Re: Partial Section Cut in Assembly (NX 8) 2

The function is called 'Section View' and it can only be accessed from the PMI toolbar which can only be displayed when the the PMI option is selected using...

Start -> PMI

Attached is an simple Assembly with a PMI Section stored in the view named 'SECTION OF TFR-TRI'. If you wish to see how the section was created, just go to the Part Navigator, expand the list of 'Model Views' and double-click the above named view. If you wish to create a new 'Section View', change to another view (you can only section a model view once), activate the PMI toolbar and select the 'Section View...' icon.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
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To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Thanks a lot Mr. Baker; I'm so glad I've initiated this thread.......
I can't believe I was so ignorant about the PMI functionality!!!!!!!!
How could I get more abilities/knowledge/familiarity from the PMI functionality?

Regards,

MZ7DYJ

Any PMI documentation releated tutorial?

MZ7DYJ

Your first stop should be the help files; look up the PMI functions to see what is available and a general sense of how to use the commands. Create a few test parts and use the commands to get a feel of how they work. Post any specific questions that you have.

www.nxjournaling.com

Thank you, Cowski!

MZ7DYJ

"However, as part of the PMI module's functionality, there is a Model Sectioning function which will allow you create arbitrary cutting planes, select which components are to be sectioned or not, and it creates this all as a view-dependent operation so that you can see the model sectioned or non-sectioned (or even multiple-sectioning scenarios) by just switching between different Modeling views"

What "multiple-sectioning scenarios" would mean in this context?

Thanks



MZ7DYJ

What I was referring to in that original September 2011 post, was that you could create multiple sectioned views in the same part model and easily switch between them to see different 'sectioning scenarios'.

To see what I mean, I've attached a new version of the Valve Assembly that I posted previously. Now this is just the single assembly file, the rest of the parts that you have are OK, just place this new file in the same folder where those others part files are and open it. Once it's open, go to the Part Navigator and expand the 'Model Views' item and note the there are now THREE different 'Section' views. Just double-click them one at a time to see three different section views of the same assembly, keeping in mind that if you double-click the (Work) view it will take you into the 'Section View' editor.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Wonderful!
Thank you Mr. Baker!
Today I had the opportunity to apply the Section View (PMI).
It looks much better (and easier) than using Assembly Cut or regular Boolean features.
No geometry modification.......Clean, nice!



MZ7DYJ

Assembly Cut was never intended as a 'Section View' tool. Granted, I've used it myself in cutaways of assemblies like showing the moving parts of an engine or something, but that was before we had the PMI tools. PMI section views are just that, views of a section cut for visualization or documentation purposes, but NOT to modify the model, That's what Assembly Cut is for.

A classic example is driiling a hole for a pin that's driven into two parts to assure that they won't move once assembled. The hole needed for something like this can only be drilled at assembly AFTER the parts are actually assembled and while the hole would not appear in the models used to manufacture to parts, once they are part of the assembly and if you were disassemble the parts the holes would be there, but only because they were part of the assembly when the hole was drilled. If you look at that Valve Assembly I've provided you you'll notice that the Jam Nut is cross-drilled and if I wanted to assure that once assembled, that you couldn't easily disassemble this item you could use Assembly Cut to show the hole drilled through the shaft where a roll-pin would be driven in to lock it down. Now that hole, while it's reasonable to expect to see it in the Jam Nut before the valve was assembled, you wouldn't have expected to see the hole in the shaft. No, if can only come after the parts had been assembled otherwise there is very little chance that any sort of pre-drilled hole would have lined-up with the cross-drilled hole in the Jam Nut. Due to tolerances and the exact start point of the threads in both the Jam Nut and on the end of shaft, you could have never included the hole at the time that shaft was being fabricated, it could only come by being drilled on the assembly floor.

Anyway, I hope this clears-up the uses of these two very different functions, Assembly Cut and the PMI Section View.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Yes, it does.
The difference is clear blue.
The practical examples were very helpful for comprehension.

Regards,

MZ7DYJ

Mr. Baker gave us a good exemple of PMI Sectioning, using the “Section View” choice.
I was wondering if it is possible to use in the "valve_assy_PMI_Multi-Sectioned.prt" example the other PMI option for sectioning - "LIGHT WEIGHT SECTION VIEW", getting the same section profile like the other PMI option :Section View.

Thanks


MZ7DYJ

Mr. Baker gave us a good exemple of PMI Sectioning, using the “Section View” choice.
I was wondering if it is possible to use in the "valve_assy_PMI_Multi-Sectioned.prt" example, the other PMI option for sectioning: the "LIGHT WEIGHT SECTION VIEW", getting the same section profile like the other PMI option :Section View maybe by (using the "BOX" choice).

Thanks


MZ7DYJ

You can certainly create simple section views using the new 'Lightweight' PMI Section, as shown below (I did this using NX 9.0):



However, the examples where I REMOVED only a quadrant or an octant of the model, those are not possible as the 'Lighweight' approach uses one or more infinite planes to 'visually trim away' the model, therefore, by definition, all of the results are convex in nature. Concave results, like my quadrant/octant removal, is something the the current 'PMI Section View' is capable of doing, just that it's 'heavyweight' in the sense that it relies on actually performing view-dependent Boolean operations on albeit lightweight copies of the components, but still they're copies and modeling operations are involved whereas the 'Lightweight' approach is being done using what's in essence a visual trimming of the model, just that it's only acting on a selected set of components and not the entire model, which is what happens when you use the traditional 'Clip Section' viewing function, which is similar in terms of the User Interface and the cutting plane manipulation tools.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

OK, thank you.

MZ7DYJ

I am thinking that I'll be nice to have (in PMI Functionality), besides of “color” option, crosshatched sectioned area (similar to those created in Drafting environment)………….
I’ve noticed a ‘Crosshatch” icon (under Settings → Wireframe Appearance), but I do not its effect yet…

Any thoughts about this?


MZ7DYJ

Yes, starting with NX 9.0 you have the option of also including croasshatching when you create Lightweight PMI Section views, as shown below:



Note that in the image above I asked that NX assign the 'Crosshatch' patterns based on the Material of the various components (you still have the option to use a 'General Use' pattern if you wish) where in this Assembly the Arm is Aluminum, the Cover plate is Steel and the Valve Body is Iron.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Industry Sector
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

Your suggestion was great, Mr. Baker.
I can't wait to get my hands on NX9........
Regards,


MZ7DYJ