Whos Best Practices

Whos Best Practices?
Mark Lawry
Siemens PLM Software
2007. Siemens Product Lifecycle Management Software Inc. All rights reserved
Background: Two user communities in NX

Former I-deas users and former Unigraphics (UG) users bring different
"best practices" with them, often with strongly held opinions.
Page 2
Best practices review
Why were they adopted?

General design principles?
Company or industry standards?
Software performance?
Are they still valid?
Has our design process changed?
Have our standards changed?
Has the software performance changed?
Are new methods available?
Page 3
1. Use of datums
I-deas practices:
Start with BORN coordinate system (Base Orphan Reference Node)
BORN contains 3 planes, 3 axes, 1 origin
Create datums first in the history tree
Create datums relative to other datums
UG practices:
Start with primitive block or datum
Dont create unused datum planes
Create datum planes when needed
Create datums relative to geometry
Page 4
1. Use of datums
continued
NX changes (from UG or I-deas) that

affect old practices:
Datum coordinate systems are now one
entity in NX, not separate datum planes.
Unused datum coordinate system planes
are not flagged as unused items.
Datum coordinate systems can be
reordered, even to be the first feature,
and associativity added.
(This is not possible in I-deas.)
Creation of relative datum coordinate
systems (Offset CSYS) has been
improved.
Display of datum coordinate systems
has been improved to control size.
Page 5
1. Use of datums
continued
NX best practices:
The BORN coordinate
system practice from I-deas
is no longer required based
on software behavior, but is
still a good design practice.
It is included in the Model
template.
Create other datum
coordinate systems as
Offset CSYS with
associativity to the first
datum coordinate system,
similar to the BORN method.
Page 6
2. Associativity
I-deas practices:
Goal to create associative features.
Sketch in Place preferred over sketching on the work plane.
Use Focus to create associative geometry.
Use Feature Copy to subdivide part design.
Use ACF to create associative links between parts in an assembly.
UG practices:
Associativity is not the only goal.
Keep features independent because they are less prone to
surprises.
Avoid interpart links to prevent inadvertent changes to released
files.
Page 7
2. Associativity
continued
NX changes that affect practices:

Parent/child associativity is very visible in the
Part Navigator.
Focus within a part
is not required.
Associativity between
parts is easier to create
without WAVE Geometry
Linker or ACF. (NX 6)
Page 8
2. Associativity
continued
NX best practices:
Build on the oldest, most stable geometry.
Datums should be preferred over faces and edges.
Avoid references to faces or edges of
detailed design features like chamfers or blends.
Associativity is most useful in the intermediate design phase
with highly engineered models.
For early concept models, it is not as necessary.
Consider using Synchronous Modeling with History-Free
mode for concept models or for manufacturing changes, not
for highly engineered models. (NX 6)
Page 9
3. Organizing sketches
I-deas practices:
Sketches are absorbed into features.
Convert sketches to reference curves to use in multiple features.
Use sketches to define design intent.
Create as many relationships as possible in a sketch.
UG practices:
Sketches are separate features.
Keep sketches simple and small, one per feature.
Page 10
continued

Sketches can be external or internal to features.
Constraints and dimensions can span from one sketch to another.
(You cannot do this in I-deas.)
Page 11
continued
NX best practices:
Use the same sketch for multiple features.
Page 12
continued
NX best practices:
Reuse sketches and features using Copy and Paste.
Page 13
continued
NX best practices:
Use constraints and dimensions between sketches.
Organize design intent in sketches in the most logical way.
Sketch 1
Sketch 3
Sketch
2
Page 14
4. Sketch-based features vs. form features
I-deas practices:
Almost all features are sketch based.
Primitive features are discouraged.
UG practices:
Primitive features were used.
Best practice was to only use one primitive to start a model.
Sketched features were avoided by some customers.
Page 15
continued

Primitive features now have some associativity.
Form features now use sketches. (Hole command)
Form features indicate design/manufacturing intent.
Page 16
continued
NX best practices:
Sketch-based features are still a best practice to define design
intent.
Form features offer a better way to indicate
design/manufacturing intent in some circumstances.
What is the best way to make the model understandable and
editable by others?
Page 17
5. Bushy tree modeling

I-deas practices:
Advanced I-deas users use bushy tree modeling.
UG practices:
Users never heard of it.
Page 18
continued

In NX, Boolean operations can be embedded within a feature or a
added as a separate feature.
The Part Navigator displays features in linear Timestamp order or
grouped as solid bodies.
Page 19
continued
NX best practices:
Use a separate Boolean feature to use the equivalent of bushy
tree modeling. (UG instructors often recommend this, but they
dont call it bushy modeling.)
Turn off Timestamp Order to work with multiple bodies.
Page 20
6. Patterns
I-deas practices:
Use of patterns is encouraged.
Patterns create one feature.
UG practices:
Use of patterns was encouraged (instance arrays).
Patterns created one feature for each instance.
Suppressing individual instances in the pattern was discouraged.
Page 21
6. Patterns
NX software changes:
Feature arrays and geometry arrays are types of patterns.
The new sketch-based Hole command can create an entire pattern
of holes as one feature. (NX 6)
Page 22
6. Patterns
continued
NX best practices:
Patterns are an efficient way to model, and also capture design
intent.
Consider using the new sketch-based Hole command instead of
using a pattern command, especially for irregular hole patterns.
Page 23
7. Controlling object visibility

I-deas practices:
Display Filter is used primarily.
Sketches and tools are absorbed into features.
UG practices:
Layers were used primarily.
Company standards existed for layer use.
Sketches and Boolean tools were placed on hidden layers.
Page 24
continued

There are several methods to control object
visibility:
Hide command
Show command
Hide and Show command
Layers
Reference Sets - Used to define what is
shown in an assembly.
Page 25
continued
NX best practices:
Use the Hide and Show command or layers
to control object visibility.
Dont use both at the same time because
the Hide and Show command only works
with objects on visible layers.
Parts migrated from I-deas will have some
objects on specific layers, so you need to
know about layers.
Understand Layers and Reference Sets
when using assemblies.
Page 26
Conclusion
NX best practices:
Best practices based on design principles and design intent are
still valid.
Associativity, structured design, use of datums, reuse of
sketches and features
Some best practices based on software behavior are no longer
required, but may still be a good discipline.
BORN coordinate system
Software changes may open up new best practices.
Organizing sketches, using design features, hole patterns
Page 27
Mark Lawry
Learning Media Development
Mark.Lawry@Siemens.com
513.576.5677
Page 28

Whos Best Practices

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Whos Best Practices

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Whos Best Practices?

Siemens PLM Software

Background: Two user communities in NX

Siemens PLM Software

Best practices review

Why were they adopted?

Siemens PLM Software

Create datums first in the history tree

Create datums relative to other datums

Dont create unused datum planes

Create datum planes when needed

Create datums relative to geometry

Siemens PLM Software

NX changes (from UG or I-deas) that

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

NX changes that affect practices:

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

NX changes that affect practices:

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

4. Sketch-based features vs. form features

Siemens PLM Software

4. Sketch-based features vs. form features

NX changes that affect practices:

Siemens PLM Software

4. Sketch-based features vs. form features

Siemens PLM Software

5. Bushy tree modeling

Siemens PLM Software

5. Bushy tree modeling

NX changes that affect practices:

Siemens PLM Software

5. Bushy tree modeling

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

7. Controlling object visibility

Siemens PLM Software

7. Controlling object visibility

NX changes that affect practices:

Siemens PLM Software

7. Controlling object visibility

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

Siemens PLM Software

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