Welcome to CADVANTAGE’s No Nonsense, Quick Start, Click by Click tutorial for I-DEAS.

This tutorial is part of the CAD-CAM @ Home scheme currently available in the city of Aurangabad in India.

Two Goodwill Gesture lessons are provided in this document.

Lesson 1 : Introduction to Program Interface and Viewing Commands.
Lesson 2 : 3D Modeling with I-DEAS.

The intention of this tutorial is not to teach I-DEAS but to help crack the ice, aid new users get familiar and Up and Running with I-DEAS.
For Remaining lessons as listed in the detailed syllabus below, you may enroll for the
CAD++ [ CAD @ Home ] program at :

CADVANTAGE ( where AutoCAD is taught FREE )
C 2 - 6, N 7, CIDCO,
Opp. Onkar Gas, Behind Swamikripa STD,
Aurangabad 431003
India
Ph : 0240 - 480767
Email : CadGuruCool@yahoo.com
Webpage : www.geocities.com/CadGuruCool


Index


1. Who needs AutoCAD Anymore ? - CAD CAM Sketch
2. Who needs AutoCAD Anymore ? - CAD CAM Chart
3. I-DEAS Detailed Syllabus
4. Introduction to Program Interface and Viewing Commands
5. 3D Modeling with I-DEAS

Who needs AutoCAD anymore ?

As shown in the illustration, AutoCAD is a Entry-level CAD software. Using AutoCAD, you can draw 2D Sketches, 3D machine parts, display assembly drawings in both 2D and 3D and even create sheet-metal parts. All these features are also readily available in Mid Range CAD packages like Solid Edge, Solid Works, Inventor, etc. However, the difference lies in the intelligence that mid-range softwares exhibit, the ease of use and the fewer number of steps that are involved in creating a given machine element. That’s not all. Future modifications to a design can be done in a more logical way in Solid Edge than in AutoCAD where the model needs to be re-worked either from scratch sometimes or by way of patch work.

I-DEAS is a High End CAD CAM CAE suite. The other softwares in this category are Pro/ENGINEER, Unigraphics and CATIA. What sets apart High-end from mid-range is CAE which stands for Computer Aided Engineering and FEA ie Finite Element Analysis. Some people are habitual of categorizing FEA under CAE. The world of CAD-CAM-CAE is still evolving and its difficulty to state such a thing. FEA which in itself is a huge field is not available readily under Solid Edge or other mid-range softwares.

Pro/ENGINEER is a High-End CAD-CAM-CAE suite. What is a suite ? A suite is a collection of softwares which may run independent of each other but together they offer very strong capabilities in achieving a common goal. You may be aware of MS Office which is a suite of Office Automation applications like MS Word used for word processing, MS Excel used as a spread-sheet, MS PowerPoint used as a presentation tool and MS Access which is a database application.

Similarly, I-DEAS is a collection of a vast number of CAD applications which may work togther to achieve a common goal. In I-DEAS, there are Applications and each Application has different Tasks which are all acessible from the main I-DEAS program.

These are only a few points which distinct Entry-Level, Mid-Range and High-End softwares from each other

A chart showing different CAD-CAM softwares and their creators is shown next.

Company
Autodesk
Unigraphics
Dassault
PTC
SDRC
Entry-Level
AutoCAD
-
-
-
-
Mid-Range
Inventor
Solid Edge
SolidWorks
Pro/Desktop
-
High-End
-
Unigraphics
CATIA
Pro/ENGINEER
I-DEAS

The chart is self Explanatory.

Mid-range softwares in their initial years were ruled out as only mid-priced softwares by Autodesk as they were no better off than AutoCAD. But today they (the mid-rangers) rival with the High-End CAD CAM applications as far as core-modeling is concerned.
As an example, fillet and shell are two typical solid modeling features.


With AutoCAD you can fillet an edge with only constant radius, whereas, fillet with varying radius is also possible in I-DEAS as shown in the figure on the right.
Another example is that of the shell feature.


Figure on the left shows a shell ( thin region ) feature created in AutoCAD where only constant thickness can be used. Using I-DEAS, you may specify unique thickness to different faces for the shell as shown in the figure on the right. Varying radius fillet and variable thickness shells are possible in mid-range softwares like Solid-Edge and also in High-End CAD programs. Thus, Mid-range CAD CAM softwares compete with high-end applications. Besides these, there are many features other than modeling where mid-range and high-end softwares are superior to entry-level softwares. One example could be the History access or Model navigator feature wherein you can directly access and modify a treatment feature that was applied half-way during the model making process. This is not possible in AutoCAD.

