Tutorial G: Shaft Support assembly

Book	Shih, Parametric Modeling with Siemens NX, ch. 14
You learn	Assembly template, Add Component, Touch Align, Align Axes, Parallel, Align/Lock, degrees of freedom, parts list
Sizes	The four parts' sizes are in figures only; the parts here are metric ones of this project’s own, built to fit the book’s constraint sequence.

In short

Application › Assemblies, Ctrl+N: the document starts with an empty Assembly.
Add Component: the Base-Plate, Yes to grounding it.
The Bearing: Touch Align on its bottom face, Align Axes on both holes. After the first axis it can still turn; after the second it cannot.
The Collar: Touch Align, Align Axes, Parallel.
Two Cap-Screws: Align/Lock on the hole axis, Touch Align on the counterbore’s seat.
A change to the Bearing reaches the assembly; Reports › Bill of Materials lists the parts.

Step by step

#	In the book (NX)	In FreeCAD NX-Style	Result	Notes
G1	Create the parts Collar, Bearing, Base-Plate, Cap-Screw and save them	modelled by script (the book’s sizes are figure-only; earlier tutorials cover modelling)	same	Base-Plate 58995 mm^3, Bearing 41202 mm^3, Collar 2939 mm^3, Cap-Screw 1999 mm^3
G2	File > New, Assembly template, name Shaft-Support	ribbon 'Application › Design > Assemblies', Ctrl+N; saved as Shaft-Support	differs	NXStyle’s Assembly template starts the document with an empty Assembly (like NX’s); NX names the file in the New dialog, FreeCAD on the first save
G3	Add Component: Base-Plate at the origin; Yes to the Fixed constraint	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component', click Base-Plate in the list, Yes, MB2 = OK	same	grounded True; FreeCAD asks 'Ground Part?' like NX’s question about the Fixed constraint
G4	Add Component: Bearing, placed with Move	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component', click Bearing, MB2	differs	FreeCAD places it beside the last part; NX lets you drag it to a spot first
G5	Touch Align: Bearing bottom face to the Base-Plate top face	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face5 + Face3, MB2 = OK	same	joint Distance; Bearing now from z = 0.000 mm
G6	Touch Align: the right hole axes (Bearing counterbore hole, Base-Plate hole)	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align Axes', Face12 + Face8, MB2 = OK	same	hole axes coincide True; rotated 25° about that axis and solved: it stays (still free to rotate, as the book says). NX’s Show Degrees of Freedom has no FreeCAD equivalent: the replay moves the part and solves
G7	Touch Align: the left hole axes; Move: it cannot move	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align Axes', Face10 + Face7, MB2 = OK	same	rotated 25° and solved: back in place True (fully constrained, as in the book)
G8	Add Component: Collar, Constrain, Touch Align on the boss’s top face	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component' + 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face2 + Face15	same	Collar from z = 35.000 mm
G9	Touch Align: the outer cylinders of Collar and Bearing	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align Axes', Face1 + Face7	same	centred True; still free to rotate True
G10	Parallel: Collar to the Base-Plate front face	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Parallel', Face3 (the collar’s flat) + Face2	limit	joint made, solver 'converged', but the collar did not turn (flat normal Vector (1.0, 0.0, -0.0)). FreeCAD 1.1.4’s solver drops a Parallel constraint whose faces start exactly perpendicular ('ParallelAxesJoint … constraint(s) removed: RedundantConstraintDirectionCosineConstraintIzJy'); reproduced without NXStyle; the same joint works when the faces start 20° apart. The book uses the Collar’s datum plane (Replace Reference Set > Entire Part); here the flat on the collar stands in
G11	Workaround: delete the joint, turn the Collar 20°, Parallel again	joint selected + Delete (gone), Collar turned, ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Parallel'	differs	flat normal now (-0.000, 1.000, 0.000); rotated 30° and solved: back True. NX drags the part with Move Component; here it is turned by its placement
G12	Add Component: Cap-Screw, Align/Lock on the right hole axis	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component' + 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align/Lock', Face4 + Face12	same	on the axis True; slides along it True; turns False (the book: one DOF, along the axis)
G13	Touch Align: the head on the counterbore’s seat	'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face2 + Face16	same	head underside at z = 15.000 mm; moved 7 mm and solved: back True
G14	Add Component: Cap-Screw, Align/Lock on the left hole axis	ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component' + 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align/Lock', Face4 + Face10	same	on the axis True; slides along it True; turns False (the book: one DOF, along the axis)
G15	Touch Align: the head on the counterbore’s seat	'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face2 + Face16	same	head underside at z = 15.000 mm; moved 7 mm and solved: back True
G16	Exploded view: New Explosion, Collar 1.5 in and a Cap-Screw 2.0 in up; Auto-explode	-	skipped	FreeCAD 1.1’s New Explosion moves parts only by dragging a 3D handle (no distance field like NX’s); the replay does not drag 3D handles
G17	Edit the Bearing: hole Ø0.25 in (6.35 mm), save; the assembly updates	Bearing document: the bore’s Radius in its properties, recompute, save	differs	cylinder radii in the assembly’s Bearing [3.175, 4.0, 6.5, 12.0]; NX: Open in Window, double-click the hole, edit the sketch value. The replay’s parts are scripted, so the value is a property here
G18	Parts List	ribbon 'Assemblies › Reports > Bill of Materials', MB2 = OK	differs	spreadsheet rows 5; Cap-Screw row ['4', 'Cap-Screw', '', '2', '', 'quantity 2']; NX puts the parts list on the drawing, FreeCAD makes a spreadsheet (a drawing can show it as a Tabular Note)
G19	The assembly is shown in the graphics window	render of the graphics window	same	20.0% of the view shows the part

