Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
(OP)
Hi all,
The question/challenge of the day: Can assembly constraints (part to part) be created using keystrokes only (through the keyboard but no mouse)?
If so, how?
If there is interest, I can provide more information about the assembly I'm trying to build.
Reactor89
The question/challenge of the day: Can assembly constraints (part to part) be created using keystrokes only (through the keyboard but no mouse)?
If so, how?
If there is interest, I can provide more information about the assembly I'm trying to build.
Reactor89





RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services
www.infotechpr.net
RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
Thanks for your comment.
Just to confirm your suspicions. I've already developed a script/macro in visual basic that allows the inserting of parts into an assembly by exploiting Pro/E's Mapkey capabilities and feeding keystrokes directly to Pro/E.
I figure this is roughly what your talking about and yes it's very feasible to pull off. It's the constraining of parts that a macro tells Pro/E to insert where I'm drawing a blank.
As far as I can tell, Pro/E forces the user to constrain parts in an assembly through a series of mouse picks. Can someone prove me wrong? Is there away to constrain parts in an assembly through a series of keystrokes?
Reactor89
RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
3 complex parts could be assembled in billions of different ways.
RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
Excellent point, but the only reason why I'm even considering automating the process is I believe the assembly (though large) is very simple.
In my situation I have a couple thousand parts,all with unique geometry but are all roughly blocks with axises down their center.
There is a sheet with a pattern of axises on it that I wish to assemble these blocks to. All the blocks should be constrained in roughly the same way:
Bottom face of block matted to Top face of base sheet, Center axis of block to axis a certain axis in the pattern, Datum plain right of block oriented and aligned with Datum plain right of base sheet, Fully constrained.
I think the process is simple enough to script when it comes to the logic. I just don't think a script is feasible if I can't create constraints with keystrokes.
Thanks of the comment,
Reactor89
RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
Peter Stockhausen
Senior Design Analyst (Checker)
Infotech Aerospace Services
www.infotechpr.net
RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
Sort of. I want to automate an assembly process.
My current project has a couple thousand parts that will all be assembled with roughly the same set of constraints for each part (see last post). No matter the size of the assembly, the assembly isn't very technically challenging to build, just time consuming.
Now with this small, couple thousand part, assembly I can get away with building this one by hand. Yet what if I needed to build a 500,000 part assembly of the same type with the same process?
Can I automate the process or do I need to hire a team large enough to be it done in a couple of weeks?
Reactor89
RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
RE: Creating assembly constraints with keystrokes only
Pro/NOTEBOOK sounds like a cool tool to look into. Do you know of any online resources on Pro/NOTEBOOK that would be worth reading?
Reactor89