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      <title>Typical sheet metal workflow</title>
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      <div class="title_topic2" id="xps10_pagetitle">Typical sheet metal workflow</div>
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      <p class="para_topic"> In a typical NX Sheet Metal workflow, you: </p>
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            <p class="para_item">Set the default values for sheet metal properties. (See <a class="links" href="javascript:void(0)" onclick="top.openFile('nx_sheet_metal/ch_def.html');return(false);">Changing the Defaults</a> for more information.)
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            <p class="para_item">Sketch the shape of the base feature, or use an existing sketch/section.</p>
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            <p class="para_item">Construct the base feature, which is normally a tab, but which can also be a contour flange or a lofted flange.</p>
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            <p class="para_item">Add features, such as flanges, jogs, and bends to further define the basic shape of the formed sheet metal part.</p>
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            <p class="para_item">Apply unbends to flatten the bend areas where needed, and place holes, cutouts, embosses, or louver-type features on the part. </p>
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            <p class="para_item">Rebend flattened bend areas to complete the part. </p>
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            <p class="para_item">Create a flat pattern of the part for drafting and later manufacturing.</p>
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      <div class="title_division">Constructing a base feature</div>
      <p class="para_division">The typical workflow for construction of a sheet metal part begins with a base feature that typically defines the part's shape. In NX Sheet Metal, you normally start with a tab, but you can also use a contour flange or a lofted flange. The <b class="uiTerm">Tab</b> command allows you to construct a flat feature of any shape using a closed profile.
      </p><br><p align="center"><img align="bottom" src="graphics/tab_base_prt.gif"></p>
      <div class="title_division">Adding features</div>
      <p class="para_division">After you have constructed the base feature, you can use the commands on the <b class="uiTerm">NX Sheet Metal</b> and <b class="uiTerm">Form Features</b> toolbars to complete the part by adding flanges, jogs, bends, cutouts, holes, pockets, and so on. 
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      <p align="center"><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_w_feat.gif"></p>
      <div class="title_division">Creating a flat pattern</div>
      <p class="para_division">You use <b class="uiTerm">Flat Solid</b>&nbsp;<img align="bottom" src="graphics/flatten_icon.gif" border="0"> to create a new solid body in the part file while keeping the original (parent).
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      <p class="para_division"> The flattened body (and flat pattern) are always at the end of at the timestamp order. Every time a new feature is added onto the parent body, the flattened body is placed at the end. It updates to reflect changes in the parent.<br><br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/flat_solid.gif" border="0"></p>
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                  <p class="para_td"><img align="bottom" src="graphics/partnav_mod_history.gif" border="0">Model History<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_datum_plane.gif" border="0">Fixed Datum Plane (0)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_datum_axis.gif" border="0">Fixed Datum Axis (1)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_datum_axis.gif" border="0">Fixed Datum Axis (2)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/partnavtab.gif" border="0">SB Tab (3)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_extrude.gif" border="0">Extrude (4)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_bend.gif" border="0">SB Bend (5)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_bend.gif" border="0">SB Bend (6)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_bend.gif" border="0">SB Bend (7)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_bend.gif" border="0">SB Bend (8)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_extrude.gif" border="0">Extrude (9)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_flat_solid.gif" border="0">SB Flat Solid (10)<br><img align="bottom" src="graphics/part_nav_flat_solid.gif" border="0">Flat Pattern (11)<br></p>
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      </table><br><p class="para_division">You then use <b class="uiTerm">Flat Pattern</b>&nbsp;<img align="bottom" src="graphics/flat_pattern_sc.gif" border="0"> to create a sheet metal flat pattern for export to a machine tool for manufacturing. This step supplements <b class="uiTerm">Flat Solid</b> by including extra entities such as bend centerlines, tangent lines, and other attributes that provide special machine instructions. You use <b class="uiTerm">Customer Defaults</b> to specify which entities you want represented, and how you want them annotated.
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