions,respectively. When Serial dimensions are selected an overall dimension is also created.

Distance - This is the distance of the dimension from the part.

Tolerance - Vertical dimensions will ignore any EndEnt that creates a dimension less than thetolerance setting. Thus no dimension under this value will be generated.

Horizontal Dimension

Horizontal Dimension - When this checkbox is enabled, pressing AutoDim will createhorizontal dimensions. If the checkbox is disabled, then you will not be able to change anysettings in this area.

AutoDim will dimension from the selectable EndEnt farthest to the left, to the next selectableEndEnt, moving rightward. It will keep moving to the right until all selectable EndEnts aredimensioned.

Position - Determines what side of the part the dimension text will be placed.

n Top indicates that the text will placed a Distance from the selectable EndEnt fartheston the top of the part.

n Bottom indicates the text will be placed a Distance from the selectable EndEntfarthest on the bottom of the part.

n If Both is selected the part is virtually divided into two parts based on the center anddimensions are created on the top and the bottom of the part.

Dimension Wizard

66 CADKEY 19

Type - Indicates whether AutoDim will create Serial dimensions or Ordinate dimensions.These dimensions will conform to CADKEY's Linear dimension and Ordinate dimensions,respectively. When Serial dimensions are selected an overall dimension is also created.

Distance - This is the distance of the dimension from the part.

Tolerance - Horizontal dimension will ignore any EndEnt that creates a dimension less thanthe tolerance setting. Thus, no dimension under this value will be generated.

Arc Dimension

Arcs - When the arc checkbox is enabled, pressing AutoDim will create dimensions for allselectable arcs. If the arc checkbox is disabled, then you will not be able to change any of thesettings in this area.

Distance - This indicates the distance of the dimension from the arc. The anchor point of thedimension text will be placed at the midpoint of the angle.

Type - Indicates the type of dimension you wish to create. R will create Radial dimensions. Dwill create Diametric dimensions. Choosing none will not create any arc dimensions (thoughInclude Centers can still be active allowing you to include the center of the arcs in lineardimensions).

Include Centers - If the Include Centers checkbox is enabled, then any horizontal or verticaldimension will add the centers of all arcs to the list of selectable points. Include Centers isonly selectable if horizontal and vertical dimensions are enabled.

Circle Dimension

Circles - When the circle checkbox is enabled, pressing AutoDim will create dimensions forall selectable circles. If the checkbox is disabled, then you will not be able to change any ofthe settings in this area.

Distance - This determines the distance of the dimension text from the circle. The dimensiontext will be placed at an angle of 45 degrees.

Configuration Settings

Enhancements 67

Type - Indicates the type of dimension you wish to create. R will create Radial dimensions. Dwill create Diametric dimensions. Choosing none will not create any circle dimensions(though Include Centers can still be active allowing you to include the center of the circles inlinear dimensions). Table will generate a table of all the circles (see the Circle Table topic formore details).

Include Centers - If the Include Centers checkbox is enabled, then any horizontal or verticaldimension will add the centers of all circles to the list of selectable points. Include Centers isonly selectable if horizontal and vertical dimensions are enabled.

Include Z - If this checkbox is enabled, the Z values of the circle center will be added to thetable (If table mode is selected). If Table is not active then this checkbox will not beselectable.

Circle Table

Table Type - Indicates whether you want to create a table that lists the Radii or the Diameterof the selected circles.

Sort By - Allows you to have the table sorted by Diameter/Radius of the circles, the X or Ycoordinates, or not sorted at all. The table order will depend entirely on the order in which thecircles were selected.

Sort Type - If a sort is selected you can indicate if it should be in Ascending or Descendingorder.

Format Table - This section lets you determine what the table will look like.

Format X Values - Indicates how many digits the system will reserve to represent the Xcoordinate and allots the appropriate space. You can indicate how many digits before thedecimal point and how many after it will be used. The first number corresponds to the numberof spaces allotted for the whole number portion of the coordinate and the second numbercorresponds to the number of spaces for the decimal value of the coordinate.

Format Y Values - Indicates how many digits the system will reserve to represent the Ycoordinate, allotting the appropriate space. You can indicate how many digits before thedecimal point and how many after it will be used. The first number corresponds to the numberof