mechanical desktop

AutoCAD Mechanical6

Users Guide

20606-010000-5001A January 24, 2002

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iii

Contents

Part I Getting Started with AutoCAD Mechanical 6 . . . 1

Chapter 1 Where to Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3About AutoCAD Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Modeling with AutoCAD Mechanical 6. . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Object Oriented Construction . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Layer and Layer Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Linetypes, Lineweight, and Color. . . . . . . . . . . . 6Dimension Styles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Text Styles and Text Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Scale Factors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Rescaling Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Starting AutoCAD Mechanical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7Where to Go First . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

New AutoCAD User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7New AutoCAD Mechanical 6 User . . . . . . . . . . . 7Upgrading User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Accessing AutoCAD Mechanical Commands . . . . . . . . . . 8Migration Assistance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9AutoCAD Mechanical Today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10Printed and Online Manuals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

AutoCAD Mechanical Printed Manual . . . . . . . . . 11AutoCAD Printed Manual . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

iv | Contents

Online Installation Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12AutoCAD 2002 Documentation . . . . . . . . . . . 13

AutoCAD Mechanical Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14Product Support Assistance in Help . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Updating the Support Assistance Knowledge Base . . . . . 14Learning and Training Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Internet Resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15Typographical Conventions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Chapter 2 Features and Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Key Features in AutoCAD Mechanical 6 . . . . . . . . . . 18Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Chapter 3 New and Revised Commands . . . . . . . . . . . . 37New and Revised Command Summary . . . . . . . . . . . 38AMBALLOON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38AMBELL2D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38AMBOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39AMCAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39AMCOMP2D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39AMCOMP2D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39AMHOLECHART . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40AMMANIPULATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40AMNOTE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41AMOPTIONS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41AMPARTLIST . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41AMSTLSHAP2D. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42AMTOR2D . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42SAVEAS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Part II AutoCAD Mechanical 6 Tutorials . . . . . . . 43

Chapter 4 Working with Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46Working with Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Setting up the Starting Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Setting the Mechanical Options . . . . . . . . . . . 48Specifying the Drawing Limits. . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Contents | v

Saving a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Using a Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Setting a Default Template . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Chapter 5 Working with Layers and Layer Groups . . . . . . . . 55Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56Working with Layers and Layer Groups . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57Changing a Layer By Selecting Objects . . . . . . . . . 58Creating Layer Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59Using a Layer Group to Copy Objects . . . . . . . . . . 64

Chapter 6 Designing Levers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70Extending the Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

Using the Library to Insert Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . 71Preliminary Settings: Snap Configuration . . . . . . . . . 73Creating Construction Lines (C-Lines) . . . . . . . . . . 74Creating additional C-Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Creating a Contour and Applying a Fillet . . . . . . . . . 79Creating a Contour and Trimming Projecting Edges . . . . . 82Cross-Hatching the Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84Dimensioning the Lever . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Creating a Detail and Additional Dimensions . . . . . . . 87

Chapter 7 Working with Model Space and Layouts . . . . . . . . 93Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94Working with Model Space and Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Getting Started . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Creating a Scale Area . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95Creating a Detail . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98Generating a New Viewport . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99Inserting a User Through Hole . . . . . . . . . . . 101Creating a Subassembly in a New Layout . . . . . . . . 106

Chapter 8 Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113

Automatic Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Editing Dimensions with Power Commands . . . . . . . 116Breaking Dimension Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . 120Inserting a Drawing Border . . . . . . . . . . . . 121Inserting a Fits List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123

vi | Contents

Chapter 9 Working with 2D Hide and 2D Steel Shapes . . . . . . 125Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126Working with 2D Hide and 2D Steel Shapes . . . . . . . . . 127

Defining a 2D Hide Situation . . . . . . . . . . . . 128Inserting a 2D Steel Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130Modifying Steel Shapes using Power Commands . . . . . . 133Editing a 2D Hide Situation . . . . . . . . . . . . 134Copying and Moving a 2D Hide Situation . . . . . . . . 137

Chapter 10 Working with Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . 141Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142Working with Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143

Inserting Screw Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . 144Copying Screw Connections with Power Copy . . . . . . 149Creating Screw Templates . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151Editing Screw Connections with Power Edit . . . . . . . 160Working with Power View . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162Deleting with Power Erase . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165Inserting Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168Inserting Pins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170Turning Off Centerlines in Configurations. . . . . . . . 172Hiding Construction Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173Simplifying Representations of Standard Parts. . . . . . . 174

Chapter 11 Working with BOMs and Parts Lists . . . . . . . . . 177Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178Working with Parts Lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179

Inserting a Part Reference . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179Editing Part References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182Placing Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183Creating a Parts List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188Merging and Splitting Items in a Parts List . . . . . . . . 194Collecting Balloons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197Sorting and Renumbering Items on a Parts List . . . . . . 198Using Filters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201

Contents | vii

Chapter 12 Creating Shafts With Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . 205Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Creating Shafts with Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . 207

Configuring the Snap Options . . . . . . . . . . . 207Starting and Configuring Shaft Generators . . . . . . . 208Creating Cylindrical Shaft Sections and Gears . . . . . . 210Inserting Spline Profile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212Inserting Chamfer and Fillet . . . . . . . . . . . . 213Inserting Shaft Breaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214Creating Side Views of Shafts. . . . . . . . . . . . 215Inserting Threads on Shafts . . . . . . . . . . . . 216Editing Shafts and Inserting Sections . . . . . . . . . 216Replacing Shaft Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218Inserting Bearings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219

Chapter 13 Calculating Shafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224Calculating Shafts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225

Creating Shaft Contours . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226Specifying the Material . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227Placing Shaft Supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Specifying Loads on Shafts . . . . . . . . . . . . 229Calculating and Inserting Results . . . . . . . . . . 232Calculating Strengths of Shafts . . . . . . . . . . . 235

Chapter 14 Calculating Moments of Inertia and Deflection Lines . . . . 239Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240Calculating Moments of Inertia and Deflection Lines . . . . . . 241

Calculating Moments of Inertia . . . . . . . . . . . 242Calculating Deflection Lines . . . . . . . . . . . . 243

Chapter 15 Calculating Chains . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 250Chain Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251

Performing Length Calculations. . . . . . . . . . . 252Optimizing the Chain Length . . . . . . . . . . . 254Inserting Sprockets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256Inserting Chains. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259

viii | Contents

Chapter 16 Calculating Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262Calculating Spring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

Starting Spring Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . . 264Specifying Spring Restrictions . . . . . . . . . . . . 266Calculating and Selecting Springs. . . . . . . . . . . 270Inserting Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272Copying Springs with Power Copy . . . . . . . . . . 273Editing Springs with Power Edit . . . . . . . . . . . 274

Chapter 17 Calculating Screw Connections . . . . . . . . . . 277Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278Methods for Calculating Screws . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279Using Stand Alone Screw Calculations . . . . . . . . . . . 280

Selecting and Specifying Screws . . . . . . . . . . . 280Selecting and Specifying Nuts . . . . . . . . . . . . 283Selecting and Specifying Washers. . . . . . . . . . . 284Specifying Plate Geometry and Properties . . . . . . . . 285Specifying Contact Areas . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287Specifying Loads and Moments . . . . . . . . . . . 289Specifying Settlement Properties . . . . . . . . . . . 291Specifying Tightening Properties . . . . . . . . . . . 292Creating and Inserting Result Blocks. . . . . . . . . . 293

