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    Solid Edge 2023 for Designers, 20th Edition
    Solid Edge 2023 for Designers, 20th Edition
    Solid Edge 2023 for Designers, 20th Edition
    Ebook1,459 pages10 hours

    Solid Edge 2023 for Designers, 20th Edition

    By Sham Tickoo

    ()

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    About this ebook

    Solid Edge 2023 for Designers textbook introduces the readers to Solid Edge 2023, one of the world's leading parametric solid modeling packages. Consisting of 15 chapters, the book covers the Part, Assembly, Drafting, and Sheet Metal environments of Solid Edge 2023. Both synchronous and ordered environments are discussed throughout this book. Also, 3D sketching is discussed in both synchronous and ordered environments. 3D sketching combines the speed and flexibility of modeling with precise control on dimension driven designs, thereby providing tremendous productivity gains over traditional methods. The author emphasizes on the solid modeling and editing techniques that enhance the productivity and efficiency of the users. In addition, chapters have tutorials and exercises that are based on the tools discussed in the chapter to help users initially learn the tools and concepts and then understand their practical usage and working.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherCADCIM Technologies
    Release dateFeb 26, 2024
    ISBN9781640571716
    Solid Edge 2023 for Designers, 20th Edition
    Author

    Sham Tickoo

    Prof. Sham Tickoo is professor of Manufacturing Engineering at Purdue University Northwest, USA where he has taught design, drafting, CAD and other engineering courses for over nineteen years. Before joining Purdue University, Prof. Tickoo has worked as a machinist, quality control engineer, design engineer, engineering consultant, and software developer. He has received a US patent for his invention Self Adjusting Cargo Organizer for Vehicles. Professor Tickoo also leads the team of authors at CADCIM Technologies to develop world-class teaching and learning resources for Computer Aided Design and Manufacturing (CAD/CAM) and related technologies.

    Read more from Sham Tickoo

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      Book preview

      Solid Edge 2023 for Designers, 20th Edition - Sham Tickoo

      chapter 1: Introduction to Solid Edge 2023

      Introduction to Solid Edge 2023

      Solid Edge Environments

      System Requirements for Installing Solid Edge 2023

      Important Terms and Definitions

      Getting Started with Solid Edge 2023

      User Interface of Solid Edge

      Prompt Line

      PathFinder

      Docking Window

      File Tab

      Quick Access Toolbar

      Ribbon

      Status Bar

      Record

      Upload to YouTube

      Command bar

      QuickPick

      Part Environment Tabs

      Assembly Environment Tabs

      Draft Environment Tab

      Radial Menu

      Simulation Express

      Using Intellisketch

      Automatic Saving Option

      Color Scheme in Solid Edge

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Chapter 2: Sketching, Dimensioning, and Creating Base Features and Drawings

      Sketching in the Part Environment

      Starting a New Part File by Using the File Tab

      Starting a New Part File by Using the New Dialog Box

      Transition between Part Environments

      Starting a Sketch in the Part Environment

      Sketching Tools

      Line Tool

      Point Tool

      Draw Tool

      FreeSketch Tool

      Drawing Circles

      Drawing Ellipses

      Drawing Arcs

      Drawing Rectangles

      Drawing Polygons

      Drawing Curves

      Clean Sketch Tool

      Creating Construction Geometries

      Converting Sketched Entities into Construction Geometries

      Converting Sketched Entities into Curves

      Filleting Sketched Entities

      Chamfering Sketched Entities

      The Drawing Display Tools

      Zoom Area Tool

      Zoom Tool

      Fit Tool

      Pan Tool

      Sketch View Tool

      Selecting Sketched Entities

      Deleting Sketched Entities

      Grid

      Show Grid

      Snap to Grid

      XY Key-in

      Grid Options

      Reposition Origin

      Zero Origin

      Dimensioning a Sketch

      Creating Base Features by Extruding Sketches

      Starting a New Drawing Document From The Part Document

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Chapter 3: Adding Relationships and Dimensions to Sketches

      Geometric Relationships

      Connect Relationship

      Concentric Relationship

      Horizontal/Vertical Relationship

      Collinear Relationship

      Parallel Relationship

      Perpendicular Relationship

      Lock Relationship

      Rigid Set Relationship

      Tangent Relationship

      Equal Relationship

      Symmetric Relationship

      Setting the Symmetry Axis (Ordered Part Environment)

      Controlling the Display of Relationship Handles

      Conflicts in Relationships

      Deleting Relationships

      Dimensioning the Sketched Entities

      Adding Linear Dimensions

      Adding Aligned Dimensions

      Adding Angular Dimensions

      Adding Diameter Dimensions

      Adding Radial Dimensions

      Adding Symmetric Diameter Dimensions

      Adding Coordinate Dimensions

      Change Coordinate Origin

      Adding Angular Coordinate Dimensions

      Adding Automatic Dimensions (Ordered)

      Understanding the Concept of Fully Constrained Sketches

      Measuring Sketched Entities

      Measuring Distances

      Measuring the Total Length of a Closed Loop or an Open Sketch

      Measuring an Area

      Calculating the Area Properties

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Exercise 4

      Exercise 5

      Chapter 4: Editing, Extruding, and Revolving the Sketches

      Editing the Sketches

      Trimming the Sketched Entities

      Trimming/Extending Entities to a Corner

      Extending the Sketched Entities

      Creating Splits in the Sketched Entities

      Creating Offset Copies

      Creating Symmetric Offset Copies

      Moving/Copying the Sketched Entities

      Rotating the Sketched Entities

      Mirroring the Sketched Entities

      Scaling the Sketched Entities

      Stretching the Sketched Entities

      Auto-Scaling the Sketched Entities

      Editing the Sketched Entities by Dragging

      Writing Text in the Sketch

      Inserting Images into Sketches

      Converting Sketches into Base Features

      Creating Base Features in the Synchronous Part Environment

      Creating Extruded Features

      Creating Revolved Features

      Creating Primitive Features (Synchronous)

      Creating a Box Feature

      Creating a Cylinder Feature

      Creating a Sphere Feature

      Creating Ordered Features

      Creating Extruded Features

      Creating Revolved Features

      Rotating the View of a Model in 3D Space

      Restoring Standard Views

      Setting the Display Modes

      Shaded with Visible Edges

      Shaded

      Visible and Hidden Edges

      Visible Edges

      Wire Frame

      Floor Reflection

      Floor Shadow

      High-Quality Rendering

      Improving the Display Quality of a Model

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Exercise 4

      Chapter 5: Working with Additional Reference Geometries

      Additional Sketching and Reference Planes

      Local Reference Planes

      Global Reference Planes

      Creating Reference Planes (Synchronous)

