Why use Add CAD-Line?

All Added-Parts [see Add menu > Mechanism sub-menu > Add Part] have a CAD-Line. The start-Point is where you mouse-butt-down, and the end-Point. is where you mouse-button up, when you add the Part.

You can edit a CAD-Line to import a SolidWorks or STL [Solid], and so add real 3D-CAD as 'flesh to the bones' of the kinematic elements.

However, you may want to import more Solids on to the same Part.

With more Solids on one Part, you can:

•Show greater model fidelity with different Solid details, for the same moving Part.
•Use Pattern > Phase Visibility tool to show and hide the different SolidWorks models at different phases in the machine cycle.

Use CAD-Lines to:

•Import and show a DXF Drawings
•Import and show a SOLIDWORKS® Part
•Import and show an STL File
•Specify Mass & Inertia Properties

Add CAD-Line

Geometry toolbar

Toolbar :

Geometry toolbar

Menu :

Add menu > Geometry sub-menu> > Add CAD-Line

What to do :

2.Click Geometry toolbar > Add CAD-Line.
3.Drag in the graphic-area to specify the start-Point and then its end-Point.

'Drag': mouse-button-down [start-Point], move your mouse-pointer, mouse-button-up [end-Point].

The CAD-Line is now in the graphic-area.

Free-Points and Merged-Points

Add the start-Point and end-Point of the CAD-Line as:

Free-Points

Add constraints and dimensions to the start-Point and end-Point later.

You can delete constraints and dimensions, if necessary.

Do this for a layout sketch.

See Also: How to Delete a Constraint

Merged-Points

Do 'merged-points' to construct a sketch-path or sketch-loop

See: Hover+Drag , merge-points.
CAD-Line in Added Part and with the Add CAD-Line command

[Note: in the image, I have added the arrowheads along the CAD-Line to indicate the X-direction]

In the graphic-area:

•CAD-Lines are dark green1s-red2s [default colour]

CAD-Lines have a Coordinate System:

•The Origin is at the start-Point3s
•+X–axis: from the Origin4s to the end-Point5s ,on the Mechanism Plane.
•+Y–axis: at +90º from the +X–axis, on the Mechanism Plane.
•+Z-axis: perpendicular to the Mechanism Plane [towards you in the default view [Front-View]]

The Coordinate System is important:

•to orientate CAD elements that you import

AT-CAD-Line

In the Assembly-Tree:

•CAD-Lines are the only sketch-elements that show in the Assembly-Tree.

 

What to do next:

When you add a CAD-Line, you can edit it to open the CAD-Line dialog-box.

See CAD-Line dialog-box

Note: you can open the CAD-Line dialog-box from the:

• Part-Editor
• Mechanism-Editor

AND

•Model-Editor [if there is a Solid linked to the CAD-Line]

Example

How:

Selection-Window

Geometry-Tree

AddCADLine
•Drag from the start-Point to the end-Point of CAD-Line

CAD-Linen

Pointn at each end of the CAD-Line

The CAD-Line shows in the Assembly-Tree.

Tutorial and Reference Help Files for MechDesigner and MotionDesigner 13.2 + © Machine, Mechanism, Motion and Cam Design Software by PSMotion Ltd