Chapter 18 Calculating Stress Using FEA . . . . . . . . . . . 295Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2962D FEA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297

Calculating the Stress in a Lever . . . . . . . . . . . 298Defining Loads and Supports . . . . . . . . . . . . 300Calculating Results . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301Evaluating and Refining Mesh. . . . . . . . . . . . 303Refining Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305Recalculating Stress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306

Chapter 19 Designing and Calculating Cams. . . . . . . . . . 311Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312Designing and Calculating Cams. . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

Starting Cam Designs and Calculations . . . . . . . . . 314Defining Motion Sections . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317Calculating Strength for Springs . . . . . . . . . . . 324Exporting Cam Data and Viewing the Results . . . . . . . 328

Contents | ix

Appendix A Toolbar Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331Main Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332

Main Toolbar - New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332Main Toolbar - Basic Layer . . . . . . . . . . . . 332Main Toolbar - Layer Functions . . . . . . . . . . . 333Main Toolbar - Undo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333Main Toolbar - Inquiry . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333Main Toolbar - AutoCAD Mechanical Today . . . . . . . 333Main Toolbar - dbConnect . . . . . . . . . . . . 333Main Toolbar - Power Edit . . . . . . . . . . . . 334Main Toolbar - Power Erase . . . . . . . . . . . . 334Main Toolbar - Power Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . 334Main Toolbar - Power Dimensioning . . . . . . . . . 334Main Toolbar - Power Dimensioning - Units . . . . . . . 335Main Toolbar - Power Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . 335Main Toolbar - Compass Rose . . . . . . . . . . . 335Main Toolbar - UCS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336

Zoom Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336Zoom Toolbar - RTZOOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336Zoom Toolbar - ZOOM2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337

Design Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337Design Toolbar - Draw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 337Design Toolbar - Draw - Line . . . . . . . . . . . . 338Design Toolbar - Draw - Arc . . . . . . . . . . . . 338Design Toolbar - Draw - Rectangle . . . . . . . . . . 338Design Toolbar - Draw - Circle . . . . . . . . . . . 338Design Toolbar - Draw - Centerline . . . . . . . . . . 339Design Toolbar - Draw - Hatch . . . . . . . . . . . 339Design Toolbar - Draw - Construction . . . . . . . . . 339Design Toolbar - Draw - Construction Edit . . . . . . . 339Design Toolbar - Modify . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340

Assistance Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341Assistance Toolbar - Block Create . . . . . . . . . . 341Assistance Toolbar - Xref/Block Insert . . . . . . . . . 341Assistance Toolbar - Title Block . . . . . . . . . . . 341Assistance Toolbar - Text . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342Assistance Toolbar - Paper/Model Space . . . . . . . . 342

Annotation Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342Annotation Toolbar - Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . 342Annotation Toolbar - Leader . . . . . . . . . . . . 343Annotation Toolbar - BOM . . . . . . . . . . . . 343

x | Contents

Content Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344Content - Screws . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344Content - Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344Content - Shaft Generator . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345Content - Standardtools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345Content - Standard Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345Content - Springs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346Content - Calculation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346Content - Calculation - Chain/Belt Calculation . . . . . . 346Content - Calculation - Springs . . . . . . . . . . . 346

Power Snap Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347Power Snap Toolbar - Point Filter . . . . . . . . . . . 347

Appendix B Layer Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . 349

Appendix C Title Block Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . 353

Appendix D Accelerator Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361

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4 | Chapte

About AutoCAD Mechanical

AutoCAD Mechanical is a purpose built 2D mechanical design solution for the internet age. Built on the AutoCAD 2002 software platform, the AutoCAD Mechanical 6 design software package includes:

AutoCAD Mechanical 6 with the power pack (2D Parts and Calculations) AutoCAD 2002

Moder 1 Where to Start

The AutoCAD Mechanical software provides 2D mechanical engineering and design tools, including:

Improved design and detailing tools, including cams, springs, holes, and notes for holes and standard parts.

Improved workflow and compliance with company standards Intelligent production drawing and detailing Assembly tools for managing detailed 2D drawings and assemblies Standards based design and content, with more than half a million

reusable 2D standard parts, features, holes and structural steel shapes Machinery systems generators that speed up systems creation and reduce

errors Engineering calculations that provide greater accuracy Collaboration tools, including support for Autodesk Streamline Built-in IGES translator

ling with AutoCAD Mechanical 6

AutoCAD Mechanical 6 software contains over half a million standard parts with data for creating the parts list, standard dependent drawing borders with title blocks, symbols, calculations, and so on.

Object Oriented Construction

If you compare the AutoCAD drawing objects with the objects from AutoCAD Mechanical 6, you notice that the Mechanical objects contain contours, centerlines, symbols, shafts, screws, bearings, and so on.

For example, if the nominal diameter of a screw connection has to be changed, all elements of the screw connection (such as edges and hatches) have to be changed manually. AutoCAD Mechanical 6 recognizes the screw connection, and changes the elements automatically. Therefore the construction is object oriented.

Layer and Layer GroupsModeling with AutoCAD Mechanical 6 | 5

The AutoCAD Mechanical layer system is made up of base layers, special layers, and layer groups.

Base Layer - consists of the working layers and standard part layers. Base layers are repeated in each layer group.

Special Layers - serve to turn object layers on and off to make a drawing clearer, and speed up plotting.

Layer Groups - you can assign associated or related items of a drawing to particular layer groups and add those layer groups to the base layer group.

If you are creating an object or inserting a part into the drawing, the object is placed on the appropriate layer automatically. For example, centerlines will be placed on base layer AM_7, hatches on base layer AM_8, and dimensions on base layer AM_5. Standard parts are placed on base layers with the suffix *N.

6 | Chapte

Linetypes, Lineweight, and Color

The predefined layers have suitable lineweights, linetypes and colors assigned to them, varying depending on the set standard.

Since the object attributes of almost all drawing elements are configured with the ByLayer method, centerlines, construction lines, hidden edges, and so on, are controlled automatically.r 1 Where to Start

Dimension Styles

AutoCAD Mechanical 6 contains several standard dependent dimension styles, which are used automatically according to the dimension functions.

Text Styles and Text Fonts

There are four text style formats with different text heights, and alignments. Additionally AutoCAD Mechanical 6 offers font databases with a vast number of special characters, for example the diameter symbol.

Scale Factors

Dimensions, hatches, and text styles depend on the plot scale. The linetypes, symbols, and so on, are synchronized accordingly.

You can set the base scale factor in the Mechanical Options dialog box, or by inserting a predefined drawing border for a new drawing. If you combine several drawing borders to a file, each of the drawings can have a different plot scale.

In model space it is easy to handle more than one scale, by creating scale areas with different scale factors. These are taken into consideration automatically, for example when adding dimensions or symbols to drawing objects.

When you choose a layout tab, you can create viewports with the appropriate enlargement scale. It is also possible to automatically or manually create new viewports, that are based on existing scale areas in model space.

