Sectioned Isometric Assembly View

[Jim T.]

I am new to Alibre but have used SolidWorks, ProE, and Catia. I am designing large plumbing projects that are mostly hidden inside tanks, etc. I need the ability to section the entire line of tanks so that I can show their interiors. I also need to show the assembly in an isometric view so that the piping, valves, filters, pumps, etc. can be clearly understood.

Any help for a newb would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Jim

 

[OTE_TheMissile]

Sounds perfectly do-able in Alibre, once you collect and assemble all your parts & fittings, you can add a Section view to the Assembly model and either bring that into a Drawing for markup/labeling, or use it to generate an illustrative image file. As long as your PC can handle it (depending on how complex the Assembly gets) I think Alibre can suit your purposes.

Bit of advice if you're going to be asking for help on here, put the exact version of Alibre you're running in your forum signature. That way people coming into the thread will have a better idea of what toolset you're working with.

 

[Jim T.]

Thanks for the reply, Mike. I've created an assembly and sectioned it selecting only the tanks to be sectioned to provide visibility inside the tanks without sectioning the plumbing components themselves. I have inserted the assembly into a drawing in an isometric view, but the section that I did in assembly mode does not show up in the drawing. The only way I can get a sectioned view into the drawing is by inserting a top view first, then a front sectioned view by actually drawing the section lines in the drawing mode. But this is still not an isometric view so it's very difficult for a non-technical person to follow the plumbing lines and get an understanding of how the process works, which is the chief purpose for the drawing in the first place.

How/where do I go to update my signature?
Using Alibre Design V24

Thanks,

Jim

 

[NateLiquidGravity]

You will need to add an assembly level cut extrusion feature.
https://help.alibre.com/articles/alibre-help-v24/assemblies-assembly-features-cut-extrusions

 

[Jim T.]

Thanks Nate, once you mentioned making an assembly cut, the Duhhh set in! It totally makes sense, but I also don't understand why sectioning the assembly wouldn't achieve the same result, but obviously, it doesn't.
I did an assembly extruded cut and selected only the tanks to be affected and voila, got the perfect view in the assembly that I need. Only problem is the view is not in the proper orientation. What appears is going to be an isometric view (upper right of the "View Selections" on the "Standard Views Creation" tab) turns out to be some bass-ackwards view that is of no use. I tried all of the isometric views but none of them is what I need.

So, is there a way to create an isometric view that has an orientation that is 1. Predictable, and 2. Useful, and 3. Editable (maybe?).

Thanks again for all the help, just started but figured most of the stuff out my self.

Jim

 

[albie0803]

Think of section views in models as development aids only, not something that carries through to drawings.

Use the Manage Orientations on the View tab to create a "Just the way you want it" orientation. You can then call it when inserting a drawing view.

 

[Jim T.]

Thanks to all you folks for the help!
I did an extrude cut at the assembly level, then saved perfect view orientation in the assembly module with a new name. Then I went into the drawing module, called up the view orientation that I had saved in the assembly module and inserted it into the drawing. It worked flawlessly! I guess because of my experience with all the other 3D modeling systems I've used, it just seemed to me to be a back door way of getting what I needed in the drawing.

Thanks to all of you for you help!

Jim

 

[Ralf]

Thanks to all you folks for the help!
I did an extrude cut at the assembly level, then saved perfect view orientation in the assembly module with a new name. Then I went into the drawing module, called up the view orientation that I had saved in the assembly module and inserted it into the drawing. It worked flawlessly! I guess because of my experience with all the other 3D modeling systems I've used, it just seemed to me to be a back door way of getting what I needed in the drawing.

Thanks to all of you for you help!

Jim

Hi Jim,

Aha, "back door" interesting comment from someone who has no time to learn how Alibre works.
Please take the time you need.
It is more fun for us to help someone who is trying to learn or gain experience.

 

[Jim T.]

By “back door” I only meant that it’s different than the other 3D modeling software I’ve used, not in a bad way, just that the other three that I’ve used work similarly, but AD is different from all the others, hence “back door”.

Thanks again for for your help!
Jim

 

[Ralf]

By “back door” I only meant that it’s different than the other 3D modeling software I’ve used, not in a bad way, just that the other three that I’ve used work similarly, but AD is different from all the others, hence “back door”.

Thanks again for for your help!
Jim

Hi Jim T,

Each of the CAD applications/all the others on the market uses different methods and works in different ways,
your "back-door" comment is unobjective and clearly shows your intentions, also in your other postings.
Thank you for warning us.

 

[Jim T.]

What??

 

[MikeHenry]

By “back door” I only meant that it’s different than the other 3D modeling software I’ve used, not in a bad way, just that the other three that I’ve used work similarly, but AD is different from all the others, hence “back door”.

Thanks again for for your help!
Jim

You might want to cut Ralf some slack here. He seems to be the resident curmudgeon, but his bark is worse than his bite.

 

[Jim T.]

I’m only here seeking help, if I offended anyone in any way, I apologize!
I’m working for a company new to me and they just bought AD. It’s been difficult to learn, maybe because I’ve used others and it has been frustrating, but I recently finished my second waste water treatment plant design, so I’m getting there!
Hopefully I’ve not burned any bridges here, because I know I’ll eventually have more questions.
Thanks to everyone for the support you’ve all shown thus far!
Jim