Alphabet Soup: Activity 2 Assemble Name

Creo

PTC 2012

Activity 2: Assemble Name

Summary
In this activity you will learn how to create an assembly file, open parts in assembly, and
assemble parts together to create your name.

Step 1: Select Working Directory and Open your Name

a.) If you already have your working directory selected, skip this step.
b.) Select the Working Directory to the Alphabet_Assembly_Parts folder.

Step 2: Create assembly file

Key terms: hyphen or underscore

a.) Look at the File tab in the Creo Ribbon and click New
b.) A dialog box will pop up. Here you can select what type of model you want to create. As
you learn more about designing in Creo, you will use parts, assemblies and drawings the
most.
c.) Select Assembly in the dialog box.
d.) Type in your first name. If you want more than one word
in the name (e.g. Creo_blocks) you need to include a
hyphen or underscore. Spaces are not allowed in Creo
filenames.
e.) Click OK.
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Step 3: Open assembly part

Key terms: base part, fully constrained

a.) To open a part in the assembly, click assemble

in the Model ribbon.

b.) In engineering, the first part of any assembly is

called the base part.
c.) Double-click the letter block file that corresponds to
the first letter of your name. Your block letter will
appear on the screen colored purple.
d.) To position the part on the screen right-click once.
e.) For this activity we will demonstrate the steps with
the name Creo. So the C block was opened.
f.) In the Component Placement tab, click on the drop-down list with the lightning icon
and select Default.
g.) The part will turn yellow-orange color. This means it is locked in
position or another term is fully constrained.
h.) Click the green check mark
ribbon.

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in the Component Placement

Step 4: Assemble block and peg

Key Terms: 3D Copilot, assembly constraints, Model Tree
a.) Now we want to add a connector peg. With this peg you can add another block to the
assembly.

b.) Click on Assemble

and double-click the peg.prt.

c.) The peg will open in the screen colored in purple and it will have a globe with rings and
three arrows--this is the 3D Copilot. The 3D Copilot helps you position the part so it easy
for you to connect it to another part.

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d.) How the 3D Copilot works:

Dragging an arrow moves the model along the

axis of the arrow.

Dragging a ring rotates the object.

Dragging the small sphere at the center will drag

the model in any direction.

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e.) Use the 3D Copilot to position the peg close to the letter block, but not touching.
f.) Now its time to connect the peg to the letter block. These assembly connections are
called assembly constraints.
g.) The first constraint you want to make is
between the outer cylindrical surface of
the peg and the inner cylindrical surface
of the block hole. Click first on the outer
cylindrical surface of the peg, X1, and
then click on the inner cylindrical
surface of the block hole, X2.

h.) You will see the word coincident appear next to the peg. This is the type of constraint
you created.

i.) Notice only one of the arrows and one of the circles in the co-pilot is now colored. The
peg can only move back n forth along the axis of the red arrow.

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j.) Now you want to insert the peg into the hole. Click the flat circular end of the peg, X1,
and the flat circular inner surface of the hole X2. To select the different surfaces, you will
need to rotate the assembly. To do
this click and hold the middle mouse
button and then position the assembly
so you can see the inner hole surface.

k.) Since the peg and block are fully constrained, the peg turned yellow-orange.
l.) Click the green check mark

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to complete the assembly!

m.) It is possible you had some problems during this procedure. The table below describes
three common errors.
Common Error

Solution
If you pick the wrong surface, no problem. Right-click on the constraint label X1

Picked the wrong surface

and select delete from the drop-down list, X2.

Creo automatically selects a

Distance constraint

If you get a Distance constraint, no problem. Right-click and hold on the Distance

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label X1, from the drop-down menu select Coincident constraint

X2.

By mistake double-clicked
the middle mouse button
during assembly.

You know this happened if

the peg is blue. During
assembly it would be purple
or yellow-orange.
You need to reopen the assembly. Find the Model Tree in the left region of the
Creo Window. The Model Tree is a list of parts in a model.
In the Model Tree, right-click and hold down the mouse button over the part you
want to modify (for example the peg X1). Then select Edit Definition X2. This will
open the Component Placement tab.

Now you can add new constraints. Remember you need two coincident constraints.
One between the outer cylindrical surface of the peg and the inner cylindrical
surface of the block hole. And the second between the flat circle end of the peg
and the flat inner circle of the hole. See Step 4-j

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Step 5: Assemble the rest of your name!

a.) Using the assembly skills you just learned, assemble the rest of your name.

b.) Click save

at the top of the Creo window.

Whats Next?
Congrats you completed Activity 2 Alphabet Assembly in Creo!

You learned how to create an assembly file, open parts in assembly, and assemble parts
together to create your name.

Now you can go onto Activity 3 to create a photo realistic image of your name!

PTC Academic, 2012