      Creating a Coincident Plane

      Modifying Planes Using the Steering Wheel

      Creating a Plane Normal to an Edge or a Sketched Curve

      Creating a Plane Using 3 Points

      Creating a Tangent Plane

      Creating Reference Planes (Ordered)

      Creating a Parallel Plane

      Creating an Angled Plane

      Creating a Perpendicular Plane

      Creating a Plane Using Coincident by Axis

      Displaying the Reference Axes (Ordered)

      Understanding Coordinate Systems

      Creating a Coordinate System

      Additional Options of the Extrude Tool

      Creating Cutout Features

      Creating Extruded Cutouts (Ordered)

      Creating Revolved Cutouts (Ordered)

      Creating Cutouts (Synchronous)

      Using the Edges of Existing Features

      Advanced Drawing Display Tools

      Creating User-defined Named Views

      Using Common Views

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Chapter 6: Advanced Modeling Tools-I

      Advanced Modeling Tools

      Creating Holes (Ordered)

      Simple

      Threaded

      Counterbore

      Countersink

      Tapered

      Creating Holes (Synchronous)

      Creating Rounds (Ordered)

      Creating the Constant Radius Round

      Creating the Variable Radius Round

      Creating Rounds (Synchronous)

      Creating Variable Radius Rounds (Synchronous)

      Creating Chamfers (Ordered)

      Creating Patterns (Ordered)

      Creating Rectangular Patterns

      Creating Circular Patterns

      Creating a Pattern along a Curve

      Creating a Pattern by a Table

      Creating Patterns (Synchronous)

      Creating Rectangular Patterns

      Creating Circular Patterns

      Creating a Pattern along a Curve

      Creating Fill Pattern

      Recognizing Hole Patterns (Synchronous)

      Recognizing Patterns (Synchronous)

      Mirroring Features and Bodies (Ordered)

      Mirroring Selected Features

      Mirroring Bodies

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Exercise 4

      Chapter 7: Editing Features

      Editing Models in the Synchronous Part Environment

      Adding Dimensions to the Model

      Dimensioning a Feature

      Dimensioning Holes

      Editing the Round Feature (Synchronous)

      Adding Relations

      Aligning Faces

      Design Intent

      Applying Concentric Relationship

      Applying Tangent Relationship

      Applying Symmetric Relationship

      Applying Parallel Relationship

      Applying Perpendicular Relationship

      Applying Offset Relationship

      Applying Equal Radius Relationship

      Applying Horizontal/Vertical Relationship

      Applying Aligned Holes Relationship

      Applying Rigid Relationship

      Applying Ground Relationship

      Other Selection Handles

      Reference Plane Handle

      Selection Manager

      Modifying Faces Using the Steering Wheel

      Modifying the Model by Editing Dimensions

      Creating Live Sections

      Modifying the Model by Detaching and Attaching Faces or Features

      Modifying the Model by Isolating Features

      Editing Features in the Ordered Part Environment

      Suppressing Features

      Unsuppressing the Suppressed Features

      Deleting Features

      Copying and Pasting Features

      Rolling Back a Model to a Feature

      Converting Ordered Features to Synchronous

      Assigning Color to a Part, Feature, or Face

      Playing Back the Construction of Features

      Modifying Faces in the Ordered Part Environment

      Moving Faces

      Rotating Faces

      Offsetting Faces

      Copying Sketch Objects to Another Sketch

      Checking the Physical Properties of a Model

      Modifying the Display of Construction Entities

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Tutorial 4

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Chapter 8: Advanced Modeling Tools-II

      Advanced Modeling Tools

      Creating Threads

      Creating Slots

      Adding Drafts to the Model

      Adding Ribs to the Model (Ordered)

      Adding Thin Wall Features (Ordered)

      Adding Thin Region Features (Ordered)

      Adding a Lip to the Model

      Creating Web Networks (Ordered)

      Creating Vents

      Creating Mounting Bosses (Ordered)

      Reordering Features

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Tutorial 4

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Chapter 9: Advanced Modeling Tools-III

      Advanced Modeling Tools

      Creating Swept Protrusions

      Creating Swept Cutouts

      Creating Lofted Protrusions

      Creating Lofted Cutouts

      Creating 3D Sketchs (Synchronous)

      Creating Helical Protrusions

      Creating Helical Cutouts

      Creating Normal Protrusions

      Creating Normal Cutouts

      Working with Additional Bodies

      Inserting a New Body

      Applying Boolean Operations to Bodies

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Chapter 10: Assembly Modeling-I

      The Assembly Environment

      Working with the Assembly Environment

      Types of Assembly Design Approaches

      Creating the Bottom-Up Assembly

      Assembling the First Component

      Assembling the Second Component

      Applying Assembly Relationships

      Points to be Remembered while Assembling Components

      Creating the Top-Down Assembly

      Creating a Component in a Top-down Assembly

      Creating the Pattern of Components in an Assembly

      Creating a Reference Pattern

      Mirroring a Component in an Assembly

      Creating Clones of the Component

      Creating Material Removal Features in an Assembly

      Assembly Features

      Assembly-driven Part Features

      Creating Part Features

      Tools for Material Removal in an Assembly

      Subtracting Material from a Part using Another Part

      Moving the Individual Components

      Moving Multiple Components

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Chapter 11: Assembly Modeling-II

      Creating Subassemblies

      Editing the Assembly Relationships

      Modifying the Values

      Applying Additional Relationships

      Modifying Assembly Relationships

      Editing the Assembly Components

      Modifying Synchronous Components in the Assembly Environment

      Dispersing Subassemblies

      Replacing Components

      Replace Part

      Replace Part with New Part

      Replace Part with Copy

      Simplifying Assemblies Using Visibility Options

      Hiding and Displaying Components

      Changing Transparency Conditions

      Interference Detection in Assemblies

      Interference Options

      Checking for the Interference

      Creating the Exploded State of Assemblies

      Automatic Explode

      Unexploding Assemblies

      Exploding Assemblies Manually

      Changing the Distance between Components

      Removing the Parts

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Chapter 12: Generating, Editing, and Dimensioning the Drawing Views

