Alibre Design User Guide

Copyrights
Information in this document is subject to change without notice. The software described in this document is
furnished under a license agreement or nondisclosure agreement. The software may be used or copied only in
accordance with the terms of those agreements. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and
recording for any purpose other tha
Alibre, Inc.
2350 Campbell Creek Blvd. Suite 100
Richardson, TX 75082
USA
www.alibre.com
2009 Alibre, Inc. All rights reserved.

Alibre and the Alibre logo are registered trademarks; Alibre Design and Alibre PhotoRender are trademarks of
Alibre Inc. in the United States and/or other countries. Alibre Motion Copyright 2009 Jake Lyall

Contents
Installation ..................................................................................................1
1.1
1.2
1.3
1.4

System Requirem ents............................................................................................ 1

On the DVD ............................................................................................................. 3
Installing Alibre Design .......................................................................................... 3
Uninstalling Alibre Design ..................................................................................... 5

Getting Started With Alibre Design..........................................................7

2.1
2.2
2.3
2.4
2.5
2.6

Initial Launch of Alibre Design .............................................................................. 7

Tutorials.................................................................................................................... 9
Home Window ......................................................................................................... 9
2.3.1
System Options.................................................................................... 11
Workspaces ........................................................................................................... 11
Common Terms .................................................................................................... 14
Toolbars ................................................................................................................. 17

Introduction to the Design Interface......................................................19

3.1

3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7

Workspaces ........................................................................................................... 19
3.1.1
Workspace Terms................................................................................ 20
3.1.2
Opening a New Workspace ............................................................... 20
3.1.3
Model Terms......................................................................................... 22
3.1.4
Work Area Color Scheme................................................................... 22
3.1.5
Multiple Views ...................................................................................... 24
3.1.6
Named Views ....................................................................................... 25
3.1.7
Design Explorer.................................................................................... 25
Selection Methods ................................................................................................ 26
Standard Toolbars ................................................................................................ 28
Custom Toolbars................................................................................................... 30
View Manipulation................................................................................................. 32
Getting Help........................................................................................................... 34
Keyboard Hot-Key Descriptions ......................................................................... 35

Sketching ..................................................................................................39
4.1

Sketching Interface............................................................................................... 39

4.2

4.3
4.4

4.5
4.6

4.7

4.8

4.9

ii

Sketch Mode.......................................................................................................... 42
4.2.1
Entering Sketch Mode......................................................................... 42
4.2.2
Exiting Sketch Mode............................................................................ 43
Customizing the Look of Sketch Figures .......................................................... 43
4.3.1
Customizing Colors of Items in Sketch Mode ................................. 43
4.3.2
Customizing the Size of Nodes ......................................................... 44
Sketch Figures ...................................................................................................... 44
4.4.1
Line ........................................................................................................ 44
4.4.2
Circle...................................................................................................... 46
4.4.3
Circular Arcs ......................................................................................... 47
4.4.4
Rectangles ............................................................................................ 49
4.4.5
Spline Curves ....................................................................................... 50
4.4.6
Ellipses .................................................................................................. 54
4.4.7
Elliptical Arcs ........................................................................................ 55
4.4.8
Polygons................................................................................................ 56
4.4.9
Sketch Shapes ..................................................................................... 57
4.4.10 Text Figures.......................................................................................... 69
Reference Figures and Sketch Nodes .............................................................. 70
Working with Existing Sketch Figures ............................................................... 71
4.6.1
Extending Figures................................................................................ 71
4.6.2
Trimming Figures ................................................................................. 72
4.6.3
Adding 2D Fillets to Sketch Figures ................................................. 72
4.6.4
Adding Chamfers to Sketch Figures................................................. 73
4.6.5
Offsetting Figures ................................................................................ 74
4.6.6
Mirroring Figures.................................................................................. 77
4.6.7
Patterning Sketch Figures .................................................................. 78
4.6.8
Mo ving and Rotating Sketch Figures ............................................... 80
Sketch Dimensions............................................................................................... 82
4.7.1
Dimensioning Sketch Figures ............................................................ 82
4.7.2
Real Time Dimensioning .................................................................... 85
4.7.3
Dimensioning with DOF Callouts ...................................................... 88
4.7.4
Auto Dimensioning a Sketch.............................................................. 89
4.7.5
Working with Sketch Dimensions...................................................... 91
4.7.6
Equations in Dimensions .................................................................... 91
4.7.7
Sketch Dimension Settings ................................................................ 96
Sketch Constraints ............................................................................................... 99
4.8.1
Constraint Types .................................................................................. 99
4.8.2
Manually Applying Sketch Constraints........................................... 101
4.8.3
Sketch Constraint Inferencing.......................................................... 102
4.8.4
Deleting Sketch Constraints............................................................. 102
4.8.5
Sketch Status and Degrees of Freedom........................................ 103
4.8.6
Sketch Constraint Settings ............................................................... 106
Working in a Sketch ........................................................................................... 109
4.9.1
Grid and Snap .................................................................................... 110
4.9.2
Snapping to the Working Plane....................................................... 113
4.9.3
Cursor Dimension Hints.................................................................... 113
4.9.4
Cursor Display.................................................................................... 114

