Welcome to the January edition of our Ask an Applied Engineer series! Each month, our engineers answer your most pressing questions.
Whether you’re troubleshooting software challenges or seeking industry advice, our team is here to help you succeed.
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This month, we’re answering questions about Teamcenter assemblies and getting started with Mendix.
Question #1
Q: What is the difference between a precise and an imprecise assembly?
A: A precise assembly is static and will be defined by a CAD user with specific components. These components may or may not have status. The top-level assembly may or may not have status, and components can be interchanged as needed. The product structure will not change unless components are replaced by the CAD user. It’s best to use precise when one is in the early stages of design, when the model will be used to generate tool paths, or when accurate data is needed for stress analysis or other complex simulations.
An imprecise assembly is dynamic and will have a combination of components with status, no-status (working part), and/or in a process change. The top-level assembly may or may not have a status, and components can be interchanged as needed. The product structure can change depending on the Revision Rule executed on the assembly. This allows for changing product structure configurations quickly. You’ll want to use imprecise when working with very large assemblies or when multiple variations of an assembly need to be quickly evaluated.
Answered by Bruce Akin, PLM Engineer at Applied CAx
Question #2
Q: Do I need to know how to code to use Mendix? If so, what languages are most helpful to know?
A: No, you don’t need to code to build functional Mendix apps; the visual modeling handles most scenarios. Understanding database concepts improves your data modeling, even though Mendix abstracts much of it. My recommendation would be to not learn to code for a Mendix application. Instead, I would start with no coding experience, learn the Mendix platform visually, then bring in coding when you hit specific limitations.
Answered by Christopher Ochs, Software Engineer at Applied CAx
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