      The Draft Environment

      Types of Views Generated in Solid Edge

      Generating Drawing Views

      Generating the Base View

      Generating the Principal View

      Generating the Auxiliary View

      Generating the Section View

      Generating the Revolved Section Views

      Generating the Broken-Out Section View

      Generating the Detail View

      Generating the Broken View

      Inheriting Break Lines to a Principle, Section, or Auxiliary view

      Working with Interactive Drafting

      Manipulating Drawing Views

      Aligning Drawing Views

      Modifying the Scale of Drawing Views

      Cropping Drawing Views

      Moving the Drawing Views

      Rotating the Drawing Views

      Applying the Hatch Pattern

      Modifying the Properties of Drawing Views

      Adding Annotations to Drawing Views

      Displaying Center Marks and Center Lines in a Drawing View

      Creating a Bolt Hole circle

      Generating Annotations

      Adding Reference Dimensions to Drawing Views

      Adding Callouts To Drawing View

      Adding Surface Texture Symbols to a Drawing View

      Specifying the Edge Conditions

      Adding a Feature Control Frame to Drawing View

      Adding Datum Target to a Drawing View

      Adding New Drawing Sheets

      Editing the Default Sheet Format

      Updating Drawing Views

      Evolving a 3D Model from a 2D Drawing

      Generating the Exploded View of Assemblies

      Creating Associative Balloons and Parts List

      Parts List Properties Dialog Box

      Setting the Text Properties

      Steps to Generate Parts List and Balloons

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Tutorial 3

      Tutorial 4

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Chapter 13: Surface Modeling

      Surface Modeling

      Creating Surfaces in Solid Edge

      Creating an Extruded Surface

      Creating a Revolved Surface

      Creating a Swept Surface

      Creating Surfaces Using the BlueSurf Tool (Synchronous and Ordered)

      Inspecting Surface Curvature at a Section

      Creating Surfaces Using the Bounded Tool

      Stitching Multiple Surfaces to Create a Single Surface

      Replacing the Existing Surfaces

      Creating Offset Surfaces

      Copying a Surface

      Creating a Ruled Surface

      Creating a BlueDot (Ordered)

      Creating a Curve at the Intersection of Two Surfaces

      Trimming the Surfaces

      Extending the Surfaces

      Replacing the Faces of a Part with a Surface

      Splitting Faces

      Using the Intersect Tool

      Creating Curves in 3D by Selecting Keypoints

      Creating Curves by Table

      Projecting the Curves on Surfaces

      Creating a Curve at the Projection of Two Curves

      Drawing a Curve on a Surface

      Deriving Curves

      Splitting a Curve

      Splitting a Body

      Adding Thickness to a Surface

      Creating Rounds Using Blending

      Adding a Draft

      Using the Parting Split Tool

      Using the Parting Surface Tool

      Using the Offset Edge Tool

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Exercise 3

      Chapter 14: Sheet Metal Design

      The Sheet Metal Module

      Setting the Sheet Metal Part Properties

      Creating the Base Feature of the Sheet Metal Part

      Adding Flanges to a Sheet Metal Part

      Adding Flanges in Synchronous Sheet Metal

      Creating Contour Flanges

      Adding Contour Flanges in Synchronous Sheet Metal

      Creating Lofted Flanges

      Adding the Jog to the Sheet

      Bending the Sheet Metal Part

      Unbending the Sheet Metal Part

      Rebending the Sheet Metal Part

      Filleting or Chamfering Corners of a Sheet Metal Part

      Closing the 2 Bend Corners of a Sheet Metal Part

      Creating Dimples in a Sheet Metal Part

      Creating Louvers in a Sheet Metal Part

      Creating Drawn Cutouts in a Sheet Metal Part

      Creating Beads in a Sheet Metal Part

      Embossing Solids onto a Sheet Metal

      Adding Gussets to a Sheet Metal Part

      Adding Hems

      Converting a Solid Part into a Sheet Metal Part

      Ripping the Corners of a Solid Part

      Adding Sheet Metal Features to a Solid Part

      Creating the Flat Pattern of a Sheet Metal Part

      Creating Flat Patterns in the Flat Pattern Environment

      Saving a Sheet Metal Part in the Flat Pattern Format

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Exercise 2

      Chapter 15: Introduction to Convergent Modeling

      Convergent Modeling

      Convert to Mesh Body

      Generative Designing

      Generative Design Using Solid Edge

      Additive Manufacturing

      Additive Manufacturing (3D Printing) Using Solid Edge 2023

      Tutorial 1

      Tutorial 2

      Self-Evaluation Test

      Review Questions

      Exercise 1

      Solid Edge 2023

      for Designers

      (20th Edition)

      CADCIM Technologies

      525 St. Andrews Drive

      Schererville, IN 46375, USA

      (www.cadcim.com)

      Contributing Author

      Sham Tickoo

      Professor

      Purdue University Northwest

      Department of Mechanical Engineering Technology

      Hammond, Indiana, USA

      Solid Edge 2023 for Designers

      Sham Tickoo

      CADCIM Technologies

      525 St Andrews Drive

      Schererville, Indiana 46375, USA

      www.cadcim.com

      Copyright © 2023 by CADCIM Technologies, USA. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976.

      No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in the database or retrieval system without the prior permission of CADCIM Technologies.

      ISBN 978-1-64057-171-6

      NOTICE TO THE READER

      Publisher does not warrant or guarantee any of the products described in the text or perform any independent analysis in connection with any of the product information contained in the text. Publisher does not assume, and expressly disclaims,any obligation to obtain and include information other than that provided to it by the manufacturer.

      The reader is expressly warned to consider and adopt all safety precautions that might be indicated by the activities herein and to avoid all potential hazards. By following the instructions contained herein, the reader willingly assumes all risks in connection with such instructions.

      The Publisher makes no representation or warranties of any kind, including but not limited to, the warranties of fitness for particular purpose or merchantability, nor are any such representations implied with respect to the material set forth herein, and the publisher takes no responsibility with respect to such material. The publisher shall not be liable for any special, consequential, or exemplary damages resulting, in whole or part, from the reader’s use of, or reliance upon, this material.

      www.cadcim.com

      DEDICATION

      To teachers, who make it possible to disseminate knowledge

      to enlighten the young and curious minds

      of our future generations

      To students, who are dedicated to learning new technologies

      and making the world a better place to live in

      THANKS

      To the faculty and students of the MET department of

      Purdue University Northwest for their cooperation

      To employees of CADCIM Technologies for their valuable help

      Online Training Program Offered by CADCIM Technologies

      CADCIM Technologies provides effective and affordable virtual online training on various software packages including Computer Aided Design, Manufacturing, and Engineering (CAD/CAM/CAE), computer programming languages, animation, architecture, and GIS. The training is delivered ‘live’ via Internet at any time, any place, and at any pace to individuals as well as the students of colleges, universities, and CAD/CAM training centers. The main features of this program are:

      Training for Students and Companies in a Classroom Setting

      Highly experienced instructors and qualified engineers at CADCIM Technologies conduct the classes under the guidance of Prof. Sham Tickoo of Purdue University Northwest, USA. This team has authored several textbooks that are rated one of the best in their categories and are used in various colleges, universities, and training centers in North America, Europe, and in other parts of the world.

      Training for Individuals

      CADCIM Technologies with its cost effective and time saving initiative strives to deliver the training in the comfort of your home or work place, thereby relieving you from the hassles of traveling to training centers.

