Welcome, this tutorial is based on Alibre Design version 12.1. For any additional information such as installation, registration or upgrading, Please contact CADDIT.net via email. In Australia a free trialdownload for Alibre Design Professional is availableHERE.
To start with assembly make surethat all the part design models have been checked and that all parts have beconstrained correct within the model. We start be creating a directory for all thepart of the assembly in one location. This allows for the ease of access of theparts when needed as well as the editing of each part when necessary change areto be made. To create the working directory simple gather all the partsrequired for Alibre Design, create a new folder where the assembly design isgoing to be saved and copy the parts to that working directory.
Once you have done that, proceed tocreating an assembly model in the home window and select the middle icon whichsays combine multiple parts into a finished design. A new window will open andclick on the save icon and rename the assembly accordingly. Here in this examplebelow I have select the middle icon in the home window and save the fileextension as tutorial _assembly.AD_ASM.
Now we will introduce parts into theassembly one at a time. Alibre Design will allow you to use multiple parts in asingle assembly and are introduced one part design at a time. This will makesure that you can use the other features such as linear pattern to youradvantage by limiting the amount of time required to assemble a design togetherwith few clicks.
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To do this we will select the insertpart or assembly which is located in the far right hand corner of the workspacescreen indicated by this icon. Otherwise by going to the insert menu andselecting insert part/assembly option (shortcut key to this is Ctrl+Shift+I)will open a window explorer dialogue box where you can choose where you aregetting your parts from.
Once you have selected the designpart and clicked okay, you will return to the workspace window and with thepart attached to the mouse cursor on the screen. To place the part down in theworkspace, simply click the design where you want the part to be orientated andthe part will placed in that orientation. Once you are satisfied with where thepart or parts have been placed clicked finish on the open dialogue give youthis message or alternatively press the esc to finish.
As shown here, I have selected theparts I required from the explorer window and have placed the multiple partsthat require for this assembly. Note that the positions of each of the partsare fair distance away from the main design part. This makes sure that you haveall the correct parts available for the assembly and also that you do not haveoverlap in the assembly design.
The next step in this processrequires that the main component or main design part is locked down and securedin place. The reason for this to be done is that when editing the parts forconstrains that the main component doesnÂft move everywhere and provide ananchored point where you can see the motion of the assembly part later on.After anchoring the main component, the additional parts now can be added tothe design or constrained onto the design. By using the constrain tool locatedin the middle of the right hand side toolbar in the workspace window indicatedby this icon here, you can add various constraints on to the model design tocomplete the assembly. As mentioned before in tutorial two, constraints provideparametric control on the location and positioning of the part in the assemblyprocess. This step is vital if the assembly is to be presented correctly andshow in motion at the end step of design process.
Using the parts in the previousexample, I will be using the constraint options of align and mating. Note thatoffsets can be used if desired to the design and also if the icon is notpresent in the toolbar on the right hand side, you can go to the menu >tools > assembly constraint. Here you will get another dialogue box open upand provide you with the options in adding constraints to your model.
In the image, you see that have added mating constrain between the two facesadded here which results in the next image shown. Now that parts have beenconstrained, it is best if you add at least three constraints to make sure thatthe model is properly positioned later when you need to us Alibre motion toreplicate the movement of the parts required. Once you have completed this withthe first two parts continue with remaining parts for the assembly until youhave completed. It is worth noting that parts which are being constrained havea separate design tree section noted as constraints. If you have applied morethan one of a similar constraint to a model you will receive an error in whichyou would need to edit from here.
Alibre Motion
This part of the tutorial we will belooking at Alibre Motion. Before we start there are few concepts in which needto be understood before continuing. In Alibre Motion, there are two types ofmotion constants that are used. One is prescribed motion which described byconstant rotation using degrees per second or velocity in feet per second.Prescribed Motion does not take into account the forces in which are causingthe motion itself, just shows that the motion is happening,
The second way in which you candescribe motion in Alibre Motion is using Forces. For this to applied you willneed to describe the motion which is to take place in a linear motion intorques or foot pounds.
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Note: You defineall motions directly onto assembly constraints. If your assembly does not haveany constraints, or does not have the appropriate types of constraints, youwill be unable to define motions.
