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* Think about how you build a part and assemblies. Make sure that if you need to change one of them in the future, the file does light up the feature tree in red. Modeling is as much a thought process, as it is a raw shape manipulation. The Theory of Parametic Modeling is to be respected.
* Learn differing ways to model. One example is:
-Cut away - like taking a block of clay of overall size of object, and cutting away until the object is created. Very handy to do if you are making a "family" of complex parts.
* Lock as much as you can down. Sketches most importantly. They control how your model will react to dimensional changes. Not locking down the sketch, means the model may react in unpredictable ways. It is best to make the relationships in relation to things that are constant. I prefer origin, planes, and axises.
Blue.....BLUUUUEE! Ah that picture brought back memories
I always like to keep it neat and clean:
I start with the most relevant assemblies then the most relevant parts, then, least relevant assemblies and parts. Whenever there’s a group of parts & assemblies that didn’t get their own sub-assembly, I like to open a special folder for it. Sometimes it’s also nice to save screws and bolts in a “fasteners” folder.
2. Assemblies:
You should always minimize the number of patterns, if 2 patterns can fit into one feature, then why not?
(2b) Also, it's always better to use a feature pattern instead of linear/circular pattern, if it's possible.
3. Sketches:
It’s impossible to suppress an entity, so instead you can use “for geometry” so that you can save a group of entities without using them physically in your model.
4. Post design:
After you finish your design there’s a chance that your parts/assemblies will be used some place else (another project). You should remove these links (mates/relations) because they tend to brake when you use them in a different project (turning from -> to ->?). so you should go to all features that include the -> symbol and start replacing the mate/relation with an autonomous one. For example, instead of using an “equal” relation between an entity in your sketch and an edge in another part, you should use a dimension that “locks” the length of the entity. This way it’s possible to use you parts in other projects. This step is efficient usually in the post design step because you’re “killing” the relations between parts/assemblies in your project.
2. Add datum axes X-axis, Y-axis, Z-axis to templates. The axes are very useful for feature design and mating.
3. Name features (mentioned above). This helps future users, plus yourself once tree gets long.
4. Use Comments. This is really helpful for identifying the purpose of obscure datum planes or features that you don't want to accidentally delete when you are cleaning up the tree. I wish there was an option to "LOCK" features so they couldn't be deleted without the comment popping up.