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What is a skeleton part?

What is a skeleton part?

RE: What is a skeleton part?

A skeleton part is a part that drives top level parts, assemblies, etc.  The skeleton part classically contains planes, axes and other reference geometry that bounds the design.  In SW you can insert the skeleton part into every part of the design so you are sure your product is within a fixed workspace.  In assemblies you can use the skeleton as a reference in in-context design.  Any change made to the original skeleton sketch will propagate to all of the other components.

Make sense?

Dan

www.eltronresearch.com
Dan's Blog

RE: What is a skeleton part?

Being the Halloween season it's tempting to reply with "fibula", or "tibia" heh heh.  Their use is to distinguish owners thereof from invertebrates.

RE: What is a skeleton part?

Sounds like Pro/E terminology for what is described above.

I like the idea, but have found issues with it in the real world.  Specifically, most MRP and ECN systems (and the folks who run them) do not look kindly upon skeleton part files.

My compromise is to have top-level assembly sketches that I use for subordinate parts.  I can't have surfaces or bodies, but it is a good middle ground.

RE: What is a skeleton part?

A skeleton part has a similar goal as working in-context does, i.e. parts are not their own little island, but one part knows about its neighbour and can react to how it updates. This can make design changes much quicker and less painful.

Ok. with that out of the way, next question: why not just use in-context?

In-context makes links, one part references another, right? well if you do that for a few parts, it's already hard to really track what's going on right? what is tied to what, and how? By using a skeleton part you know all the links are funneled to and through the skeleton part.

For sure it's an old Pro|E term, this technique has been employed practically since its birth in the early '90s. Way before my time, that's for sure!

Certified SolidWorks Professional

RE: What is a skeleton part?

How do you start one?  In assembly mode?  And how different is it from a layout linkage?  Thanks!

RE: What is a skeleton part?

You just create a part that is only reference geometry.  Then insert it into your assembly or other part models.

Dan

www.eltronresearch.com
Dan's Blog

RE: What is a skeleton part?

"Layout" is SolidWorks' recent method of incorporating the skeleton concept.  Fundamentally, a skeleton is a standalone part containing only sketch and reference geometry.  Then when inserted into an assembly, ALL incontexting is relative to the skeleton... not part to part.  This keeps the incontexting very linear... no circular references (i.e. rebuild icons that won't go away).

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Pretty good with SolidWorks

RE: What is a skeleton part?

(OP)
Actually the part you start with doesn't have to be just "reference" geometry. It can be any valid part. Of course if it does have mass it will be added to whatever part you insert in. You can trick SW by taking a part with mass and using delete face to remove a face turning it into reference.

 

TOP
CSWP, BSSE
www.engtran.com  www.niswug.org
www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

RE: What is a skeleton part?

(OP)

Quote (cinnamongirl):

And how different is it from a layout linkage?
A layout in an assembly is a 3D sketch. As such it has to be treated as a 3D sketch. 3D sketching has a few quirks and limitations that 2D sketches don't have. One issue with 3D sketches is that they are more complex and compute intensive and thus more prone to relationship issues.
If you are creating a planar mechanism a 2D sketch will work just fine in either an assembly or a part.  

TOP
CSWP, BSSE
www.engtran.com  www.niswug.org
www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

RE: What is a skeleton part?

(OP)
It would be incomplete not to mention, the original use for the skeleton part, aka, the envelope was in assemblies. An ordinary part can be brought into an assembly as an envelope (insert/envelope) in which case it can be mated, but will not show up in the BOM or in mass properties. The envelope is probably the best practice when bringing a skeleton into an assembly.

TOP
CSWP, BSSE
www.engtran.com  www.niswug.org
www.linkedin.com/in/engineeringtransport
Phenom IIx6 1100T = 8GB = FX1400 = XP64SP2 = SW2009SP3
"Node news is good news."

RE: What is a skeleton part?

So kellnerp, I am a little confused.  You started this thread asking:

Quote (kellnerp):

What is a skeleton part and how can they be used?

Now you are providing numerous valid answers.  Why did you start this thread?

-Dustin
Professional Engineer
Pretty good with SolidWorks

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