Welcome to the February edition of our Ask an Applied Engineer series! Each month, our engineers answer your most pressing questions.
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This month, we’re answering questions about NX assemblies and getting started in Mendix.
Question #1
Q: When starting a new assembly in Autodesk Inventor, I always used the “Ground and Root” function to quickly fix the first component to the absolute origin of the assembly. What is the NX equivalent to this, and what’s the recommended workflow for constraining a base component?
A: That’s a common question when moving between systems! In NX, the function to precisely align a component’s absolute Coordinate System (CSYS) with the assembly’s absolute CSYS is built into the Add Component command.
Here’s the step-by-step for a quick and precise fix:
- Set the main assembly file as the Work Part.
- Choose the Add Component command.
- Set the Component Anchor option to Absolute in the placement dialog.
- Set the Assembly Location option to Absolute – Work Part.
This process effectively places and fixes your component at the absolute position of the top-level assembly, similar to ”Ground and Root,” by aligning the component’s absolute CSYS with the assembly’s absolute CSYS.
Question #2
Q: What’s a good first project to build in Mendix to help my understanding?
A: I recommend starting with one of the learning paths at Mendix Academy: https://academy.mendix.com/link/home. After that, build something personally useful, like a task tracker or expense reporter, projects with CRUD operations, user roles, and simple workflows. Pick something with just enough complexity to challenge you!
Answered by Christopher Ochs, Software Engineer at Applied CAx
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