Defining mounting surfaces individually
Surfaces of bodies imported as 3D data can be defined as mounting surfaces. There are three possibilities:
- Individual surfaces can be defined as separate mounting surfaces.
- During a part placement a mounting surface can be defined on any surface, provided that no other mounting surface exists yet.
- Several surfaces within one shared 2D plane can be combined into one common mounting surface.
Mounting surfaces are surfaces of an item on which other components can be placed. They are used for capturing the handles of rails, channels and components that are to be placed on them. The mounting surfaces can be activated automatically by touching them with the cursor or selectively from the popup menu of the layout space navigator. Mounting surfaces can be deleted in the layout space navigator.
Preconditions:
- You have opened a project.
- You have opened the layout space navigator and a layout space.
- The layout space contains imported 3D bodies which are to be saved as a macro.
- Select the following commands: Tab Insert > Command group Mounting aids > Mounting surface.
- Move the cursor over the surfaces of the 3D body.
The surface beneath the cursor is automatically highlighted in color. - When you reach the surface you want, click it. If, in addition to the selected surface, other surfaces are found in the same 2D plane, a message is displayed. The surfaces found additionally on the same 2D plane are displayed within yellow frames.
- If you want to combine all surfaces found in the same 2D plane to one common mounting surface, click [Yes] in the message.
- If you want to define only the surface selected previously as mounting surface, click [No] in the message.
The selected surface is defined as a mounting surface. In the layout space navigator a Mounting surface entry is generated under the corresponding item node. The Properties dialog of this mounting surface is displayed and you can enter the item description and select other properties.
Defining mounting surfaces during the placement of a part
Part placements without 3D graphics macros that were generated as cuboids from the part dimensions or 3D solids imported as STEP data do not have any mounting surfaces. If you want to place a part on such a 3D solid, you can generate the missing mounting surfaces during the placement.
- Select a command to insert a part, (for example Tab Insert > Command group Devices >
(Mounting panel) or for example Insert center > Breadcrumb trail Home > Devices). - Move the cursor over the surfaces of the 3D body. The surface lying under the cursor is not marked in color, if no mounting surface is defined on it.
- Select the following commands: Tab Insert > Command group Mounting aids > Mounting surface.
- Define the mounting surface as described in the previous section.
- When the mounting surface is defined, continue the part placement.
Generate type-specific mounting surfaces from function definition
A part placement or a 3D body imported as 3D graphic that does not yet have any mounting surfaces can be given mounting surfaces automatically that are generated as matching the set function definition. This is possible with the following function definitions from the areas "Enclosure systems" and "System accessories":
- Body, general
- Mounting panel, general
- Door, general
- Panel, general
- Partition, general
- Floor sheet, general
- Flange plate.
- Select a logic item in the layout space navigator.
- Select the Properties popup menu item.
- Click the [...] button in the Function definition field.
- In the Function definitions dialog, select one of the suitable function definitions from the areas "Enclosure systems" and "System accessories".
- Click [OK].
- Select the Generate mounting surfaces popup menu item in the layout space navigator. Matching the selected function definition, all mounting surfaces are generated on the item and entered in the layout space navigator with the corresponding item designations.
Notes:
- Prior to creating mounting surfaces, you have to rotate the object into the correct position.
- The surface that is to be defined as a mounting surface must be limited by points which are geometrically in the same plane. Depending on the quality of the imported 3D data, surfaces may be generated which do not meet this condition. Mounting surfaces cannot be defined on such surfaces.
- The point of origin of the mounting surface is usually on the bottom left. When surfaces are not perpendicular, the mounting surface also has to form a surrounding rectangle with a point of origin on the bottom left. If - because the item has special shapes - the automatic alignment of the mounting surface fails, the Adjust X-axis and Adjust Y-axis functionalities can be used to correct the state.
- If several 3D objects are combined into an item in imported STEP data (e.g., mounting panel and support), the origin of the mounting surface can be outside the area set aside for the placement. To prevent errors in the placement of a device relative to the origin of the mounting surface, the size of the area set aside for the placement can be changed, and the position of the origin can be adjusted. To do so, use the Change size function in the popup menu of the layout space navigator.
- When creating macros with NC-relevant mounting surfaces, the field size is not entered automatically but must be defined manually. To do so, use the Field size function in the popup menu of the layout space navigator.
- Generally, the field sizes are automatically assigned to the mounting surfaces to be normally edited: mounting panel front, door outside, panel outside, flange plate inside, etc.
See also