Rescaling Objects

If you determine that the format or the scale factor for a drawing border has to be changed, AutoCAD Mechanical 6 rescales all affected drawing objects. All texts, dimensions, and symbols, will automatically be resized according to the new scale factor.

Starting AutoCAD Mechanical

You can start AutoCAD Mechanical by using one of the following procedures:

Click Start on the task bar, then choose Programs. Select AutoCAD Mechanical 6 or AutoCAD Mechanical 6 Power Pack.

WherStarting AutoCAD Mechanical | 7

On the desktop double-click the desired AutoCAD Mechanical icon:

e to Go First

Here you learn which components of the documentation are most helpful for your level of experience.

See Printed and Online Manuals on page 11 for a description of the printed and online documentation components and their locations.

New AutoCAD User

If you are new to AutoCAD 2002:

See the AutoCAD 2002 User's Guide, which explains concepts and provides procedures for completing common drafting tasks. The glossary helps you understand AutoCAD 2002 terminology.

Quick Reference Card: An at-a-glance reference to AutoCAD toolbars and accelerator keys. The card is located at the back of the printed Users Guide, but is not available online.

Once you are familiar with AutoCAD 2002, follow the suggestions in the next section for learning AutoCAD Mechanical 6.

New AutoCAD Mechanical 6 User

If you are familiar with AutoCAD, but you are new to AutoCAD Mechanical:

Read chapter 2, Features and Commands on page 17. This is an overview of AutoCAD Mechanical basics and the user interface.

Go through the AutoCAD Mechanical tutorials in this manual. The tutorials are also offered in PDF format on the product CD and on the Web.

Refer to the Glossary in the Help to familiarize yourself with AutoCAD Mechanical terminology.

As you use AutoCAD Mechanical, refer to Help for information about commands, procedures, and concepts. From the Help menu, choose AutoCAD Mechanical, select the general area of information you seek, and then choose a specific topic.

8 | Chapte

Upgrading User

If you are upgrading from a previous release of AutoCAD Mechanical, see chapter 3, New and Revised Commands on page 37 for all of the revised and new features in this release.

Accesr 1 Where to Start

Compatibility

If you are saving a file in AutoCAD Mechanical 6 format, the drawing is not compatible with drawings saved in AutoCAD Mechanical 2000i format. However, it is possible to save AutoCAD Mechanical 6 files in AutoCAD Mechanical 2000i format with the revised Save As command.

sing AutoCAD Mechanical Commands

AutoCAD Mechanical provides several methods to access commands and manage your design process.

The following are samples of the access methods available to you:

Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose Power Edit.

Toolbutton Power Edit

Desktop Menu Modify Power Commands Power Edit

Command AMPOWEREDIT

The step-by-step procedures in the tutorials indicate the command name in the opening procedural text. The appropriate toolbutton is displayed in the margin next to the preferred access method. In the tutorials, the context menu method is used when the menus are sensitive to what you are doing. The Browser method is used when you can save time and steps. You can use any of the alternate methods as well.

Here is an example of how methods are used in the tutorials:

1 Use AMPOWEREDIT to edit a feature.Context Menu In the graphics area, right-click and choose Power Edit.

NOTE To find the location of a particular toolbutton, refer to Appendix A.

Migration Assistance

To migrate Genius 14 parts lists, layers, and symbols to use with AutoCAD Mechanical 6, you can use the Migration Assistance.

The File Migration Tool (FMT) is a component of AutoCAD Mechanical 6 Migration Assistance, an independent Visual Basic (not VBA) application located on your product CD. The FMT migrates multiple files from previous Migration Assistance | 9

releases of AutoCAD Mechanical to the current format. You can install AutoCAD Mechanical 6 Migration Assistance during or after the installation of your Autodesk mechanical product.

To install the Migration Assistance from your product CD

1 Hold down the SHIFT key while you insert the product CD into the CD-ROM drive. This prevents Setup from starting automatically.

2 In the file tree of the CD-ROM drive, navigate to the Migrate folder and double-click setup.exe.

3 Respond to the directions in the AutoCAD Mechanical 6 Migration Assistance installation dialog boxes.

For more information about the Migration Assistance, refer to the AutoCAD Mechanical 6 and Mechanical Desktop 6 Installation Guide on your product CD.

10 | Chap

AutoCAD Mechanical Today

The first time you open the AutoCAD Mechanical program, the Today window is displayed on top of the program interface along with instructions about how to use it. The Today feature is a powerful tool that makes it easy to manage drawings, communicate to design teams, and link directly to design information. ter 1 Where to Start

In the Today window, you can expand the following options for access to the services you require.

My Workplace Connect directly to files on your computer and your local network.

My Drawings Open existing drawings, create new ones, or access symbol libraries.

Bulletin Board Post your own Web page with links to block libraries, CAD standards, or other folders and directories on your company intranet. CAD managers can use the Bulletin Board to communicate with their design teams. An HTML bulletin board template is provided.

The Web Connect directly to the Internet.

AutodeskPoint A

Link directly to design information and tools such as Buzzsaw.com on the Web. Use the units converter, link to Autodesk Web sites, and much more.

Login and create your free account. Customize the information in Autodesk Point A for your specific needs.

You can close the Today Window and use the File menu to create new draw-ings or open existing drawings.

If you prefer not to see the Today Window when you start AutoCAD Mechanical, you can turn it off in Assist AutoCAD Options System Startup.

Printed and Online Manuals

The extensive set of printed and online documentation provided with your purchase of AutoCAD Mechanical 6 software includes the printed AutoCAD Mechanical 6 Users Guide and the AutoCAD Users Guide.

The online AutoCAD Mechanical 6 and Mechanical Desktop 6 Installation Guide is provided on the product CD.Printed and Online Manuals | 11

All of the AutoCAD Mechanical 6 manuals are available in PDF format in Help and on the AutoCAD Mechanical product page of the Autodesk Web site at http://www.autodesk.com/autocadmech Product Information Online and Print Manuals.

AutoCAD Mechanical Printed Manual

The printed AutoCAD Mechanical 6 Users Guide is divided into two parts.

Part I An introduction to the product and information you need to get started using the software.

Part II A set of tutorials to expand your skills in using AutoCAD Mechanical.

Whats New In the TutorialsThis release of AutoCAD Mechanical 6 has many features that will help you create drawings faster and more intuitively.

In addition to the features described in the following, you will find

New tool buttons providing access to more commands Shortcut menus, accessible in the graphics area as you work on your

drawing. Redesigned command prompts and user interfaces that provide more

information, and make it easier to choose from command options.

Chapter 4 Working with Templates: Improved Mechanical Options dialog box and AutoCAD Mechanical Today window.

Chapter 5 Working with Layers and Layer Groups: New Visibility Enhancement dialog box.

Chapter 6 Designing Levers: New Power Dimensioning dialog box.

Chapter 7 Working with Model Space and Layouts: Improved Detail dialog box

12 | Chap

Chapter 8 Dimensioning: Improved Power Dimensioning dialog box.

Chapter 9 Working with 2D Hide and 2D Steel Shapes: new 2D Hide feature, and insert and modify steel shapes.

