Integrated Circuits

[gwideman]

I found this video very helpful in demonstrating a large number of UI gestures and features, regardless of the Integrated Circuit task at hand. However, some of the gestures took place so quickly that it's hard to follow what exactly happened. So I stepped though it extremely slowly and took notes. Others might find that useful, so see below.
Notes on the Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQAVpKf63TA

• RMB = Right Mouse Button = right-click context menu, on the drawing surface.
  
• GG = Geometry Graph window
  
• Keep an eye on upper left of drawing area where numbers appear during free (drag) adjustments
  

Steps:
0:00 New model

• Windows open: Outliner, GG, (Manage) Selection Groups, Saved views
  
• Docking: drag window to edge of screen, suggested zone highlights. Sometimes docking doesn't respond. Have to restart to get docking to work.
  

0:15 Prepare workspace for importing an image

• This actual image is available: http://www.elec-intro.com/EX/05-15-08/269-44-QFP.jpg
  
• First adjust current view so it's aligned to chip in photo, so when photo is imported it will be nicely aligned. (By luck, in this photo the chip is centered.
  • "Y" to get X-Z plane parallel to screen
    
  • Orthogonal view
    
  • Rotate view around Y axis by mouse.
    
  • Or, you can just import the image, and rotate it later
    
• Save view so can reposition to it later:
  • "Saved views" window > right-click > new view, name (here "rest")
    

0:22 Place an image of the chip.

• RMB > Image Plane > gear opens file dialog. Select file
  
• Image Plane dlg
  • Aligned with view.
    
  • Use image name [ie: file name] for ... Material and Object
    
  • This creates an object, with image as "material" on top (and bottom?) face. (So be aware that this is already a complex object with multiple faces.)
    

(Added) Rotate image

• Step that I added because it seems generally useful.
  
• Select all, then use RMB > Free Rotate and Move to maneuver to best position, with chip centered on the Y axis, and X and Z axes bisecting the middle leg on each side of the chip.
  
• Note that image is actually a shape object with the photo texture-mapped to one of the surfaces. So when rotating or moving "the picture" you need to select the entire object, not just the face that it's mapped to.
  

0:35 Adjust image to useful size, and position "below" the model position as a template

• Select image in GG (or Select All, Ctrl-A).
  
• RMB > Scale Radial until square body of chip slightly encloses 2 x 2 grid squares
  
• RMB > Move Y ... slide that image object down a little.
  

0:57 Create a grid of cubes

• Y. Space (deselect all)
  
• RMB > Grid gear > Create a grid dialog.
  • Rows cols = 11 legs +10 spaces + 2 end spaces --> 23 rows and columns
    

1:55 Extrude a second layer of cube grid

• Select top surface:
  • Side view
    
  • Select mode: faces
    
  • drag-select the side, including bottom but not top surface
    
  • Main menu: Select inverse
    
• RMB > Shell Extrude (not Extrude or Extract). Y direction, Free
  
• Drag to 0.300, constrain to 0.1 steps using Control key (see Preferences > Constraints)
  

2:18 Tidy objects

• GG >
  • Original grid > right-click > delete
    
  • Just-created grid[n]_extract3 > right-click > rename to "body"
    
• The original grid blocks did serve to lift the body off the X-Z plane.
  

2:30 Divide body into upper and lower halves

• 1. Select mode: edge
  
• 2. Select one of the vertical edges
  
• 3. Select > Edge loop > Edge ring -- selects all vertical edges around the shape
  
• RMB > Connect -- creates edge around middle of vertical faces, deselects vertical edges
  

2:45 Step out lower half of body

• Deselect all (space)
  
• Repeat 1-3 for the lower vertical edges
  
• Switch to Select mode: Faces. -- All lower vertical now selected (not sure if these steps are needed, given next step)
  
• View from edge, drag selection to include lower half of body, and not upper. (I think this is to also include the bottom faces.)
  
• RMB > Extrude > Normal ... 0.0175
  

3:03 Select top surface and make it a group

• Add to existing selection. Select > More. I guess this is supposed to add all adjacent items of the type selected in the current Select mode. However, my Select Mode was set to vertices, whereas video was set to faces?
  
• Anyhow, I just used edge view and drag select all vertical faces and lower faces.
  
• Now Select > Inverse to select just the top faces
  
• Selection Groups window > right-click > New Group > "toscale" (for later use)
  

3:14 Create bases for legs

• On the top half, repeat the vertical edge... edge-ring... RMB > connect technique to create a line around the top half
  
• RMB > Slide ... down, 57%
  
• Deselect all
  

3:25 "Pyramid-ize" upper section

• Reselect upper surface using Selection Group "toscale"
  
• RMB > Scale uniform ... in 93%
  

3:37 Create foot-base group

• Deselect all
  
• Select every other mid-height small rectangle (11 places)
  
• Selection Groups window > right-click > New group > name "legs"
  

3:49 Begin an actual leg!