With all of that in mind, the AlibreMotion simulation has two types of motion analysis Kinematic and dynamic. Theone in which the user will choose depends on the motion defined in the simulationand its outcome. The two motions are described as follows:
Kinematic -
Dynamic-
This tutorial assumes that you arealready familiar with sketching, modeling, and assembly techniques in AlibreDesign. If that is not the case, please review the beginning of this tutorialbefore proceeding.
In tutorial, we will be using out anassembly model of a v8 engine to demonstrate in between each step on how tosetup for Alibre Motion and running the simulation. Firstly we start out byopening the assembly required for this tutorial. Ensure all the constraints ofyou assembly has been set correctly otherwise you will get some strange motionsfrom your assembly as the simulation is running. Now we will got to View anddisable all the options in the display of referencing geometry to help us seethe simulation better and improve the performance of the simulation. Note toalso enable shaded and visible edges if you havenÂft done so already.
Now make sure that you have Alibremotion installed, and go to the drop menu you motion and select the motion explorer.This will switch your views on the model and you will notice that your designexplorer has changed to motion explorer.
Note: Someassemblies will get errors in this stage popping up. This is due to the usereither not setting any material properties for the parts or that the density istoo high or low for this simulation to give out accurate numbers.
Toggling the Motion Explorer optionwill display or hide the Motion Explorer. There are also tabs at the bottom ofthe Explorer on the left side, allowing you to transfer between the DesignExplorer and the Motion Explorer.
The Motion Explorer is very similarto the Design Explorer. The Motion Explorer is a data tree that contains theapplicable data of the assembly model, constraints and simulation informationThe Config section at the top of the motion explorer allows you to defineseveral simulation scenarios, similar to Design Configurations you would usefor a part or assembly. Fixed Parts shows you all of the parts in your assemblywhich cannot move. Note that this does not mean 'may not move during asimulation'. This more or less means all the parts that you have anchored.
Moving Parts show all of the partsthat can move. This does not mean that they all will move since the userwill be defining all the movement themselves. If your motion definitions do notend up affecting some parts during a simulation, those parts will not move eventhough they are in the Moving Parts section. The Constraints section shows youall of the applicable constraints that can be used to define a motion.The Actuators, Springs, and Dampers will show you what kinds of motions youhave defined. Until you define motions, these will be empty. Gravity optionwill tell you whether or not you have enabled gravity. If it is grayed out,gravity is not enabled. To enable, simply right click on the word and click'enable'. The Measurements section shows you what dynamicmeasurements you have set up. For example, if you have set up a measurement tofollow the angular velocity of a part, the definition of that would show uphere. Traces section will show you all of the motion traces you have assignedto the simulation. For example, a position trace that follows the motion of apart would show up here.
The Motion Explorer also containsthe simulation control box. Your control box will show all of the buttonsinactive at this time (as in the above image) because you have not yet enabledsimulation mode. Note the difference between being in the motion explorer andbeing in simulation mode. When you are ready to simulate your part afterdefining motions, you will then enter into simulation mode.
At the top of the control box is a
Now it is important that you select the correct settings for the simulationotherwise the simulation will skip important movements in which you wish tolook at or that the simulation runs so slow that you do not get the required information.Now to setup Alibre Motion for simulation, got the motion drop menu, selectsettings and a motion option menu should appear similar to the one below.
You will need to set the time of theplayback and the simulation periods in which Alibre Motion needs to capture thenecessary information as it goes though the simulation. Now for this tutorial,the settings will be set for playback as defined, the simulation time willstart a 0 with the simulation frame interval set at 0.01 and the simulationtype set at Dynamic.
Now the simulation need to havedefined source where the entire assembly can be directed to move and data canbe collected based of that moition. To do this, a centre part of where theentire assembly need to be moved or driven will move all the connecting partsto move accordingly. To illustrate this, in this V8 Engine Assembly here, theCrankshaft is the main moving part that will be attached to a motor to show thedata of acceleration, velocity as well as positioning of the piston head. Now,to attach a force element, expand the moving part branch in motion explorer foryour design and select the required part where the motor will be attach to.This will expand into additional constraints found for that particular part.Select a alignment constraint and right click to insert the motor of choice. Inthe example of the V8 assembly, we have chosen the crankshaft part with thealignment constraint and then added a rotary motor to drive this part.
