00:11
Hello and welcome to this accelerator presentation
00:14
where I will discuss how to reduce your drawing
00:16
time with the use of AutoCAD Mechanical Component Libraries.
00:22
This safe harbor statement is just a reminder
00:24
that the Autodesk software changes regularly
00:27
to continually improve the software
00:29
and make it a better experience for you.
00:32
If I happen to make any forward looking
00:34
statements in this presentation, please
00:36
do not make any buying decisions based on it.
00:39
Let me introduce myself.
00:41
My name is Elvis Sverko, and I'm a senior application engineer
00:46
I have 30 years experience with multiple Autodesk products,
00:49
including AutoCAD and its various tool sets,
00:52
Inventor solid modeling and Vault data management where
00:56
I provide implementation solutions and training
00:59
services of these products.
01:01
After obtaining my master's degree,
01:03
I worked in industry for a dozen years
01:05
where I then brought that experience into my current role
01:08
where I am also an Autodesk certified instructor
01:11
and have presented at Autodesk University.
01:14
The purpose of this accelerator is
01:16
to inform a new AutoCAD Mechanical toolset
01:18
user about the industry specific content libraries that
01:22
are available out of the box.
01:24
We will demonstrate how using these standard content
01:27
libraries can improve drafting processes
01:30
by reducing the time required to draw standard components
01:35
I will show you how to access these content libraries
01:38
and insert their content.
01:39
We will customize the interface by setting up favorites
01:42
and adjusting preferences.
01:44
We will create custom content libraries
01:47
and add custom content to them.
01:49
We will use Excel to import parameters for a custom content
01:53
And finally, we will review the design calculators.
01:58
The AutoCAD Mechanical toolset contains
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over 700,000 standard parts such as screws, nuts washers, pins,
02:06
rivets, and bushings.
02:07
It also includes many standard pre-drawn features,
02:11
including undercuts, key ways, and a variety
02:13
of holes such as through holes, countersunk holes, and others.
02:17
When you need a standard part, you
02:19
don't need to worry about drawing it,
02:21
you'll just be able to pick a type, select the size,
02:26
The Content Library is also 100% customizable.
02:30
You can modify the content by adding or removing
02:33
sizes and adding company specific information,
02:36
such as stock numbers, and can even
02:39
add your own custom components into the same library.
02:42
It's a great way to have all your content
02:45
in a single location.
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To use Content Libraries, you simply
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open the Content Libraries palette
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and you'll have instant access to the many standard parts
02:55
from industry standards such as ANSI, DIN, and ISO.
02:59
The most commonly used standard parts in assemblies
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consist of screws, bolts, nuts, and washers.
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The ability to quickly insert those parts into your assembly
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enables you to benefit from using the tools to insert
03:14
You can also use the tools when you need standard parts
03:17
that you do not use often.
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If they are not easily accessible for insert,
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you would have to research the available sizes of the parts
03:25
and draw them individually and correctly in the drawing
03:30
You can access and insert the parts and features
03:32
defined in an industry standard using the Content Libraries
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To open this palette, you can type AMCONTENTLIB
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at the command line or click its icon
03:43
in the Library panel of the Content tab on the ribbon.
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The Content Libraries palette can
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be positioned, docked, anchored, or automatically hidden
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wherever suits your needs.
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It's three panes, content, favorites,
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and details can also be resized.
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The standards that were installed
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with your instance of the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset
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will all be listed, such as ANSI, DIN, and ISO.
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The Content Libraries pallete lists the content
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first by the individual industry standards
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and then by the categories of parts within those standards.
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Some categories include fasteners, shafts, and springs,
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You're able to navigate to the required content using a tree
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view or list view, and this process
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can be accomplished in any of the panes.
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Once a standard part or feature is selected,
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the Details pane will show the various views
04:39
that you can insert.
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An ANSI hex flat nut might include just a front, side,
04:45
and top view, while a DIN I-shape steel frame
04:48
member might include the same front, side,
04:50
and top views, along with additional views
04:52
such as a bottom view or various section views.
04:57
With the available views listed in the Details
04:59
pane of the Content Library's palette,
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click the view you want to insert.
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Next, follow the prompts to insert the standard part
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or feature which might include specifying the insertion
05:10
location and size information required for the selected
05:15
Depending on the specific part you are inserting,
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some steps may vary so be sure to follow the prompts
05:21
and/or the dialog boxes for that specific part until complete.
05:26
To make it more efficient to access
05:28
the same standard content from the Content Library's palette,
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you can add the standard parts and features
05:34
that you use most often to the Favorites pane.
05:37
Create folders in the Favorites pane
05:39
by right-clicking and selecting New folder.
05:43
To add the content to a folder, first
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have the folder selected in the Favorites
05:47
pane then navigate to the standard part in the content
05:50
pane, right-click on it and select Add to Favorites.
05:55
Once a part is added to the Favorites pane,
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you can set the favorite entry to insert
05:60
a specific view and even a set size,
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or they can be left as specified during insertion.
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You will need to change the Favorites pane to list view.