In the book (NX)

In FreeCAD NX-Style

Result

Notes

Create the parts Collar, Bearing, Base-Plate, Cap-Screw and save them

modelled by script (the book’s sizes are figure-only; earlier tutorials cover modelling)

same

Base-Plate 58995 mm^3, Bearing 41202 mm^3, Collar 2939 mm^3, Cap-Screw 1999 mm^3

File > New, Assembly template, name Shaft-Support

ribbon 'Application › Design > Assemblies', Ctrl+N; saved as Shaft-Support

differs

NXStyle’s Assembly template starts the document with an empty Assembly (like NX’s); NX names the file in the New dialog, FreeCAD on the first save

Add Component: Base-Plate at the origin; Yes to the Fixed constraint

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component', click Base-Plate in the list, Yes, MB2 = OK

same

grounded True; FreeCAD asks 'Ground Part?' like NX’s question about the Fixed constraint

Add Component: Bearing, placed with Move

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component', click Bearing, MB2

differs

FreeCAD places it beside the last part; NX lets you drag it to a spot first

Touch Align: Bearing bottom face to the Base-Plate top face

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face5 + Face3, MB2 = OK

same

joint Distance; Bearing now from z = 0.000 mm

Touch Align: the right hole axes (Bearing counterbore hole, Base-Plate hole)

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align Axes', Face12 + Face8, MB2 = OK

same

hole axes coincide True; rotated 25° about that axis and solved: it stays (still free to rotate, as the book says). NX’s Show Degrees of Freedom has no FreeCAD equivalent: the replay moves the part and solves

Touch Align: the left hole axes; Move: it cannot move

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align Axes', Face10 + Face7, MB2 = OK

same

rotated 25° and solved: back in place True (fully constrained, as in the book)