Chapter 10 Working with Standard Parts: screw assembly templates.

Chapter 11 Working with a Bill of Material and a Parts List: improved part reference behaviorter 1 Where to Start

Chapter 12 Creating Shafts with Standard Parts: start a new drawing and use a predefined template with AutoCAD Today.

Chapter 13 Calculating Shafts: improved shaft calculation routine and new strength calculation routine.

Chapter 14 Calculating Moments of Inertia and Deflection Lines: improved material selection dialog

Chapter 15 Calculating Chains: Improved methods to create and calculate chains or belts.

Chapter 16 Calculating Springs: improved spring calculation routine.

Chapter 17 Calculating Screw Connections: new screw calculation routine.

Chapter 18 Calculating Stress Using FEA: improved command line prompts for the FEA routine.

Chapter 19 Designing and Calculating Cams: improved cam design and calculation routine.

AutoCAD Printed Manual

The printed AutoCAD Users Guide contains comprehensive information and instructions for using AutoCAD. This manual is also available online in the AutoCAD Help.

Online Installation Guide

The AutoCAD Mechanical 6 and Mechanical Desktop 6 Installation Guide is available on the product CD. It provides the following information:

Introduction Whats in the software.

Chapter 1 System requirements and recommendations for installing and running the software.

Chapter 2 Procedures to install, upgrade, authorize, and maintain the software for a single user, and information you need to know before you begin your installation.

Chapter 3 Information for network administrators. Instructions for installing and configuring for a network environment.

Chapter 4 Technical information about environment variables and performance enhancements to optimize performance of the software.Printed and Online Manuals | 13

Chapter 5 Information about cabling and option settings, plus other information necessary to link and configure plotters and printers with AutoCAD Mechanical/Mechanical Desktop.

Chapter 6 Instructions to uninstall the software, maintain your hard disk, and recover data in case of a system failure.

AutoCAD 2002 Documentation

You should be familiar with AutoCAD before you use AutoCAD Mechanical. The complete set of AutoCAD 2002 documentation is available in the AutoCAD Help. It includes:

User's Guide* Command Reference* Customization Guide* ActiveX and VBA Developer's Guide* ActiveX and VBA Reference AutoLISP Reference Visual LISPTM Developer's Guide* Visual LISPTM Tutorial* DXFTM Reference Driver Peripheral Guide Connectivity Automation Reference Network Administrators Guide

AutoCAD 2002 manuals marked with an asterisk can be ordered in print from your local reseller.

The AutoCAD 2002 Learning Assistance CD that is included in your package is a multimedia learning tool for intermediate to experienced AutoCAD users.

If you currently own a valid license for an Autodesk product and require replacement media or documentation, please call the Customer Service Center at 1-800-538-6401 to order.

14 | Chap

AutoCAD Mechanical Help

The Help in AutoCAD Mechanical provides information about AutoCAD Mechanical with the power pack.

The Help is formatted for easy navigation, and includes:

Content organized by the major functional areas of AutoCAD Mechanical,

Produter 1 Where to Start

with How To, Reference, and Learn About pages for each functional area Specific information about each of the features in the program Concepts and procedures for the new features in this release A keyword index and search function Printable Command Reference Guides to system variables and accelerator keys Access to Support Assistance with integrated links to solutions

For access to Help, you can choose from the following methods:

From the Help menu, select Mechanical Help Topics. Select the Help button in the standard toolbar. Press F1. This opens the topic for an active button or command. Click the Help button within a dialog box.

ct Support Assistance in Help

When you need product support, refer to Support Assistance in the Help menu. Support Assistance ensures quick access to technical support informa-tion through an easy-to-use issue/solution format with self-help tools and a knowledge base.

Product Support Assistance provides information about support options available from resellers, Autodesk System Centers (ASCs), user groups in your area, and those available directly from the Autodesk Web pages, including the Autodesk Product Support Index.

Updating the Support Assistance Knowledge Base

You can update your Support Assistance knowledge base with the latest support information about AutoCAD Mechanical by using the Documentation Update utility in the Support Assistance Welcome.

To update your Support Assistance Knowledge Base

1 From the Help menu, choose Support Assistance, then choose Download.2 Follow the prompts to update your knowledge base.

Learning and Training Resources

InternLearning and Training Resources | 15

Many sources for learning and training are listed on the AutoCAD Mechanical Learning and Training Web page. From the AutoCAD Mechanical Web site at http://www.autodesk.com/autocadmech, navigate to Learning and Training. You can link directly to sources for

Online courses and tutorials The Autodesk Official Training Courseware (AOTC) A list of Autodesk authorized resellers and trainers

Autodesk Official Training Courseware (AOTC) is the Autodesk-endorsed courseware for instructor-led training. To register for a training course, contact an Authorized Autodesk Training Center, Authorized Autodesk Reseller, or Autodesk System Center.

You can find a list of these organizations on the Autodesk Technical Assistance Web site: http://www.autodesk.com/support and click Autodesk Training Centers.

et Resources

Following are resources for information about Autodesk products and assistance with your AutoCAD Mechanical questions.

Autodesk Web site: http://www.autodesk.com Autodesk Premier Products + Support Web site:

http://www.autodesk.com/supp/resource/phonespt/premier.htm AutoCAD Mechanical discussion groups:

http://www.autodesk.com/autocadmech-discussion Mechanical Desktop discussion groups:

http://www.autodesk.com/mechdesktop-discussion To locate an authorized reseller in your area, go to:

http://www.autodesk.com/support.

16 | Chap

Typographical Conventions

To orient you to AutoCAD Mechanical features as they appear on the screen, specific terms are set in typefaces that distinguish them from the body text. Throughout AutoCAD Mechanical documentation, the following conventions are used.

Typograph

Text element

CommandsAutoCAD systAutoCAD nam

Prompts

Instructions aFile names anFolder or dire

Text you ente

Keys you pres

Keys you prester 1 Where to Start

ical conventions

Example

em variablesed-objects, such as linetypes and styles

ADCENTER, DBCONNECT, SAVEDIMBLK, DWGNAME, LTSCALEDASHDOT, STANDARD

Bom table [Delete/Main/Edit] :

fter prompt sequencesd file name extensionsctory names

Select objects: Select the object you want to copy acad.exe, Readme file, .dwg file extension Sample folder, c:\ACADM2000i\support

r At the Command prompt, enter shape.

s on the keyboard CTRL, F10, ESC, ENTER

s simultaneously on the keyboard CTRL + C

17

Chapter 2

Features and Commands

This chapte

2D mechan

Mechanica

A summary

functions i

AutoCAD Mechanical 6 ionality

mand summaryIn This

r provides information on the key areas of

ical design functionality in AutoCAD

l 6.

of commands with their toolbuttons and

s also provided.

The funct

Com

18 | Chap

AutoCAD Mechanical 6

Functionality Overview

AutoCAD Mechanical 6 extends the basic drawing, dimensioning and documentation functionality of AutoCAD 2002. It provides features for getting the most out of the intelligent standard parts in your drawing, as well

Key Features in AutoCAD Mechanical 6

AutoCAD Mechanical 6 extends the basic drawing, dimensioning and documentation functionality of AutoCAD 2002. It provides 2D engineering features for optimizing your design, and features for getting the most out of the intelligent standard parts in your drawings.

