Chapter 1 Learning Objectives:

Understand the advantages of using Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0. Understand the bidirectional associative property. Know the system requirement of Pro/E.

Learn various important terms & definitions in Pro/E.

Learn various important options in the File menu. Understand the important of Model Tree. Understand the function of mouse buttons. Learn about the default toolbars. Understand the function of the browser.

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Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0

To make the designing process simple and quick, Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 has divided the steps of designing into different modules. This means that each step of designing is completed in a different module. For example, generally a design process consists of the following steps: Sketching using the basic sketch entities. Converting the sketch into features and parts. Assembling different parts and analyzing them. Documenting parts and the assembly in terms of drawings views. Manufacturing the final part and assembly.

Chapter 1 Feature-Based Nature

A feature is defined as the smallest building block and any solid model created in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 is an integration of a number of these building blocks. Each feature can be edited individually to bring in any change in the solid model.

Example
Figure A shows a part consisting of a counterbore hole at the center and six counterbore holes around it at some Bolt Circle Diameter (BCD). Now, consider a case where you have to change all the outer counterbore holes to drill holes keeping the central counterbore hole and the BCD for the outer holes same. You also, have to change the number of holes from six to eight.

Figure A Model displaying the counterbore holes

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Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 allows you to make this modification by just modifying some values in the same part, see Figure B. This shows that the solid parts created in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 are a combination of various features that can be modified individually at any time.

Figure B Model after making the modifications

Chapter 1 Bidirectional Associative Property

There is a bi-directional associativity between all modes of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0. The bi-directional associative nature of a software package is defined as its ability to ensure that if any modification is made in a particular model in one mode, the modification is reflected in the same model in other modes also. Figure C shows the drawing views of the part shown in Figure A. The views show that the part consists of a counterbore hole at the center and six counterbore holes around it.

Figure C Drawing views of the model before modifications

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Now, when the part is modified in the Part mode, the modifications are automatically reflected in the Drawing mode, as shown in Figure D.

Figure D Drawing views of the model after modifications

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Figure E shows the Crosshead assembly. It is clear from the assembly that the diameter of the hole is more than what is required (shown using dotted lines). In an ideal case, the diameter of the hole should be equal to the diameter of the bolt.

Figure E Diameter of the hole and the bolt

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The diameter of the hole can be easily changed by opening the file in the Part mode and making the necessary modifications in the part. This modification is reflected in the assembly shown in Figure F. This is due to the bi-directional associative nature of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0.

Figure F Figure after modifying the diameter of the hole Similarly, if you change the dimensions of the model in the Drawing mode, the modifications will be automatically reflected in the Part mode. This shows that all the modes are related to each other.

Chapter 1 Parametric Nature

The parametric nature of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 means that the features of a part become interrelated if they are drawn by referencing each other. You can redefine the dimensions or the attributes of a feature at any time. The changes will propagate automatically throughout the model. Thus, they develop a relationship among themselves. This relationship is known as the parent-child relationship.

System Requirements
Operating System: Windows XP Home Edition, XP Professional Edition, Windows Vista, Window Vista X64, UNIX.
Processor 500MHz (2.4GHz or higher recommended). Memory: 256MB RAM minimum requirement (1024MB RAM or higher recommended). Swap Memory: 500MB minimum (2098MB or higher recommended). Hard disk space: 2GB minimum (3.0GB or higher recommended). An Ethernet adapter interface card or network card.

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Microsoft approved mouse.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.

Getting Started with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0

Once you have Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 installed on your system, you have two options to start it. The first option is to choose the Start button at the lower left corner of the screen and select All Programs > PTC > Pro ENGINEER > Pro ENGINEER as shown in Figure A.

Figure A Windows screen with task bar and application icons

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The second option to start Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 is by double-clicking on its shortcut icon on the desktop of the computer. Figure B shows the screen that appear when you start Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0.

Figure B Initial screen appearance after starting Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0

Chapter 1 Important Terms and Definitions

Some important terms that will be used while working with Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 are discussed next.