Detailed Course Contents
I-DEAS


1) Interface of I-DEAS

About I-DEAS modeler
Starting I-DEAS
Windows
Mouse Button Usage
Smart Keys
Icon Graphic Theme
Global Commands
Keyboard Accelerators


2) Preparing to Work

Icon Panel
Menus
Modeler Task Icons
Application Specific Icons
View Icons
General Function of Mouse
Dynamic Navigator
Focus


3) Creating 2D Geometry

Lines
Polylines
Points
Rectangles
Circles
Arcs


4) Editing 2D Geometry

Fillet
Make cornerr
Trim/Extend
Divide At
Merge Curves
Offset
Modifying Dimensions
Delete
move
Rotate
Reflect


5) Constraining 2D Entities

Dimensions
Matching Dimensions
Constrain & Dimension
Grounds
Anchors
Perpendicular constraints
Parallel Constraints
Tangential Constraints
Collinear Constraints
Show Free
Show Cause
Show Effects
Show Constraints
Dimensions Animation
Auto constaints


6) Creating 3D Geometry

Sketch in place
Extrude
Revolve


7) Creating Complex 3D Entities

Shell
Sweep
Draft
Loft


8) Translating 2D Geometry

Move
Rotate
Drag
Scale
Reflect


9) Editing 3D Geometry

Fillet
Chamfer
Circular Pattern
Rectangular Pattern
Join
Cut
Intersect
Plane Cut
History Access


10) Getting Information and Changing Properties

Workplane Appearance
Measure lengths, Radius
Calculating Surface Area and Weight
Getting Detailed Information


11) Managing Entities

Name Parts
Put Away
Get
Manage Bin


12) Creating Catalogs

Primitives
Part Catalogs
Section Catalogs


13) Special Techniques

Displaying Menus
Development of Surfaces
Reorder Feature


14) Drafting Setup

Create Layout
Creating Views
Custom Views
Creating Dimensions
Notes, Baloons and Crosshatching
Detailing
Creating Picture File and Plotting


15) Assembly

Creating an Assembly Heirarchy
Difference between Instances and Parts
Move Instances without Constraints
Constrain Instances
Duplicate Instances
Check an Assembly into a Heirarchy
Create Assembly Configurations
Create Assembly Sequence
Animate Assembly Sequence
Check Assembly Interference


16) Sheet Metal

Build Panels and Create Bends
Add Stamped Features and Cuts
Modify the Part


17) Surfacing

Project Curves to Surfaces
Trim Surfaces
Create Surfaces from Wireframe Boundaries
Stitch Surfaces Together


18) I-DEAS Programming

Writing a Program File
Programming Code
Signal Characters
Reserved Characters
Special I-DEAS Commands
Defining Variables in I-DEAS
Reserved Words in I-DEAS Programming
Interaction with the User
Prompting for User Input
Pausing for User Input
Adding Yes/No to the Prompt
Adding On/Off to the Prompt
Creating Menus
Using Visual LISP in I-DEAS programming
Programming in I-DEAS to Create Simple Mechanical Parts


Tutorial 1 : Introduction to Software Interface and Viewing Commands

Step 1

Observe the I-DEAS interface shown besides, which is self-explanatory.

Step 2


To start using the viewing commands, open the sample file found in the zip archieve that contained this document.
In case of unavailability of the file, either download it from
www.geocities.com/CadGuruCool/Tutorial.htm
or skip this tutorial entirely, complete tutorial 2, where you learn how to create an I-DEAS model and come back and complete this tutorial.

Step 3


There are 3 Icon groups in I-DEAS.

A) Task Icon Group,
B) Application Icon Group, and
C) Common Icon Group

There are more icons hidden behind the visible icons.
Click and hold the mouse left button pressed on an icon.
A list appears, as shown in figure, showing the hidden icons.
Each icon issues a command.
To use the hidden icons, keep the mouse left button pressed and drag over the desired command.
Release the mouse button.
The command is issued and the selected icon appears on top of the others.

Step 4


The Task Icon panel has 18 icons as shown in the figure.

We will discuss most of the icons indepth in this and the next tutorial.

Step 5


The Application Icon panel has 12 icons as shown in the figure.

We will discuss most of the icons indepth in this and the next tutorial.