The following are some of the features and functionality in five key areas of ter 2 Features and Commands

as engineering features for optimizing your design.

2D Standard PartsTo generate an object from scratch, use the parametrically generated, intelligent geometry listed below:

Standard Parts contain more than 800.000 intelligent standard parts including screws, nuts, washers, pins, rivets, bushings, rings, seals, bearings, and others.

Standard Features contain 8,000 intelligent standard features including slots, centerholes, undercuts, keyways, and thread ends.

Standard Holes contain over 20,000 intelligent standard holes including through holes, blind holes, counterbores, countersinks, and others.

Standard Structural Steel Shapes contain over 44,000 intelligent standard structural steel shapes.

Standard Part ToolsAlmost more important than the standard parts are the tools designed for them. After all, how often does a design call for a screw without an accompanying hole? In AutoCAD Mechanical 6 these tools include:

A Screw Connection for inserting complete fastener assemblies. Change Representation functionality changes the representation of your

standard parts (symbolic, simplified, standard). The Power View function for deriving associative orthographic views, for

example, a side view of a standard part from a front view or vice versa.

mechanical design in AutoCAD Mechanical 6:

2D Standard PartsTo generate an object from scratch, use the parametrically generated, intelligent geometry listed below:

Standard Parts contain more than 800,000 intelligent standard parts including screws, nuts, washers, pins, rivets, bushings, rings, seals, bearings, and others.

Standard Features contain 8,000 intelligent standard features including slots, centerholes, undercuts, keyways, and thread ends.

Standard Holes contain over 20,000 intelligent standard holes including through holes, blind holes, counterbores, countersinks, and others.

Standard Structural Steel Shapes contain over 44,000 intelligent standard structural steel shapes.

Standard Parts ToolsAlmost more important than the standard parts are the tools designed for them. After all, how often does a design call for a screw without an accompanying hole? In AutoCAD Mechanical 6 these tools include:

A Screw Connection for inserting complete fastener assemblies. Change Representation functionality changes the representation of your

standard parts (symbolic, simplified, standard). The Power View function for deriving associative orthographic views, for

example, a side view of a standard part from a front view or vice versa.

Design ProductivityFeatures designed to increase productivity and reduce the number of steps needed to complete mechanical designs include:

Design and detailing tools, including cam and spring design and analysis, hole charts, and notes for holes and standard parts.

Improved workflow and compliance with company standards, including enhancements to BOMs, grouping of a Parts list, automatic scaling of Key Features in AutoCAD Mechanical 6 | 19

Mechanical symbols, layer group support within the AutoCAD Design Center, and enhancements.

An intelligent, customizable layer management system that puts objects on the appropriate layers automatically. The existing layer groups enable separate handling of parts (as well as the appropriate hidden edges, hatches, dimensions, and so on).

Power commands which provide a single command to edit, copy (with the objects intelligence), update, or recall a previous command.

Double-click editing - where you can double-click any entity in AutoCAD Mechanical 6 the appropriate function needed to edit that entity is invoked.

Simple commands for creating geometry typically found in mechanical drawings such as centerlines and centerline crosses, symmetrical lines, section lines, break lines, and others.

Leveraging legacy data, with a built-in IGES translator and Save as previ-ous release support.

Production Drawing Creation ToolsAutoCAD Mechanical 6 offers tools that automate the creation of typical objects found in drawings and can reduce the time needed to complete production drawing. These features include:

Balloons and bills of material including support of multiple parts lists per drawing as well as features such as summation and position lists and mask editor.

A feature for creating detailed views at user-specified scale and location. Functionality for creating standard sized drawing borders and title blocks in

your drawing. A command for creating hole charts and charts of (X,Y) coordinates. Language conversion features for converting the text on a drawing into one

of 17 different languages.

20 | Chap

Dimensioning and Annotation Productivity ToolsFeatures designed to make you more productive in dimensioning and annotating your mechanical designs include

Power Dimension commands provide a single command to create or edit any type of angular, linear, radial, or diameter dimension including adding fits or tolerances according to any standard.

Automatic dimension commands add either ordinate, baseline, chain, or ter 2 Features and Commands

shaft dimensions to 2D geometry automatically. A feature for quick creation of leader notes. Functionality for creating surface texture symbols, geometric dimensioning

and tolerances, targets, weld symbols, and other symbols commonly found in mechanical drawings.

2D Assembly Design ToolsFunctionality aimed at helping you manage detailed component drawings from a 2D assembly include

A 2D Hide command for performing 2D hidden line calculations based on foreground and background objects.

Auto Detailing functionality for creating and managing detailed drawings of individual components from an assembly drawing.

Machinery Systems GeneratorMachines that have movement required systems to transfer power and motion. AutoCAD Mechanical 6 offers the following tools to help you save time and reduce errors when designing these types of systems:

Shaft Generator creates shafts with commonly found features including centerholes, chamfers, cones, fillets, grooves, profiles, threads, undercuts, and wrench fittings. In addition, standard parts such as bearings, gears, retaining rings and seals, that are commonly found in shafts are also available.

Spring Generator calculates, selects and inserts compression, extension and/or torsion springs, and Belleville spring washers in a design. The representation type of the spring can be controlled by the user and a spec form can be created to incorporate into the drawing.

Belt and Chain Generator create sprockets and pulleys, calculate optimal lengths for chains and belts, and insert chain or belt elements in your design.

Calculation ToolsAutoCAD Mechanical 6 provides the following tools for saving you time with your engineering calculations, and insuring you get the design right the first time

Cam Generator creates cam plates and cylindrical cams given input border conditions. Velocity and acceleration, as well as the cam curve path can be calculated and displayed. Driven elements can be coupled to the cam Key Features in AutoCAD Mechanical 6 | 21

and NC data can be created via the curve on the path. Beam Calculation determines the moment of inertia and deflection of

beams.

Engineering CalculationA mechanical design includes more than just proper fit and form, it also includes proper function. Insuring proper function requires incorporating Engineering know-how. AutoCAD Mechanical 6 provides the following tools for saving you time with your engineering calculations, and insuring you get the design right the first time:

Shaft Calculations include the deflection line, bending moment, torsion moment, supporting force, torque rotation angle, equivalent tension and safety factor for shafts with regards to influence of notches and dynamic load according to DIN 743 and ANSI.

Screw Pre-Calculation selects the right size screw based on given forces, materials, and methods of tightening.

Bearing Calculations select the right bearing based on load and life ratings. FEA for determining the resistance capability of an object put under a

static load. This function allows you to add movable and fixed supports to the part to be analyzed and also enter stress points, lines, and areas.

The Screw Calculation gives the designer a tool to check a screw connection. As a result it calculates the different safety factors. The designer can calculate high duty bolted joints with one screw.

Collaboration with Manufacturing TeamsAutoCAD Mechanical 6 provides support for Autodesk Streamline.