      Training Offered on Software Packages

      CADCIM provides basic and advanced training on the following software packages:

      CAD/CAM/CAE: CATIA, Creo Parametric, Creo Direct, SOLIDWORKS, Autodesk Inventor, Solid Edge, NX, AutoCAD, AutoCAD LT, AutoCAD Plant 3D, Customizing AutoCAD, EdgeCAM, and ANSYS

      Architecture and GIS: Autodesk Revit (Architecture, Structure, MEP), AutoCAD Civil 3D, AutoCAD

      Map 3D, Navisworks, Oracle Primavera, and Bentley STAAD Pro

      Animation and Styling: Autodesk 3ds Max, Autodesk Maya, Autodesk Alias, Foundry NukeX, and MAXON CINEMA 4D

      Computer Programming: C++, VB.NET, Oracle, AJAX, and Java

      For more information, please visit the following link: https://www.cadcim.com

      Note

      If you are a faculty member, you can register by clicking on the following link to access the teaching resources: https://www.cadcim.com/Registration.aspx. The student resources are available at https://www.cadcim.com. We also provide Live Virtual Online Training on various software packages. For more information, write us at sales@cadcim.com.

      Projects AVAILABLE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

      In this textbook, four projects are available for free download. You can download these projects

      from our website www.cadcim.com. To download these projects, follow the path: Textbooks > CAD/CAM > Solid Edge > Solid Edge 2023 for Designers > Projects for Free Download and then click on the project name to download it in pdf format.

      Note

      For additional projects, visit www.cadcim.com and follow the path: Textbooks > CAD/CAM > Parametric Solid Modeling > Parametric Solid Modeling Projects

      Preface

      Solid Edge 2023

      Solid Edge is developed by Siemens. It is one of the world’s fastest growing solid modeling software. Solid Edge with Synchronous Technology combines the speed and flexibility of direct modeling with precise control of dimension-driven design through precision sketching, region selection, face selection, and handle selection. Solid Edge 2023 integrates the synchronous modeling with the traditional modeling into a single environment. It is an integrated solid modeling tool, which not only unites the synchronous modeling with traditional modeling but also addresses every design-through-manufacturing process. Solid Edge 2023 allows the users to convert any selected ordered feature in existing models into a synchronous feature. This solid modeling package allows the manufacturing companies to get an insight into the design intent, thereby promoting collaboration and allowing the companies have an edge over their competitors. This package is remarkably user-friendly and helps the users to be productive from day one.

      In Solid Edge, the 2D drawing views can be easily generated in the drafting environment after creating solid models and assemblies. The drawing views that can be generated include orthographic views, isometric views, auxiliary views, section views, detail views, and so on. You can use any predefined drawing standard file for generating the drawing views. You can display model dimensions in the drawing views or add reference dimensions whenever you want.

      The Solid Edge 2023 for Designers textbook has been written to help the readers use Solid Edge 2023 effectively. This textbook covers both Synchronous and Ordered environments of Solid Edge 2023 such as Part, Assembly, Sheet Metal, Drafting, and Generative Design. A number of mechanical engineering industry examples are used as tutorials in this textbook so that the users can relate the knowledge gained with the actual mechanical industry designs. In this edition, one new chapter has been added to enable the readers to understand the concept of convergent modeling. Some of the other salient features of this textbook are as follows:

      • Tutorial Approach

      The author has adopted the tutorial point-of-view and the learn-by-doing approach throughout the textbook. This approach guides the users through the process of creating the models in the tutorials.

      • Heavily Illustrated Text

      The text in this book is heavily illustrated with about 1100 line diagrams and screen capture images.

      • Real-World Projects as Tutorials

      The author has used about 50 real world mechanical engineering projects as tutorials in this textbook. This enables the readers to relate the tutorials to the real-world models in the mechanical engineering industry. In addition, there are about 44 exercises that are also based on the real-world mechanical engineering projects.

      • Tips and Notes

      Additional information related to various topics is provided to the users in the form of tips and notes.

      • Learning Objectives

      The first page of every chapter summarizes the topics that are covered in the chapter.

      • Self-Evaluation Test, Review Questions, and Exercises

      Every chapter ends with Self-Evaluation Test so that the users can assess their knowledge of the chapter. The answers to Self-Evaluation Test are given at the end of the chapter. Also, the Review Questions and Exercises are given at the end of each chapter and they can be used by the instructors as test questions and exercises.

      Symbols Used in the Textbook

      Note

      The author has provided additional information in the form of notes.

      Tip

      The author has provided useful information to the users about the topic being discussed in the form of tips.

      Formatting Conventions Used in the Textbook

      Please refer to the following list for the formatting conventions used in this textbook.

      Names of tools, buttons, options, panels, and tabs are written in boldface.

      Example: The Extrude tool, the Finish Sketch button, the Modify panel, the Sketch tab, and so on.

      Names of dialog boxes, Command bars, drop-downs, drop-down lists, list boxes, areas, edit boxes, check boxes, and radio buttons are written in boldface.

      Example: The Revolve dialog box, the Create 2D Sketch drop-down in the Sketch panel of the Model tab, the Placement drop-down of Hole dialog box, the Distance edit box in the Extrude Command bar, the Extended Profile check box in the Rib dialog box, the Drilled radio button in the Hole dialog box, and so on.

      Values entered in edit boxes are written in boldface.

      Example: Enter 5 in the Radius edit box.

      Names and paths of the files are written in italics.

      Example: C:\Solid Edge\c03, c03tut03.prt, and so on

      The methods of invoking a tool/option from the Ribbon, Quick Access toolbar, and Application Menu are given in a shaded box.

      Ribbon: Get Started > Launch > New

      Quick Access Toolbar: New

      Application Menu: New

      Naming Conventions Used in the Textbook

      Tool

      If you click on an item in a toolbar or a group of the Ribbon and a command is invoked to create/edit an object or perform some action, then that item is termed as tool.

      For example:

      To Create: Line tool, Dimension tool, Extrude tool

      To Edit: Round tool, Draft tool, Trim Surface tool

      Action: Zoom All tool, Pan tool, Copy Object tool

      If you click on an item in a toolbar or a group of the Ribbon and a dialog box is invoked wherein you can set the properties to create/edit an object, then that item is also termed as tool, refer to Figure 1.

      For example:

      To Create: Sweep tool, Add Body tool, Surface Visualization tool

      To Edit: Styles Editor tool, Document Settings tool

      Button

      The item in a dialog box that has a 3d shape like a button is termed as Button. For example, OK button, Cancel button, Apply button, and so on.

      Dialog Box

      In this textbook, different terms are used for referring to the components of a dialog box. Refer to Figure 2 for the terminology used.

