External references
External references
(OP)
Just wanted the expert's opinions on external references.
Is there any of you who swear by them or swear at them.
Would some of you be lost without them or some wish they had been left out of SW??
I have never made much use of them but was wondering if maybe I could increase my productivity by using them.
What pitfalls should I avoid etc.
Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
DGIY
BTW SW 2004-SP1
Is there any of you who swear by them or swear at them.
Would some of you be lost without them or some wish they had been left out of SW??
I have never made much use of them but was wondering if maybe I could increase my productivity by using them.
What pitfalls should I avoid etc.
Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks,
DGIY
BTW SW 2004-SP1






RE: External references
Still, I have a "split-personality" about the use of external references. In design phase, I use them and keep them. When a part is released for production, I make sure that each part file is a stand-alone. I make liberal use of layout sketches, so reattaching external references when needed for changes presents little difficulty.
http://www.EsoxRepublic.com
RE: External references
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: External references
For example, a single sketch in the control part will drive the hole postions in two different mating assemblies. You can open each assembly on its' own with out the hole positions being "out of context".
RE: External references
You can have master files and simply have them copied to a directory for all jobs. This away the masters are never affected by any change.
See web site. I have posted information regarding this:
http://www.scottjbaugh.com/Design_Portfolio/SW%20M...
Scott Baugh, CSWP
http://www.3dvisiontech.com
http://www.scottjbaugh.com
FAQ731-376
RE: External references
Prior to releasing drawings - is it preferable to break or lock references? If breaking - do you redimension the unconstrained sketches?
The control part technique by CMcF is pretty cool - I'm going to try it out on my next design - any other words of wisdom when mating external references to a common layout sketch?
Tim
RE: External references
"But what... is it good for?"
Engineer at the Advanced Computing Systems Division of IBM, 1968, commenting on the microchip.
Have you read FAQ731-376 to make the best use of Eng-Tips Forums?
RE: External references
We also try to make sure all parts are standalone before moving them to production. We've been burned once too often by parts that were related to parts that either didn't exist or had been changed so drastically that they couldn't be used as a modelling context. In-context is still used quite frequently for development.
I also like to keep all external references to within an assembly - multiple contexts are dangerous! It's best if that assembly is small - I have seen small parts (gussets, bosses) designed in context of whole machine models! Wouldn't want to the guy who has to change the shape of that gusset!
I am also a fan of designing using a "base part" or layout sketch to which all other parts are related. This prevents circular references and keeps everything a little neater.
RE: External references
Would anyone add layout sketches to this part or is it better to have another "base part" within the assembly that has all the layout sketches and planes?
RE: External references
An alternative is to create all the planes & layout sketches inside of a folder. That way the feature tree is kept smaller & tidier & will not affect any BOMs.
RE: External references
I do this with hinge models. The moving leaf is designed in the closed position as an envelope. The moveable component is the same model as the base part, but a regular component.
http://www.EsoxRepublic.com
RE: External references
RE: External references