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CADzette
CAD News....Large & Small
November 10, 2005 - Volume IV Issue 25
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Dear Elise,

Last week, subscribers got a bonus issue when one of the issues sneaked past me and arrived in their in- boxes on a Tuesday...drat it all. Sorry if that confused you all...try not to have THAT happen again.

The other day I sat down a colleague in my cubicle and went over how assembly constraints work in Inventor. During the session, I was struck by how little understanding many users have about how to use assembly constraints properly.

The first concept any 3D user should consider is the idea of Degrees of Freedom. Every object "floating" in space has six degrees of freedom. It can move up and down, side to side, rotate, rock forward and back, and rock side to side.

Assembly constraints eliminate the Degrees of Freedom. Each type of constraint can eliminate at least one, but sometimes more degrees of freedom. For example, the INSERT constraint is the most powerful because it eliminates all but one DOF (rotation).

You can view the DOF each object has in an assembly for enabling Degrees of Freedom under the View menu. You will see arrows and arcs on each object to indicate the available DOF. A solid cube indicates that all DOF have been eliminated and the object is fixed in place.
At least once a month I get an email from someone somewhere in the world wanting to know if I know someone in their area who knows Revit. They are looking for a local expert they can call to come in when they need just a little extra training or phone support.

I refer those folks back to their local reseller. This may seem like a cop-out, but it really isn't. The reseller probably has a customer they have trained who is looking for work or is available for that sort of thing.

Resellers do NOT just sell software. They provide training, tech support, and help with networking. I know one fellow who calls his reseller every time he is out of work. He knows that the reseller has customers who are looking for people who know the software.

So, don't be shy...call your local reseller...make friends with the guy...he could be a great on-going resource for you.
MAUG (Marin AutoCAD User Group) has booked me to speak at their January 18th meeting...so mark your calendars.

I have promised to make a presentation on Revit 9.1. The meeting will be held at Autodesk's HQ in San Rafael...starting time around 7 pm.

Elise Moss
Moss Designs