Graphics Programs Reference
In-Depth Information
Understanding Grounded Components
The first component placed in an assembly is referred to as the
base
component
and, as in the real world, should be the component that the largest number of
other components are attached to or rely upon for their foundation.
In the Browser, notice a thumbtack icon overlaying the cube icon that repre-
sents the part. This thumbtack means the component is
grounded
, which means
you don't need to constrain the base part to the coordinate system of the assem-
bly file. Any or all components can be grounded, and the base component can be
“ungrounded” if you want to be able to reorient it in the assembly.
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Applying Assembly Constraints
The purpose of constraining components together in an assembly is to mimic
the behavior of components in the real world. The constraints you apply do this
by removing degrees of freedom from the components. Although it is not neces-
sary to remove all the degrees of freedom, you will need to remove as many as
needed to properly position the part. Inventor has relatively few constraint tools,
but some of them can be used in many ways.
The Place Constraint dialog box has four tabs: Assembly, Motion, Transitional,
and Constraint Set. Each accesses tools that offer different ways to solve your
assembly. The selections area on each tab and with each type offers buttons with
different colors that are reflected in the assembly as you select the entities. In
this section, you'll use exercises to better understand the most commonly used
constraint tools.
The Assembly tab (Figure 4.2) offers four types of assembly constraint: Mate,
Insert, Angular, and Tangent. Each offers at least two solutions. In addition, the
Transitional tab offers its own constraint. For the most part, you will see the
options each constraint offers by looking at the icons for its solutions.
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FIGURE 4.2
The Assembly tab
of the Place Constraint dialog box
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