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Depending on the type of part, different options
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Parts can be dragged and dropped to different folders as needed.
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The configuration of your Favorites
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is stored in the file Favorites.gdb.
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You can share this file with others
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so that they will not need to configure
06:27
the same list of favorites.
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The standard content libraries include a large array of parts.
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If there are certain parts you never use,
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you can limit the list to make it easier
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to select only those specific parts you do use.
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This preference can be set in the Content Manager.
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To open the Content Manager dialog box, click Content
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Manager in the Library panel of the Content tab on the ribbon,
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or you can type AMCONTENTMANAGER at the command line.
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In the content area, navigate to the category or part
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that you don't want to show in the Content Libraries palette.
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You can uncheck individual parts or a complete category
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that you don't want to appear.
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Now let's take a look at an in product demo that demonstrates
07:14
how you can use the AutoCAD Mechanical Content Libraries,
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change preferences in the Content Manager,
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and insert a standard part into a drawing.
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The purpose of this video is to illustrate how the AutoCAD
07:26
Mechanical toolset provides easy access to industry
07:30
specific standard parts, saving you time
07:33
as you can simply insert the part instead of drawing it.
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To insert a standard part from our content library,
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we need to open the Content Libraries palette.
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We do so by clicking on Content Libraries on the Content tab
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Library panel of the ribbon.
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Notice all the different industry standards
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And if we expand the different standards,
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note the different categories for each.
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If we continue to expand DIN, Shaft Parts, Roller Bearings,
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Axial, we see five different industry standard
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parts we can insert.
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Before we place a part, let's modify our preferences
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for which parts we can even have available to insert.
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We'll do this in the Content Manager found
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on the Content tab Library panel of the ribbon.
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Here let's expand to that same location.
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If our designs never include the DIN 700 series,
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we can remove them from our list so as
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to declutter our library by deselecting each one.
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And you'll notice as I deselect them,
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they immediately are removed from my Content Libraries.
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I can also remove a complete category.
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Let's accept our preference changes and return
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to the Content Libraries palette.
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We'll expand the Radial Roller Bearings--
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there are many more of these.
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If we select the DIN 617, we'll see
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there are two different views we can insert,
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either the front or the side.
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And for the DIN 615, we not only have a front or side
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view, but also a back view.
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We'll click to place the front view.
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Depending on the type of part selected to insert,
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the next few steps may vary as they are
09:23
specific to that type of part.
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We need to specify an insertion point.
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So we'll select that, an intersection
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of the vertical line and the center line.
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Next, we are asked to select a point somewhere
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along the center line.
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So we'll click here.
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Specific to the DIN 615 part, we'll complete the settings
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In the dropdown, we'll pick greater than equals
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for the inner diameter with a value of 17,
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and for the outer diameter, we'll pick less than
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or equal to with a value of 44.
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We'll click Next to get to the calculation values.
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Then Next again for the result.
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We'll select all three items in the result and click Finish.
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We can now dynamically place the part to the left or right,
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as well as adjust the vertical value from 20 to 22.
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And those are the only available sizes
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for this part based on what we chose.
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So we left click, and our industry standard part
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Even though the AutoCAD Mechanical
10:33
toolset ships with over half a million standard parts
10:37
and features, a specific item that you might need
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You may need to build your own content
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and store it in a custom content folder
10:47
in the Content Library's palette.
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The AutoCAD Mechanical toolset also
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provides the ability to copy a standard part to a custom
10:56
content library and modify it as required.
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If a simple change to an existing standard part
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is required, such as solely modifying its material,
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this variation can also be accomplished
11:08
in its original location.
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Creation of these custom libraries or library parts
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is performed in the Content Manager which
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can be open from the Library panel of the Content tab
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Before you author content, you must
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have a content library to store the content you create.
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Your content library is not a single file,
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it is a collection of many files that
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are stored in a single folder.
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To create a custom library while in the content manager,
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either right-click on Custom Content and select New Library,
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or click the New Library button at the top of the content area.
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In the New Library dialog box, enter a display name, library
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name and folder location.
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To create new folders within a custom library,
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right-click on a custom library and select New Folder.
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To create custom content, you must first create the geometry
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and add any required parameters to accommodate variations
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Then start the New Content command from either the ribbon
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or within the Content Manager by clicking New Content.
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In the New Content dialog box, click the Select objects button
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and select all the objects, including
12:22
parameters then right-click to return to the dialog box.
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After you click OK, you will be brought into the Content Editor
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And in the Family Table palette that appears,
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add required columns for the parameter values
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that will be made to vary by clicking the New column
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Then click the New row button to add the variations
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and set the values per your requirements.
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Any custom renamed parameters will automatically
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be placed as a column in the Family Table.
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With the part and values all complete,
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click the Close Editor button on the Content Editor
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contextual tab on the ribbon in the Save content as dialog box,
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select the folder and the name for the part
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and any other settings then click Save content.
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Now let's take a look at an in product demo
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that demonstrates how to create custom content using
13:16
the AutoCAD Mechanical toolset.