There is More...There are many more productivity enhancing features and functions in AutoCAD Mechanical 6. Read the next section for a command summary listing all of the AutoCAD Mechanical 6 features.

22 | Chap

Command Summary

The following is a list of the AutoCAD Mechanical 6 commands, the associated toolbutton, and a brief description of each. This list does not contain the commands for AutoCAD 2002. For more information about the commands, see the option, Commands in Alphabetical Order, in the Help.ter 2 Features and Commands

Toolbutton Command Name Description

AM2DHIDE Hides invisible edges

AM2DHIDEDIT Edits existing hide situations

AMADJRINGS2D Creates an adjusting ring on a shaft

AMANALYSEDWG Creates a file in which the current layer structure of the drawing is written

AMASSOHATCH Suits an existing hatch to a changed contour

AMATTACHSYM Displays or attaches non-attached symbols

AMAUTOCLINES Automatically creates construction lines on selected drawing elements

AMAUTODETAIL Creates an external detail drawing (xref) of selected elements from an assembly drawing

AMAUTODIM Creates chain, baseline, ordinate in both axes, shaft, or symmetric dimensions

AMBALLOON Creates and places a balloon

AMBEARCALC Performs calculation on bearings

AMBELL2D Selects, calculates, and inserts Belleville spring washers

AMBHOLE2D Creates a standard related blind hole

AMBOM Creates a BOM database containing a list of attributes

AMBREAKATPT Breaks a line, polyline, or a spline on a specified point

AMBROUTLINE Draws a special spline to show the breakout

Toolbutton Command Name DescriptionCommand Summary | 23

borders

AMBSLOT2D Creates a blind slot

AMCAM Starts the cam design and calculation routine

AMCENCRANGLE Draws a centerline cross with an angle

AMCENCRCORNER Draws a centerline cross in a corner

AMCENCRFULLCIRCLE Draws a centerline cross on a circle

AMCENCRHOLE Draws a centerline cross with a hole

AMCENCRINHOLE Draws a centerline cross in a hole

AMCENCROSS Draws a centerline cross

AMCENCRPLATE Draws a centerline cross on a plate

AMCENINBET Draws a centerline in between two lines

AMCENTERHOLE2D Creates a centerhole

AMCENTLINE Draws a centerline

24 | Chap

AMCHAINDRAW Draws chain or belt links

AMCHAINLENGTHCAL Determines the tangent definition between sprockets/pulleys

AMCHAM2D Bevels the edges of objects

AMCLEVISPIN2D Creates a clevis pin

Toolbutton Command Name Descriptionter 2 Features and Commands

AMCLINEL Locks or unlocks the construction line layer

AMCLINEO Switches construction lines on/off

AMCOMP2D Selects, calculates, and inserts compression springs.

AMCONSTLINES Draws construction lines

AMCONSTSWI Switches construction lines between lines and rays

AMCONTIN Displays the inner contour of an object

AMCONTOUT Displays the outer contour of an object

AMCONTRACE Traces all points of a contour

AMCONVDWG Converts the current drawing

AMCOPY Makes copies of one or multiple selected objects.

AMCOTTERPIN2D Creates a cotter pin

AMCOUNTB2D Creates a standard related counterbore

AMCOUNTS2D Creates a standard related countersink


AMCRIVET2D Creates a countersunk rivet

AMCYLPIN2D Creates a cylindrical pin

AMDATUMID Creates a datum identifier symbol

AMDATUMTGT Creates and edits a datum target symbol

AMDEFLINE Calculates the deflection line or moment line of an object that has various force elements acting on it

AMDETAIL Enlarges selected parts of a drawing

AMDIMALIGN Aligns linear, rotated, aligned, ordinate, or angular dimensions that have a base dimension of the same type

AMDIMARRANGE Rearranges individual dimensions that lie along one axis, in respect to a reference point

AMDIMBREAK Creates breaks in an existing dimension

AMDIMFORMAT Modifies dimensions in drawing mode

AMDIMINSERT Edits linear, aligned, rotated, and angular dimensions by inserting new dimensions of the same type simultaneously

AMDIMJOIN Edits linear, aligned, and angular (3-point or 2-line) dimensions by joining similar dimensions into a single dimension

26 | Chap

AMDIMMEDIT Edits multiple dimensions at the same time

AMDIMSTRETCH Shortens or lengthens linear or symmetric dimensions

AMDRBUSH2D Creates a single drill bushing


AMDRBUSHHOLE2D Creates a drill bushing and the corresponding hole

AMEDGESYM Creates edge symbols

AMEQUATEDIT Generates and organizes equations

AMERASEALLCL Erases all construction lines

AMERASECL Erases selected construction lines

AMEXT2D Selects, calculates, and insertsextension springs.

AMEXTHREAD2D Creates an external thread

AMFCFRAME Creates feature control frame symbols

AMFEA2D Calculates stress and deformation in a plane for plates with a given thickness or in a cross section with individual forces and stretching loads

AMFEATID Creates feature identifier symbols

AMFILLET2D Rounds and fillets the edges of objects

AMFITSLIST Puts existing fits and their respective dimension values into a list and inserts this fits list into your drawing

AMGROOVE2D Inserts a retaining ring/circlip with the appropriate groove in a shaft

AMGROOVESTUD2D Creates a grooved drive stud

AMHATCH_135_11 Creates a 135-degree and 11 mm/0.4 inch


hatch

AMHATCH_135_2 Creates a 135-degree and 2.7 mm/0.11 inch hatch


AMHATCH_45_13 Creates a 45-degree and 13 mm/0.5 inch hatch


AMHATCH_45_5 Creates a 45-degree and 5 mm/0.22 inch hatch

AMHATCH_DBL Creates a double hatch of 45- and 135-degree and 2.3 mm/0.09 inch

AMHELP Displays the online help

AMHOLECHART Creates coordinate dimensions for holes in a work piece and generates hole charts

AMINERTIA Carries out the following tasks: center of gravity, directions of the main axes moment, moments of inertia, effective moment of inertia, deflection angle

AMINERTIAPROF Calculates the moment of inertia for cross sections of cylinders, hollow cylinders, rectangular prisms, or hollow rectangular prisms

AMJOIN Joins different entities

AMLANGCONV Translates text strings in your drawing into another language

28 | Chap

AMLANGTEXT Displays and uses text from the Language Converter

AMLAYER Manages the layer system

AMLAYINVO Switches invisible lines on/off


AMLAYMOVE Moves lines to another layer

AMLAYMOVEPL Moves lines to parts layers

AMLAYMOVEWL Moves lines to working layers

AMLAYPARTO Switches standard parts on/off

AMLAYPARTREFO Switches part reference on/off

AMLAYRESET Resets all layers

AMLAYTIBLO Switches the border and title block on/off

AMLAYVISENH Specifies the layer group setting during a working session

AMLAYVPO Switches viewports on/off

AMLGMOVE Moves elements in a selection set to a specific layer group

AMLIBRARY Displays the Library dialog box

AMLUBRI2D Creates a lubricator

AMMCONTV Makes a contour visible

AMMIGRATEBB Converts infopoints, position numbers, and parts lists (on a drawing) from Genius 13/Genius 14 to AutoCAD Mechanical 2002 format

