×
INTELLIGENT WORK FORUMS
FOR ENGINEERING PROFESSIONALS

Log In

Come Join Us!

Are you an
Engineering professional?
Join Eng-Tips Forums!
  • Talk With Other Members
  • Be Notified Of Responses
    To Your Posts
  • Keyword Search
  • One-Click Access To Your
    Favorite Forums
  • Automated Signatures
    On Your Posts
  • Best Of All, It's Free!
  • Students Click Here

*Eng-Tips's functionality depends on members receiving e-mail. By joining you are opting in to receive e-mail.

Posting Guidelines

Promoting, selling, recruiting, coursework and thesis posting is forbidden.

Students Click Here

Jobs

Features you wish NX had?
31

Features you wish NX had?

Features you wish NX had?

(OP)
Hello, I am curious to know peoples opinions on what they like most about NX and some new features( or improvements) that it could use. I know I can think of some myself. I ask because I am always trying to gather ideas on how to better utilize the software in my own personal workflow. Part of that for me is developing scripts and stand alone libraries that extend NX functionality.

So I thought what better way to get ideas than to ask the engineering community in general. Your thoughts are appreciated.




RE: Features you wish NX had?

Hi,
One of the things that I really miss is a 3D sketch capability like SolidWorks has. I know it is possible to create 3D curves that are end connected but each resides in a different plane. While this works, it does not give you optimal updating possibilities, for example defining and changing angles between 3D curves. A 3D sketch is nicely contained and constrains itself easily via dimensions or other constraints.
Another thing I can think of is a configuration tree, also like in SolidWorks. I know there is something similar in NX but from what I have heard, it functions completely differently. Thus it is very hard to find and learn the feature by myself. The idea is to have many different configurations of one part, each containing different sketch dimensions or constraints, some features suppressed or un-suppressed.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

diameter dimensioning..

like catia (look at the "D")




______

Alex ,

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Alex,
Is it just the "D" notation, or is there something else special about these dimensions? I ask, because you can easily do the same in NX. Use the "cylindrical" dimension type and change the prefix to "user defined".

www.nxjournaling.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

The ability to easily create a mirrored part. We make rights and lefts of a lot of our products and creating a mirrored component with mirrored drafting would be awesome.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

White there's not an automatic 'Make a mirrored Drawing' type function, making Mirrored Parts, Including Mirrored Assemblies, has been supported for years. Not sure, except for perhaps the mirrored Drawing issue, what it is that you think NX does not have.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@cowski
are you talking about sketches in modeling or drafting??

that D word is called "radius/diameter dimension constraint" in Catia..
it is the easiest way to apply dimensions (diameter dimensions)..
without creating extra curves (mirror curve)..
without formulas....
display the value of the intended diameter..


in just one click...

______

Alex ,

RE: Features you wish NX had?

In my experience in aerospace, fabricators could make mirrored parts based on a note on a drawing specifying "-X SHOWN, -Y OPPOSITE".
I have found that other industries prefer that every thing is dimensioned on both LH and RH parts. So, while the mirror part function is valuable, it does fall short of one that includes mirror drawing. winky smile

"Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively."
-Dalai Lama XIV

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Back in my 'Drawing Board' days when we had a part that needed to be made in both 'left' and 'right' hand versions, we used a single Drawing with two dash-numbers, -1 for 'As Shown' and -2 for 'Opposite'. When the shop got a traveler with the work order and print for a -2 part, they would often go to the print room and ask for an additional white print run with the drawing flipped-over so that they would have something the at least looked like what the final part was going to be.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Alex,
Not being familiar with CATIA, I didn't know the "D" was a special type of constraint. It makes more sense now, thanks for the additional info.

www.nxjournaling.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Two things for me:

1, Show/hide dimensions - In ProE - once you've modeled a component, you create a drawing, and all dimensions used to model are automatically shown on the drawing view - saves having to duplicate yourself. I have mentioned this in a previous thread - and about the closest thing are 'Feature Parameters' - but this is only for one feature at a time, rather than an entire component.

2, As Alex has mentioned - a way of defining a diameter on a revolved component in sketching - ProE has a very similar method to Catia by the look of it, depending on mouse click location, you either get a Dia or a Rad.

