wolfgang walden´s IT & CAD blog

3 – Minutes – CAD Siemens NX #010 – #018

Wolfgang Walden — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:30:25 +0000

Design Groups - Delayed Update

There are Feature Groups in Siemens NX but there are also Design Groups. You can structure your model with Design Groups. One advantage of Design Groups – you can update just the Design Group and leave the rest of your model at the current state. – Enjoy!

Boolean Operations with Design- & Featuregroups

You can use Design Groups & Feature Groups for Boolean Operations as well. The result is slightly different. Enjoy!

Break-Out Section view

The Break-Section View command is not in the ribbon anymore – you´ll find it here – Menu – Insert – View – Breakout – enjoy! Here you´ll find all about the breakoutview: https://youtu.be/3kfGkPtqeZY

View Positioning & Monochrome Drawing Display Command

In order to create a view like this, you need arangements, view positiioning and the Monochrome Drawing Display command. Enjoy!

3D Breakout Section View

You can use the Breakout Section View also for Isometric Views – Enjoy!

Raster Images - Import & Placement

Quite easy and convenient in Siemens NX – Import and Placement of Raster Images – enjoy!

Sketch Navigator - Show Moveable Objects & Fixed Height of Dimensions

So it completely escaped my attention, there has been a „new“ sketch navigator in Siemens NX for over a year, sorry for that! This is a short video with a first look, there will be more. Enjoy!

Sketch Navigator - Curves & Relations

The sketch navigator is a very useful tool and replaces the „old“ relations browser for good. This time I take a look at the Curves & Relations Tab – enjoy!

Sketch Navigator - External References & Issues

This time I take a look at the External References & Issues Tab. All in all this Sketch Navigator is a great tool. Enjoy!

Der Beitrag 3 – Minutes – CAD Siemens NX #010 – #018 erschien zuerst auf wolfgang walden´s IT & CAD blog.

3 – Minutes – CAD Catia v5 #010 – #018

Wolfgang Walden — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 14:15:01 +0000

Create an Undercut with Powercopy

How to create an undercut with powercopies – enjoy! Please watch this more detailed and longer video, because the 3MC Undercut is missing an important element: https://youtu.be/_SmJGJw2FL8

Output from Sketch Axis & Plane

There is a very easy and quick way to create reference 3d axis and planes. Enjoy!

Geometrical Sets & Ordered Geometrical Sets

The main differences between Geometrical Sets & Ordered Geometrical Sets. The geometrical sets allow a far more flexible structure of your models. Enjoy!

Raster Images placed as Material

You can import Raster Images without the Sketchtracer or the Sticker – you can special created materials for that pupose – enjoy! Please note there will be at least 2 – 3 more 3MC videos where I explain how to create those materials and Images.

Get Raster Images cropped & squared for use as material

I use irfanview 64 – which is a free software tool – in order to crop and „square“ the images for the use as textures in the catia v5 material library – enjoy!

Create Materials for Raster Images

First copy your default material library to a folder of your choice/desktop, because it is write-protected. Open the copy. Create a new material family – then copy a material with an image/texture and edit. Change to planar and change the material size to your size by pixels and change the transparency. Save your library file and open it with the „apply material“ window. Enjoy!

Create a Rigid FixTogether (almost like a block)

You can create FixTogethers in a sketch, which work almost like a block.

Layers in Catia v5 - Create & Switch Layers

For all of you, who want to use layers in Catia v5 – this is the first of a few videos on this topic. Enjoy!

Visualisation Filters - Layer Filters

In order to use layers in catia v5 you have to create Visualisation Filters / Layer Filters – enjoy

Der Beitrag 3 – Minutes – CAD Catia v5 #010 – #018 erschien zuerst auf wolfgang walden´s IT & CAD blog.

3 – Minutes – CAD Autocad #001 – # 005

Wolfgang Walden — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:45:30 +0000

Create Templates with reconciled Layers

In order to get full control over the layers in your drawings,, create templates with reconciled layers.