AMMIGRATESYM Converts all symbols from Genius 13/14 to AutoCAD Mechanical 2002 format

AMNOTE Describes holes and fits, and creates notes to the


drawing with a leader

AMNUT2D Creates a nut

AMOFFSET Creates new objects at specified distances from an existing object or through a specified point

AMOPTIONS Sets configurations

AMPARTLIST Creates and places a parts list in a drawing

AMPARTREF Creates part references

AMPARTREFEDIT Edits part reference data

AMPLBEAR2D Inserts a plain bearing on a shaft or in a housing

AMPLOTDATE Inserts the current date in the lower right corner of the title block

AMPLRIVET2D Creates a plain rivet

AMPLUG2D Creates a plug

AMPOWERCOPY Copies an object with its internal information to another position in the drawing

AMPOWERDIM Creates dimensions, or assigns tolerances or fits to any of these dimensions

30 | Chap

AMPOWERDIM_ANG Creates angular dimensions, or assigns tolerances or fits to dimension

AMPOWEREDIT Starts the command with which the selected object was created to edit the object


AMPOWERERASE Deletes selected objects

AMPOWERRECALL Starts the command with which the selected object was created, to create a new object

AMPOWERSNAP Sets object snap modes, polar snap, and filters for object snaps

AMPOWERVIEW Creates top or side views of standard parts

AMPROJO Creates a projection crosshairs used for creating orthographic views

AMPSNAP1 Sets user-defined snap settings on tab 1




AMPSNAPCEN Snaps the rectangle center

AMPSNAPFILTERO Switches the entity filter on or off

AMPSNAPMID Snaps to the middle of two points

AMPSNAPREF Snaps to a reference point

AMPSNAPREL Snaps to a relative point

AMPSNAPVINT Snaps to a virtual intersection point of two lines

AMPSNAPZO Switches snapping of the Z coordinate on or off


AMRECTANG Creates a rectangle by defining its starting and endpoint

AMREFCLOSE Saves REFEDIT working set changes

AMREFCOPY Copies objects from other blocks to the REFEDIT working set

AMRESCALE Rescales dimensions and symbols in model and layout

AMREV Switches revision lists on or off

AMREVLINE Inserts a revision list into a drawing or adds an additional revision line to an existing revision list

AMREVUPDATE Updates revision lists

AMROLBEAR2D Inserts a radial or axial roller bearing on a shaft or in a housing

AMSCALEXY Allows scaling for entities in X and Y direction

AMSCAREA Creates a scale area in model space

AMSCMONITOR Views and edits the scale of scale areas or viewports

AMSCREW2D Creates a screw or bolt

32 | Chap

AMSCREWCALC Checks a screw connection

AMSCREWCON2D Opens the Screw Connection dialog box

AMSCREWMACRO2D Opens the Screw Assembly Templates dialog


box

AMSCRIPT Generates scripts

AMSEALRING2D Creates a sealing ring for use under a plug

AMSEALS2D Inserts a seal/O-ring with the appropriate groove in a shaft

AMSECTIONLINE Creates cutting plane lines

AMSETUPDWG Sets up a drawing

AMSHAFT2D Creates rotationally symmetric shaft parts and inner and outer shaft contours

AMSHAFTCALC Calculates deflection line, bending moment, torsion moment, supporting force, torque rotation angle, equivalent tension, and the safety factor of shafts

AMSHAFTEND Creates a zigzag line, a free-hand line, or loop to represent a shaft end

AMSHAFTKEY2D Inserts a parallel or woodruff key with the appropriate keyseat in a shaft

AMSHAFTLNUT2D Creates a shaft lock nut including the lock washer and inserts both in a shaft

AMSHIMRING2D Creates a shim ring on a shaft

AMSIMPLEWELD Creates seam and fillet simple welds

AMSPROCKET Draws sprockets or pulleys

AMSTDPLIB Opens the Parts Database dialog box for editing and selection

AMSTDPREP Changes the representation of a standard part


AMSTLSHAP2D Creates a steel shape

AMSTYLEITAL Changes the text style to italic

AMSTYLESIMP Changes the text style to simplex

AMSTYLESTAND Changes the text style to standard

AMSTYLETXT Changes the text style to TXT

AMSURFSYM Creates surface texture symbols

AMSYMLEADER Appends/removes a leader

AMSYMLINE Draws symmetrical lines

AMTAPBHOLE2D Creates a standard related tapped blind hole

AMTAPERPIN2D Creates a taper pin

AMTAPTHOLE2D Creates a standard related tapped through hole

AMTBFULL Displays the Mechanical Toolbar at the left side and the Snap Toolbar at the right side

AMTBLEFT Places the Mechanical Express Toolbar at the left side

34 | Chap

AMTBRIGHT Places the Mechanical Express Toolbar at the right side

AMTEXT3 Inserts mtext with 3.5 mm height

AMTEXT5 Inserts mtext with 5 mm height


AMTEXT7 Inserts mtext with 7 mm height

AMTEXTCENT Centers text horizontally and vertically

AMTEXTHORIZ Centers text horizontally

AMTEXTRIGHT Aligns mtext to the right

AMTEXTSIZE Sets text to its default size in model space and layout, and defines a height for an inserted text

AMTHOLE2D Creates a standard related through hole

AMTHREADEND2D Creates a thread end

AMTITLE Inserts a title block and a drawing border

AMTOR2D Selects, calculates, and inserts torsion springs.

AMTRCONT Traces contours on construction lines

AMTSLOT2D Creates a standard related through slot.

AMUBHOLE2D Creates a user-defined blind hole

AMUBSLOT2D Creates a user-defined blind slot

AMUCOUNTB2D Creates a user-defined counterbore

AMUCOUNTS2D Creates a user-defined countersink


AMUNDERCUT2D Creates an undercut on a shaft

AMUSERHATCH Inserts a user-defined hatch

AMUTHOLE2D Creates a user-defined through hole

AMUTSLOT2D Creates a user-defined slot

AMVIEWALL Zooms the view according to the limits

AMVIEWCEN Zooms the center of the viewports

AMVIEWLL Zooms the predefined lower-left quarter of the drawing

AMVIEWLR Zooms the predefined lower-right quarter of the drawing

AMVIEWUL Zooms the predefined upper-left quarter of the drawing

AMVIEWUR Zooms the predefined upper-right quarter of the drawing

AMVPORT Creates a viewport in layout

AMVPORTAUTO Creates viewports automatically

AMVPZOOMALL Resets the viewports to the default scale factor

36 | Chap

AMWASHER2D Creates a washer

AMWELDSYM Creates welding symbols

AMXREFSET Controls the representation of xrefs


AMZIGZAGLINE Draws zigzag lines

AMZOOMVP Displays a selected area in another viewport

37

Chapter 3

New and Revised Commands

This chapte

revised com

Mechanica

and Revised Commands

functionsIn This

r contains information about the new and

mands and functions in AutoCAD

l 6.

New

New

38 | Chap

New and Revised Command Summary

AutoCAD Mechanical 6 includes a number of new commands and commands revised from the previous version. This is an overview of the most important changes in AutoCAD Mechanical 6.