      Drop-down

      A drop-down is one in which a set of common tools are grouped together. You can identify a drop-down with a down arrow on it. These drop-downs are given a name based on the tools grouped in them. For example, Rectangle drop-down, Line drop-down, More planes drop-down, and so on; refer to Figure 3.

      Drop-down List

      A drop-down list is the one in which a set of options are grouped together. You can set parameters by using these options. You can identify a drop-down list with a down arrow on it. For example, the Selection Type drop-down list, the Create-From Options drop-down list, and so on, refer to Figure 4.

      Free Companion Website

      It has been our constant endeavor to provide you the best textbooks and services at affordable price. In this endeavor, we have come out with a Free Companion website that will facilitate the process of teaching and learning of Solid Edge 2023. If you purchase this textbook, you will get access to the files on the Companion website.

      The following resources are available for the faculty and students in this website:

      Faculty Resources

      • Technical Support

      You can get online technical support by contacting techsupport@cadcim.com.

      • Instructor Guide

      Solutions to all review questions and exercises in the textbook are provided in this guide to help the faculty members test the skills of the students.

      • Part Files

      The part files used in illustrations, tutorials, and exercises are available for free download.

      • Input Files

      The input files used in examples are available for free download.

      • Free Download Projects

      In this book, four projects are available for free download.

      To access files, you need to register by visiting the Resources section at www.cadcim.com.

      Student Resources

      • Technical Support

      You can get online technical support by contacting techsupport@cadcim.com.

      • Part Files

      The part files used in illustrations and tutorials are available for free download.

      • Input Files

      The input files used in examples are available for free download.

      • Free Download Projects

      In this book, four projects are available for free download.

      If you face any problem in accessing these files, please contact the publisher at sales@cadcim.com or the author at stickoo@pnw.edu or tickoo525@gmail.com.

      Video Courses

      CADCIM offers video courses in CAD, CAE Simulation, BIM, Civil/GIS, and Animation domains on various e-Learning/Video platforms. To enroll for the video courses, please visit the CADCIM website using the link https://www.cadcim.com/video-courses.

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      Chapter 1

      Introduction to Solid Edge 2023

      Learning Objectives

      After completing this chapter, you will be able to:

      • Understand the basic properties and different environments of Solid Edge

      • Know the system requirements for installing Solid Edge 2023

      • Get familiar with important terms and definitions

      • Understand the user interface

      • Save Solid Edge designs automatically after regular intervals

      • Modify the color scheme

      INTRODUCTION TO Solid Edge 2023

      Welcome to the world of Solid Edge 2023, a product of SIEMENS. If you are a new user of this software, you will join hands with thousands of users of this high-end CAD tool worldwide. This software helps the users to improve their design skills. Also, in this software, the user interaction has been taken to a new level, thus making Solid Edge one of the easiest and popular mechanical CAD products.

      Solid Edge is a powerful software that is used to create complex designs with great ease. The design intent of any three-dimensional (3D) model or an assembly is defined by its specification and use. You can use the powerful tools of Solid Edge to capture the design intent of any complex model by incorporating intelligence into the design. With Synchronous Technology, Solid Edge redefines the rules of 3D modeling. It combines the speed and flexibility of modeling with precise control of dimension-driven design, thereby generating tremendous productivity gains over traditional methods.

      In Solid Edge, the synchronous and traditional (now called Ordered) modeling environments are combined into a single modeling environment. This means you do not need two separate environments to work with synchronous and traditional modeling technologies. The most interesting feature is that you can switch between the Synchronous Part and Ordered Part environments and can convert a particular Ordered feature into a Synchronous feature.

      To make the design process simple and efficient, this software package divides the steps of designing into different environments. This means each step of the design process is completed in a different environment. Generally, a design process involves the following steps:

      • Sketching by using the basic sketch entities and converting them into features or parts. •

      • These parts can be sheet metal parts, surface parts, or solid parts.

      • Assembling different parts and analyzing them.

      • Generating drawing views of the parts and assembly.

      All these steps are performed in different environments of Solid Edge, namely Synchronous Part/Ordered Part, Assembly, Synchronous Sheet Metal/Ordered Sheet Metal, and Draft.

      Solid Edge provides Software Development Kit (SDK) that helps you customize Solid Edge according to your requirement. Solid Edge also provides assistance, tutorials, and technical support to the users. The tutorials can be browsed from the welcome screen. You can view as well as work on the models simultaneously. Solid Edge helps you find commands quickly by using the Command Finder. The enhanced tooltip in Solid Edge provides you complete information of a tool such as its name and description as well as the shortcut keys to invoke the tool.

      Solid Edge supports data migration from various CAD packages such as AutoCAD, SolidWorks, CREO, Inventor, CATIA, and NX. As a result, you can convert all the files and documents created in these software into a Solid Edge document. You can also view or change the settings of a file while importing it. Solid Edge allows you to evolve a 3D model from a 2D drawing created in the Draft environment of Solid Edge or imported from any other software.

      Solid Edge 2023 is a synchronous, parametric, and feature-based solid modeling software. The bidirectional associative nature of this solid modeling software makes the design process very simple and less time-consuming. The synchronous, parametric, feature-based, and bidirectional properties of this software are explained next.

      Synchronous Technology

      The Synchronous Technology and the new commands and workflow concepts of Solid Edge has made modeling in this software much easier, faster, and accurate than in any other parametric modeling software package. This is because the synchronous technology enables you to create sketches as well as to develop features in the same environment. Note that the features created in the Synchronous Part environment do not depend on the order of their creation. Therefore, the editing of the model becomes a lot easier. This state-of-the-art technology makes Solid Edge 2023 a completely feature-based 2D/3D CAD software package.

      Parametric Nature

      Parametric nature of a solid modeling package means that the sketch is driven by dimensions, or in other words, the geometry of a model is controlled by its dimensions. For example, to model a rectangular plate of 100X80 units, you can draw a rectangle of any dimension and then modify its dimensions to the required dimensions of the plate. You will notice that the dimensions drive the geometry of the sketch.

      Therefore, using this parametric property, any modification in the design of a product can be accomplished at any stage of the product development. This makes the design flexible.

      Feature-based Modeling

      A feature is defined as the smallest building block of a model. Any solid model created in Solid Edge is an integration of a number of features. Each feature can be edited individually to make any change in the solid model. As a result, the feature-based property provides greater flexibility to the created parts.

      The advantage of dividing a model into a number of features is that it becomes easy to modify the model by modifying the features individually. For example, Figure 1-1 shows a model with four simple holes near the corners of the plate.

