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Do you have any constraints set? Is one of the parts anchored?
If not, you can shift-click on the assembly and drag it or use constraints to place the assembly where you want it.
Mike
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Alibre Design Express Question - Moving parts I have been tinkering with ADX to design a DIY router frame.
The lower left corner is at (-18,-32) and I would like it to be at (0,0).
Is there anyway to move the whole thing or am I just going to have to start over?
The attached is the AD_PRT file for the frame.
I appreciate any help anyone might be able to give.
Greg
Do you have any constraints set? Is one of the parts anchored?
If not, you can shift-click on the assembly and drag it or use constraints to place the assembly where you want it.
Mike
Originally Posted by MichaelHenry
Mike, I tried setting constraints and got an error something to the effect of an over constraint or inconsistent part.
Anchor, I don't know.
shift-click does not seem to work for me, might be a limitation of the Express version.
Thanks, I'll keep piddling with it.
Greg
I didn't see an attachment to your post, but if you can post it here or email it to me, I'll take a look at it.
An over-constraint message means that you have run out of degrees of freedom to constrain. There can be a whole lot of reasons for this, some obvious and some subtle. The simplest solution is to delete all of your constraints and start over.
You can anchor a part in an assembly by left-clicking on the part in the Design Explorer and then selecting "Anchor Part" from the pop up dialog box. This has the effect of fixing the part at whatever location it happens to be in at the time. Any constraints you added to that part prior to anchoring it will then be invalid so you should delete.
You should also check the list of constraints in the Design Explorer. Any of them that are italicised will be invalid and an attempt to impose a new constraint will fail until you correct the existing invalid constraints.
Mike
Mike-
Sorry I missed your reply sooner.
Not been a good week.
I really might help if I knew what I was doing with the software; I'm making it up as I go and I think that with limitations of the free version.....
Oye.
I thought that attached the file.
I'll try again.
Zipped folder containing two versions of the same table frame.
Think the second one is better.
As I have access to an AC TIG welder (I think I do anyway) was thinking on aluminum rectangle 2"x4" with a 0.125" wall.
Think that would end up pretty sturdy.
Thanks for your help.
And I promise, I'll spend more time with the program and try to learn more.
BTW, in the second one, there are three rods on each side; the outside ones are the ways/guide rods/bearing rods/whatever and the inner ones represent lead screws but I couldn't figure out how to do a helical boss.
But that's for another time.
edit: Well, the attach seems to have worked as long as the file is good. I got an error zipping it.
Greg,
Only had a quick look at the files in your zip, but it looks like there are two part files - CNC Router Frame.AD_PRT and CNC Router Frame #2.AD_PRT.
Is that correct? I'll look at it in more detail but looks like you've modeled the second one as a single part, even though there seem to be several separate pieces to it (the rods, for example). Normally each piece would be modeled separately and those pieces would then be combined into an assembly.
Maybe I'm missing the point entirely, though, so I'll wait for you to confirm before making any suggestions.
Mike
Yeah, you're right, it's one 'big' pile o' parts instead of an assembly.
Even if I knew how to assembly parts, with Express I am limited to assemblies with up to 10 parts, so....
The idea of the drawings are really to keep track of my thoughts.
The #2 one is the latest as to what I'm thinking.
Wonder if anyone has thought of pitching the idea of a "hobbyist" license to companies like Alibre?
Full version but at a greatly reduced price.
With the agreement that it will not be used for commercial purposes; if you're gonna use it to make a living you should pay for the full license.
Bet they'd make more sales to people like me and no doubt others here that simply cannot justify the $1000 or more just because it would be nice to have.
That's what my rockets and my 4-wheeler and my SCUBA and my guns are for.
Greg,
IMHO, if you are not using assemblies, you are missing a key advantage that this sort of CAD software offers for project design.
I'm not positive, but think that Alibre Express may allow you to make an assembly of several parts and then use that assembly as a sub-assembly for a larger assembly. If so, each sub-assembly may count as one part in your 10 part (or whatever it is) limit. Put 10 parts into one assembly, 10 parts into another assembly and use each of those as sub-assemblies for another assembly. Tedious, if it works, but doable if time is more available than money.
Does Alibre offer any low-cost upgrades to the Express version? That may be another way around the problem.
BTW, have you tried running through the Alibre Express tutorials? Assemblies really aren't that hard once you understand how the constraints work.
Mike
Mike-
I have gone through quite a bit of the "Modeling a Simple Part" Tutorial and have started through the video help/orientation that came with v9.2 (I think that's it).
I did not know that they offer upgrades a bit at a time until this afternoon and have not had time to go looking really but will do so sometime.
I am getting better and still frustrated at some things.
Thanks for you help so far.
edit: I just now found out about the home window and the tutorials tab.
Will definitely spend some time with that.
Greg,
I don't know what the tutorials are like for Express but the ones for the commercial trial version that I tried several years ago when first evaluating Alibre brought me up to speed pretty quickly, at least for the beginner to intermediate types of projects. The 20-40 hours spent on that were well worth the effort. I'd suggest going through the whole set available to you over the space of a few days.
The usability of software interfaces can be be highly subjective though - what seems completely natural to one person can be the interface from hell for another.
I'm sorry that I can't be of more help but I can't install Alibre Express without losing use of my commercial version as only one can be installed at a time, probably due to license keys. Likewise I can't find the info on available Express upgrades and costs since the Alibre web site knows what I have and only shows me options available for my installation.
Have you been to the Alibre Express forum (the one run by Alibre) yet?
Mike
They used to offer modular upgrades to express for $100 each, but now they only offer upgrades to full versions for about $500. They send me emails with the offers every week or 2.
Gerry
Mach3 2010 Screenset
http://home.comcast.net/~cncwoodworker/2010.html
(Note: The opinions expressed in this post are my own and are not necessarily those of CNCzone and its management)
Mike-
Spent most of the night last night (all of a sudden it was 4:45am
Will take a couple more days to get through them.
Gerry-
You must be one of the lucky ones, I've been a registered user of Express for quite a while now and have not gotten any offers.
I checked my account settings and think that I have it set to receive emails so will have to see what happens.
For a while even $500 will be a stretch; been off work sick for almost 3 weeks, and have to schedule an interview in a new town when better so hopefully moving.
Place looks like an interesting place to work-
http://www.iowalaser.com/
Just the kind of place folks around the Zone would like.
Greg
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