2009

Workflows
Before you begin, analyze the part to determine which features to create, and
the most efficient order in which to create them.
Answer these questions before you start to model your design:
■ Are you creating a stand-alone part, a component in an assembly, or the
first of a family of parts?
Determine whether to create the part in a part file or within an assembly
file, and whether you create constraints using fixed values or equations.
■ Which view of the part best describes its basic shape?
The most prominent feature in that view is usually the best feature to begin
modeling. The first feature in your part is called the base feature.
■ Which features require the use of work planes and work points to position
the model geometry?
■ What are the most important features of your part?
Create these features early in the modeling process so that the dimensions
of other features can be based on their dimension values.
■ Which features of your part can be added with sketched features, and
which features can be added with placed features?
■ Based on these feature decisions, which features should be created first?
Base Features
The first feature you create in a part is the base feature. The base feature is
most commonly based on a sketch profile, and represents the most basic shape
in the part. The base feature may also be an imported base solid (.sat or .step
file format). You can also create a work feature as the base feature.
You create additional features to complete your part. Since these features are
dependent on the base feature, good planning can dramatically reduce the
time required to create a part. After you plan your strategy, decide how to
create the base feature.
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