Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
(OP)
Hi,
I know questions around this have been asked a million times before, and I've searched loads of old threads but can't seem to find a solution to this:
I'm setting up drawing templates with title blocks etc...
We use the master model method (i.e. separate drawing and part files.) I want to get to the stage where; with a model file open, a user can click file>new then select the right drawing template and the fields in the title block will be auto-populated with attributes from the PART file (which was open).
So far I've got the stage where I can get the part filename though to the drawing (i.e. using <W@$SH_MASTER_PART_NAME> ) but I can't get any other information (from file>properties>attributes in the part file) to filter through.
Any ideas?
Apologies if this has been eluded to in a previous thread, but any help appreciated.
Thanks,
Simon
I know questions around this have been asked a million times before, and I've searched loads of old threads but can't seem to find a solution to this:
I'm setting up drawing templates with title blocks etc...
We use the master model method (i.e. separate drawing and part files.) I want to get to the stage where; with a model file open, a user can click file>new then select the right drawing template and the fields in the title block will be auto-populated with attributes from the PART file (which was open).
So far I've got the stage where I can get the part filename though to the drawing (i.e. using <W@$SH_MASTER_PART_NAME> ) but I can't get any other information (from file>properties>attributes in the part file) to filter through.
Any ideas?
Apologies if this has been eluded to in a previous thread, but any help appreciated.
Thanks,
Simon





RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
<W@$SH_SHEET_NUMBER>
<W@$SH_NUMBER_OF_SHEETS>
<W@$SH_SHEET_SCALE_NUMERATOR>
<W@$SH_SHEET_SCALE_DENOMINATOR>
<W@$SH_SHEET_SIZE>
<W@$SH_SHEET_UNITS>
<W@$SH_SHEET_PROJECTION_ANGLE>
<W@$SH_MASTER_PART_NAME>
<W@$SH_PART_NAME>
The date is somewhat more elaborate:
In de expression editor (in modeling -> Ctrl-E) create the following expressions (all type string):
MyDate = StringUpper(dateTimeString("localTime?", True))
MyDay = subString(MyDate, 9, 10)
MyMonth = subString(MyDate, 5, 7)
MyYear = subString(MyDate, 21, 25)
MyTimeStamp = MyDay + " " + MyMonth + " " + MyYear
Then in Drafting pasted this text into a note: <X0@MyTimeStamp>
(update date in Modeling with Tools -> Update -> Update for External Change)
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Design
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
If I were in an already-created drawing of a part (master model) I'd select the part name in the assembly navigator, but as this is a template I'm trying to create, there's no part model to select. Have I explained this clearly?
Thanks,
Simon
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
Secondly, selecting Part Attribute as a relation in the template file only brings through the template's properties (Attributes),not the part that the drawing will be displaying.
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
We seem to have both the MATERIAL attribute defined in the model template and the drawing template and are having the problem of the drawing MATERIAL attribute not updating to the same value as the model MATERIAL attribute. I will be trying tommorrow to remove the MATERIAL attribute from the drawing template file to see if this works.
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
Before you create your Drawing template, create a 'dummy' Part file which we will use to represent a typical piece part model. Now the solid body that you place in this 'dummy' file can be anything including something as simple as a 'block' primitive. Now in this file create all of your standard Part Attributes that you will need. You can leave the values blank or just place some text as place-holders. Now save the file.
OK, now create your drawing template file using the 'dummy' part you just created as the master part model for the drawing. If the file only contained a block, that's fine, you'll now have a 'drawing' of a 'block'. Go ahead and define the views that you wish in your drawing template (I've got several templates of different sizes with different predefined view layouts such as 2, 3, and 4 - view layouts). Now with this simple 'drawing' in front of you go ahead and add the notes that you need in your template using the 'Relationship' option, 'Object Attributes', selecting the 'component' of the master part model as the 'object' (make sure you select the component and not the body). When you do this you will get a list of Object Attributes (which were the Part Attributes created in the 'dummy' part file) and just select and include in your template annotation the attribute references that you wish.
Now save and close all the open files.
Now open one of your actual piece parts, making sure that you've populated the Part Attributes with the data that you need. Now with this file open, apply your new drawing template. What happens is that your template will be looking for the 'dummy' component that was there when you saved it, but instead it will find your actual part file, which will replace the 'dummy' file it was expecting, and all of the attribute assignments will also be replaced and your drawing annotations which were linked to the attributes of that 'dummy' part will now be linked to your actual part file attributes.
So give that a try. It requires a little bit more prep-work up-front, but once you've got things set up, it should work exactly as you need it to.
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Design
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
A thousand thank-yous, or a star - I've opted for the star.
Pretty long-winded, but it works - and just one question; surely this is something that loads of people come across - could I have found this in the help documentation anywhere?
Thanks again,
Simon
RE: Automatic Attribute annotations - title block values
John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
NX Design
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Cypress, CA
http://www.siemens.com/plm
http://www.plmworld.org/museum/
To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.