Defining Deformable Parts

Have you ever wanted to show a component in two forms, such as compressed and uncompressed or open and closed? Deform Part allows you to add a component to an assembly and show it in a different configuration. For example, a spring can be added to an assembly and deformed to show it in various configurations. The functionality is very similar to adding a User Defined Feature [UDF] to a part, however, the parameters you enter are applied to the component you are adding.

To create a deformable part think along the lines of creating a UDF. Name your expressions such that they are easily recognizable when it comes to creating the deformable feature; "spring_height" reads better than "p45".

Once your part is ready to create the deformation feature, select "Tools > Define Deformable Part". This will open the Deform Part wizard. The wizard creates a new "feature set" in the current part and the first step is to enter a name for the deform feature [and enter a url if you have a help page to instruct users on the deformation when adding the component]. Select the features to add to the deformable feature set and then select which expressions the user will be able to edit. A nice feature when selecting expressions is the ability to rename them to make them more understandable. For example, change length to length of spring. You can also define a controlled range of values for the expression.

Although you cannot edit a deformable feature in the component it was created in, you can obtain a list of its contents by right clicking on the feature in the Part Navigator and choosing Information. The Information Window will list the features and the values used to define the deformable feature. It should also be noted that a component can only contain a single deformable feature. Using the wizard again will delete the existing deformable feature and any assembly that contains the deformed component will show a broken icon in the Part Navigator, indicating that the association to the original [deleted] deformed feature has been broken.

When adding a deformable part to an assembly you will be presented with the usual dialogs to select the reference set, etc, and then the position of the component and then the deform dialog is raised with the title of the deformable feature set. Select [or enter] the values for the deformable expressions and choose OK to add the component.

Having added the component to an assembly and deformed it, it can be mated in the assembly and will behave just like any normal component. Once added, a new deform feature is added to the assembly and can be seen in the Part Navigator.

The deformation can be edited at any time in the assembly. Either right click the component's node in the ANT and choose Deform [click on the icon to Edit Parameters], or right click on the Deform feature in the Part Navigator and choose Edit Parameters.