Now when inserting any of themotors selected in Alibre motion, you will get another dialogue box open upwith the settings for the motor. You will need to enable the motor and set themotor accordingly to what you want do in the simulation of the assembly. In thetutorial example, we will apply a specific motor torque. Next switch tabs tomotor torque, and make sure that the constant torque has been set. And for thistutorial, we will apply 1 foot pound of Torque to the motor, since we arerunning the simulation for the first time. Note that the amount of torque needsto adjusted accordingly to what sort of parameters that you would like to setfor the simulation.
Click OK. A Motor will be added to the Actuators branch inthe Motion Explorer. Now if you specify specific constraints in the assemblywhere the motor is attached to set in a locked rotation, this will allow forthe improve the performance of the simulation (make the simulation run fasterwithout loading it down with too many additional motions to consider). Nowremember to enable the gravity if this is required. Gravity in the simulationwill only be applied to the y axis in a negative direction.
Insert Dynamic Measurements and Traces
Dynamic Measurements are the outputsof your simulation results. You can collect measurements such as Position,Velocity, and Acceleration of any of your moving parts during asimulation. To do this, select the moving part in which you would like theanalysis to be carried out on. Right click and select dynamic measurements. Anew dialogue box will open allowing you to select the necessary settings foryour simulation.
It is a good idea to name yourDynamic Measurements if you intend to collect many of them, so you candistinguish between them in the Motion Explorer. In
Another function in which is part ofAlibre Motion is tracing. Traces enable you to see at a glance in the work areahow a part moves during a simulation. These are 3D reference geometry objectsthat move with the model as you move and rotate it following a simulation. Toenable this function select the moving part in which you would like to tracethe movement part of, right click and select trace and position.
For our example, we have selected the connecting rod – 1movement through the simulation. We have selected trace position and notice howit adds to the traces section under its parts name.
From the
Allow the simulation to collect 50 frames and then press Pause and then Stop.Click on the Loop Icon . When you press play again, the simulation will playback the 50 frame loop. You can see in the Current frames/ Total frames sectionwhen it is finished collecting the data and is simply playing back the loop ofthe simulation.
Press the
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By clicking on the data line on thegraph, you can read the values of these measurements throughout the simulation.You can also copy or export this data out of Alibre Design for reports andpresentations. To do this, right-click in the graph area and select
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Traditionally Alibre has always compared its software with that of SolidWorks. Some time ago Alibre had an interesting marketing line which went something like “get 80% features for 20% of the price”. That was when the price of Alibre Design Standard was 20% of SolidWorks. Of late, with Alibre announcing one unearthly discount scheme after another, that line could very well read “get 80% of the features for 2% of the price”. You cannot argue with the 2% number (now 4%) . That is really the price that Alibre Design Standard is being sold at. But I think you could definitely argue about the 80% number.
Recently SolidWorks Certified Professional and Blogger Gabi Jack wrote a piece on Alibre Design titled “What you get for the money” in which she suggests that the 80% number is way higher than what it should be. For example, she notes that Alibre Design has absolutely no surfacing capability. She is right. Alibre Design lacks a full blown surfacing module. But if your life depends on it, you can still create non-prismatic parts using the solid modeling route. Just that doing so is not as easy as using the surfacing capabilities of SolidWorks.
I asked Paul Grayson, CEO of Alibre, about the lack of surfacing capabilities in Alibre Design. This is what he told me:
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While some people do require advanced surfacing, most people do not. Our product is oriented more towards mechanical design than consumer design, but we do have a strong set of surface oriented design tools that are capable of designing most consumer products. We don’t hide the fact that advanced, aerodynamic or complex organic surface modeling capabilities are not our strength.
Here is the thing with Alibre Design. No matter what Alibre’s Marketing or their resellers say, Alibre simply cannot match the advanced modeling features of SolidWorks or any other mid-range MCAD system. But for simple prismatic mechanical style modeling, it does the job just fine. I don’t believe I could model the Christmas wreath or rose in Alibre Design without tearing my hair out. But that is not what it is for. I believe people who “look down” (as Gabi put it) on Alibre Design do not seem to understand that.
Understanding the basic idea of Alibre Design is as simple as understanding that you don’t need a sledge hammer to drive a nail into a wooden plank. Somehow, I get the feeling that this very simple message may be getting lost in all the discounting noise that’s being going on for the past few months. One gets the feeling that Alibre’s entire marketing is focused on the fact that their software is cheap. And that is not always a good thing.