Tutorial - How to model an Apple device dock in Solid Edge?

Cemal Uslu

9 Apr, 2012 09:02 PM

Here is a quick way for doing this!

1. Step 1:

   Open Solid Edge software and click "Solid Part" on the first screen.
   

   

2. Step 2:

   Click on "Proturision" button on features tab and then select a plane (top plane is suitable) to create a sketch of your solid part.
   

   

3. Step 3:

   Clck on rectangle button and then draw your rectangle as shown on the image.

   Button - scond point - Type width - fourth point - type height - sixth point

   (!!After finishing your sketch you will click on return on the top left. but wait before doing what i say on next step!!)
   

   

4. Step 4:

   You have to control your drawing as much as possible. You have to know where your line stays. Symmetric relationship is a nice tool to control your symmetric parts. (when still sketching) Select symmetric relationship tool, clik on the plane or line or sth like that you want to use an axis and select the lines that you want to make symmetric.

   You can use symetry axis button to determine what to use as axis. This is a useful button when you are trying to work on multiple symmetry systems.

   Now you can clik on return
   

   

5. Step 5:

   Software will ask you the heigh (distance) and the direction. First type the height to the top and click on upper side of sketch that you want to make your solid upwards. Then finish.
   

   

6. Step 6:

   Now we are going to use round tool. Click on "round" button on features tab and type radius that you want to use, to the tap. Click edges to be rounded and then click the green button to confirm. Preview on the left and finish after all..
   

   

7. Step 7:

   Now we are going to dig some stuff. Click on "cutou"t button on features tab and select the surface that you want to dig. (top of the solid that we just drew. Use line, fillet, smart dimension tools to draw a sketch just like mine on the picture.

   Return, Finish.

   You can add 0.5 mm round on the top corners to have smoother model.
   Add 5 mm round on the corners in the hole.
   

   

8. Step 8:

   Click on Cut out again and select the surfuce at the bottom, that we are going to make some sound hole patterns at the bottom of the big hole that we just dig.
   

   

9. Step 9:

   Draw something like this with using circle, dimension and Relationship tools such as "horizontal/vertical". If you are trying to make a line/ two circles on a line/ sth like that, you can use that tool. Click on the tool and make everythng straight.
   

   

10. Step 10:

    Click on return and Type the depth (distance) and choose the direction by clicking just like we did before.

    Now you have sound holes on only one side.
    

    

11. Step 11:

    If we have a look at the real model, we have these holes on both sides. We just need to use mirror feature tool. Click on the "mirror" button. Click on the features that you want to copy. After selecting the features click on the green button and select the mirror. (mirror could be wheter a surface or a plane.)

    Finish that mirror and you will see these holes on the both side.
    

    

12. Step 12:

    After digging out a hole for 30pin dock connector to the center of bottom, you should have something like that. Click on file - save as. Save your file somewhere on your harddrive. Quit your drawing.
    

    

13. Step 13:

    Now you can go to 3dcontentcentral.com or any other cad library site to get a good 30pin male apple device connector to use on our model.

    (you have to sign up most of the sites to download.)
    

    

14. Step 14:

    Return to solid edge. Click assembly. You will see a little bit different interface. You can drag drop your models to this screen (dock file and 30pinconnector file.) Click on assembly tool on the left. You can easily clik where to mate. (bottom face of the connector - top face of the pin hole.) ( right face of the connector - left inside face of the hole.)
    

    

15. Step 15:

    Congratz! You are done!

    Now you can save your file as .asm, .step, .igs and many others.

    Thank you for reading my tutorial!