Robert Andersson

If you are working in a crossection and that crossection is not yet ready for "Finish shape", and you want to finish the work later for some reason, you can do that. Normally you end up with "Crossection is empty or contains outlines that overlap or are not closed" If you select "Create default shape" button instead, IronCAD creates a block no matter if the crossection is ready for extrusion or not. Using this method you can save the file and turn of the PC to continue with the sketch later. The sketch still contains your new oulines. This could help especially when working with large complex sketches. Robert Andersson

-Open a scene consisting of several parts. (Or create a new one.) -In the top of the scene browser, klick on the red IronCAD ikon. -On the keybord numerical keypad hit the key * This will make all parts and assy's expand. -Hit + to collapse it back. If you first select a part and then hit * IronCAD will expand only that part. Robert Andersson

In the catalog Shapes, there are a shape called Poly. If you right click in Intellishape mode and edit prop, there is a tab called variables. You can change the number of sides there. In Advanced shapes there is also a Poly. That one have more options. Robert Andersson

If you want to directly get in to a shapes properties dialog box after droping from a Catalog, you can do that. -create a new scene -drag in a block -edit prop, tab "interaction", check "Postdrop action" to "Edit shape properties". -Hit OK -Drag that part to a new catalog, and drag in back in to the scene. IronCAD will show the properties dialog on mouse up. This could be useful in some cases. This works for Intellishapes also. Robert Andersson

search your harddrive for a catalog named Ironpro.icc and open it. there is a new screw tool. Drag a screw and drop it on a part and it will create a hole. I have not checked the dim's do. Robert Andersson

Here is one with Swedish values (and Swedish text). Robert

Thanks IronKevin! That was a very nice one. Would be very nice to have the icons created automatically also. Robert Andersson

Catia files are named .model. They can consist of bout 3D and 2D drawings in the same file. I wonder if there is any possibility to print out the 2D drawing that is inside the .model file. Maybe trough a Viewer Any tips? Thanks, Robert Andersson

Hove about adding a Beziercurve button to the "2D Technical drawing" toolbar? -Tools/ Customize/ change category "2D Constraint" to "2D Create" .Drag and drop the bezierbutton to the "2D Technical drawing" toolbar. You may also want to drag and drop other buttons from the category "Edit". Robert Andersson

Cant you just select a face of a block and apply the bitmap on it? I mean select a face planar to a block's crossection, rigthclick, smart paint, Decal Tab, Decal from image texture, browse to the .bmp. OK Then, while the face still is selected, click on Move decal button. Rightclick anywhere and select Fit to model. Robert Andersson

When you say "import in to IronCAD" you mean apply as parttexture, I assume. IronCAD does not change the image resolution. You have to use a bitmap with more pixels in. You can try to select the part, right click and select Smartpaint, and in the image projection dialog select Settings...and change the size of the projected image. This will scale the texture rather than adding/ removing pixels to it. Robert Andersson

Actually it is possible to put a decal texture on top of a image texture . Use images with alfa channels. Try this: -create a simple part and drop the texture "Plywood" on it, at part level. -select one of the surfaces of the part. Rightclick and go to Smartpaint -Select Tab Decal, Decal from selected image, and browse to a image with a alfachannel in it. Done. Now you have two ikons active at surface level in the smartpaint toolbar. You can create alfa channel TIF from ironcad, if you dont have any. Select background color white or black, cause this you can "see trough" Robert Andersson

Yes you are absolutly right, some kind of tooltip or hint, in those cases would be very handy. Robert Andersson

Always right click for more power...

-Create a Extrude crossection plane. -Draw a polyline geometry one side of the W (or H) blue line. -Select all the 2D line. -Select the mirror tool. -RIGHT click on the W line. This would copy all lines, and make them associative to the orginal ones. Move the mouse over the small reed ikons to se info. -close the profile and select Finish shape. Test by dragging in the intellishape handles. The geometry is constrained to be mirrored at all times. This a an easy way to work with symetric shapes.

Change the assigment of the middle button in Win controll panel/ mouse. Select "middle button" or "none"

This could be a useful method to change the size of the drawing frame after the views and dimensions have been layed out. Create a Drawing template with the different framesizes on separate layers. If you want to change the drawing frame from A4 to A2, just hide layer A4 unhide layer A2 an change the sheet setup from A4 to A2. Robert Andersson

-Select a view in the 2D drawing that you want to add explode lines to. -Right click and select "Edit View" -Draw 2D lines as you want them with the tools in the scenes lower part. -Hit the green button at the screne's upper left when you are done. You can change the line type/ thickness and color by rightclicking/ Prop. while in the "Edit View" mode. Robert Andersson

I just heared this from another IronCAD user: He used two Microsoft mouses at the same time in Win2000. One mouse have a ball. Then he could zoom with the left mouse and pick with the right mouse and other nice things. It have to be USB mouses. Robert Andersson

The trick is to first select the part or assy you want to export. Then go to File/ Export/ part and select a format. DXF for 3D export is not a good format to use. You will end up with a facetted modell. The best format to communicate to other CAD's i your models native kernel format. Right click your part and go to properties and se if ACIS or Parasolid is checked. If Parasolid: Export as .X_T If ACIS: Export as .SAT Then you can also use STEP, and IGES etc. Remember that if you select a assy and export to a file, that file will support the assy structure in to the reciveing CAD sys. A generally good metod during export of modells, is to reimport it. Then you know what you will send away. Robert Andersson

I tryed to export to Autocad LT 97, and there where nice circles in the DWG. No problem applying radial dims on them. Are you sure you selected "True representaton" during DWG export from the IC? Robert Andersson

Is there any options to import data from a electronic circuit design software, and to let IronCAD create 3D solids from that data? We have some customers asking for this option. It looks like it's often possible to create some kind of ASCII file from circuitdesign softwares. It would be very nice to see this information i 3D. Ex. checking fittings and such. Robert Andersson

1. Create a standard view. Then CTRL drag the red view frame it a little bit to the side, if you want a copy of that view. You can use a different configuration for each view if you want. In sheet metal that could be flat and folded for example. Remember that you can control wich sheet metal surface to unfold around in a scene. 2. IronCAD supports layers in the exported DWG/ DXF. You can for example create a new layer called "Hidden edges" in a ICD. Assign hidden edges to that layer. Turn that layer off. Save that ICD as a special template. Use that template for DWG export. (You can also force 1:1 scale if you want.) It could be a good idea to remove the drawing frame also in that template. Then, in Autocad you will have a drawing with no hidden lines in. Still you can turn on the layer "hidden lines" in Autocad if you want. Hope this is helpful in some cases, Robert Andersson

We have seen this behavior if you install MS Office after IronCAD is installed. Sometimes MS Outlook seams to "take over" the association of ICS files. They then are called "Calendar files". It's possible to switch the icon back to IronCAD, if you do a change in Windows Explorer's menys. Last installed software wins! Robert Andersson