      Now, consider a case where you need to change all outer holes to counterbore holes. In a non-feature based modeling package, you need to delete all the holes and then create the counterbore holes. However, in Solid Edge, you can modify some parameters of the holes in the same part and convert the simple holes into counterbore holes, see Figure 1-2.

      Bidirectional Associativity

      The bidirectional associativity of a software package is defined as its ability to ensure that any modification made in a particular model in one environment is also reflected in the same model in the other environments. For example, if you make any changes in a model in the Part environment, the changes will reflect in the same model in the Assembly environment and vice-versa.

      Consider the assembly shown in Figure 1-3. The piston is connected to the connecting rod through a pin. It is clear from the assembly that the diameter of the hole is more than what is required. In an ideal case, the diameter of the hole on the piston should be equal to the diameter of the pin.

      Now, when you open the piston in the Part environment and modify the diameter of the hole on it, the same modification is also reflected in the Assembly environment, as shown in Figure 1-4. This is due to the bidirectional associative nature of Solid Edge.

      Similarly, if the modification is made in the Assembly environment, the piston, when opened in the Part environment, is also modified automatically. This shows that the Part and Assembly environments of Solid Edge are associative by nature.

      Now, consider the model shown in Figure 1-1. Its top and the sectioned front views are shown in Figure 1-5. Now, when you open the model in the Part environment and modify the simple holes near the corners of the plate, refer to Figure 1-1, into the counterbore holes, refer to Figure 1-2. The same modification will not reflect automatically in the drawing views of the model in the Draft environment. To reflect the modifications in the Draft environment, you need to update them manually using the Drawing View Tracker or Update Views tool. These tools will be discussed in Chapter 12. After updating the views using the Drawing View Tracker or Update Views tool, the drawing will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-6.

      Note

      The modifications done in the views in the Draft environment do not reflect in other environments.

      Solid Edge ENVIRONMENTS

      To reduce the complexity of a design, this software package provides you with various design environments. You can capture the design intent easily by individually incorporating the intelligence of each design environment into the design. The design environments available in Solid Edge are discussed next.

      Part Environment

      This environment of Solid Edge 2023 is used to create solid as well as surface models. The Part environment consists of two environments namely Synchronous Part and Ordered Part. You can switch between these environments and create a model which consists of both synchronous and ordered features. To invoke this environment, start Solid Edge 2023 by double-clicking on its shortcut icon on the desktop of your computer. After Solid Edge 2023 starts, the theme selection window will be displayed. In the theme selection window, select the required user interface theme and then choose the OK button; the Solid Edge 2023 window along with the welcome screen will be displayed. From this screen, choose the New command from the Quick Access toolbar; the New dialog box will be displayed. Choose the iso metric part option from this New dialog box; the Part environment gets started with ISO units. By default, the Synchronous Part environment is invoked. However, you can switch to the Ordered Part environment by choosing the Ordered radio button from the Model group of the Tools tab.

      Note

      1. The theme selection window will only be displayed when you start Solid Edge for the first time after installation.

      2. In this textbook, the Balanced - Solid Edge Default theme is used as the user interface theme.

      Synchronous Part

      Solid Edge 2023 with the Synchronous Technology makes it a complete feature-based 2D/3D CAD system. This technology combines the speed and flexibility of direct modeling with precise control of dimension-driven design. In this environment, there is no separate environment to draw sketches; rather the sketching tools are available in the Synchronous Part environment itself. It includes direct model creation and modification through precision sketching, region selection, face selection, and handle selection.

      Ordered Part

      The Ordered Part environment of Solid Edge 2023 is used to create parametric and feature-based solids as well as surface models. You can draw sketches of models or features by invoking the sketching environment. Once the sketch is drawn, you can convert it into a solid model using simple but highly effective modeling tools. One of the major advantages of using Solid Edge is the availability of Command bar. The Command bar is displayed in the drawing window. In this environment, you can create a feature step by step by using the Command bar. You can also use the Command bar to easily go one or more steps backward to modify a parameter. You can also convert the features created in this environment to the synchronous features for editing them directly. The models created in the Part environment can also be used in other environments of Solid Edge to complete the model’s life cycle, also known as the Product Life Cycle.

      Assembly Environment

      This environment of Solid Edge is used to create an assembly by assembling the components that were created in the Synchronous/Ordered Part environment. Both the synchronous and ordered tools are combined in this environment. This environment supports animation, rendering, piping, and wiring. Other visualization and presentation tools are also available in this environment. In addition to that, you can apply a relation between the faces of two different synchronous components in an assembly. For example, you can make the selected face of a component tangent with the target face of another component.

      Draft Environment

      This environment is used for the documentation of the parts or the assemblies in the form of drawing views. The drawing views can be generated or created. All the dimensions added to the component in the part environment during its creation can be displayed in the drawing views in this environment.

      Sheet Metal Environment

      This environment is used to create sheet metal components. If you are familiar with the part environment, then modeling in this environment becomes easy. This is because in addition to the sheet metal modeling tools, this environment works in a way similar to the part environment. To invoke this environment, start Solid Edge 2023; a welcome screen will be displayed. Choose the New command from the Quick Access toolbar; the New dialog box will be displayed. Choose the iso metric sheet metal option from the New dialog box; the Sheet Metal environment gets started with the ISO units. By default, the Synchronous Sheet Metal environment is invoked. However, you can switch to the Ordered Sheet Metal environment by selecting the Ordered radio button from the Tools tab.

      Synchronous Sheet Metal

      The Synchronous Sheet Metal environment is used to create and edit sheet metal components in a history-free approach. The procedure of selection of faces introduced in this environment allows you to model sheet metals directly. You can create a dimension-driven design of the sheet metal components in Solid Edge.

      Ordered Sheet Metal

      The Ordered Sheet Metal environment is used to create parametric and feature-based sheet metal components.

      SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS FOR INSTALLING Solid Edge 2023

      The preferred minimum system requirements for Solid Edge 2023 are as follows:

      1. Windows 10 Enterprise or Professional (64-bit only) version 20H2 or later

      2. Internet Explorer 11

      3. 16 GB RAM minimum

      4. Disk space for installation = 9 GB

      5. Screen Resolution: 1920 x 1080 or higher

      6. 65K colors

      7. Microsoft Office 2019, 2021, or Microsoft Office 365 Business

      IMPORTANT TERMS AND DEFINITIONS

      Some important terms that are used in this textbook are discussed next.

      Relationships

      Relationships are the logical operations that are performed on a selected geometry to make it more accurate by defining its position and size with respect to the other geometry. There are two types of relationships available in Solid Edge and they are discussed next.

      Geometry Relationships

      These logical operations are performed on the basic sketched entities to relate them to the standard properties such as collinearity, concentricity, perpendicularity, and so on. Although Solid Edge automatically applies these relationships to the sketched entities at the time of drawing, you can also apply them manually. You can apply different types of geometry relationships, which are discussed next.

