Generate Exploded Views in Just One Step with BricsCAD Mechanical

You’ve finally completed your mechanical design which consists of dozens of subassemblies with hundreds of components each. Your next task: create an exploded view for a layout. After spending weeks assembling every component into its proper spot, you now have to spend hours disassembling the entire construction, one piece at a time. Or do you? Thanks to BricsCAD’s intelligent “Explode” command, you’re able to completely disassemble your design by executing a single command.

BricsCAD’s “Explode” tool generates a new block with your components in their assembled positions and, by you simply dragging the mouse, pulls apart the components along a defined axis. The tool comes with three modes: Table by Types, Linear, and Manual. The Table option lays the components out on a single plane, grouping similar components together in a table-like arrangement. Linear mode allows the disassembly of components along an axis. This works best for components assembled in this manner, such as the gearbox pictured below.

Once the axis is selected, you simply move the mouse and the components will follow. The disassembly will be completed in logical order: first the external components, then the exposed internal components. BricsCAD will automatically detect the next set of components ready for removal and space them out evenly. If any further tweaking is required, select “Edit” after defining the point of disassembly. This will allow you to manually move any components that have not been disassembled due to possible collisions when moving them axially. Use the disassembly steps under the Exploded Representation to define the states of disassembly. To tweak a component, select the step in which that component needs to be moved and apply it. Position the component as required, then right-click on the exploded representation and select “Save Current State”. The final exploded view can be animated by right-clicking on the name of the view and selecting “Animate”. This will “play out” each step one-by-one to simulate the disassembly.

Manual mode does not move any components, and instead copies the assembly into a new block for manual disassembly, allowing you to simply re-position the parts you wish to tweak. Just remember to add a new step after each movement and save the current state, otherwise the components will move simultaneously during the animation.