| CAD Design Process | | | | guessing you are getting the idea. You first |
| | | | design parts, then put them together into sub |
| When designing something complex in CAD you | | | | assemblies. In the car example above the |
| will find there is a bit of a process. First | | | | differential is a sub assembly in the axel |
| you design parts. Then you build the parts | | | | "Group" of the car. Sub Assemblies are put |
| into Sub-Assemblies. Next you build | | | | together to form groups. |
| sub-assemblies into Groups. Then you build | | | | |
| the groups into the machine. It is a logical | | | | Designing Groups |
| pyramid process. You can also think of it | | | | |
| like a file structure inside of a computer. | | | | Moving up the design chain, groups are |
| | | | usually things you can identify with. It |
| Designing Parts | | | | could be a door, engine, transmission, or |
| | | | cooling package on a car. Above we used the |
| Parts are your building blocks. Without this | | | | example of an Axle as a Group. Groups are put |
| level, nothing could be produced. The part | | | | together into machines. Our example is a car, |
| level breaks the entire "thing" down to its | | | | which is at the machine level. |
| simplest form. You also manufacture at the | | | | |
| part level. You make parts, and then assemble | | | | Designing the Machine |
| them into other things. Parts are generally | | | | |
| made out of raw materials. | | | | Finally, the top level of all your designing, |
| | | | the machine. The machine could be built for |
| Think of a differential on the rear axel of a | | | | the end user or be sold to another |
| car. The differential is made up of gears and | | | | manufacturer. That manufacturer could use |
| a housing. Each of these are parts of the | | | | your "machine" as a sub assembly or group. |
| differential and the differential is the | | | | You can see all this is just a matter of |
| assembly of these parts. | | | | viewpoint. You can consider just about |
| | | | anything a sub assembly, group or final |
| Designing Sub Assemblies | | | | machine. It is all just semantics and what |
| | | | you are using the item for. |
| Sub Assemblies are the next level up and I am | | | | |