Exploded View
CimatronE 8.5 Tutorial
Table of Contents
Exploded View Introduction............................................................................................ 1
New Exploded View........................................................................................................ 1
Hierarchic Selection......................................................................................................... 5
Move Components........................................................................................................... 6
Reset Position .................................................................................................................. 7
Edit Hierarchy.................................................................................................................. 8
Define New Hierarchy..................................................................................................... 9
Offsetting Explode Lines............................................................................................... 11
Break Parent Child Relations......................................................................................... 13
Modify a view................................................................................................................ 14
Place the view in the Drafting ....................................................................................... 15
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Exploded View Introduction
Cimatron E enables users to create exploded views from all assembly type models. While creating exploded
views, you can edit hierarchies at any time, by clicking the Edit Hierarchy button.
Exploded Views are used for demonstration, marketing and documentation purposes, enabling the users to learn
the assembly procedure of molds.
New Exploded View
Unpack the file: Explode_view_ex.ctf
Open the assembly: Explode_view_ex.elt. Hide all components and show only the “fixed side”.
Press the M-View tab, right click and select New Exploded view.
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Rename the view to tutorial 1
Auto explode: Press this button to perform Automatic explode view. The distance between the components is
determined by the Auto delta value.
Auto Delta: The distance between each component when performing an automatic explode.
Reset Selection: Return the selected component to its original position.
Hierarchic Selection \ Simple Selection:
If only the parent was selected, the system automatically selects (Hierarchic selection) the children as well. (It
does not automatically select the children if Simple Selection is chosen).
Hide\Show Lines: Hide\Show the explode lines, the lines which connect between the parts.
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Set the parameters as indicated above, select all components and press Auto Explode.
To move individual or groups of components manually, simply drag the components.
Press Clear Selection to see the results.
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Press Hide Lines to hide the exploding lines.
Auto Explode provides initial results according to constraints between the components. In most of the cases
additional work is necessary to optimize the results.
The system automatically analyzes the explode order and direction by the following indications:
Order of explosion:
Children are exploded after their Parents.
Parents and Children are components that are connected to each other (UCS to UCS, UCS to Face etc.). The
parent is usually the component which was brought first to the assembly.
The explode direction is determined by the connection type; for example in a UCS to Face, connection, the
suggested explode direction is normal to the face.
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Hierarchic Selection
Select the plate K10 – note that the components that are connected to this plate were also selected due to
Hierarchic Selection.
The Hierarchic Selection helps you to move groups of connected components as a “rigid body”.
If you don't want to move a specific component with the entire group, simply unpick it.
Pick the arrow and move the selected components up or down along the arrow direction.
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You can change the dragging direction by using the arrow menu – invoked by the Blue point.
Move Components
Clear the previous selection and select the Locating Ring (note that it’s screws are also selected).
Drag the components in the upwards direction.
Clear the selection.
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Reset Position
Note that the locking heels are exploded in an undesired direction (the direction defined according to the way the
user assigned this connection). We will move them later manually.
Select the three locking heels and press Reset to return them to their original position.
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Edit Hierarchy
Select the optional stage Edit Hierarchy.
When pressing the Edit Hierarchy you are first asked to pick the parent component. The system shows the
current children of this parent. If it is a new parent there will be no children highlighted. Select or Unselect
children to this parent. When you have finished defining the children, press Clear Group to approve the parent
children group.
Pick plate K20 (the parent).
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See that the three locking heels are its children.
Confirm (accept the current status) by selecting the Clear Parent & Children button.
Define New Hierarchy
We will now define the three locking heels as children of the other locking heel (the one that is not connected to
K20).
Select the parent as indicated in the first picture.
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By selecting existing children of a certain parent to be children of another parent, the system disconnects the
children from the first parent and connects them to the new parent.
Pick the other 3 instances as “children”.
Press the Clear Parent & Children button to confirm the new hierarchy group.
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Now that you have edited and defined your hierarchical connections, the next step is to move the selected
group in the required direction. In order to do so you must return to the first required step in the Feature Guide.
Select the parent locking heel and move all of them down.
Offsetting Explode Lines
You can move groups containing the parent and children, or single entities, in different directions, by offsetting
the explode lines, as described in the following step.
Press the Clear Selection button.
Press the Show Lines button.
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Pick the Red circle on the “locating ring” line (if the red circles are grayed out, this means that one or more
components are selected. In this case, press the Clear Selection button).
The Explode lines show the movement of the components.
The Red circles are used to break the explode line.
Drag the circle up and then move it to the right.
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To reset the offset, right-click the circle and select Reset offset.
Break Parent Child Relations
The following is a fast way to break the parent/child relations.
Invoke the pop-up menu on the circle of the child and select the option:
Break relation
Note that after breaking this relation, movement of the Locating ring will not effect the screw. (The screw will
not move).
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Confirm the Exploded view:
A new view is created in the M-View tab.
Modify a view
To activate an exploded view, right-click it from the menu and select the option Activate View (or double-click on
the view).
Activate view shows the exploded view in “read only” mode. Under this mode the view cannot be modified.
In order to modify the view, right-click and select Edit.
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Toggle the option Hierarchic selection to Simple selection, select the locating ring and drag it
downwards.
Press OK.
Place the view in the Drafting
Open a new drawing document.
Select the exploded view from the M-View dialog.
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Open the View attribute dialog. Select the Locating ring and uncheck the Exploded line.
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Select the Fixed side assembly and change the color of the exploded line to red. Select OK.
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