4.10

4.9.5
Inference Hints ................................................................................... 114
4.9.6
Direct Coordinate Entry .................................................................... 115
4.9.7
Right-click Menu ................................................................................ 116
4.9.8
Open and Closed Sketches ............................................................. 116
4.9.9
Checking Sketches for Errors .......................................................... 117
4.9.10 Enclosed Figures ............................................................................... 118
4.9.11 Copying and Pasting Sketch Figures ............................................. 119
Sketches and the Design Explorer ................................................................. 120
4.10.1 Editing Sketches ................................................................................ 120
4.10.2 Renaming Sketches .......................................................................... 121
4.10.3 Deleting Sketches.............................................................................. 121

Reference Geometry..............................................................................123
5.1

5.2

5.3

5.4

5.5

Reference Planes ............................................................................................... 123

5.1.1
Offset Plane ........................................................................................ 124
5.1.2
Tangent Plane .................................................................................... 125
5.1.3
Angled Plane ...................................................................................... 125
5.1.4
Parallel Plane through a Point......................................................... 126
5.1.5
Plane at Line and Point..................................................................... 126
5.1.6
Three Point Plane .............................................................................. 127
5.1.7
Plane Normal to 3D Sketch or 3D Edge ........................................ 127
Axes ...................................................................................................................... 127
5.2.1
Axis through Axis or Edge ................................................................ 128
5.2.2
Axis through Two Points ................................................................... 128
5.2.3
Axis Using Cylindrical Face.............................................................. 128
5.2.4
Axis through Two Planes.................................................................. 129
5.2.5
Axis Offset and Parallel to Axis or Edge ........................................ 129
Points .................................................................................................................... 129
5.3.1
Point at Specified Coordinates ........................................................ 130
5.3.2
Point at Plane and Axis/Edge .......................................................... 130
5.3.3
Point at Axis/Edge and Axis/Edge .................................................. 130
5.3.4
Point at the Center of Circular Edge............................................... 131
5.3.5
Point at Verte x.................................................................................... 131
5.3.6
Point along Edge................................................................................ 131
5.3.7
Point between Two Points................................................................ 131
Reference Surfaces............................................................................................ 132
5.4.1
Inserting Reference Surfaces .......................................................... 132
5.4.2
Positioning Reference Surfaces ...................................................... 133
5.4.3
Thickening Reference Surfaces ...................................................... 134
5.4.4
Trimming a Solid ................................................................................ 134
5.4.5
Extruding to Geometry...................................................................... 135
Reference Geometry Visibility .......................................................................... 135
5.5.1
Hiding Individual Reference Geometry Items ............................... 135
5.5.2
Hiding Reference Geometry Groups .............................................. 136
5.5.3
Hiding All Reference Geometry Groups......................................... 136

iii

5.6
5.7
5.8

Renaming Reference Geometry....................................................................... 136

Deleting Reference Geometry .......................................................................... 137
Editing Reference Geometry Properties ......................................................... 137

3D Sketching ..........................................................................................139
6.1
6.2
6.3
6.4
6.5
6.6

6.7

6.8
6.9
6.10

3D Sketching Interface....................................................................................... 139