Add Component: Collar, Constrain, Touch Align on the boss’s top face

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component' + 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face2 + Face15

same

Collar from z = 35.000 mm

Touch Align: the outer cylinders of Collar and Bearing

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align Axes', Face1 + Face7

same

centred True; still free to rotate True

G10

Parallel: Collar to the Base-Plate front face

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Parallel', Face3 (the collar’s flat) + Face2

limit

joint made, solver 'converged', but the collar did not turn (flat normal Vector (1.0, 0.0, -0.0)). FreeCAD 1.1.4’s solver drops a Parallel constraint whose faces start exactly perpendicular ('ParallelAxesJoint … constraint(s) removed: RedundantConstraintDirectionCosineConstraintIzJy'); reproduced without NXStyle; the same joint works when the faces start 20° apart. The book uses the Collar’s datum plane (Replace Reference Set > Entire Part); here the flat on the collar stands in

G11

Workaround: delete the joint, turn the Collar 20°, Parallel again

joint selected + Delete (gone), Collar turned, ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Parallel'

differs

flat normal now (-0.000, 1.000, 0.000); rotated 30° and solved: back True. NX drags the part with Move Component; here it is turned by its placement

G12

Add Component: Cap-Screw, Align/Lock on the right hole axis

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component' + 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align/Lock', Face4 + Face12

same

on the axis True; slides along it True; turns False (the book: one DOF, along the axis)

G13

Touch Align: the head on the counterbore’s seat

'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face2 + Face16

same

head underside at z = 15.000 mm; moved 7 mm and solved: back True

G14

Add Component: Cap-Screw, Align/Lock on the left hole axis

ribbon 'Assemblies › Assembly > Add Component' + 'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Align/Lock', Face4 + Face10

same

on the axis True; slides along it True; turns False (the book: one DOF, along the axis)

G15

Touch Align: the head on the counterbore’s seat

'Assemblies › Assembly Constraints > Touch Align', Face2 + Face16

same

head underside at z = 15.000 mm; moved 7 mm and solved: back True

G16

Exploded view: New Explosion, Collar 1.5 in and a Cap-Screw 2.0 in up; Auto-explode

skipped

FreeCAD 1.1’s New Explosion moves parts only by dragging a 3D handle (no distance field like NX’s); the replay does not drag 3D handles

G17

Edit the Bearing: hole Ø0.25 in (6.35 mm), save; the assembly updates

Bearing document: the bore’s Radius in its properties, recompute, save

differs

cylinder radii in the assembly’s Bearing [3.175, 4.0, 6.5, 12.0]; NX: Open in Window, double-click the hole, edit the sketch value. The replay’s parts are scripted, so the value is a property here

G18

Parts List

ribbon 'Assemblies › Reports > Bill of Materials', MB2 = OK

differs

spreadsheet rows 5; Cap-Screw row ['4', 'Cap-Screw', '', '2', '', 'quantity 2']; NX puts the parts list on the drawing, FreeCAD makes a spreadsheet (a drawing can show it as a Tabular Note)

G19

The assembly is shown in the graphics window

render of the graphics window

same

20.0% of the view shows the part

Result	Means
same	The book’s NX steps work as written.
differs	It works, but the FreeCAD way is different; the notes say how.
limit	The book’s way fails in FreeCAD itself; a workaround follows in the next steps.
missing	FreeCAD has no such function; a stand-in follows.
skipped	Not replayed; the notes give the reason.
FAILED	Did not work.

Result

Means

same

The book’s NX steps work as written.

differs

It works, but the FreeCAD way is different; the notes say how.

limit

The book’s way fails in FreeCAD itself; a workaround follows in the next steps.

missing

FreeCAD has no such function; a stand-in follows.

skipped

Not replayed; the notes give the reason.

FAILED

Did not work.

What differs from NX

There is no Show Degrees of Freedom: the replay moves a part, solves, and checks whether it stays or snaps back.
A Parallel joint between faces that start exactly perpendicular is dropped by FreeCAD 1.1.4’s solver; delete it, turn the part a little, apply it again (G11).
New Explosion moves parts only by dragging a 3D handle, so G16 is skipped.
The parts list is a spreadsheet rather than a table on the drawing.