What’s New In NX | Model-Based Definition and NX Inspector
Robust model-based definition (MBD) is vital for connecting the digital thread between design and manufacturing. The mature MBD capabilities in NX™ software are a key factor of the comprehensive digital twin offered by the Siemens Xcelerator platform, and the December 2024 release of NX brings further enhancements to both manual and automated MBD workflows.
NX Inspector now introduces model-based characteristics (MBC) as well to give you even greater control of the product manufacturing information (PMI) within the MBD. It’s the first CAD-native implementation of the Digital Metrology Standards Consortium standard for MBC, integrating data that engineers previously managed across a variety of documents and software tools.
Keep reading to learn about how these new features from the December 2024 release of NX can help you improve the fidelity of your CAD data and communicate accurate requirements for downstream manufacturing and quality processes.
NX Inspector
NX Inspector is a new NX add-on module that allows you to define and manage PMI characteristics directly within the NX CAD workspace.
What are model-based characteristics?
Each individual PMI object can generate multiple quality and manufacturing requirements included in the MBD, known as ‘characteristics’.
For example, a single hole callout may have characteristics defining its diameter, threading and tolerance requirements. And a part may have multiple holes with either the same or differing characteristics.
It’s critical that these characteristics are managed and presented in a consistent and standardized way to ensure that they can be consumed successfully in downstream CAM and CMM processes.
The Digital Metrology Standards Consortium provides such a standard for model-based characteristics. It details how to define various requirements, how to structure the data, and which symbols to use in technical drawings.
NX Inspector follows this standard and supports output in CAD-neutral formats such as PLMXML and QIF for interoperability with a wide range of software platforms.
Using NX Inspector
NX Inspector supports characterization of all critical PMI types, including:
- Geometric tolerance
- Dimensional tolerance
- Surface texture
- Hole callout and thread specifications
- Chamfer dimensions
- General notes
Direct associativity between characteristics and the relevant PMI objects means that characteristics update in real time as you make design changes, avoiding time-consuming and repetitive edits.
NX Inspector also tracks and manages each discrete PMI object and its characteristics as uniquely identified data points. For example, it won’t just register a group of four holes of 5mm diameter, but create holes 1, 2, 3, and 4 to be tracked, managed and consumed individually.
The Characteristics Navigator lets you browse and manage characteristics with a convenient interface familiar to any experienced NX user. And you can even use NX Open to automate characterization creation and further boost efficiency.
Teamcenter Integration
The true power of NX Inspector and MBC is unlocked by extending the digital thread through to manufacturing and quality control. Integration with Teamcenter and Teamcenter Quality makes this transition seamless.
You can save and manage the Bill of Characteristics in Teamcenter, with full tracking, history and notification functionality. The relations tab shows you where each individual characteristic is used and navigate to a characteristic’s source, consuming objects, or related objects.
Teamcenter Quality allows you to plan part inspection using the model-based characteristics generated by NX Inspector. The Inspection Plan automatically generates individual inspection steps by combining MBC data from NX with knowledge base information from the Teamcenter Quality Characteristics Library.
Model-Based Definition
As well as the new NX Inspector module, there are also a range of enhancements to the existing NX MBD and PMI capabilities.
Workflow efficiency
The development and adoption of model-based definition in recent decades has meant an ever-increasing amount of information being added to CAD parts. For industries that work with larger assemblies, such as the marine or architecture sectors, there can be a huge amount of data to produce and manage.
That’s why we regularly enhance the standard PMI authoring and drafting workflows through our continuous release cycle – to save you time and effort. In the latest release, PMI loading is now delayed when you partially or minimally load an assembly to speed up the overall loading process. You can also set PMI to only load on demand to speed up loading further.
Automation
Automating your MBD workflows through rules-driven PMI is another key time-saver. It also ensures repeatability and consistency for PMI across your organization, and reduces the risk of manual errors.
New for December 2024 is the ability to automate PMI ballooning with Logic Editor nodes for selecting, modifying and identifying PMI balloon. Along with new rules for creating part, ply, and composite material tables, there are now over 100 PMI out-of-the-box and production-ready automation rules in NX for you to explore.
Read more
The December 2024 release of NX has a wealth of new features and enhancements across a wide variety of workflows and specialisms.
Our What’s New blogs are the best way to keep up-to-date with NX updates – check out the Advanced Capabilities blog for more information about Assemblies, Lattice Designer, and NX Realize Shape.