3D Sketching Context ........................................................................................ 140
Current Coordinate System............................................................................... 141
Sketch Plane, Guide Lines, and Elevation ..................................................... 142
Entering and Exiting 3D Sketch Mode ............................................................ 146
6.5.1
Entering 3D Sketch Mode ................................................................ 146
6.5.2
Exiting 3D Sketch Mode ................................................................... 146
3D Sketch Figures .............................................................................................. 146
6.6.1
Line ...................................................................................................... 146
6.6.2
Arc ........................................................................................................ 147
6.6.3
Spline ................................................................................................... 148
3D Sketch Nodes ................................................................................................ 149
6.7.1
Placing a Sketch Node...................................................................... 149
6.7.2
Inserting Sketch Nodes from a File................................................. 150
Working with Existing 3D Sketch Figures ....................................................... 150
6.8.1
Adding Fillets ...................................................................................... 150
6.8.2
Dimensioning 3D Sketch Figures.................................................... 151
3D Sketch Constraints ....................................................................................... 154
6.9.1
Inferred Constraints ........................................................................... 155
6.9.2
Explicit Constraints ............................................................................ 155
Other 3D Sketch Functions .............................................................................. 156

Feature Creation ....................................................................................157

7.1
7.2
7.3

7.4
7.5
7.6
7.7
7.8

iv

Part Modeling Interface...................................................................................... 157

Feature Terminology.......................................................................................... 160
7.2.1
Feature Types .................................................................................... 160
Extrude Boss and Extrude Cut ......................................................................... 160
7.3.1
Extrude Boss and Extrude Cut Feature Creation ......................... 160
7.3.2
Thin Wall Extrude Boss and Cut Feature Creation ...................... 164
Revolve Boss and Revolve Cut ........................................................................ 167
7.4.1
Revolve Boss and Revolve Cut Features ...................................... 167
7.4.2
Thin Wall Revolve Boss and Cut Features.................................... 168
Loft Boss and Loft Cut ....................................................................................... 170
Sweep Boss and Sweep Cut ............................................................................ 174
7.6.1
Sweep Boss and Sweep Cut Features .......................................... 175
7.6.2
Thin Wall Boss Sweep and Cut Sweep Features......................... 176
Helical Boss and Helical Cut............................................................................. 178
Fillet....................................................................................................................... 182
7.8.1
Constant Radius Fillets ..................................................................... 182

7.9
7.10
7.11
7.12
7.13
7.14
7.15

7.16

7.17

7.18
7.19

7.8.2
Variable Radius Fillets ...................................................................... 184
Chamfers.............................................................................................................. 185
7.9.1
Edge Chamfers .................................................................................. 185
7.9.2
Verte x Chamfers ................................................................................ 186
Shells ................................................................................................................... 187
Draft Faces ......................................................................................................... 188
External Cosmetic Threads.............................................................................. 189
Holes.................................................................................................................... 191
Catalog Features ............................................................................................... 192
7.14.1 Saving Catalog Features .................................................................. 193
7.14.2 Inserting Catalog Features ............................................................... 193
Copying Existing Features ............................................................................... 194
7.15.1 Mirroring Features ............................................................................. 194
7.15.2 Feature Patterns ................................................................................ 196
7.15.3 Topology Patterns.............................................................................. 200
Design Boolean Features ................................................................................. 209
7.16.1 Design Boolean Editor Environment............................................... 210
7.16.2 Design Boolean Feature Creation................................................... 210
7.16.3 Design Boolean Feature Editing ..................................................... 212
Direct Editing ...................................................................................................... 212
7.17.1 Implications of Using Direct Editing ................................................ 212
7.17.2 Push Pull Face Sketch...................................................................... 214
7.17.3 Push Pull Pocket or Boss ................................................................. 216
7.17.4 Push Pull Radius................................................................................ 218
7.17.5 Remove Faces ................................................................................... 220
7.17.6 Tips for Successful Direct Editing ................................................... 221
Scaling Parts ...................................................................................................... 222
Managing Features in the Design Explorer ................................................... 222

Sheet Metal Feature Creation ...............................................................225

8.1
8.2
8.3
8.4
8.5
8.6
8.7
8.8
8.9
8.10

8.11
8.12

Sheet Metal Part Modeling Interface ............................................................... 225