Tom

Contract Mechanical Design Engineer.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

A functionality to directly access component bodies at the assembly level for the material addition or subtraction without the need to promote of WAVE-link or use Assembly cut, and also to smoothly replace the components thus treated.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Regarding the Mirror feature/drawing
Something i have learnt over the years is :
1) The purpose of a drawing is to pass information from the creator to the reader.
2) The faster 1) can be done, the better.
3) because of 2) some drawing standards can be "mildly tweaked" if it clarifies/simplifies/enhances this information transfer.
Which means things like, if an extra 3d view/ section view etc speeds/clarifies the understanding of the model, add it even if it doesn't follow any standards.
Since dimensions are per the model/ automatic, sometimes duplicate dimensions can be ok, if it simplifies the understanding of something.

In the hard coded standard world, a drawing of a mirrored part is very close to a duplicate dimension, which is ( at least in the ISO standard) very illegal.
But, in the 2016 cad-world, we should have means to both create mirrored drawings, and tools to make sure that the duplicated dimensions / specifications are identical to the master specs.



Regards,
Tomas

RE: Features you wish NX had?

3
And , by the way,
I hope that you all write ER's on your wishlists !?!
How else will Siemens Development know what you want ?

This is what i wrote in a different thread. :

If you find an option which you think is missing, or a function/ feature which could be enhanced.
You go :
http://www.plm.automation.siemens.com/en_us/suppor...
then select either "Contact Support- Gtac operating hours and phone menu"
( or "Gtac Country Websites" for non-US users.)
OR
"Create or Update an IR"

When filing Enhancement Requests ( this will in Siemens vocabulary be an "ER") Remember to motivate why this feature/function is important and how much money you would save if it existed.
Siemens development must for each new release decide which new features / functions to spend their development budget on.
They have a very long list of possible enhancements, features requested by the users, features that competitors have, features needed because of future projects etc etc. All projects have a cost.
No features are today implemented just for fun, they must all be motivated.

Posting good ideas on forums like this, might else not result in much more than a post on a forum.


Regards,
Tomas

RE: Features you wish NX had?

With all respect, I consider the whole ER workflow being in place for mostly decorative purposes. There are many improvements for which the user base have been screaming for many years, and which are pretty much acknowledged by the development, but nothing chronically gets done. Do we write ER's? Absolutely! I personally opened a few. Do they get acted upon? Sorry, no.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

"Not sure, except for perhaps the mirrored Drawing issue, what it is that you think NX does not have. "

Well, this: "White there's not an automatic 'Make a mirrored Drawing' type function"

I would like to point out that the question is "Features you wish NX had?" and add that the operative word in my reply was "easily". As in one button click. We have been making lefts and rights for some time now using the mirroring capabilities already present in NX. I'm in the middle of such a project right now, which is why that particular wish came to mind.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Do you all ever make anything, or do you just draw stuff?

It is a big effort to manufacture mirrored parts in NX. Simpler, cheaper CAM software already can run circles around NX in this regard.

How about NX putting more development into this?

Proud Member of the Reality-Based Community..

To the Toolmaker, your nice little cartoon drawing of your glass looks cool, but your solid model sucks. Do you want me to fix it, or are you going to take all week to get it back to me so I can get some work done?

RE: Features you wish NX had?

2
I want that "DONE" button my boss thinks I have.

As far as machining a mirrored part? I just mirror my geometry and cut it.
I've never been asked to make a mirrored drawing, the only reason I can think of for needing one(on a symmetrically opposite part) is lack of skilled people to actually make things

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Easy peasy, eh robnewcomb..? Well, good for you!

Not in my experience, though.....any other opinions on machining mirrored parts in NX out there?

Proud Member of the Reality-Based Community..

To the Toolmaker, your nice little cartoon drawing of your glass looks cool, but your solid model sucks. Do you want me to fix it, or are you going to take all week to get it back to me so I can get some work done?

RE: Features you wish NX had?

hello

I think the lack of "automatic dimensioning" and "dimension arrangement solution" in drafting
is one of most needed problems

RE: Features you wish NX had?

