Toolbox
Single Part Editor Associative Hardware
The 10th toolbar button on the "Single Part Editor" toolbar is the "Associative Hardware" button. Associative hardware is hardware that has machining attached to the hardware piece that will be applied to a panel. The machining operations are assigned to the hardware piece through the material file. A 3D and 2D drawing can also be attached to the hardware piece in the material file. Having a 3D drawing associated to a hardware piece will draw that hardware piece in 3D. Having a 2D drawing of a hardware piece allows you to attach the hardware to a panel drawn in 2D. If a hardware piece has machining instructions, 3D drawing, and 2D drawing attached to it; you can take a 3D part, draw it in 2D, attach the hardware piece to the 2D panel, and then update the part back to 3D. The 3D part will now have a 3D drawing of the hardware, along with the machining operations from the hardware applied to the part. After drawing a part in 2D select the "Associative Hardware" button. A list of associative hardware will be displayed in the first box on the screen. A picture of the hardware is shown below the associative hardware list. After selecting the hardware you would like to add to the panel select the "Draw Hardware" button. If the hardware is going to be applied to Face 6 of the panel, check the "Insert on Face 6" checkbox before selecting the "Draw Hardware" button. Select a point on the panel where you would like the hardware to be drawn. Just like machining operations, a green hardware drawing means that the machining is applied to Face 5 and a red hardware drawing applies the machining to Face 6. Once you have drawn the hardware on the panel, you can move the hardware around by using regular AutoCAD commands to place the hardware in the correct location. Some of the hardware, such as the hinges, has guide lines so that you can snap them to the edge of the panel and the machining will be placed the correct distance away from the edge of the panel. Once a hardware piece has been added to a part you can view that hardware part in the "Hardware Parts" tab on the spreadsheet or "Product Properties" window. You will also notice that associative hardware has a value in the "Associative Rotation Angle" parameter. Since machining operations are attached to the hardware, you can only rotate the hardware in the Z axis instead of all three axes; and instead of using the Z axis in the drawing, you are rotating the hardware on the Z axis in the hardware's 3D drawing. Changing the "Associative Rotation Angle" will rotate the hardware in the hardware drawing’s Z axis. For example, if you change the "Associative Rotation Angle" for a pull, you are going to be rotating the pull so that the drill holes are always on the face of the panel rotated either horizontally or vertically. You won't be rotating the pull so the drill holes are parallel with the face of the panel pointing toward an edge of the panel. The X, Y, and Z rotation fields are not used with associative hardware. For more information on associative hardware and creating new associative hardware please review the Associative Hardware Tutorial. |
|||||
|
|