Sheet Metal Part Parameters ........................................................................... 227
Tab ........................................................................................................................ 229
Contour Base Flange ......................................................................................... 230
Lofted Flange....................................................................................................... 232
Flange................................................................................................................... 235
8.6.1
Sheet Metal Changes for Version 9.1 and Later .......................... 239
Closed Corner ..................................................................................................... 240
Dimple................................................................................................................... 241
Cut......................................................................................................................... 241
Corner Rounds and Chamfers......................................................................... 242
8.10.1 Rounding a Corner ............................................................................ 242
8.10.2 Chamfering a corner.......................................................................... 242
Holes.................................................................................................................... 243
Unbend and Rebend ......................................................................................... 243

8.13
8.14
8.15

Catalog Feature ................................................................................................. 243

Copying Existing Features ............................................................................... 244
Managing Features in the Design Explorer................................................... 244

Working with Parts ................................................................................245

9.1
9.2

9.3
9.4
9.5
9.6
9.7
9.8
9.9

9.10

Design Explorer................................................................................................... 245

Modifying a Part .................................................................................................. 246
9.2.1
Editing Sketches and Features ....................................................... 246
9.2.2
Suppressing Features in Parts ........................................................ 246
9.2.3
Reordering Features ......................................................................... 247
9.2.4
Rolling Back Features ....................................................................... 248
Measurement Tool.............................................................................................. 249
Part Display Options........................................................................................... 251
3D Section Views................................................................................................ 251
Part Physical Properties .................................................................................... 253
Color Properties .................................................................................................. 253
Project to Sketch................................................................................................. 255
Spreadsheet Driven Designs ............................................................................ 261
9.9.1
Setting Up Excel to Drive Designs .................................................. 261
9.9.2
Driving Designs by Spreadsheet..................................................... 263
9.9.3
Modifying Spreadsheet Driven Parameters................................... 265
9.9.4
Re-linking a Spreadsheet to a Part................................................. 267
3D PDF Publishing ............................................................................................ 269
9.10.1 PDF File Creation .............................................................................. 270
9.10.2 Continuing with an Existing PDF..................................................... 276
9.10.3 PDF Publishing Templates............................................................... 276
9.10.4 Viewing Published PDF Files........................................................... 279
9.10.5 Improving the Quality of Published PDF Files .............................. 280
9.10.6 Publishing a Model to HTML ............................................................ 280
9.10.7 Printing 3D Models ............................................................................ 281
9.10.8 Annotations ......................................................................................... 281
9.10.9 Troubleshooting Failed Features .................................................... 281
9.10.10 Viewing Constituents ....................................................................... 282
9.10.11 Display Optimization ........................................................................ 282

Design Configurations ..........................................................................285

10.1

10.2
10.3

vi

Design Configurations Overview ..................................................................... 285

10.1.1 Lock properties represented in the Design Explorer.................... 287
10.1.2 Editing Properties of Configurations ............................................... 287
10.1.3 Regeneration of Design Configurations ......................................... 289
Configuration Creation for Parts and Sheet Metal Parts ............................. 289
10.2.1 Helpful Notes on Design Configurations in Parts ......................... 293
Assembly Configurations.................................................................................. 293
10.3.1 Inserting Configurations of Parts or Subassemblies .................... 298

10.4
10.5
10.6

10.3.2 Missing Design Configurations ........................................................ 301

10.3.3 Configurations in Assembly Patterns ............................................. 302
10.3.4 Helpful Notes on Design Configurations in Assemblies .............. 305
Configurations in Drawings .............................................................................. 306
Configurations in a BOM .................................................................................. 307
Configurations and the Equation Editor ......................................................... 309

Assembly Design ...................................................................................311

11.1
11.2
11.3

Assembly Design Methodology ....................................................................... 311

