Loading a CAD Drawing
To use parts from a CAD drawing in MapleSim, you first have to load the parts into MapleSim. During import, the MapleSim CAD Toolbox extracts the parts from your CAD file and displays them in the Import CAD window, where you can set their properties before converting them to CAD subsystems.
After the parts are converted into CAD subsystems, they are loaded into MapleSim and placed in the Hierarchy palette.
To load a CAD drawing into MapleSim:
Click Load a CAD File ( ) in the main toolbar. Alternatively, from the File menu, select Load CAD.
Browse to the location of your CAD file, select it, and then click Open.
In the Import CAD window, set properties for the parts from your CAD file.
The properties you can set include changing the material, creating a group, and adding a port (that is, a Coord).
Click Accept and Return ( ).
After the CAD subsystems have been loaded, a confirmation dialog box opens telling you where they are in the Hierarchy palette.
Click OK to return to MapleSim.
To see the generated CAD subsystems, select the Local Components tab and then expand the Hierarchy palette. Your CAD subsystems are in a subgroup called CAD_filename (where CAD_filename is the name of the CAD file you opened in step 2). Here you will find CAD subsystems for each group you created as well as for the stand-alone parts in the CAD file. CAD subsystems are identified by the CAD subsystem icon in their lower left corner:
A shared subsystem called _group CAD_filename is also generated. This shared subsystem contains all the parts you imported and is convenient for simulating your entire assembly without having to rebuild it.
To use the CAD subsystems, drag them onto the Model Workspace and connect them to other components (that is, CAD subsystems, Multibody components, and 1-D Mechanical components).
Notes about your CAD model in the Import CAD window:
For imports from SOLIDWORKS, CATIA, Creo, and NX, the CAD Toolbox can detect fixed constraints between objects. When rigidly attached parts are identified, these parts are automatically grouped on import. For more on groups, see Creating a Group.
In order to connect a CAD subsystem to other components, you must add a Coord (port) to the part. See Adding a Coordinate for details.
Notes about CAD subsystems:
Hidden parts and groups are not imported into MapleSim.
Hidden Coords are not imported into MapleSim.
CAD subsystems properties cannot be edited in MapleSim. To edit a CAD subsystem, open the part in the Feature Detect window by double-clicking on it in MapleSim.
CAD subsystems are shared subsystems that contain Multibody components. To see the internal representation of a CAD subsystem, right-click on the CAD subsystem, and then select Open Component.
To reload a CAD drawing into MapleSim:
In the Load CAD dialog window, CAD files that are already attached to your model are listed. Select the CAD file you want to reload and click OK.
After the CAD subsystems have been reloaded, a confirmation dialog box opens telling you where they are in the Hierarchy palette.
Notes about Refreshing a CAD File:
During import, the MapleSim CAD Toolbox generates a link to your CAD file, found under the Attached Files tab ( ), under CAD Models.
Updates to your CAD file are not automatically merged into their corresponding CAD subsystems. To merge updates into CAD subsystems, you must refresh the CAD file. See Refreshing a CAD File for details.
See Also
1-D Mechanical
Adding a Coordinate
Creating a Group
Creating a Hierarchy for a Model in the Local Components Tab
MapleSim CAD Toolbox Copyright Information
Multibody
Opening a CAD File
Refreshing a CAD File
Supported CAD Systems
MapleSim CAD Toolbox Overview
Tutorial: Building a Pick and Place Model with the CAD Toolbox
Download Help Document