Entity
An element of a section geometry is called an entity. The entity can be an arc, line, circle, point, conic, coordinate system, and so on.

Dimension
It is the measurement of one or more entities.

Constraint
Constraints are the logical operations that are performed on the selected geometry to make it more accurate in defining its position and size with respect to the other geometry.

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Parameter
It is defined as a numeric value or any definition that defines a feature. For example, all the dimensions in a sketch are parameters. The parameters can be modified at any time.

Relation
A relation is an equation that relates two entities.

Weak Dimensions and Weak Constraints

Weak dimensions and weak constraints are temporary dimensions or constraints that appear in gray color. These are automatically applied to the sketch when it is drawn using the Intent Manager.

Chapter 1 File Menu Options

The options that are displayed when you choose File from the menu bar, are discussed next.

Working Directory
A working directory is a directory on your system where you can save the work done in the current session of Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0. Before starting work in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0, it is important to specify the working directory, which can be done in two ways. Right-click on the folder in the Navigator to invoke the shortcut menu shown in Figure A. Choose the Set Working Directory option.

Figure A Shortcut menu

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Choose File > Working Directory from the menu bar. The Select Working Directory dialog box is displayed as shown in Figure B.

Figure B The Select Working Directory dialog box

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Options in the Select Working Directory dialog box File name edit box
The File name edit box displays the name of the directory selected in the Select Working Directory dialog box.

Type drop-down list

The Type drop-down list has two options: Directories and All Files. If you select the Directories option then all the directories present will be listed and if you select All Files then all the files and the directories will be listed.

Organize button
When you choose this button, a flyout is displayed. The options in this flyout are used to create a new directory or rename an existing directory. You can also cut, copy, paste, and delete the existing folders using the options in this flyout.

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Views button
When you choose the View button from the Select Working Directory dialog box, a flyout is displayed. The options in this flyout are following next.

List

Details

Tools button
When you choose the Tools button from the Select Working Directory dialog box, a flyout is displayed. The options in this flyout are following next.

Address Default
Add to Favorites Up One Level Remove from Favorites

Organize Favorites Sort By

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Common Folders and Folder Tree
Common Folders and Folder Tree are available on the left of the Select Working Directory dialog box. The Common Folders contains folders such as Desktop, My Documents, Working Directory, and Favorites.

Working Directory
This is used when you have already set the working directory.

Favorites
This folder is used to save the location of the directories that are to be used frequently. You just need to specify the working directory to be used frequently and save their locations by selecting the Favorites folder.

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New
In order to create a new object, select New from the File menu or choose New button from the Top Toolchest. The New dialog box is displayed as shown in Figure A.

Figure A The New dialog box

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Use default template
The Use default template check box is selected to open an existing default template file which includes three default datum planes and a coordinate system. This check box is selected by default. If you clear this check box and choose the OK button from the New dialog box, the New File Options dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B The New File Options dialog box

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Open
The Open option is used to open an existing object file. File Open dialog box is shown in Figure A.

Figure A The File Open dialog box

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Tools button When you choose this button, a flyout is displayed. All the options in this flyout are same as the options available in the Tools button of the Select Working Directory dialog box, except the All Versions and Show Instances options.

All Versions This option, when selected, displays all versions of an object file. Show Instances This option, when selected, displays all the instances of the object file.

File name
In the File name edit box you can enter the name of the existing object file that you want to open.

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Type
The Type drop-down list contains the file formats of the various modes available in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0.

Preview
The Preview button is chosen to see the preview of the model. On choosing this button, you can see the preview of the selected model in the File Open dialog box.

In Session
The In Session folder is available in the Common Folders of the File Open dialog box.

Erase
The Erase option is used to delete the files from the temporary memory or the In Session folder. The options used to remove the files from the In Session folder are discussed in next slide.

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Current
The Current option is used to erase the file that is opened and is displayed on the graphics screen from the current session. When the Current option of the cascading menu is chosen, the Erase Confirm dialog box is displayed as shown in Figure A.