Assembly Design Interface .............................................................................. 312
Assembly Basics................................................................................................ 315
11.3.1 Opening a New Assembly and Inserting Existing Parts .............. 315
11.3.2 Anchored Parts .................................................................................. 316
11.3.3 Inserting an Existing Design Into an Open Assembly.................. 316
11.3.4 Selecting Parts in the Assembly...................................................... 317
11.3.5 Part Display Options.......................................................................... 318
11.3.6 Inserting a Duplicate Design Into an Open Assembly ................. 319
11.3.7 Inserting a Pattern of Parts in an Assembly .................................. 319
11.3.8 Mo ving and Rotating Parts Freely................................................... 322
11.3.9 Mo ving and Rotating Parts Precisely ............................................. 324
11.3.10 Mo ving Parts to Simulate Assembly Physical Motion ................ 325
11.3.11 Hiding a Part ..................................................................................... 326
11.3.12 Suppressing a Part .......................................................................... 326
11.3.13 Applying Color Properties to a Part............................................... 327
11.3.14 Checking Measurements ................................................................ 327
11.3.15 Viewing Part Reference Geometry................................................ 328
11.4
Assembly Constraints ....................................................................................... 328
11.4.1 Assembly Constraint Types ............................................................. 328
11.4.2 Inserting Assembly Constraints - Quick Constraint Mode........... 329
11.4.3 Inserting Assembly Constraints - Manual Method........................ 334
11.4.4 Inter-Design Constraints ................................................................... 335
11.4.5 Managing Assembly Constraints..................................................... 335
11.4.6 Failed Assembly Constraints ........................................................... 337
11.5
Flexible Subassemblies .................................................................................... 338
11.6
Checking for Interferences ............................................................................... 340
11.7
Inserting an Exploded View.............................................................................. 342
11.7.1 Inserting an Exploded View Using Auto Explode Mode .............. 342
11.7.2 Inserting an Exploded View Using Manual Explode .................... 344
11.7.3 Viewing and/or Editing an Exploded View ..................................... 346
11.7.4 Exploded View Steps ........................................................................ 347
11.8
Deleting an Exploded View .............................................................................. 348
11.9
Duplicating an Exploded View ......................................................................... 348
11.10
Editing and Designing Parts in the Assembly .......................................... 349
11.10.1 Creating a New Part within an Assembly ..................................... 349
11.10.2 Editing a Part in an Assembly ........................................................ 350

vii

11.11
11.12

11.10.3 Improving Assembly Performance when Editing Parts.............. 351

Importing Parts into an Assembly .............................................................. 352
Joining Parts & Removing Material in an Assembly ............................... 353

Drawings .................................................................................................355
12.1

12.2

12.3

12.4

viii

Drawing Creation ............................................................................................... 355

12.1.1 Opening a New Drawing................................................................... 355
12.1.2 Selecting a Drawing Template......................................................... 355
12.1.3 Selecting the Model ........................................................................... 356
12.1.4 Inserting Standard Views.................................................................. 357
12.1.5 Inserting Additional Standard Views............................................... 359
12.1.6 Fast Views .......................................................................................... 361
Working in a Drawing ........................................................................................ 362
12.2.1 Drawing Mark-Up Mode.................................................................... 362
12.2.2 Renaming Sheets & Views............................................................... 365
12.2.3 Changing the Drawing Template..................................................... 365
12.2.4 Deleting Views.................................................................................... 366
12.2.5 Hiding Views ....................................................................................... 367
12.2.6 Drawing Selection Filters.................................................................. 367
12.2.7 Mo ving Views on the Sheet.............................................................. 368
12.2.8 Updating Drawing Views .................................................................. 369
12.2.9 View and Sheet Boundaries............................................................. 369
12.2.10 Changing the View Scale................................................................ 370
12.2.11 Line Display in Views....................................................................... 370
12.2.12 Centerlines and Centermarks ........................................................ 371
12.2.13 Optimizing the Drawing Display..................................................... 373
12.2.14 Layers ................................................................................................ 374
12.2.15 Adding Sheets .................................................................................. 378
12.2.16 Reordering Sheets ........................................................................... 379
12.2.17 Mo ving a View to Another Sheet ................................................... 379
12.2.18 Hiding Parts in a View (Assemblies Only).................................... 379
12.2.19 Inserting Images in a Drawing ....................................................... 380
12.2.20 Printing a Drawing............................................................................ 381
Dimensioning...................................................................................................... 381
12.3.1 Placing Additional Dimensions on a View ..................................... 382
12.3.2 Dimensioning Slots and Holes......................................................... 383
12.3.3 Placing Ordinate Dimensions on a View........................................ 384
12.3.4 Modifying Driving Dimension Values .............................................. 384
12.3.5 Dimension Properties........................................................................ 385
12.3.6 Dimension Styles ............................................................................... 386
12.3.7 Aligning Dimensions.......................................................................... 389
Inserting Additional Views ................................................................................ 389
12.4.1 Standard View .................................................................................... 389
12.4.2 Au xiliary View ..................................................................................... 390
12.4.3 Detail View .......................................................................................... 391
12.4.4 Section View ....................................................................................... 393

