Creating Basic Explosions

Use

You can quickly create exploded views from an assembly or selected parts of an assembly. The exploded parts can be linear, radial or both, and either snap or create keyframe animations of the parts moving into the final (exploded) position.

When you select objects and start a new explosion, an anchor object is automatically selected, the anchor is highlighted in the scene, and explosion handles display. The arrow-shaped handles are used in a linear explosion, and the sphere-shaped handles are used in a radial explosion.



Explosion Handles showing x, y and z axes

Activities

Exploding Objects Using Linear Mode

  1. Open a 3D file, select a subassembly in the scene by pressing CTRL, and dragging with the mouse. The selected objects are highlighted in the scene.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • From the Manual Explode toolbar, choose Start New Explode

    • From the Tool Assistant, choose Start New Explode Process

    The explosion handles display in the scene, and the explosion anchor is highlighted.

  3. Click and hold a linear explosion handle (arrow), and drag it along the axis, away from the model. The objects dynamically explode along the axis as the handle is dragged.

  4. Release the mouse button. The objects display in their final exploded positions.

  5. Choose Finish Explode

Exploding Objects Using Radial Mode

  1. Open a 3D file, select a subassembly in the scene by pressing CTRL, and dragging with the mouse. The selected objects are highlighted in the scene.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • From the Manual Explode toolbar, choose Start New Explode

    • From the Tool Assistant, choose Start New Explode Process

    The explosion handles display in the scene, and the explosion anchor is highlighted.

  3. Click and hold a radial explosion handle (sphere), and drag it away from the model. The objects dynamically explode away from a central axis in all directions as the handle is dragged.

  4. Release the mouse button. The objects display in their final exploded positions.

  5. Choose Finish Explode

Changing the Anchor

  1. Open a 3D file and start the explosion process.

  2. Press SHIFT, and select the object to be the explosion anchor. The object is highlighted, and the explosion handles move to the selected object.