Session 16

1. Introduction

Assembly mode in SpaceClaim is a crucial modeling workspace that enables you to construct complex designs by building different parts independently and then merging them to form a complete model. Instead of creating everything within a single geometry, you break the design into logical components and connect them inside the Assembly environment. This workflow is especially valuable for CFD engineers, as it supports easier modifications, better organization, and more realistic analysis setups—such as multi-component devices or mechanisms.

2. Learning Objectives

In this session, you’ll develop mastery over essential Assembly workspace tools, including Orient, Tangent, and Align. These commands facilitate precise part positioning, help parts interact correctly, and ensure accurate relationships in the final assembly.

2.1 Orient

The Orient command lets you match the direction of faces, edges, or axes between components. It fixes the orientation—how the faces “look”—so parts are correctly aligned, without necessarily moving their location.

2.2 Tangent

By applying the Tangent command, you create tangential contact between surfaces—for example, aligning a wheel to just touch a road surface or positioning a cylinder to meet a curved wall. This ensures the contact region is smooth, with no unintentional angles.

2.3 Align

With the Align feature, you can make parts concentric, coplanar, or otherwise position them relative to one another—like lining up axle axes or ensuring mounting surfaces are flush. Align applies geometric constraints, assigning each part a specific location in the overall assembly, and is critical for creating functional mechanisms or assemblies.

3. Summary

The session started by introducing fundamental concepts of SpaceClaim Assembly via simple geometries, and progressed toward assembling more complex examples such as a cannon model. You practiced using temporary moves, the Anchor option, and the Structure tree to handle part positioning and constraints. Common issues such as conflicting or failed constraints were addressed, with tips on troubleshooting using SpaceClaim’s structure tree tools. By mastering these assembly commands, you’ll be able to efficiently build, modify, and debug multi-component models, greatly improving modeling speed and analysis accuracy for CFD and general engineering tasks.