12.5

12.6

12.4.5 Broken View........................................................................................ 397

12.4.6 Partial View ......................................................................................... 399
12.4.7 Exploded View.................................................................................... 401
12.4.8 Flat Pattern View of a Sheet Metal Part ......................................... 402
Custom Templates ............................................................................................ 402
12.5.1 Creating a Custom Template ........................................................... 402
12.5.2 Customizing an Existing Template ................................................. 403
12.5.3 Saving and Using a Custom Template as a Drawing .................. 404
12.5.4 Saving and Using a Custom Template as a Symbol ................... 405
12.5.5 Automatically Filling Title Block Information .................................. 406
12.5.6 Managing Design Property Value Fields ....................................... 408
Annotations ......................................................................................................... 409
12.6.1 Note...................................................................................................... 410
12.6.2 Datums ................................................................................................ 412
12.6.3 Datum Targets.................................................................................... 413
12.6.4 Feature Control Frames.................................................................... 415
12.6.5 Surface Finish Symbol ...................................................................... 418
12.6.6 Weld Symbol ...................................................................................... 419
12.6.7 Balloon Callouts ................................................................................. 420
12.6.8 Thread and Hole Callouts................................................................. 421
12.6.9 Tables .................................................................................................. 425
12.6.10 Working with Annotations ............................................................... 427

Bills of Material.......................................................................................429
13.1
13.2

13.3

13.4

Specifying BOM Data ........................................................................................ 429

Bills of Material Generation .............................................................................. 430
13.2.1 BOM Creation..................................................................................... 430
13.2.2 Custom BOM Templates .................................................................. 432
BOMs within 2D Drawings................................................................................ 433
13.3.1 Inserting a BOM View into a Drawing............................................. 433
13.3.2 Linking a BOM to a Drawing ............................................................ 435
13.3.3 Unlinking a BOM from a Drawing.................................................... 436
13.3.4 Editing a BOM .................................................................................... 436
13.3.5 Mo ving the BOM View on the Sheet............................................... 436
13.3.6 Hiding the BOM View ........................................................................ 437
13.3.7 Deleting the BOM View..................................................................... 438
13.3.8 Mo ving a BOM View to Another Sheet........................................... 438
13.3.9 Splitting a BOM View ........................................................................ 438
13.3.10 Adding Callout Balloons .................................................................. 439
BOM Workspace Interface ............................................................................... 442
13.4.1 Adding and Deleting Columns in a BOM ....................................... 443
13.4.2 Adding and Deleting a Row in a BOM............................................ 445
13.4.3 Hiding a Row ...................................................................................... 445
13.4.4 Resizing Rows and Columns ........................................................... 446
13.4.5 Adjusting Column Header and Data Alignment ............................ 447

ix

13.4.6
13.4.7
13.4.8
13.4.9
13.4.10
13.4.11
13.4.12
13.4.13
13.4.14
13.4.15

Mo ving Rows and Columns in a Table........................................... 448

Sorting Data in Ascending or Descending Order ......................... 449
Changing the Header Display Orientation ..................................... 449
Customizing Header and Data Font Properties ............................ 450
Overriding Design Values ............................................................... 450
Modifying the BOM View Style....................................................... 451
Resequencing Data ......................................................................... 451
Updating the Table........................................................................... 452
Exporting a BOM .............................................................................. 453
Printing a BOM ................................................................................. 453

Opening and Saving ..............................................................................455

14.1
14.2

Opening Files ..................................................................................................... 455

14.1.1 Opening Files from the File System................................................ 455
14.1.2 Opening Files from the Alibre Vault ................................................ 455
Saving Files ........................................................................................................ 456
14.2.1 General Saving Principles ................................................................ 456
14.2.2 Single Item Save vs. Multi-Item Save............................................. 457
14.2.3 Saving Files to the File System ....................................................... 457
14.2.4 Saving Files to the Alibre Vault........................................................ 459

