?Fix ALL?
?Fix ALL?
(OP)
Well, it happened to me:
Last week, I imported a bunch of subassembly files, put them in an overall assembly, mated their planes/origins to the global planes/origin, and fixed each one in place.
This week, apparently one of them 'blew up'. The subassembly was still marked (f), but its components had migrated all over the damn place. I could swear there were pieces of other assemblies flying around, but when I reimported this one from the step file, the top assembly seems to have pretty much repaired itself.
Each of these subassemblies has several subassemblies of its own, and so on. Some components are four levels down. None are fixed within the subassembly files, and apparently, fixing the subassembly doesn't really always tie it down.
So I searched. In the closed thread titled ""stabilizing unglued step import", I think someone asserted that there exists a command to fix all components of an item in the feature tree with one command, but didn't mention what the command was. I sure couldn't find it. Solidworks Help didn't.
The alternative is opening a couple hundred subassembly files and fixing each item in each feature tree.
Is there a simple way?
Last week, I imported a bunch of subassembly files, put them in an overall assembly, mated their planes/origins to the global planes/origin, and fixed each one in place.
This week, apparently one of them 'blew up'. The subassembly was still marked (f), but its components had migrated all over the damn place. I could swear there were pieces of other assemblies flying around, but when I reimported this one from the step file, the top assembly seems to have pretty much repaired itself.
Each of these subassemblies has several subassemblies of its own, and so on. Some components are four levels down. None are fixed within the subassembly files, and apparently, fixing the subassembly doesn't really always tie it down.
So I searched. In the closed thread titled ""stabilizing unglued step import", I think someone asserted that there exists a command to fix all components of an item in the feature tree with one command, but didn't mention what the command was. I sure couldn't find it. Solidworks Help didn't.
The alternative is opening a couple hundred subassembly files and fixing each item in each feature tree.
Is there a simple way?
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA






RE: ?Fix ALL?
Dan
www.eltronresearch.com
Dan's Blog
RE: ?Fix ALL?
Dan
www.eltronresearch.com
Dan's Blog
RE: ?Fix ALL?
Chris
SolidWorks 08, CATIA V5
ctopher's home (updated Aug 5, 2008)
ctopher's blog
SolidWorks Legion
RE: ?Fix ALL?
It's a big model. The manufacturer breaks it into manageable chunks by system. E.g. the oil filter, brackets, plumbing, etc. in one file. There are also variant systems, i.e. oil filter mounted high, oil filter mounted low, stuff like that.
I don't know what CAD system the engine manufacturer uses. When the STEP files arrive, the parts are all in the correct place relative to one another, and to the standard 'reference point' on the engine. I.e. the origin of every chunk is at the crank center, at the rear of the block.
So, to add a system, you just insert its subassembly, and mate the subassembly's origin planes to the top assembly's origin planes. Similarly to remove it and substitute a variant subassembly.
I sure don't want to go through an entire engine and apply mates to fix every damn piece in place.
;---
Conceptually, it seems like, at every redraw, SW actually disassembles the entire model, puts all the pieces in a heap, and then reconstructs the model from scratch based on what the mates allow it to do, or not do.
The model doesn't always go back together like it was before, and it was hard to get used to how dramatically different the model can become in one redraw.
I appreciate the power of Solidworks' 'mates' in design, but so many times I wish it weren't quite so smart, because it's not all that smart all the time.
In this instance, I'd really like to have a 'mate' that can apply recursively down through multiple levels of subassemblies in the feature tree, that just says to SW, "Leave this where I put it. DO NOT rearrange it."
I thought that's what "Fix" did, but clearly my understanding was incorrect.
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: ?Fix ALL?
Each subassembly I just group select everything in feature manager tree and apply FIX relation. All parts are fixed at once.
I too have experienced rogue parts flying around when working with imported STEP files.
RE: ?Fix ALL?
Alternatively, after opening a STEP file, do a File > Save as > Save as type:Part (*.prt, *.sldprt) and use one of the Exterior Faces, Exterior Components or All Components options. This will create a multi-body part whose 'components' will be immovable.
FYI, after selecting a part or sub-assy to insert, you only need to click the tick for it to be placed, aligned and fixed at the origin.
RE: ?Fix ALL?
-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)
RE: ?Fix ALL?
RE: ?Fix ALL?
Thanks, handleman; I will try that next time. I'll probably have to reimport the dozen-ish subs again anyway...
Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA
RE: ?Fix ALL?
-handleman, CSWP (The new, easy test)
RE: ?Fix ALL?