      Connect

      This relationship connects a point to another point or entity.

      Concentric

      This relationship forces two selected curves to share the same center point. The curves that can be made concentric are circles, arcs, and ellipses.

      Horizontal/Vertical

      This relationship forces the selected line segment or two points to become horizontal or vertical.

      Collinear

      This relationship forces two line segments to lie on the same line.

      Parallel

      This relationship is used to make two line segments parallel.

      Perpendicular

      This relationship makes a line segment perpendicular to another line segment or series of line segments.

      Lock

      This relationship is used to fix an element or a dimension such that it cannot be modified.

      Tangent

      This relationship is used to make the selected line segment or curve tangent to the selected line or curve.

      Equal

      This relationship forces the selected line segments to be of equal length. It also forces two curves to be of equal radius.

      Symmetric

      This relationship is used to force the selected sketched entities to become symmetrical about a sketched line segment, which may or may not be a center line.

      Rigid Set

      This relationship is used to group the selected sketched entities into a rigid set so that they behave as a single unit.

      Feature Relationships (Only in Synchronous Part Environment)

      The feature relationships are the relationships that are applied on a selected face to make it geometrically related to the target face. These relationships are used to modify the parts created in the Synchronous Part environment. These relationships are available in the Face Relate group of the Home tab in the Ribbon in the Synchronous Part environment. The following types of feature relationships can be applied between faces:

      Concentric

      This relationship makes the selected faces concentric with the target face.

      Coplanar

      This relationship makes the selected faces coplanar with the target face.

      Parallel

      This relationship enables you to make the selected faces parallel to the target face.

      Perpendicular

      This relationship helps you to make the selected faces perpendicular to the target face.

      Tangent

      This relationship makes the selected faces tangent with the target face.

      Rigid

      This relationship is used to make all the faces in the selection set rigid with respect to each other. This means, if either of the face is moved or rotated, then all the related faces will also move or rotate, thereby maintaining the distance and orientation between them.

      Ground

      This relationship grounds or constrains the selected face in the model space. As a result, the grounded faces can be neither moved nor rotated.

      Symmetry

      This relationship makes a selected face symmetric to a target face about a symmetry plane.

      Equal

      This relationship makes the radius of a selected cylindrical face equal to the radius of a target cylindrical face.

      Aligned Holes

      This relationship is used to make the axes of multiple cylindrical faces coplanar.

      Offset

      This relationship is used to offset a face with respect to another face.

      Horizontal/Vertical

      This relationship forces a horizontal/vertical face or keypoint to align with another horizontal/vertical face or keypoint.

      Assembly Relationships

      The assembly relationships are the logical operations that are performed on the components to assemble them at their respective working positions in an assembly. These relationships are applied to reduce the degrees of freedom of the components.

      FlashFit

      This relationship minimizes the efforts of applying various relationships like: Mate, Planar Align, and so on by automatically positioning the component wherever required.

      Mate

      This relationship is used to make the selected faces of different components coplanar. You can also specify some offset distance between the selected faces.

      Planar Align

      This relationship enables you to align a planar face with the other planar face.

      Axial Align

      This relationship enables you to make a cylindrical surface coaxial with the other cylindrical surface.

      Insert

      This relationship is used to mate the faces of two components that are axially symmetric and also to make their axes coaxial.

      Connect

      This relationship enables you to connect two keypoints, line, or a face on two different parts.

      Angle

      This relationship is used to place the selected faces of different components at some angle with respect to each other.

      Tangent

      This relationship is used to make the selected face of a component tangent to the cylindrical, circular, or conical faces of the other component.

      Cam

      This relationship applies the cam-follower relationship between a closed loop of tangent face and the follower face.

      Parallel

      The Parallel relationship is used to force two edges, axes, or an edge and an axis parallel to each other.

      Gear

      The Gear relationship allows you to apply rotation-rotation, rotation-linear, or a linear-linear relationship between two components.

      Center-Plane

      This relationship is used to align a component at an equal distance between the two faces of other component, planes, or key points.

      Path

      This relationship is used to apply a mate such that the part moves along a path.

      Match Coordinate Systems

      This relationship is used to match the coordinate system of one component/part with the coordinate system of another component/part.

      Rigid Set

      This relationship is used between two or more components to fix them such that they become rigid with respect to each other.

      Ground

      This relationship is used to fix a component at a specified location and orientation. Solid Edge automatically applies a ground relationship to the first part placed in an assembly.

      Entity

      An element of a geometry is called an entity. An entity can be an arc, line, circle, point, and so on.

      Concept of a Profile and a Sketch

      In Solid Edge, there are two methods of drawing a sketch. The first method is to draw a sketch in the sketching environment by invoking the Sketch tool from the Home tab. The second method is to invoke a feature creation tool such as Extrude, Revolve, and so on and then draw the sketch for the feature. The sketch drawn using the first method is called a Sketch and the sketch drawn using the second method is called a Profile. You will learn more about this in the later chapters of this book.

      Note

      1. If you are working in the Synchronous Part environment, you cannot invoke a feature creation tool such as Extrude and Revolve if you do not have a sketch.

      2. In the Synchronous Part environment, you can select the sketching tools without switching to another environment.

      Intent Zone

      The intent zone is defined by a circular area that is divided into four quadrants. It is used while drawing an arc or a circle from a line or vice-versa. The quadrants define whether the element is perpendicular, tangent, or at some other orientation from the other element. This zone enables you to draw or modify various elements of a geometry within the same tool. For example, while drawing a line tangent to an arc, you can draw a tangent arc or a perpendicular arc by moving the cursor in the intent zone. The movement of the cursor in the intent zone determines the creation of a tangent or a perpendicular arc. The intent zone while drawing a tangent arc and a three point arc is shown in Figures 1-7 and 1-8, respectively.

      GETTING STARTED WITH Solid Edge 2023

      After you have installed Solid Edge on your computer, double-click on the shortcut icon of Solid Edge 2023 on the desktop of your computer; the welcome screen will be displayed. In this screen, links for various environments will be displayed after you select the New command from the Quick Access toolbar. You can start a new document in the desired environment by clicking on the corresponding link in this area. As discussed earlier, the designing steps in Solid Edge are performed in different environment.

      You can open the existing documents by choosing the Browse button from the Open area. The links for the recently used files are displayed in the Recent Files area. You can click on the link of the required document in this area to open that document. The welcome screen also displays the link for the step-by-step tutorials in the Learn area. The Links area contains the links for the home page and the components catalog page of Solid Edge. However, you can add or remove links by using the Edit button available at the top-right corner of the Links area. Choose the ISO Metric Part from the New area of the welcome screen; a new Solid Edge document in the Synchronous Part environment will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-9.