Figure A The Erase Confirm dialog box

Not Displayed
This option is used to erase the files present in the In Session folder but not available presently on the screen. The Erase Not Displayed dialog box is displayed as shown in Figure B.

Figure B The Erase Not Displayed dialog box

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Component Reps
This option removes the unused simplified representations from the In Session folder.

Delete
The Delete option is used to delete the current file or its old versions or both the current file and its older versions.

Old Versions
This option is used to delete all the old versions of the current file.

All Versions
This option is used to delete all the versions including the current file from the hard disk.

Save
The Save option is used to save the objects present in the In Session folder or an object on the drawing area.

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Save a Copy
The Save a Copy option is used to save a copy of the current object in the same working directory or in some other directory.

Backup
The Backup option of the File menu creates a backup copy of an object file that is in memory. When you choose this option the Backup dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure A.

Figure A The Backup dialog box

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Rename
The Rename option in the File menu renames the active object that is on the screen. When you choose this option, the Rename dialog box is displayed, as shown in Figure B.

Figure B The Rename dialog box

Chapter 1 Managing Files

As discussed earlier, a new file is generated whenever you save an object. The number of files generated is directly proportional to the number of times you save that object. So, these files occupy a lot of disk space. The latest version of the object is of use and should be stored. The rest of the files called old versions should be deleted from the hard disk, if they are not required.

Menu Manager
The Menu Manager is not available when you enter the Part mode, Assembly mode, or the Drawing mode. The Menu Manager is displayed with some selected options of feature creation. There are menus and submenus cascaded in the Menu Manager. These contain the options to complete the desired task in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0.

Chapter 1 Model Tree

The Model Tree stores and displays all the features in a chronicle. You can select the feature by right-clicking on it. The shortcut menu will be displayed as shown in Figure A.

When you create a new object file, the Model Tree is displayed and is attached to the drawing area by default. But in this case with the Model Tree attached to the drawing area, the drawing area becomes small in size. You can hide the Model Tree by clicking the sash on the right edge of the Navigator as shown in Figure A.

Figure A The Model Tree with the shortcut menu

Chapter 1 Understanding the Functions of the Mouse Buttons

The various combinations of the keys and three buttons of the mouse are listed below. Figure A shows the function of the left mouse button. The left mouse button is used to make a selection. Using CTRL+left mouse button, you can add or remove items from the selection set. Using SHIFT+left mouse button, you can select chain of entities or set of surfaces.

Figure A Functions of the left mouse button

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Figure B shows the function of the right mouse button. The right mouse button is used to invoke shortcut menus and to query select the items. Figure C shows the function of the middle mouse button in 3D mode. The middle mouse button is used to spin the model in the drawing area and view it from different directions. CTRL+middle muse button is used to dynamically zoom in and out by moving the mouse. Using CTRL+middle mouse button and moving the mouse horizontally you can rotate the model about a point that you specified as center. Use SHIFT+middle mouse button to pan the model on the screen.

Figure B Functions of the right mouse button

Figure C Functions of the middle mouse button

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Figure D shows the function of the middle mouse button in the 2D mode (sketcher environment and Drawing mode). The middle mouse button is used to place dimensions on the drawing area. It is also used to confirm an option or to abort the creation of an entity. The middle mouse button is used to pan in the Sketch mode and the Drawing mode.

Figure D Functions of the middle mouse button

Chapter 1 Toolbars
Before starting work on Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0, it is very important for you to understand the default toolbars and buttons on the screen. Figure A shows various default screen components in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0. Different toolbars in Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 are shown in next two slides.

Figure A Default components on the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 screen

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The Datum Display toolbar

The File toolbar

The Model Display toolbar

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The Help button

The View toolbar

Navigator
The navigator is present on the left of the drawing area and can slide in or out on the drawing area. A partial view of the navigator is shown in next slide Figure A.

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Figure A The Navigator

Chapter 1 Browser
The Browser is present on the right of the Navigator. It can slide in and out of the Navigator and can also be stretched horizontally. When the Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 session is started, the browser is displayed on the screen. Figure A shows the browser that displays some part files.

Figure A Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 Browser