{"id":7557,"date":"2023-06-09T12:15:17","date_gmt":"2023-06-09T16:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/?p=7557"},"modified":"2026-03-26T04:34:54","modified_gmt":"2026-03-26T08:34:54","slug":"nx-composites-nx-tips-and-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/nx-composites-nx-tips-and-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"NX Composites: Part Two | NX Tips and Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-9d6595d7 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<p>It\u2019s time for another exciting episode of the NX\u2122 software <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/category\/tips-tricks\/\">tips and tricks<\/a> series! We\u2019re going deeper into the amazing features of the December 2022 release of NX. Thanks to our continuous release cycle, we\u2019re always adding new functionality to NX based on your suggestions and feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our previous entry into the series investigated NX Join. If you missed it, check the video here. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, onto this week\u2019s episode.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NX | Tips and Tricks | NX Join: part one\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/bHGVVnGTUo4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">An introduction<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On this week\u2019s episode, we are going to be circling back to the second part of composites. To review what was covered in part one, let\u2019s list the main points:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Define the layup surface<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Define the composite region<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Defining and selecting the laminate<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Creating a composite material<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Performing a producibility simulation<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Examining the results<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Here\u2019s some exciting news \u2013 we are going to build upon these concepts today for a full landscape view on Composites within NX.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Change line widths and orientation colors to distinguish layers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"509\" height=\"421\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-preference.png\" alt=\"This image shows the composites preference window. \" class=\"wp-image-7559 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-preference.png 509w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-preference-300x248.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 509px) 100vw, 509px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>When working with composite parts, it is important to know the scale you are working with. For this example, let\u2019s say that our scale is set to one. Now, our displayed cross section will be displayed with a scale of one. If we go to view our cross section and decide that the layers are a bit thin, an easy solution is to change the ply scale to bring the layers to life.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide has-media-on-the-right is-stacked-on-mobile\"><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p>Now that our layers are viewable, we can see the colors of each ply layer. Within NX, we can customize these layers by accessing composite preferences within the menu. If there is a certain layer that you are focused on, this would be a great way to distinguish it with a color that pops.<\/p>\n<\/div><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"501\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-layers-1024x501.png\" alt=\"This image shows the colors of the different ply layers.\" class=\"wp-image-7560 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-layers-1024x501.png 1024w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-layers-300x147.png 300w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-layers-768x376.png 768w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-layers-900x441.png 900w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/composite-layers.png 1203w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-white-color has-text-color has-background\" style=\"background-color:#009999\"><em>Top Tip: Use the show and hide command, which can be quickly accessed with Control W, to show or hide any features that are necessary.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-stacked-on-mobile\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"378\" height=\"424\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/design-station.png\" alt=\"This image shows the design station window. \" class=\"wp-image-7561 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/design-station.png 378w, https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/design-station-267x300.png 267w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 378px) 100vw, 378px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Design station analysis<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The next piece of functionality to look at is the design station. Here, we can select a point on the part to analyze the direction. The layup is indicated by the arrow from the point, and we can view information like the number of ply layers, thickness at that point, and other information about each layer. When selecting a ply layer, that region will become highlighted for ease of use. Once the design station is complete, click on the composite navigator to select what you would like additional information on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fixing invalid ply layers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After our analysis, we can see if the model was rolled back, or the composite region was affected. If a reference region is deleted, the ply layers will need to be reassigned to a region to become valid again.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">To conclude<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>We hope that you have learned something new about composites during this week\u2019s tips and tricks series. To recap what we have covered today, we have learned about:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Distinguishing layers with colors and line widths<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Running a design station analysis<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fixing invalid ply layers and reassigning them<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>To find a full suite of NX tips and tricks, click the first link at the bottom!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-medium-font-size\"><strong>NX Composites: Part Two | NX Tips and Tricks YouTube Video<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"NX | Tips and Tricks | Composites: Part Two\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Xo50Ca9LLSU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/category\/tips-tricks\/\">Find more tips and tricks<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dex.siemens.com\/plm\/nx-cloud-connected-products?viewState=ListView&amp;cartID=&amp;portalUser=&amp;store=&amp;cclcl=en_US&amp;selected=plm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Buy NX<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/plm.sw.siemens.com\/en-US\/nx\/cad-cam-software-trials\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Start a 30 day free trial of NX<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>It\u2019s time for another exciting episode of the NX\u2122 software tips and tricks series! We\u2019re going deeper into the amazing&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":85609,"featured_media":7563,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"spanish_translation":"","french_translation":"","german_translation":"","italian_translation":"","polish_translation":"","japanese_translation":"","chinese_translation":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[166,162],"tags":[3,501,533,532],"industry":[],"product":[304],"coauthors":[676],"class_list":["post-7557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-tricks","category-learning-resources","tag-cad","tag-nx","tag-nxmakesitreal","tag-tips-tricks","product-nx"],"featured_image_url":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/06\/Blog_Header_CompositesPart2.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/85609"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7557"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7557\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7567,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7557\/revisions\/7567"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7563"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7557"},{"taxonomy":"industry","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/industry?post=7557"},{"taxonomy":"product","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/product?post=7557"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.sw.siemens.com\/nx-design\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=7557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}