• Deselect all
  
• Select first leg base (leftmost)
  
• Y (overhead view
  
• RMB > Shell extrude > Normal .... ~ 0.2276
  

4:10 Create first bend

• The following procedure uses various tricky combinations of mouse buttons and mouse movement. While that is in progress it's also OK to invoke mouse-wheel, press-mouse-wheel (with possible shift key) and also axis keys to adjust view
  
• Assuming face on end of leg is still selected...
  
• RMB > Sweep region. Several alternatives for what happens next
  • Right click selects behavior with following steps:
    • Another right click to select axis of rotation -- pick lower horizontal edge of selected face
      
    • Then left-drag to rotate, plain move mouse to extend, left-click to end
      

4:30 Create second and third bent segments

• There are various forms of repeat last command, on Edit menu
  
• We want Repeat Args = "d"
  

4:57 Final flat segment

• Same as preceding segments. It's helpful to adjust view to "looking into" the leg to judge whether it's flat relative to bottom of body.
  

5:12 Rename new group to "leg"

• This exercise created new item in GG: body_extractn. Select in GG and rename to "leg".
  

5:20 Chamfer the rectangular section of the leg

• In GG, Hide body
  
• Select one of the horizontal edges that cross the width of the leg
  
• 5:27: Some operation takes place concealed from camera. Presumably hot key. It's probably the Select > Edge Loop > Edge Ring operation = "G"
  
• Select Mode: faces
  
• RMB > Inset > Right click for "Inset Region creating new edges inside each face group selection
  • 0.0046
    
• Deselect all
  
• Select a vertical edge on end of foot, use G to select all "sides".
  
• Edit > Repeat Drag "Inset Region". This just applies same settings to sides.
  • Video then shows switching temporarily to smooth shading to see appearance
    

5:50 Smooth the bends

• At the two intermediate bend segments, select the edges that are coaxial with the leg. (select on edge per bend, then use G).
  
• RMB > Flow Connect
  

6:03 Make leg suitable to attach to body.

• Just for the attachment face, I think this undoes the founding that the above steps caused
  
• Looking into the face of the leg that attaches to body, select the outer rectangle edges
  
• RMB > Hardness > Hard
  

6:18 Replicate legs along one side of body

• With body hidden, select the attachment face of the leg (Only one face)
  
• Unhide body
  
• RMB > Put On > Right-click to get "Clone object on to one or more elements"
  
• Selection Groups > click "legs" -- legs rectangles indicate selection
  
• Right click somewhere to trigger cloning. Ten more legs appear.
  
• ERROR: This actually adds a clone leg in the same space as the original leg.
  • So use whatever technique to delete the excess leg
    

6:35 Replicate legs to other sides

• Select all legs (drag rect around parts of them, click "body selection mode"
  
• RMB > Combine -- reduces set of legs to single item in GG (leg_clone10)... rename to "legs"
  
• GG > "legs" > right-click > Duplicate --> legs_copynn
  
• RMB > Rotate < right-click = pick axis > click a face that's normal to the axis required (Y)
  • Then right-click to invoke the actual rotation, move mouse to rotate, hold shift to constain angles
    
• Select the rotated legs so that now both sets of legs are selected.
  
• RMB > Combine
  
• GG > "legs" > right click > Duplicate
  
• Rotate, like before
  
• Now with both sets of legs selected (ie: all 4 sides), and Select mode set to "body selection", RMB: Combine
  • Should leave us with single "legs" group in GG.
    

7:18 Bevel corners

• Hide all but body.
  
• Select mode: vertices
  
• Drag around corner vertices as video shows
  
• Select similar (= "I") to select the corresponding vertices in other corners
  
• RMB > Scale radial > left click to pick axis to scale from > Y > drag to achieve desired bevel, left click to accept
  

7:40 Slightly expand the base

• Deselect all
  
• Select a horizontal edge > Edge Loop (=L)
  
• Select a vertical edge > Edge ring (=G)
  
• RMB > Scale Radial > left click > Y > drag to 102%
  

8:00 Tackle the pin-1 dimple

• On top surface, select four squares (faces), then use L to select edge of those four squares instead.
  
• RMB > Circularise... drag to diameter of crater, then left click
  
• Select faces in the "circle"
  
• RMB > Dissolve
  
• RMB > Inset > Middle button to create new edges around each face group selection
  
• Select outer ring. Eg: "+" ... "L"
  
• RMB > Hardness > Hard
  
• Repeat inset operation with decreasing diameters to create smoothly shaped dimple
  

10:11 Set certain geometry to hard

• Following video, select edges and "L" them. May have to select different edges to avoid L adding too many
  

10:15 Add creases to some edges

• Select (only) top surface outline
  
• RMB > Crease. Drag sets "distance" (0) and click-drag sets "percentage" (60% or so)
  
• Select ring at base of "pyramid"
  
• Apply same crease (Edit > Repeat Drag Crease = Shift-D)
  

10:50 Minor increase in body size

• Not sure rationale
  
• The usual. Select body. RMB > Scale Radial
  
• 10:59 something happens to round the corners.
  

11:08 Assign materials (face color)

• Select objects, RMB > Material