best practices with modifying assemblies
best practices with modifying assemblies
(OP)
I have often need to modify assemblies, and I am wondering why and what the logic is, that most of the "part features" (ie extrudes, chamfering, etc) are not possible in the assemblies? I am guessing that it is deemed "not good practice" to modify a component or part of an assembly...but two examples:
1. I work with plastic parts and it is common for me to heat fuse 2 parts together. Some of the resulting geometry would be much easier to approximate using fillets or chamfers in the assembly.
2. Another example would be: what if you are making a part out of plywood (and need to show the layers). First step would be to create a sheet of ply-wood, second step, for example would be to make a 45 degree chamfer around the edge....can't do it, unless you make a cut (the only function that seems to be available in assemblies).
I am looking for both practical solutions (if any!) and also some insight for the reasoning SW is setup this way.
Thanks
Paul






RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
I guess a chamfer is treated as a mod to a single part.
Configs of the assy condition of a part can be created at the part level and shown in the assy level.
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
Adding material in an assembly should never be possible because you need the material to come from somewhere - that makes it a BOM issue. Think of it this way, you can run a router around an assembled group of parts, sweep up the chips and dispose of them, but you cannot add material with out it coming from somewhere.
A quick point about fillets, Sw treats fillets and rounds with the same term and tool button, but they are not the same thing. A fillet is concave (material added) a round is convex (material removed)
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
GWUBS: Thanks for the input; and I agree with your comment regarding adding mat'l in an assembly....the mat'l added should be a part such as adding rivets or glue when putting three subassemblies together, for example. I would say an extrusion is a bad example; and perhaps perhaps my question is limited to modifying parts in the assembly....in fact, I suggest mat'l should not be added, but more powerful tools for removal (fillets/chamfers) and also "shaping" is needed. In my heat forming example, material is not removed, it is repositioned (nothing added or lost). Sounds more like surface modifications in the assembly?
And quickly back to the "rounds" that you describe. It seems that one can use both practices; drilling down to the base part to utilize the easy fillet feature, or one can stay in the assembly and use the more cumbersome (or at least more time intensive) sketch and cut method. I have used both methods and it seems to me there is that gap in the SW program for a fillet/round function in the assembly. At least you have confirmed a similar desire.
thanks.
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
For the plywood example, a multibody part is likely the best way. That way you have discrete layers of plywood, but can use all the tools on them.
If it is super important to then see each layer on its own in its own part, then use the split function to split each body off into it's own saved file.
BUT - there is always a but it seems.
After trying it for an example I have hit upon a very similar problem. You can't put a radius on multiple bodies. This would be nice if you could, and to my way of thinking more suitable than being able to do it in assemblies.
The multibody method may help with other issues you are having though.
For my plywood example attached, I have made it of 3 layers of ply, which you can split out if you need exact shape of each layer, then combine (ie gluing stage of manufacture), then finish.
Cheers,
Craig
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
Insert Part has a launch Move dialog option that can be used to set Mating constraints between the inserted parts and other geometry.
Michael
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
RE: best practices with modifying assemblies
Paul