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