3D Modelling with History

In Autocad you can do 3D Modelling with History – just activate SOLID HISTORY

10.3 Schnecke - Drill Bit

Very easy to do in Autocad ! It is sort of a remake of an old video, but I used a different and faster method – enjoy!

Parametric Crankshaft - proof of concept

I did this video, just to show you that it is possible to do a parametric 3D model of a crankshaft in Autocad. If you want to know how it is done, please like, share and leave a comment. If this gets enough likes and shares I will do a video on a complete crankshaft.

Parametric Crankshaft

Here is the final model. You can download the model and PDF with the dimensions on my Grabcad-Account: https://grabcad.com/library/parametric-crankshaft-in-autocad-4-part-video-series-1

Der Beitrag 3 – Minutes – CAD Autocad #001 – # 005 erschien zuerst auf wolfgang walden´s IT & CAD blog.

Autocad Shorts #001 – #006

Wolfgang Walden — Sat, 15 Aug 2026 13:37:54 +0000

Deactivate Lasso Selection

Sometimes that unusual Lasso Selection by press and drag is kind of annoying. You can deactivate it in the options and use the usual windows rectangular selection by press and drag.

Filter Show Layers in Use

After installation the layerfilter „all used layers“ doesn´t work by default. In order to fix that, you have to change the value of the „showlayerusage“ systemvariable from „0“ to „1“

Bring back the File Dialog Window

If the File Dialog Window doesn´t show up anymore – here is the fix – set the systemvariable „FILEDIA“ to „1!

SYSVARMONITOR & DIMASSOC

In order to get associative dimension, you systemvariable „DIMASSOC“ should be set to „2“ – this variable is saved in the drawing – therefore you should monitor it with the „SYSVARMONITOR“

Change Background Colour of Viewports in the Layout

To change the background colour of your seperated viewports in the layout – just select the viewport, switch to the modelspace and change in the properties the visual style from 2D wireframe to i.e. shaded.

Reselect last Selection

In order to reselect the last selection of elements – just press CTRL+SHIFT+L

Der Beitrag Autocad Shorts #001 – #006 erschien zuerst auf wolfgang walden´s IT & CAD blog.

3 – Minutes – CAD Siemens NX #001 – #009

Wolfgang Walden — Fri, 14 Aug 2026 16:04:07 +0000

Persistent Relations Browser

The Persistent Relations Browser is a great tool if you want to get you sketches fully defined.

10.3 Schnecke - Drill Bit

Very easy to do in Siemens NX. It is sort of a remake of an old video, but I used a different and faster method – enjoy!

Exploded View in separate Drawing

If you want to have an exploded view in a separate drawing you have to do it like this – enjoy!

Edit multiple Features simultaneously

I don´t know if you are aware of this one. You can select multiple features by pressing the ctrl-key and selecting the features with your mouse at once – then press the „ENTER“ key or the „RETURN“ key – and a window will appear which allows you to edit the parameters of these selected features at the same time. Please note – this will not work with sketches. Enjoy!

Edit all Parameters of a Feature Group at once

There are many advantages of Feature Groups – one of these advantages: you can edit all the Parameters of a Feature Group at the same time – enjoy!

Edit Parameters of Sketches

Depending on the use of parameters in sketches or not – you have different possibilities to „Edit those Parameters“ – enjoy!

Assembly Arrangements

There are different ways to create arrangements in assemblies – for this method your movable parts have to be fully constrained – enjoy!

Suppression in Assembly Arrangements

You can use arrangements for the positions of the parts but also for the suppression of parts – enjoy!

Assembly Arangemenst with Sequences

There is another very easy way to create assembly arrangements – sequences – enjoy!

Der Beitrag 3 – Minutes – CAD Siemens NX #001 – #009 erschien zuerst auf wolfgang walden´s IT & CAD blog.