      USER INTERFACE OF Solid Edge

      Solid Edge provides you a Ribbon with different tabs and groups. There are different tabs and groups for different working environments. Every environment has the PathFinder and the prompt line that assist you in creating the design. Various components of the interface are discussed next.

      Prompt Line

      If you invoke a tool, the prompt line is displayed in the prompt bar. This line is very useful for creating a model because it provides you with the prompt sequences to use a tool.

      PathFinder

      The PathFinder, as shown in Figure 1-10, is on the left in the drawing area. It lists all the occurrences of features and sketches of a model in a chronicle sequence.

      Docking Window

      The docking window is available on the right of the screen and it remains collapsed by default. These tabs can be used to activate the feature library, family of parts, and so on. The docking window expands when you move the cursor over the left or right pane of the screen. In case, any tab is missing in it, choose the Panes button from the Show group in the View tab; a flyout will be displayed with various options. Choose the required option; the tab corresponding to that option will be added to the docking window. The options available in the docking window are discussed later in this textbook.

      Note

      Remember that though the profiles of the features are not displayed in the PathFinder but the sketches are displayed. You will learn about the difference between sketches and profiles later in this textbook.

      File Tab

      The File Tab is available on the top left corner of the Solid Edge window. It is present in all environments. On choosing this option, the File Tab menu containing the options for creating, opening, saving, and managing documents will be displayed.

      Quick Access Toolbar

      The Quick Access toolbar is available on the top-left of the title bar of the Solid Edge window, refer to Figure 1-11. It provides you an access to the frequently used commands such as New, Open, Undo, Redo, Save, and Print. However, by default, only the Save, Undo, and Redo options are displayed in the Quick Access toolbar. To add commands such as New, Open, and so on, choose the black arrow on the right of the Quick Access toolbar; the Customize flyout will be displayed. Choose the required command from the flyout; the Save Theme As dialog box will be displayed if you have chosen the command to add for the first time. Enter the theme name in the New theme name edit box and the selected command will be added to the Quick Access toolbar. You can also deselect a command name from flyout to remove it from the Quick Access toolbar.

      You can also customize the Quick Access toolbar to add more commands to it. To do so, invoke the Customize flyout again and then choose the Customize option from it; the Customize dialog box will be displayed. Choose the Quick Access tab, if not chosen. In this dialog box, select the required option from the Choose commands from drop-down list; the corresponding menus will be available in a list box displayed below it. Invoke the required tool from the list box and then choose the Add >> button to add the tool to the Quick Access toolbar. Similarly, you can also remove commands by using the Customize dialog box. To do so, select the required command from the list box at the right in this dialog box; the < < Remove button will be activated. Choose the Remove button; the selected command will be removed from the Quick Access toolbar. Choose the Close button from the Customize dialog box; the Customize message box will be displayed. Choose the Yes button from the message box; the Save Theme As dialog box will be displayed. Enter the name of the theme in the New theme name edit box in the Save Theme As dialog box and choose the OK button.

      To remove any tool directly from the Quick Access toolbar, right-click on the required tool; a shortcut menu will be displayed. Choose the Remove from Quick Access Toolbar option from the shortcut menu; the corresponding tool will be removed from the toolbar.

      Ribbon

      The Ribbon is available at the top of the Solid Edge window and contains all application tools. It is a collection of tabs. Each tab has different groups and each group is a collection of similar tools. You can increase the drawing area by minimizing the Ribbon. To do so, right-click on a tab in the Ribbon and choose the Minimize the Ribbon option from the shortcut menu displayed.

      You can also add commands in a group of the tab in the Ribbon. To do so, invoke the Customize dialog box and choose the Ribbon tab from it. Select the All Commands option from the Choose commands from drop-down list; the corresponding tools will be displayed in the left list box below it. Invoke the required tool from the list box and then click on the required group of the tab (where you want to add the command) in the list box at the right side in the Customize dialog box. After selecting the required group in the tab, the Add button will be activated. Choose the Add button; the selected command will be added to the selected group in the tab of the Ribbon. Choose the Close button from the Customize dialog box; the Customize message box will be displayed. Choose the Yes button from the message box; the Save Theme As dialog box will be displayed. Enter the name of the theme in the New theme name edit box of the Save Theme As dialog box and choose the OK button.

      Status Bar

      The status bar is available at the bottom of the Solid Edge window. It enables you to quickly access all the view controls like Zoom Area, Zoom, Fit, Pan, Rotate, Sketch View, View Orientation, and View Styles. A slider on the right of the Status Bar controls the amount of zooming. Most importantly, it consists of the Command Finder that helps you to locate the required command.

      Record

      In Solid Edge, you can use the Record button (located at the bottom right corner) to record a video while creating models, assemblies, drawings, and so on. On choosing this button, the Record Video dialog box will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-12. The options in this dialog box can be used to specify various settings such as area to record, audio settings, video compression settings, and so on. After specifying the required settings, choose the Record button or press Shift+F9 to record a video. To stop recording the video, choose the Stop button or press Shift+F10; the recorded video will be played in the default video player. To save the video, switch back to the Solid Edge window, and choose the Save button from the Record Video dialog box; the Save Video dialog box will be displayed. Specify the name and location of the file and choose the Save button in the Save Video dialog box. To play the recorded video, choose the Play button from the Record Video dialog box. Alternatively, you can play the video from the location where it is saved.

      Upload to YouTube

      This button is available at the bottom right corner of the drawing window and is used to upload a recorded video to YouTube. On choosing this button, the Upload to YouTube dialog box will be displayed, as shown in Figure 1-13. In the dialog box, you can sign in a YouTube account using the Sign in button. You can select the video to be uploaded by using the Browse button. The other options in the Video Information area of this dialog box are the same as those available in the YouTube upload page. After entering all the details, choose the Upload button to upload the video.

      Command bar

      The Command bar provides the command options for the active tool. It enables you to switch back and forth while creating a model, an assembly, or a drawing. It is available in all the environments of Solid Edge and contains different nodes/steps. The Command bar that is available for the Extrude tool is shown in Figure 1-14. However, the buttons displayed in the Command bar depend upon the tool invoked from the Part environment. For example, on invoking the Extrude tool, the nodes/steps displayed will have different options.

      QuickPick

      This tool enables you to select elements from the drawing window. This tool is used when the elements or the components are overlapping and you need to make a selection. The following steps explain the procedure of using this tool:

      1. Bring the cursor near the element or the component that you need to select. Now, pause the cursor, and when three dots appear close to it, right-click on the screen. On doing so, the QuickPick dialog box will appear with an entry of each possible selection, as shown in Figure 1-15.

      2. In the QuickPick dialog box, each entry

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