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Multi-Body Parts

DBC

DBC

Senior Member
Is there a way to create multi-body parts in Alibre 2019? Doesn't seem like it from what I can tell. If you are not familiar with this, it is a way to make different bodies in a single part drawing, where the individual bodies are not automatically joined. Think of a jewelry box with a top and bottom. The top is a separate part but each panel is a separate body which can be recognized in a BOM. In this case you would have two parts, but 10 panels (or bodies). I am assuming that in Alibre we have to make each panel as a separate part.

Attached is a drawing I made in SW. 3 parts, but each part has an individual bom of "plates".
 

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  • Suitcase Caddy.PDF
    78.1 KB · Views: 40
HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
In a word -- No.
Multi-body parts seems to be a SolidWorks feature accessible by deselecting the Merge option for feature creation function. That is not available in Alibre. Looks like you'll have to use an assembly.
 
DBC

DBC

Senior Member
HaroldL said:
In a word -- No.
Multi-body parts seems to be a SolidWorks feature accessible by deselecting the Merge option for feature creation function. That is not available in Alibre. Looks like you'll have to use an assembly.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the confirmation Harold. Yes, you are correct about deselecting merge in SW.
 
Lew_Merrick

Lew_Merrick

Guest
DBC said:
Is there a way to create multi-body parts in Alibre 2019? Doesn't seem like it from what I can tell. If you are not familiar with this, it is a way to make different bodies in a single part drawing, where the individual bodies are not automatically joined. Think of a jewelry box with a top and bottom. The top is a separate part but each panel is a separate body which can be recognized in a BOM. In this case you would have two parts, but 10 panels (or bodies). I am assuming that in Alibre we have to make each panel as a separate part.
Click to expand...
If you look at your own Attachment you will see that is Defined as an Assembly. I "suggest" that this answers your question.
 
DBC

DBC

Senior Member
Lew_Merrick said:
If you look at your own Attachment you will see that is Defined as an Assembly. I "suggest" that this answers your question.
Click to expand...

As I said, there are 3 parts, but each part has separate bodies, that can be placed in a separate BOM for each part. It is very different than having to create each panel of each part as a separate part or configuration as one must in Alibre. If you experience multi-body parts in SolidWorks, you can see the immediate advantage. I am not saying that Alibre has to be SolidWorks, it is just that coming over to Alibre, one is not always sure if Alibre has the same functions, but called something else.
 
HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
Don,
Where I work, the products we produce do not lend to multi-body construction so its use is limited. About the only time I would create Multi-body parts in SolidWorks would be to model a purchased complete part, such as a quarter turn latch. Instead of having to assign a part number to each component of the latch and create an assembly I create it as a multi-body and assign the part number for the purchased item. I can even create configurations of the latch in its open and close states.
 
DBC

DBC

Senior Member
HaroldL said:
Don,
Where I work, the products we produce do not lend to multi-body construction so its use is limited. About the only time I would create Multi-body parts in SolidWorks would be to model a purchased complete part, such as a quarter turn latch. Instead of having to assign a part number to each component of the latch and create an assembly I create it as a multi-body and assign the part number for the purchased item. I can even create configurations of the latch in its open and close states.
Click to expand...

That is a smart use of the multi-body on your part. Come to think of it, I can think of a number of purchased components we modeled up just like that - but certainly it was not the norm.

Most of my production work too was parts and assemblies as you say, so they could be numbered and named as required. But I loved the multi-body parts for things such as test cases we would make out of lumber and for specialized racking and other welded items that use structural tubing, etc.. In SW, one can create a great automated cut list from the multi-body part that also allowed for the envelope sizes of the various bodies that would show up in the cut list. Now that I am retired, I would still like that multi-body function for my woodworking, but since I don't do too much it is not a hardship to do it the long way, or as Alibre allows, as the case may be. Still fun to talk about these things. Wish I could show some of the things I made for my work, but alas, that is not possible.
 
Mika

Mika

Senior Member
Multibodypart is a great tool, it would be so nice to see it in Alibre also. Just like structural frame members...
 
bigseb

bigseb

Alibre Super User
I use this in VISI quite a lot. But then VISI lends its to that type of modelling. Don't know if I'd have any use for it in AD.
 
Lew_Merrick

Lew_Merrick

Guest
One of the things I do a lot of is to create Models of (shall we say) Purchased Assemblies (Bearings, Stepper Motors and the like) where I need the Components to have correct Mass and Mass Properties. Such a Component is used as if it were a single Part (with the exception of (if you will) Motion Flexibility in any Used-On Assembly. [As an example, it should only "move" as if it were a Part in an Exploded View.] I admit that I know quite a few people (and companies) that name such Components as "1," "2," "3," ... This creates a "problem" should more than one such Model get stored in a particular Directory -- so I use a more complex "Component Naming approach." However, done right, it is simple and avoids such issues.
 
Idahoan

Idahoan

Member
Opened a multi body part today that I had modeled at work in Solid Works, and it came in showing all the bodies.
I thought cool! Then I realized that it had opened the SW file as an assembly.
I use this feature quite often, it would be nice to see it in Alibre someday.

Dave
 
HaroldL

HaroldL

Alibre Super User
DBC said:
Is there a way to create multi-body parts in Alibre 2019?
Click to expand...
Don,
I think the only way to create a "multi-body" part in Alibre is to use Boolean Unite. You can save your "multi-body" as a part but there will not be a separate line for each "body" in a BOM table.
Here's a quick example of starting with a sheet metal part and Boolean Uniting the pin and knob assy:
MultiBodyPart.png MultiBodyPartDwg.png
 

Attachments

  • BooleanLatch.AD_SMP
    1.1 MB · Views: 6
Mika

Mika

Senior Member
Most best part in multibodypart is that it wont require multiple files just as assembly. It is bit annoying to create a separated files of each few centimeter long flatbar pieces. Adding the material property to each multibodypart is enough to get a proper "cutlist" on the drawing. All necessary pieces of metal and information in a one file.
 
TimoCAD

TimoCAD

Senior Member
I think a multi body part would help to design more complex parts, like forged or casted parts. So you can design the machining geometry as a positive body and subtract it from the raw Part in one Part file. What do the other users think?
 
Mika

Mika

Senior Member
Welded structures. In a one project it might save hundreds of unnecessary file numbers. I have worked in quite a many companies where I have seen more than 500000 files in database named as "plate".
 
Mika

Mika

Senior Member
In reality, we have just a few different plate thicnesses with different material specifications. Every little flatbar cutting is not needed to make a drawing, material item code and length is enough info in a cutlist.
 
idslk

idslk

Alibre Super User
And add BOM's and Drawings and everything else to it...
- to create bigger files?
- to have more work if you want to transfer only one part to a supplier?
- to loose (depending on your backup strategie) not only one part if a file gets corrupted?
-...
Regards
Stefan
 
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