Importing and Exporting Data ..............................................................463

15.1

15.2
15.3

Importing Data.................................................................................................... 463

15.1.1 Supported File Types ........................................................................ 463
15.1.2 Importing a File .................................................................................. 464
15.1.3 Import Settings and Import Advisor ................................................ 466
Exporting Data.................................................................................................... 469
15.2.1 Supported File Types ........................................................................ 469
15.2.2 Exporting a File .................................................................................. 470
Special Options for IGES and STL Files........................................................ 472

Alibre Motion ..........................................................................................473

16.1
16.2
16.3

16.4
16.5

An Overview of Simulation ............................................................................... 474

Installing and Enabling Alibre Motion ............................................................. 475
Alibre Motion User Interface ............................................................................ 475
16.3.1 Alibre Motion, Main Menu................................................................. 476
16.3.2 Alibre Motion Explorer....................................................................... 477
16.3.3 Motion Explorer Groups.................................................................... 478
16.3.4 Motion Settings .................................................................................. 479
16.3.5 Playback Deck.................................................................................... 485
Overview of Simulating and Playing ............................................................... 487
Forces and Torques in Simulations ................................................................ 488

16.5.1

16.6

16.7

16.8
16.9

Adding Physical Elements (Motors and Actuators, Springs and D ampers)

489
16.5.2 Actuators (Motors and Linear Actuators) ....................................... 490
16.5.3 Springs ................................................................................................ 497
16.5.4 Dampers.............................................................................................. 498
16.5.5 Gravity ................................................................................................. 499
Simulation Types and Parameters:................................................................. 501
16.6.1 Simulation Types ............................................................................... 502
16.6.2 Producing Efficient and Useful Simulations................................... 502
16.6.3 Automatic Constraint Mapping (ACM) in Alibre Motion ............... 504
16.6.4 Mo ving and Fixed Parts .................................................................... 504
16.6.5 Creating Simulations ......................................................................... 505
16.6.6 Renaming Simulations ...................................................................... 505
16.6.7 Running Simulations ......................................................................... 506
16.6.8 Simulation Warnings ......................................................................... 507
16.6.9 Maintaining Multiple Simulations ..................................................... 507
16.6.10 Deleting Simulations ........................................................................ 508
16.6.11 Acti vating a Different Simulation.................................................... 508
Results and Feedback from Alibre Motion Simulations............................... 508
16.7.1 Traces - Visualizing Paths and Vectors ......................................... 509
16.7.2 Video Generation with Alibre Motion .............................................. 513
16.7.3 Generating X-Y Plots from Simulation Data .................................. 516
Detecting Interferences..................................................................................... 518
16.8.1 Interferences Dialog .......................................................................... 519
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) ................................................................ 519

Alibre Vault, by M-Files .........................................................................521

17.1
17.2
17.3
17.4
17.5
17.6

Critical Notes for Installation or Modification of the Vault............................ 521

Description of Metadata.................................................................................... 522
Differences Between the Vault and the File System.................................... 522
Enabling or Disabling the Alibre Vault ............................................................ 523
Checking Items In and Out of the Alibre Vault .............................................. 524
Finding Items in the Alibre Vault ..................................................................... 526
17.6.1 Searching ............................................................................................ 526
17.6.2 Views ................................................................................................... 529
17.7
Renaming Files .................................................................................................. 530
17.8
Copying Items .................................................................................................... 531
17.9
Permissions ........................................................................................................ 531
17.10
Setting Up Notifications ............................................................................... 534
17.11
Versioning...................................................................................................... 534
17.11.1 Versioning Concepts ....................................................................... 534
17.11.2 Viewing Version History .................................................................. 535
17.11.3 Version Label Creation.................................................................... 536
17.11.4 Rolling Back to Previous Versions ................................................ 537
17.12
Relationships................................................................................................. 538

xi

17.13

Getting Help .................................................................................................. 541

Index......................................................................................................543

xii

Chapter 1 - Installation

C HAP TER 1
Installation
Thank you for choosing Alibre Design! We w elcome you to the ever-growing community of designers who have
discovered the high value of Alibre Design's feature-rich modeling capability.
Alibre Design is easily installed on your computer. Use these directions to get up and running in a matter of
minutes.