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The purpose of this video is to illustrate
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how you can use content manager in the AutoCAD Mechanical
13:23
toolset to create your own custom content libraries
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To create custom content and to add it
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to the content libraries, the first step is to draw the part
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and include the required parameters
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for how the part will vary.
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The part we are adding has three linear parameters, D1, D2,
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and D3, one radial parameter, rad 1,
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and one angled parameter that has already been renamed
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to a custom name ClampAngle.
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To add this part to the content libraries,
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we have to open the Content Manager found
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on the Content tab Library panel of the ribbon.
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We'll first create a new custom library
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by right-clicking on Custom Content
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and selecting New Library.
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We'll enter Custom Clamps for both the display and library
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Then we'll click OK.
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Our new Custom Library is created.
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To create new custom content to add to the library,
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well right-click on the new library and select New Content.
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In the New Content dialog box, we'll
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click these Select objects button then draw
14:29
a window selection around all our geometry
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then right-click to return to the New Content dialog box
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We are now in the Content Editor environment.
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In the Family Table palette, notice the renamed parameter
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ClampAngle was automatically added as a column.
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Our part will have another parameter that will vary--
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So to manually add it as a column in the Family Table
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palette, we'll click the add column button.
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The default name for this column is column1 and is not
15:00
associated to any parameter.
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So we will click the Lookup button,
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select D1, and click OK.
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D1 is now the new name of the column,
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and it is associated with the vertical constraint parameter.
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We'll keep the rest as default and click OK,
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and we now have a second column.
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We're going to add 6 rows to the Family Table
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because we will have six variations for our part.
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So we'll click the add rows button six times.
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D1 will be either a value of 1 or 1.5,
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so the last three rows will change its values to 1.5.
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As for ClampAngle we'll choose 120, 135, and 150
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for the first three and the last three rows.
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Note the six different variations we now have.
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Now we'll click Close Editor on the Content Editor contextual
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tab on the ribbon then click Save in the dialog box.
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In the Save content as dialog box,
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we'll select New custom library.
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For the new part name, we'll enter Entry Clamp Angle.
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We'll keep the other defaults and click Save content.
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Notice our new custom library and custom part
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are now listed in the Content Library's palette.
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To add it to the Favorites, expand Favorites, right click
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on it and select New folder.
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We'll rename it Clamps.
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With the Clamps folder still selected,
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we'll right click on Entry Clamp Angle in the Content pane
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and click Add to Favorites.
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Finally, we'll enter Entry Clamp Angle or its name in Favorites.
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When you are creating custom content
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to be added to a custom library in the Content Libraries
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palette, you may have many possible variations
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with many parameters that need to change.
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Adding each column and row one at a time may be time consuming
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and you may have a spreadsheet with all the rows,
17:10
columns, and values already defined in it.
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If so, you can easily import that Excel spreadsheet
17:16
directly into the Family Table palette of the part
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while you are creating it.
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While creating the custom content part in the Content
17:26
Editor environment, click the Import Table button
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at the top of the Family Table palette.
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After you navigate and select the Excel file,
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the Family Table Excel Import Options dialog box opens.
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Identify which worksheet to use, and the starting header row
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cell, and the last value row cell,
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along with a type of import--
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either append or overwrite-- depending on your needs.
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After you click OK, the entire spreadsheet table
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will be listed in the Family Table palette.
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If the header cell of the spreadsheet
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matches the name of a parameter, they will automatically
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If these names do not match, you will
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need to right-click on the column name in the Family Table
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palette and open its properties to look up
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and associate a parameter to it.
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When finished, click Close Editor
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and save your custom content part.
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When creating parameters, there are some best practices
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First and foremost is to create a naming convention
18:30
to use for all parts and then be consistent.
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Naming conventions vary, but some typical ones
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include using underscore to separate words
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or using CamelCase which only uses
18:43
uppercase characters for the first letter of each word.
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When it comes to naming parameters,
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you should try to be descriptive with the name, because it makes
18:51
it clearer to understand that later
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and clearer for other users too.
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You may create many parameters to help define your part
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but it's only necessary to rename
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the important ones or the ones that will likely change.
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If you create equations within a parameter,
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be sure to test each one immediately
19:10
after you create it.
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When creating a design, you might not
19:14
be sure which size of standard content should be used
19:17
or you might simply need to calculate and report
19:20
the results of different scenarios for your design.
19:23
This finding can be accomplished using design calculators.
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For instance, to ensure that you have selected a fastener that
19:30
meets specific requirements, you can calculate various factors
19:34
using screw calculations, such as stresses induced and apart
19:38
or factors of safety for the screw and plates.
19:42
Another example might be to determine
19:44
the fatigue life of a bearing.
19:45
There are a variety of design calculations that can be used.
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Depending on the specific calculator,
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its dialog box will have specific criteria to define.
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These calculators can be found on the Calculation panel
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of the Content tab on the ribbon.
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Thank you for joining me today for this accelerator
20:05
presentation about reducing your drawing
20:07
time with the use of AutoCAD Mechanical Component Libraries,
20:11
and I hope you found the information useful.
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