Tutorial Y: PMI in model views

Book	The model views of Wünsch, Pilz and Vajna, Siemens NX für Einsteiger – kurz und bündig, 4th ed., section 6.10, and Sham Tickoo, Siemens NX 12.0 for Designers, ch. 12; the plate is ours
You learn	the Model Views folder, the work view (double-click), PMI in a view and in its plane, Display in Views, Show All PMI, Inherit PMI From Model View
Sizes	A plate 80 × 60 × 10 with four Ø8 holes

A part is documented in more than one direction: its hole pattern is read from above, its thickness and flatness from the front. NX keeps each in its own model view, so neither view is cluttered by the other’s annotations.

Step by step

1. The plate and its model views

The plate is made by script. PMI › Tolerancing, OK: the part gets its PMI folder and a Model Views folder with Front, Top, Right, Back, Bottom, Left, Isometric and Trimetric.

2. The Top view

Double-click Top under Model Views: it becomes the work view, and the camera looks down on the plate. Select a hole, Rapid Dimension, class H11, quantity 4: 4X Ø8.000 H11. Select the front and back faces, Rapid Dimension: the width 60, covered by the general tolerance. Both go into Top, their labels in its plane.

3. The Front view

Double-click Front: Top’s two PMI disappear. Rapid Dimension on the underside and the top face, ±0.1: the thickness. Datum Feature Symbol A on the underside, Feature Control Frame flatness 0.05 on the top.

4. Back to Top

Double-click Top: only the hole size and the width show.

The Top model view: the hole size and the width

5. Display in Views

Datum A is referenced from above too. Select it, PMI › Display in Views, tick Top beside Front, OK: it now shows in both.

6. Isometric, and Show All PMI

Double-click Isometric: it has no PMI of its own, so nothing shows. Show All PMI ends the work view; all five show, each in its own view’s plane.

7. The drawing inherits from the model views

Ctrl+Shift+D, New Sheet, a top view and a front view of the plate. Select each and click Inherit PMI. Each view’s NX_InheritPMI is From Model View, so the top view gets Top’s PMI (the hole size, the width) and the front view Front’s (the thickness, datum A, the flatness). Datum A is in Top too, but the underside shows edge-on only in the front view, so it is placed there.

The drawing: each view with its model view’s PMI

The replay

#	In the book (NX)	In FreeCAD NX-Style	Result	Notes
Y1	The plate: 80 x 60 x 10 with four Ø8 holes	modelled by script (the exercise is the model views)	differs	volume 45989.4 mm^3
Y2	The part’s Model Views: Front, Top, Right, Back, Bottom, Left, Isometric, Trimetric	ribbon 'PMI › Standard > Tolerancing' (ISO GPS), MB2 = OK: the PMI folder and the Model Views folder	same	Model Views ['Front', 'Top', 'Right', 'Back', 'Bottom', 'Left', 'Isometric', 'Trimetric']; work view None. NX’s new part has them from the start; here they come with the part’s first PMI
Y3	Double-click Top in the Part Navigator: the work view	double-click 'Top' under Model Views	same	the camera looks down on the plate; new PMI goes into Top
Y4	Rapid Dimension on a hole: 4X Ø8 H11	hole selected + ribbon 'PMI › Dimension > Rapid Dimension'; 'H11' typed, quantity 4; MB2 = OK	differs	4X Ø8.000 H11 (+0.090/0); in view ['Top'], its label in that view’s plane
Y5	Rapid Dimension: the width 60 (ISO 2768)	front, back selected + ribbon 'PMI › Dimension > Rapid Dimension'; nothing typed; MB2 = OK	differs	60.000; in view ['Top'], its label in that view’s plane
Y6	Double-click Front: Top’s PMI are hidden	double-click 'Front' under Model Views	same	visible PMI: none
Y7	Rapid Dimension: the thickness 10 ±0.1	bottom, top selected + ribbon 'PMI › Dimension > Rapid Dimension'; +0.1 and −0.1 typed; MB2 = OK	differs	10.000 ±0.100; in view ['Front'], its label in that view’s plane
Y8	Datum Feature Symbol A on the underside	bottom selected + ribbon 'PMI › Annotation > Datum Feature Symbol'; letter A; MB2 = OK	differs	datum feature A; in view ['Front'], its label in that view’s plane
Y9	Flatness 0.05 on the top face	top selected + ribbon 'PMI › Annotation > Feature Control Frame'; flatness, 0.05; MB2 = OK	differs	flatness \| 0.050; in view ['Front'], its label in that view’s plane
Y10	Double-click Top again: only Top’s PMI show	double-click 'Top'	same	visible PMI: ['Diameter 8.000', 'Distance 60.000']
Y11	Display in Views: datum A also in Top	datum A selected + ribbon 'PMI › Model View > Display in Views', Top ticked beside Front, MB2 = OK	same	datum A in ['Front', 'Top']; visible in Top: ['Datum A', 'Diameter 8.000', 'Distance 60.000']. NX: RMB > Display > in Views
Y12	Isometric has no PMI of its own; Show All PMI shows every view’s	double-click 'Isometric'; ribbon 'PMI › Model View > Show All PMI'	differs	Isometric shows nothing; then 5 PMI, each label in its own view’s plane. NX shows a view’s PMI only while it is the work view; Show All PMI is NXStyle’s
Y13	Drafting: New Sheet, a top view and a front view	Ctrl+Shift+D, ribbon 'New Sheet', twice 'Base View' with the plate selected	differs	NX makes a drawing view from a model view (Base View > Model View to Use); here the view’s direction is set to Top, then Front
Y14	Inherit PMI on each view, From Model View: each gets its model view’s PMI	each view selected + ribbon 'Drafting > Inherit PMI' (the view’s NX_InheritPMI: From Model View)	same	top view (from model view Top): ['Diameter 8.000', 'Distance 60.000']; front view (from model view Front): ['Datum A', 'Distance 10.000', 'Flatness']. Datum A is in Top too, but a datum on the underside shows edge-on only in the front view

