More about Join Features

The join feature is a multi-body functional feature which connects two bodies with screws as the joining elements. This topic provides you with the information you need to create the join features

The following are discussed:

Related Topics
Joining Bodies

Defining Join Features

The join feature connects two bodies with screws as the joining elements.

Within each of the joined bodies, the necessary shapes to accommodate the screws are created. For each body that is being connected, the Join command will create a Join feature. In the two body case, two Join features (representing a join head and a join thread) will be created: one for each connected body (similar to the lip feature).

During the join definition, it is not necessary to specify both of these bodies. However once the Join has been defined, it is not possible to change the bodies that the features were placed in.

One of the Join features is created in the active body. When this body is one half of a divided body that is in the document, then both the Join head and the Join thread features are created automatically. When instead the other half of the divided body is missing (either deleted or not created) or the active body is not the result of a division, then only the join head or thread is created. During the initial creation of the Join features, different non-active bodies may be specified as the body to connect the active one to.

Similarly to the lip feature each of the two individual Join features has a separate life cycle. Therefore it is possible to delete the join feature from each joined body separately.

Join Dialog Box

The Join dialog box allows you to define the paramers you need via different tabs.

Screw Tab:

The parameters to define are as follows:





Head Tab:

The parameters to define are as follows:



Shank Tab:

The parameters to define are as follows:



Clamp Tab:

The parameters to define are as follows:



Thread Tab:

The parameters to define are as follows:



About Outside Joints

You can create a join feature externally outside of the joining bodies. For the outside joins the guide height should be set to 0.0. If the guide height is not set to 0.0, the guide will be added to the inside geometry but not the outside geometry. If gussets are activated, they also only create inside geometry.