3
A decent high performance roughing strategy - why should I have to pay a significant amount for a plug in like Volumill or the soon to be released iMachining for NX? Take a look outside the NX bubble and you'll see that this is included in nearly all your competitors.

A better tool library, again take a look at what others are doing - especially the ability to use a solid model.

NX 10.0.3

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Bear with us please, but as you post your thoughts here, and many of them are relevant, please indicate what version of NX that you're currently using. This might help to put some these issues in context of what it is that you're currently being able to do versus what might already have been addressed/improved in a release more recent than what you're familiar with.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

John,
I wish, we could have "Alternate Position View" option in NX like Solidworks does have.
We do have Explode options in NX( move objects by distance or by using handles) but I personally feel alternate postition view option looks more effective and simple to use.
Refer :- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpPnwziXDLY

Chetak
Engineering Design / Knowledge Based Engineering
NX8.5, TC8.5.3.3, Win 7 Pro SP1

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@capnhook, I don't machine in NX (i missed the statement that you machined in NX). When we were evaluating CAM systems 18 or so years ago UG cam had way to high of a learning curve. We went with WorkNC.
Primarily we cut dies,molds and fixtures. occasionally parts from castings or billet. Mirroring a job meant mirroring your geometry and recalculating the paths.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@robnewcomb, it has been a real burden to machine mirrored parts in NX, and I am speaking from much more than 18 years experience making toolpaths.

You were fortunate to recognize an easier way, way back when. We all are waiting for better roughing solutions, and better mirroring solutions, and have been for quite a while.

It is 2016 now Siemens.....what have you done for us lately?

Proud Member of the Reality-Based Community..

To the Toolmaker, your nice little cartoon drawing of your glass looks cool, but your solid model sucks. Do you want me to fix it, or are you going to take all week to get it back to me so I can get some work done?

RE: Features you wish NX had?


NeilMGW (Industrial)
7 Jan 16 22:29
A decent high performance rouging strategy - why should I have to pay a significant amount for a plug in like Volumill or the soon to be released iMachining for NX? Take a look outside the NX bubble and you'll see that this is included in nearly all your competitors.

Neil I agree a high performance roughing strategy in Cavity Mill "with step up capability" would be nice and improvement in Trochoidal similar to Volumill would also be nice and we should not have to purchase a new module to get those capabilities. We pay enough in yearly Maintenance fees. I love NX, but profit rules the day.

Currently using NX 10

William

RE: Features you wish NX had?

How about some easy chamfering, to deburr parts on the machine. Too many separate planar OPs to accomplish this now. How about a better way?

Proud Member of the Reality-Based Community..

To the Toolmaker, your nice little cartoon drawing of your glass looks cool, but your solid model sucks. Do you want me to fix it, or are you going to take all week to get it back to me so I can get some work done?

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I would love to have WAVe-linked copies of bodies to keep recongising feature patterns the same way as the original bodies. That would greatly help those on top-down workflows.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (PrintScaffold)


I would love to have WAVe-linked copies of bodies to keep recongising feature patterns the same way as the original bodies.

Could you provide a bit more information about exactly what it is that you're looking for here? Perhaps some pictures or an actual example part.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Hello, John!

It's quite simple. If I have pattern of features in the original PRT, I can add a component and build component pattern to the feature pattern. But if I WAVE-link the body into another PRT, this ceases to work.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

1) Ability to export as an older version, at least the most recent ones. In order to share your work (as native and full) with users with older versions.
2) Ability to plot a 3D surface from an equation.
3) A good gear generator with a nice GUI, not the buggy old hidden menu.
4) The topology optimization should have the option to create native geometries, instead of something unusable.
5) It should be much easier to work with faceted bodies and convert them to native geometries, fill voids...
6) More use of the GPU.
7) Libraries for wood working. Something like the sheetmetal module but for woodworking and simpler, with predefined joints, dovetails, angle braces, nails, ...
8) Ability to emboss and sculpt from greyscale images (or similar), like ArtCam.
9) More nonlinear simulations, even with the topology optimization.
10) Ability to easily create structures, for example tubular (or any other section) from a 3D sketch, even if the line intersect itself many times.
11) Better 3D sketch without predifining planes.
12) Cut a body with another with any shape and following any path.
13) More omplex/intelligent expressions, able to simulate for example a Rubik Cube interactively.