In This Chapter
System Requirements.............................................................................................1
On the DVD ............................................................................................................3
Installing Alibre Design ...........................................................................................3
Uninstalling Alibre Design .......................................................................................5

1.1 System Requirements

The follow ing requirements must be met to install and run Alibre Design.
Supported Operating Systems

Windows XP Professional or Home Edition

Windows Vista Business, Home, or Ultimate

Windows 7

Unsupported Operating Systems

Windows XP Starter Edition

Windows NT

Windows Me

Windows 98

Other Operating Systems

Chapter 1 - Installation

Windows XP x64 / Windows Vista x64*

Windows 2000, Server 2003**

* Occasionally, some display-related is sues may occur, depending on the system setup. However, Alibre Design
does work on these operating systems. Please contact support if you have having issues.
** Alibre Design may function on these operating systems; however, it has not been tested. It is strongly
recommended to move to one of the supported operating systems.
Software Requirements

Internet Explorer 6.0 or later

.NET 2.0 Framew ork - part of the installation process

J# Redistributable - part of the installation process

Note: Alibre Design is only compatible w ith J# 2.0. If J# Second Edition is installed, it w ill need to be
uninstalled before Alibre Design can be used. During the installation process of Alibre Design 11.0, J# 2.0
will be installed automatically.

Microsoft DirectX 9.0c

Minimum Hardware Requirements

Intel Pentium or equivalent processor; 2 GHz or faster

RAM: 1-2 GB

1024 x 786 minimum screen resolution; 1280 x 1024 or greater recommended

64 MB or higher video card with DirectX 9.0c

Color: 32-bit

Hard Disk Space: 500 MB

Virtual Memory: 1 GB

CD- ROM drive

Mouse or pointing device

Additional Recommendations for assemblies of 500 or more parts

Intel Pentium or equivalent processor: 3 GHz or faster

RAM: 2 GB or more

Virtual Memory: 2 GB

Recommended changes for Windows Vista

Chapter 1 - Installation

Intel Pentium or equivalent processor: 3 GHz or faster

RAM: 2 GB or more

Video Card: 128 MB RAM or higher

Color: 32-bit

1.2 On the DVD

The follow ing items are on the installation DVD:

Alibre Design 12.0

Alibre Design Help

Hypershot by Bunkspeed

DirectX 9.0c

ALGOR DesignCheck

Alibre Part Library

Alibre CAM

Alibre Motion

Machinist Toolbox

Alibre Vault by M-Files

TraceParts Access Instructions

1.3 Installing Alibre Design

The Alibre Design Installer is available on the installation DVD as well as from the Alibre website.

To download the Alibre Design installer from the website:

1.

Sign in w ith your user name and password and go to the Dow nloads page.

2.

Click Alibre Design Client to dow nload the version of Alibre Design associated w ith your license. We
recommend that you save the installer to your hard driv e in case the installation process is interrupted.

3.

Once you have saved the installer to your hard drive, double click the file to begin the installation process.

4.

Continue the installation as described below, beginning with step 4.

Chapter 1 - Installation

To Install Alibre Design from the DVD:

1.

Insert the DVD. Within a few seconds, a w indow appears. If the w indow does not appear, open the Windows
Explorer, and double-click your DVD drive icon to open the window.

2.

Click Customers on the DVD menu.

3.

Select your product level.

4.

Click Install Alibre Design 11.0. The Alibre Design installation begins.

5.

Follow the prompts in the Installation Wizard.

6.

By default, Alibre Design is installed in the Program Files directory on the C: drive. If desired, select a
different destination folder.

7.

Choose where to place shortcuts.

8.

Select the language you prefer.

9.

Click Install.

10. When the installation is complete, a message will appear prompting you to install PDFCreator. Click OK to
continue.

Note: PDFCreator cannot be installed on the Vista operating system. In addition, if you do not install
PDFCreator, you w ill be unable to fully publish BOMs or Drawings to PDF. If you choose to install a different
PDF Printer application, you can print to PDF, but you w ill be unable to add a header or footer to the PDF.
11. Select the language you want to use and click OK.
12. Click Next in the Welcome Dialog.
13. Read the license agreement, then check I accept the agreement and click Next.
14. Choose the Standard or Server Installation, then click Next.