Solid Modeling Tools - How to Start Designing an SMT Product - (Tutorial 1: Part 2)

Solid Modeling Tools - How to Start Designing an SMT Product - (Tutorial 1: Part 2)

This article continues from Solid Modeling Tools - How to Prepare the SMT Environment for Your Custom Product and provides information for starting an SMT Product. 

  1. Draw a construction line that will serve as a path for the custom extruded product. We will begin with a simple straight polyline in this tutorial, but you may also begin with a combination of polylines and arcs. If you want to create a countertop with segments of different heights, you will need to draw a separate polyline for each segment, and apply a separate section to each one. 
    1. Press the F8 function key to activate Orthomode. This constrains the cursor to movements in only the X, Y, or Z planes. 
    2. Enter PLINE at the command prompt. 
    3. Select a point and move the cursor to the right (X positive) and enter 90 at the command prompt (1778 if working in metric units).
      4. SMT extruded walls using separate construction lines must reference separate 2D wall profiles. One of the reasons for this is the AutoCAD XDATA storage capacity of the 2D profile drawing. It is limited to 2 KB per entity. If we were to allow multiple construction lines to access the same profile drawing, we would severely limit the number of vertical entities (studs) in the wall. You will need to add a unique 2D wall profile for each construction line. There must be a one-to-one relationship between the construction line and the 2D profile drawing. 
  2. Activate the Tree View tab in the SMT palette and right-click to display the context menu - click Add. 
  3. Enter Product1 as a Product Name, select the Product Type of “Extruded_Product_Starter,” and select the construction line drawn above. 
  4. If you selected the drawing template “Legacy MV Drawing Template,” as recommended above, the program would display a message box asking if you want to add Smart Layer samples to the drawing. Answer Yes and those layer samples will be added. See the figures below for the layers before and after they are added by the program.
    5. You may add smart layers through the Smart Layer Manager if needed. You will find the tutorial describing this procedure elsewhere in the Knowledge Network. 
    Figure 6 - Before Layers are Added  
    Fig. 1 - Before Layers are Added  

    Figure 7 - After Layers are Added  
    Fig. 2 - After Layers are Added  

    If you selected the drawing template “Extruded Product Builder…” the message box will not be displayed because the layer samples already exist in the drawing, as shown below.

     
    Fig. 3 - "Extruded Product Builder" Template Layers  

  5. Create active section drawings that will be used as profiles in the custom product. Click in the left viewport to activate it and draw the section there. 
    1. Floor Plates  – draw two rectangles stacked on top of each other. 
      1. Enter “REC” at the command prompt and enter the  relative  coordinates of @5, .75 (127, 19 if working in metric units).
        2. For more information on relative and absolute coordinates,  click here .
      2. Enter “COPY” at the command prompt and place the second rectangle bottom edge touching the top edge of the first rectangle.
    2. Stud  – draw a single rectangle.
      1. Enter “REC” at the command prompt and enter values of @5, 30 (127, 762 if working in metric units).
    3. Top Plates  – draw two rectangles stacked on top of each other.
      1. Enter “SN” at the command prompt and accept the default object snap modes.
      2. Enter “MIRROR” at the command prompt and window the two-floor plates to select them.
      3. When asked to “Specify first point of mirror line…” click on the midpoint snap of the vertical stud. Move the cursor to the right with Ortho ON and select a point in space. This defines the mirror line. Select NO to delete the original objects.
    4. Countertop (benchtop)  – draw two rectangles stacked on top of each other.
      1. Enter “REC” at the command prompt and enter values of @10, .75 (254, 38 metric).
      2. Enter “COPY” at the command prompt and place the second rectangle bottom edge touching the top edge of the first rectangle.
    5. Skin  – draw a single vertical rectangle. 
      1. Enter REC at the command prompt and enter values of @-.25, 31.5 (6.35, 800 metric).
        2. Figure 9 - Section Drawing  
        Fig. 4 - Section Drawing

  6. Save the drawing.

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