Which skills or software is required to do automation in NX? I want to make a model which can be controlled (on/off feature, change dimensions) using an Excel sheet.

Answer 1

To automate a model in Siemens NX using an Excel spreadsheet, you need the following software and skills:

    1.    Siemens NX software – A version that supports expressions, journaling, and the NX Open API is required.

    2.    Microsoft Excel – This will be used to store input data such as dimensions or on/off feature control values.

    3.    Programming knowledge – You’ll need to know a language like:

    •    VBA (Visual Basic for Applications) – to write macros directly in Excel

    •    Or Python – commonly used with NX Open for automation

    4.    NX Open API – This is Siemens’ programming interface that allows you to control NX from external code. It supports:

    •    VBA

    •    Python

    •    C++ / C#

    •    VB.NET

Example of how it works:

    •    In NX, you create a model with expressions controlling dimensions or features.

    •    In Excel, you create a table with values to update.

    •    A script (VBA or Python) reads the Excel values, updates the NX model’s expressions, and regenerates the model automatically.

This setup allows you to automate repetitive modeling tasks and easily make controlled updates using Excel.