5. Swivel lever - model drawing

Exercise 5: Swivel lever

Version compatibility

This exercise was carried out with version 27.0 (Vertex 2021).

Table of Contents

In this exercise you will learn to

Draw lines with the function Smart (Smart line chain.)
Use sketching tools symmetry, equal distance, equal radius, angle and distance.
Add parts list information (Bill of materials.)
Create drawing for the model

Functions to be used:

Sketching: Smart line chain.
Sketching: Circle with center and radii point.
Sketching constraints: Symmetry, Distance, Angle, Equal distance and Equal radius constraint.
Operation: Boss > Extrude and Cutout > Extrude
Item Data
New Drawing

Model the swivel lever

Create a new part

File > New > Part.
- Enter the label (which is also the name of the model and by default will be the name of the drawing).
- Enter the archive information by clicking Arc.Data.
- Select project for the model.
- Click OK.

Start sketching

New Sketch > To vertical (XZ) plane

Draw a line chain

Line drawing is taught in Exercise 3. Collar - Smart line chain.
So only the main features of the sketch are described here.
Then draw lines so that the blue cross remains inside the area.

Add a symmetry constraint

Function: Symmetry.
Click to the first line, in figure 1).
Click to the second line, in figure 2).
Selec to the symmetry axis, in figure 3).

Add a angle constraint

Function: Angle.
Click to the first line.
Click to the second line.
Select the location of the dimension.
Enter the correct value: 135.

An alternative approach to issuing constraint

As explained in previous exercises, the symmetry and angle constraint can also be started by first selecting two lines (the latter with the Ctrl key pressed).

Then select mouse right click function: Constraints > Symmetry or Angle.

Make branches of the swivel lever same width using the equal distance constraint

Function: Equal distance.
Click to the first line, in figure 1).
Click to the second line, in figure 2).
Click to the third line, in figure 3).
Click to the fourth line, in figure 4).

The Equal Distance

The constraint is given by indicating the elements (line or point) in pairs:

The distance between the first and second elements is set as the distance between the third and fourth lines, unless other conditions don't prevent this.

An alternative Equal Distance constraints method

Select four elements (here lines) in pairs (2 ... 4th line Ctrl key pressed)
Right-click function: Constraints > Equal Distance

Make branches of the swivel lever the same length using the equal distance constraint

Function: Equal distance.
Click to the first dot, in figure 1).
Click to the second dot (center point of blue cross), in figure 2).
Click to the third dot, in figure 3).
Click to the fourth dot (center point of blue cross), in figure 4).

Give width and length of the swivel lever

Width: 40.
Length (vertical line of origo and center of the arc): 100.

Stabilize the angle position by drawing a construction line.

Try to drag the geometry. Figure A).

Drag the geometry (eg. the center of the upper arc) and carefully move the cursor.
You can cancel dragging by pressing Undo or Crtl Z.

Draw a construction line. Figure B.

Fuction: Two-Point Line
Click origo, figure 1).
Click inner arc (he center of the arc), figure 2).

Give the angle of the construction line

Function: Angle.
Click the first line.
Click the second line.
Select the location of the dimension.
Enter the correct value: 135/2.

Numeric input

You can also use mathematical expressions (+ - * / etc)

Get more information about this in the Online Help (F1), Select Search > formulas

You can see the value of the calculation formula in the dialog (figure 67.5).

Give the radius of the corners

Function: Angle.
Click the arc.
Select the location of the dimension.
Enter the correct value: 20 and 60.

The draft is now defined. Only the length of the construction line is undefined, but it is irrelevant to the outcome.

All lines should be black (except for that construction line).
You can't anymore change the geometry by dragging.

Perform the boss extrusion operation

Stop sketching (the green OK button).
Select: Boss and Extrude.
Select: Length or Angle and enter the value: 6.
Click OK.

Sketch the holes

Select face.
Right-click function: New Sketch > Face.

