Creating an Initial Template Design

To demonstrate the main principles of design template creation, we will create a template representing a simple rectangular kickplate configuration which can be added round a penetration hole in a panel. The template will consist of three box primitives: a positive box representing the outer surfaces of the kickplate assembly; a negative box which removes most of the material from the positive box, leaving only a wall thickness representing the individual kickplates; and a second negative box which will penetrate any panel on which the template is positioned by a designer. The configuration will be as follows:

When the design template is used in a design, its dimensions will be specified by reference to a set of predefined properties. It is important, therefore, that you have thought carefully about which dimensions are to be parameterized before you create the design template (just as you would normally sketch out a new catalogue component before starting to build it up in PARAGON).

In our present example, we will define five properties representing overall length, overall width, overall height, wall thickness for the kickplates, and the panel thickness for the penetration hole below the kickplate assembly, as shown on the preceding diagram.

Exercise:

1. The Design Templates application makes the assumption that a new template will be based on an existing set of design elements (or on a predefined design template), so we will first use the Equipment application to create the positive box and the first negative box. (We will see later why the second negative box, representing the panel penetration hole, cannot be created at this stage.)

   Select Design > Equipment to enter the Equipment application.

2. From the Equipment Application menu, select Create > Site and name the new site  /TMPLSITE.

3. Below this site create a new Zone named /TMPLZONE and below this an Equipment named /Kickplate. Leave the equipment Position at the default of 0,0,0.

   It is this equipment element which will own the BOX, which will in turn own the first NBOX, which will be used as the basis for the design template.

4. Select Create > Primitives and use the Primitives form to create a Solid Box.

   Select the Box and set the following data:

   Set Y-length to 1000, X-length to 500 and Z-length to 250. These dimensions give a starting point for the design. The template derived from this box will redefine the dimensions in terms of parameterized rules.

   Click on the Create button to create the box.

   Leave the Position the Orientation at their defaults.

   Close the Primitives form.

   Select Modify > Name and enter the name as /Kickplate-Outer.

5. Using the same procedure, create a Negative Box with Name /Kickplate-Inner, Y-length 950, X-length 450, Z-length 250, default Position and Orientation.

   Note that the X and Y dimensions of the NBox are smaller than those of its owning Box by an amount corresponding to twice the wall thickness, but the Z dimensions of both boxes are the same.

6. Use the following settings for viewing the results:

   • Click the Walk to Draw List button ( ) on the 3D View Tool Bar.

   • Set the view direction to Iso 2 by selecting Isometric > Iso 2 from the 3D View shortcut menu.

   • Set the Representation (Settings > Graphics > Representation from the main menu) to Holes Drawn Off (not ticked).

   • If you currently have a colour-shaded view, switch to a wireline view (View > Settings > Shaded from the 3D View menu, or press F8).

     The result should look like this:

     

     Try some other view settings if you wish.

     The Design Explorer should now show the following elements:

     

     Save your design changes (Design > Save Work).

That ends the creation of the basic design, which will be copied to form the design template.

In the next part of the exercise we will create a suitable hierarchy under which to store the template and will then create the template itself.