This is the fifth in a series of articles containing tutorials designed to acquaint you with the basic steps in using the Microvellum Solid Modeling Tools (SMT).

The steps contained in this tutorial start where tutorial #4 left off. Here are the subject included in this tutorial:

• Brief review of the process to restore a product from a previous work session of SMT.
  
• How to create manufacturing data from your custom product.
  

This is the last in this series of tutorials for the extruded product tools of SMT.

Process Review: How to Restore a Product from a Previous Work Session

As you learned in tutorial 2 of this series, all of the information that Microvellum needs to know about your custom product is contained in the 3D model of the product. It is thus a simple task to restore a work session from a previous drawing.

1. Use the procedures you’ve already learned for the following steps.
   
1. Open the project and room from your existing project used in the previous tutorials.
   
2. Click the command “Restore Multiple Products from Drawing” found at “Solid Modeling > Tree View > right-click Products.”
   


Fig. 1



3. Select the products in the drawing, by windowing them, to restore them.
   

Your Tree View tab should now contain the parts for your custom 3D product.




Fig. 2


How to Create Manufacturing Data from Your Custom Product


Now that you have completed the engineering of your custom product and it is as close to perfection as time allows, you’re ready to create manufacturing data for it. This is a simple process of ‘analyzing’ the solid model and converting the AutoCAD solids into Microvellum parts. The command used to initiate the process is available in two locations, as explained below.


2. Find your product in the list on the Tree View tab of the Solid Modeling tools palette. Right-click on the product and click “Save” on the context menu. Window the entire custom product.
   


Fig. 3




Alternatively, click the command “Solid Model Analyzer” on the Toolbox Solid Modeling palette and window the entire custom product.




Fig. 4



3. Select the option from the list of options for what to do with the Microvellum product that results from the analyzation process.
   
1. Save to Current Project and Draw In Current Drawing  – as the name suggests, this creates a Microvellum product, saves it to the current project, and draws it in the current drawing after prompting you for a location to draw it.
   


Fig. 5



2. Save to Current Project  – creates a Microvellum product, and saves it to the project. The software names it with the name of the product.
   


Fig. 6



3. Save to Current Project and Process to Work Order  – creates a Microvellum product, saves it to the current project, creates a work order, allows you to rename it, and opens the work order in the Processing Center. After that, select the processing stations and options and process the work order.
   
1. Draw the Microvellum product by selecting the Product Viewer tab on the Microvellum palette.
   
2. Right-click on the product to draw, hover over “Draw Selected Product,” and click the preferred option.
   
3. In this tutorial, click “Place Product at Selected Point.”
   
4. Select the point in the drawing to draw the Microvellum product.
   


Fig. 7



4. Save to Selected Project  – creates a Microvellum product, and saves it to the project and room specified in the two drop-down list boxes. This project is distinct from the current project open in Toolbox.
   


Fig. 8



5. Save to Current Library  – creates a Microvellum product in the library category selected, with the name specified.
   


Fig. 9



6. If preferred, create a rendered graphic of the new library product.
   
1. Apply AutoCAD materials to the solid model, adjust lights, or modify the rendering exposure, and render your solid model.
   
2. Save the rendered image as a JPG, TIFF, or WMF.
   
3. Using Database Explorer, assign the new graphics file to the new library product.
   


Fig. 10

4. The Microvellum product contains basic functionality but can be modified with formulas as desired.
   

This article concludes the tutorial series focusing on the Microvellum Solid Modeling Extruded Tools. This series of tutorials has taught you how to create and engineer a custom extruded product in the Solid Modeling Tools of Microvellum.