Step 6


The Common Icon panel also has 12 icons as shown in the figure.

We will discuss most of the icons indepth in this and the next tutorial.

Step 7


Click the Shaded Hardware icon in the Common Icon panel.

The model appears shaded as shown in figure.

Step 8


Click the Line Shade icon in the Common Icon panel.

The model shading disappears as shown in figure.

Step 9


Click the Zoom icon in the Common Icon panel.

Click at two points as shown in the figure and a window will be formed as you drag the mouse for the second point. Finally, the part of model enclosed in the window will enlarge to accomodate the whole of the graphics area and appear big.

Step 10


Click the Zoom All icon in the Common Icon panel (or press Ctrl + A).

The model can now again be seen in its entirety.

Step 11


Keep the F1 key on the keyboard pressed and move the mouse in any direction. The model appears to move in that direction. This is called panning.

Step 12


Keep the F2 key on the keyboard pressed and move the mouse in a vertical direction. As you move the mouse vertically upwards, the model appears to shrink in size and vice versa.

Step 13


Keep the F3 key on the keyboard pressed and move the mouse in the graphics area. The model will rotate.

Step 14


Click the Top View icon in the Common Icon panel.

The model will tween and display the Top view as shown in figure.

Step 15


Click the Side View icon in the Common Icon panel.

The model will tween and display the Side view as shown in figure.

Step 16


Click the Front View icon in the Common Icon panel.

The model will tween and display the Front view as shown in figure.

Step 17


Click the Isometric View icon in the Common Icon panel.

The model will rotate on its own and display the default isometric view.


Tutorial 2 : 3D Modeling with I-DEAS

Step 1

We want to draw the model shown on the right.

The big block is 56 x 32 and 8 thick.
The two blocks on top of it are each 12 x 8 and 12 thick.
The hole is R10
Step 2

I-DEAS allows you to draw shapes and extrude them. Extrusion is like squeezing a toothpaste tube. The end of the toothpaste tube is round, so the toothpaste comes out as a round cylinder.
Similarly, you can create circles, rectangles, etc. and extrude them to create solid ojects.
Step 3

To begin, click the Rectangle by 2 Corners icon from the Task Icon panel.

Step 4

Click any two points 1 and 2 on the screen to create a rectangle as shown in figure.

A rectangle will be created and dimensions for two sides will appear.
Step 5

Click the Modify icon from the Task Icon panel.

Select dimension of the larger side.

A dialog box will appear as shown in figure.

Type 56 as the new value and press Enter on the keyboard.

The rectangle changes in size immediately.
Step 6

Similarly, change the other side to 32.

Click the Isometric View icon in the Common Icon panel. Your figure should now look like the one shown in figure on the right.
Step 7

Similarly, change the other side to 32.

Click the Extrude icon in the Application Icon panel. A diaog box appears as shown in figure.

Type 8 as the depth of extrusion and press Enter on the keyboard.
Step 8

Your model appear like the one shown in the figure on the right depending upon the current shading style.
Step 9

Click the Sketch in Place icon in the Task Icon panel.

Click on the face of the block as shown in figure.

The workplane will rotate on its own and align with the selected face.

The X-, Y- and Z- axis symbols will also appear on the face with the Z- direction pointing away from the body.
Step 10

Create a rectangle on the selected face starting with one of the corners and moving towards the centre of the rectangle.

Dimensions will appear, change them to 12 x 8 along the larger and smaller side of the block respectively. (refer figure in Step 1)

Your figure should now look like the one shown in the figure on the right.
Step 11

Click the Extrude icon in the Task Icon panel.

Select the rectangle at point 1 as shown in the figure.

Two hollow circles appear where sides of rectangle touch the edge of the block.

Click at point 2 as shown in figure, the hollow circle moves ahead to the corner vertex of the block.

Next, click at point 3.

The hollow circles disappear and a thick rectangle is drawn over the current rectangle.

Press Enter on the keyboard.
Step 12

The Extrude dialog box will appear.

Enter 12 as the depth of extrusion and press Enter on the keyboard.

Similarly, create the small block on the other corner.

Your figure should now look like the one shown in the figure on the right.
Step 13

Draw a circle on the same face and modify its diameter to 20.
Using extrude , select the circle and press Enter on the Keyboard

In the Extrude dialog that appears, click in the Cutout diamond (circled green in figure) and select Thru All from the list as shown in the figure.

Click OK. You will get the desired circular hole with a pink axis.
Step 14

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