In the book (NX)

In FreeCAD NX-Style

Result

Notes

The plate: 80 x 60 x 10 with four Ø8 holes

modelled by script (the exercise is the model views)

differs

volume 45989.4 mm^3

The part’s Model Views: Front, Top, Right, Back, Bottom, Left, Isometric, Trimetric

ribbon 'PMI › Standard > Tolerancing' (ISO GPS), MB2 = OK: the PMI folder and the Model Views folder

same

Model Views ['Front', 'Top', 'Right', 'Back', 'Bottom', 'Left', 'Isometric', 'Trimetric']; work view None. NX’s new part has them from the start; here they come with the part’s first PMI

Double-click Top in the Part Navigator: the work view

double-click 'Top' under Model Views

same

the camera looks down on the plate; new PMI goes into Top

Rapid Dimension on a hole: 4X Ø8 H11

hole selected + ribbon 'PMI › Dimension > Rapid Dimension'; 'H11' typed, quantity 4; MB2 = OK

differs

4X Ø8.000 H11 (+0.090/0); in view ['Top'], its label in that view’s plane

Rapid Dimension: the width 60 (ISO 2768)

front, back selected + ribbon 'PMI › Dimension > Rapid Dimension'; nothing typed; MB2 = OK

differs

60.000; in view ['Top'], its label in that view’s plane

Double-click Front: Top’s PMI are hidden

double-click 'Front' under Model Views

same

visible PMI: none

Rapid Dimension: the thickness 10 ±0.1

bottom, top selected + ribbon 'PMI › Dimension > Rapid Dimension'; +0.1 and −0.1 typed; MB2 = OK

differs

10.000 ±0.100; in view ['Front'], its label in that view’s plane

Datum Feature Symbol A on the underside

bottom selected + ribbon 'PMI › Annotation > Datum Feature Symbol'; letter A; MB2 = OK

differs

datum feature A; in view ['Front'], its label in that view’s plane

Flatness 0.05 on the top face

top selected + ribbon 'PMI › Annotation > Feature Control Frame'; flatness, 0.05; MB2 = OK

differs

flatness | 0.050; in view ['Front'], its label in that view’s plane

Y10

Double-click Top again: only Top’s PMI show

double-click 'Top'

same

visible PMI: ['Diameter 8.000', 'Distance 60.000']

Y11

Display in Views: datum A also in Top

datum A selected + ribbon 'PMI › Model View > Display in Views', Top ticked beside Front, MB2 = OK

same

datum A in ['Front', 'Top']; visible in Top: ['Datum A', 'Diameter 8.000', 'Distance 60.000']. NX: RMB > Display > in Views

Y12

Isometric has no PMI of its own; Show All PMI shows every view’s

double-click 'Isometric'; ribbon 'PMI › Model View > Show All PMI'

differs

Isometric shows nothing; then 5 PMI, each label in its own view’s plane. NX shows a view’s PMI only while it is the work view; Show All PMI is NXStyle’s

Y13

Drafting: New Sheet, a top view and a front view

Ctrl+Shift+D, ribbon 'New Sheet', twice 'Base View' with the plate selected

differs

NX makes a drawing view from a model view (Base View > Model View to Use); here the view’s direction is set to Top, then Front

Y14

Inherit PMI on each view, From Model View: each gets its model view’s PMI

each view selected + ribbon 'Drafting > Inherit PMI' (the view’s NX_InheritPMI: From Model View)

same

top view (from model view Top): ['Diameter 8.000', 'Distance 60.000']; front view (from model view Front): ['Datum A', 'Distance 10.000', 'Flatness']. Datum A is in Top too, but a datum on the underside shows edge-on only in the front view

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

NX’s new part has its model views from the start; here they come with the part’s first PMI.
The replay double-clicks a model view by calling the handler the Part Navigator calls.
Display in Views is on the PMI tab here, on the PMI’s right-click menu in NX. Show All PMI is NX-Style’s.