For more information about new features, see Key Features in AutoCAD Mechanical 6 on page 18.

AMBAL

AMBEL

Creates an

Selects, cater 3 New and Revised Commands

LOON

Menu Annotate Parts List Tools Balloons

Command AMBALLOON

Improved collection of different balloon types.

L2D

Menu Content Springs

Command AMBELL2D

Spring selection from Standard Parts Database. Every spring type has its own command. New user interface. Changed insertion sequence for simplified handling. Former spring blocks changed to custom entities.

d places balloons.

lculates, and inserts Belleville spring washers.

AMBOM

Menu Annotate Parts List Tools BOM Database

Command AMBOM

AMCA

AMCO

Creates a BOM database containing a list of attributes.

Calculates

Selects, caNew and Revised Command Summary | 39

Grouped by functionality in Parts List. Item number enhancement (text, increment, leading zero) Set values improvement (ascending text for item). Grid lines on/off. Improved cuts list creation.

M

Menu Content Cams

Command AMCAM

Completely new User Interface. Supports circular, cylindrical, and linear cams. Supports follower design and calculation. Enables strength calculations of the cam. Supports polynominals, not only fifth degree. Calculation of various motion curves is possible. Generates 3D solids for 3D representation of the cam. Enhanced export functions.

MP2D


Command AMSPRING


various cams.

lculates, and inserts compression springs.

40 | Chap

AMEXT2D


Command AMEXT2D

Spring selection from Standard Parts Database.

AMHO

AMMA

Selects, calculates, and inserts extension springs.

Creates co

Dynamicater 3 New and Revised Commands

Every spring type has its own command. New user interface. Changed insertion sequence for simplified handling. Former spring blocks changed to custom entities.

LECHART

Menu Annotate Hole Chart

Command AMHOLECHART

New, and improved user interface. Changed hole chart from block to custom entities. Migration of Genius hole chart to AutoCAD Mechanical 6 hole chart. Hole chart is standard dependent. Allows user-defined modifications of hole charts.

NIPULATE

Menu Modify Power Manipulator

Command AMMANIPULATE

User-friendly, modeless dialog. Supports tooltips. Redesigned Properties dialog.

ordinate dimensions for holes in a work piece and generates hole charts.

lly moves and rotates selected geometry along/around the X, Y, Z axes.

AMNOTE

Menu Annotate Note

Command AMNOTE

New dialog, which displays all variables of features.

AMOPT

AMPAR

Describes holes and fits, and creates notes to the drawing with a leader.

Sets the co

Creates anNew and Revised Command Summary | 41

Can be attached to all features (standard parts, holes, and so on). Allows the creation of templates specific to a feature type. Simplified insertion of special characters. Applying of different dimension styles is possible.

IONS

Menu Assist Mechanical Options

Command AMOPTIONS

New, Hole Chart entry in Standard Settings. Note Template added to Mechanical Options.

TLIST

Menu Annotate Parts List Tools Parts List

Command AMPARTLIST

New Grouping tool, which compares items by key definitions and groups them according to the selection.

Parts List allows different increments. Grid lines on/off. Item columns can be changed from numeric entries to text entries.

nfiguration

d places a parts list in a drawing.

42 | Chap

AMSTLSHAP2D

Menu Content Steel Shapes

Command AMSTLSHAP2D

Simplified representation of 2D steel shapes.

AMTOR

SAVEA

Creates a 2D steel shape.

Selects, ca

Saves a fileter 3 New and Revised Commands

2D


Command AMTOR


S

Menu File SaveAs

Command SAVEAS

Allows saving of a AutoCAD Mechanical 6 file format to a AutoCAD Mechanical 2000i format.

lculates, and inserts torsion springs.

into a different file format.

Part IIAutoMecTuto

The tutoria

lessons inc

You learn h

steel shapes

tia and defl

how to prep

are include

understand43

CAD

hanical 6rials

ls in this section teach you how to use the AutoCAD Mechanical 6 software. The

lude step-by-step instructions and helpful illustrations.

ow to work with templates and layers, model space and layouts, dimensions,

and bills of material (BOMs) and parts lists. You also calculate moments of iner-

ection lines, including chain, spring and cam calculation. You will also learn

are your designs for final documentation. Specific drawing files for each lesson

d with the program. These drawing files provide design elements that help you

and learn AutoCAD Mechanical 6 concepts.

45

Chapter 4

Working with Templates

In this tuto

templates a

templates i

ng up the starting layer

ng the mechanical options

ifying the drawing limits

g a template

g a template

ng a default templateIn This

rial, you learn about the predefined

nd how to create your own user-defined

n AutoCAD Mechanical 6.

Setti

Setti

Spec

Savin

Usin

Setti

46 | Chap

Key Terms

Term Definition

base layer A layer made up of working layers and standard parts layers. Base layers are repeated in every layer group.

layer group A group of associated or related items in a drawing. A major advantage of

part layers

template

working layerter 4 Working with Templates

working with layer groups is that you can deactivate a specific layer group and a complete component. The drawing and its overview are enhanced with a reduction in regeneration time.

A layer where the standard parts are put. All standard parts layers have the suffix AM_*N.

A file with predefined settings to use for new drawings; however, any drawing can be used as a template.

The layer where you are currently working.

Working with Templates

In AutoCAD Mechanical, you can use templates (*.dwt files) to create drawings.

You can use the predefined templates, which contain settings for various drawings, such as am_iso.dwt or am_ansi.dwt, and are supplied with AutoCAD Mechanical or you can create your own templates. Any drawing Working with Templates | 47

can serve as a template. When you use a drawing as a template, the settings in that drawing are used in the new drawing.

Although you can save any drawing as a template, you should prepare tem-plates to include settings and drawing elements that are consistent with your office or project standards such as the following

unit type and precision drawing limits snap, grid, and ortho settings layer organization title blocks, borders, and logos dimension and text styles linetypes and lineweights

If you start a drawing from scratch, AutoCAD Mechanical reads the system defaults, which have a predefined standard, from the registry.

If you create a new drawing, based on an existing template, and make changes to the drawing, those changes do not affect the template.

To begin working with templates immediately, you can use the predefined template files stored in the acadm\template folder.

However, for this tutorial you will create your own template.

The new AutoCAD Today dialog is also covered in this tutorial. For more information about the AutoCAD Today dialog, please see the AutoCAD man-ual.

Setting up the Starting Layer

Each time you start AutoCAD Mechanical, layer 0 is active. Since layer 0 does not belong to the Mechanical layers, it is not displayed in the Layer Control dialog box of AutoCAD Mechanical, if you select Mechanical Layer in the Show field.

Therefore, you need to specify the mechanical layer AM_0 as the default starting layer.

48 | Chap

To specify a starting layer

1 Start the Layer Control command.

Menu Assist Layer / Layergroup Layer/Layer Group Control

Command AMLAYER

2 In the Layer Control dialog box, choose the Layer Control tab, select the layer AM_0 and choose Current.ter 4 Working with Templates

3 Choose OK.

Now

mechanical desktop

Documents