Draw circles

Function: Circle with Center and Radii Point.
Select the center of the circle.
Select the circumference.

Center of the first circle is the center of the arc. There is a concentricity between these, figure 1).
The center of the second circle is the origo. There is a concentricity between these, figure 2).
Draw the center of the third circle freely, figure 3).

Give the concentric constraint

Function: Add concentricity constraint.
Click the center of the circle.
Click the center of the arc.

An Alternative concentricity method

Click the first dot.
Press Ctrl key and click the second dot.
Right-click function: Constraints > Concentric.

Set equal radius

Function: Add equal radius constraint.
Click the first circle, in figure 1).
Click the second circle, in figure 2).

Equal radius constraint options

When you select the equal radius constraint and click any circle the equal radius symbol appears next to the cursor.

1: Select the other two circles (by default the first-clicked circle retains the diameter unless the second-clicked circle has constraint that limit its size).
2: You can select several circles and they all get the same radius as the first circle.

Give diameter of circles and perform the Cutout Extrusion

Diameter: 16.
Boss extrusion operation
- Click OK
- Select: Cutout and Extrude.
- Select: Thru All.
- Click OK.

Item data and drawing

Add material information

Mouse Right-click function when the element is not selected (empty space): Item Data.

The upper part of the dialog

Contains part item information

You can calculate the weight by pressing Calculate button next to the Weight field (you must first select raw material or density)
You can calculate the area of the paragraph pressing Calculate button (next to the Area field).

Lower part of the dialog:

Contains raw material information.

Fill in the information
The material column has a preselection button that allows you to retrieve material information.
In the Label field, enter the stock identification (item) used in your company for the raw materials.

Item information and Item database

The Item Data of the raw materials, components and profiles is stored in the d_COMPONENTS database.

You can edit this: System tab > Application > Item Database: Browse and Edit.
For more information, see Online Help (F1): Part Item Data and Edit a Vertex Database.

The data can be imported from ERP into the Vertex Item Database using Excel.

G4 can also be connected to the Vertex Flow PLM program.

Save the model

File > Save or click or press

Create the drawing

In the feature tree, select Drawings.
Right-click function: New Drawing.

Adjust

1) Scale

A scale that depends on both the size of the model and the drawing sheet and the projections desired for it.
Use the preselection button to find the standard scales in the drawing and select the appropriate one.
In this exercise 1:2.
If you have selected drawing sheet, you can see (at the bottom of the dialog) how well those projections fit on the sheet.

2) Projections

Choose necessary projections: front, top, etc.
You can see what the front projection will look like if you turn the model in the front direction
You can also click the Select a to select a face on your model that defines the so-called Front direction.

3) Settings of Presentation

Select Wireframe.
You can also choose e.g. that the center lines or hidden lines of the cylinder surfaces and holes be drawn on the model.
For tangential lines, 4) in the figure, select As a thin line, so that the boundary line between the face and the cylinder surface is not drawn as a contour line.

5) Click OK

Generate selected projections from the model into the drawing.

Read more in the Online Help (F1): Geometry 2D> Model drawing.

Fill in the archive data for the drawing

Vertex generates the requested projections and copies the model archive data to the drawing archive card.
Edit and complete archive information if needed.
OK completes the drawing creation.

Add a sheet to the drawing

If you selected a sheet in the previous dialog, the program will add it automatically.
After this, you should often drag the sheet to a better location before dimensioning the drawing.

Add a sheet

Right-click function: Read Symbol.
Double-click the sheet you want.
Place the sheet on the drawing.

Save the drawing and close it

File > Save or click or press

Save the model

Saving the model after creating the drawing is absolutely important, otherwise it will not be marked in the model feature tree.
The drawing can be found in the feature tree under the Drawing.

Opening the model drawing

Open the List of Drawing from the feature tree, in figure 1).
Select the drawing, in figure 2).
Right-click function: Open Drawing.

Download the Swivel lever model here (VX_LN1.vxz)