Users have asked for many of these features for years.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Yes, that's true (at the moment) but I must ask; what is it exactly that you're attempting to do with a WAVE-linked part that could not have been done with a normal Component?

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

It's down to the particular implementation of Top-Down modeling, where I develop geometry in a dedicated PRT - often together for the entire assembly - and then link the result into actual component PRTs. Would be nice to have NX keep information about feature patterns this way.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

The best way would be to have it as an option in the WAVE linker window, similar to Copy Threads and the rest.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Be able to export a 3d PDF file would be nice.
Also better stock recognition would also be nice. when I machine
2nd operation on most parts I do, I model up the stock to reflect
what is left from the first operation. The stock is always bigger
on the top for second op. NX only seems to look at the extents in
X and Y, so it always continues to cut in starting from those extents
even though there is no stock once you get past a certain level.
a lot of time could be saved if it truly recognized the whole stock model.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (PrintScaffold)


The best way would be to have it as an option in the WAVE linker window, similar to Copy Threads and the rest.

That's not an answer to the question that I asked. It's a proposed solution to something that you claim is a problem but which you've not explained why you think that it is. Without an explanation as to what it is that you think can only be accomplished by creating a WAVE-linked body rather than a conventional Component, there is not much that we can do for you. NX is a very flexible tool and there are many ways to do similar things so if you could enlighten us, perhaps I or someone else following this thread could offer you an acceptable alternative workflow that would meet your needs now.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

That was my second post. I explained the situation in a first post immediately above. Should have edited the first on, but I'm on mobile phone, it's difficult.

I'll copy the explanation here:
It's down to the particular implementation of Top-Down modeling, where I develop geometry in a dedicated PRT - often together for the entire assembly - and then link the result into actual component PRTs. Would be nice to have NX keep information about feature patterns this way.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Contact GTAC and have them open an ER. I know that there has been talk about the ability to recognize 'patterns' which may not have actually been created as an actual Pattern feature for certain operations. Perhaps something like this could be included in the consideration of this project if and when it's funded.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Why not actually create them as components?

"Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively."
-Dalai Lama XIV

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Hole charts need to be a little more intelligent.

1. Hole descriptions should look similar to standard hole callouts. They are very cryptic looking and confuse the shop.
2. The feature groups need to be able to have their own number of decimal places. Ones that the user assigns.

I currently have to manually pick each feature to include in 3 separate hole charts for each detail.
One each for .XX .XXX .XXXX

That's painful and exposes you to missing something on large plates.

Dave
Automotive Tooling / Aircraft Tooling / Ground Support Structures

NX9, Win 7 Pro SP1

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (ewh)

Why not actually create them as components?

Becasue this will be Bottom-Up workflow, and I am talking about Top-Down.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Using components does not preclude you from using a top-down modeling strategy...

www.nxjournaling.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I'm using components. It's just that components contain only WAVE-linked copy of a body, rather than the feature tree. The actual feature tree is contained elsewhere. At any rate, that is one of the implementations, and Top-Down has many. After all, we are talking about NX and our freedom of choice is remarkable.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Keeping the full feature tree of multiple parts at the assembly level in a single file may quickly turn into a maintenance and documentation control headache, even for small assemblies.

Edited for clarity.
www.nxjournaling.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

It is not at the assembly level. It is in the control structure, sometimes also called the support structure.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

A simple wish, the ability to add a background picture when modeling in regular viewing mode not have to switch to studio mode and in addition
the ability to pick from a color wheel the background gradient colors along with the value cells.

Thanks, Buddy.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (AlexLozoya)

that D word is called "radius/diameter dimension constraint" in Catia..
it is the easiest way to apply dimensions (diameter dimensions)..
without creating extra curves (mirror curve)..
without formulas....
display the value of the intended diameter..


in just one click...

Can you do that without creating an axis curve in the sketch? If not, then are you truly getting the diameter constraint with one click if you have to perform a task beforehand in creating the axis curve in the sketch? Yeah, I know, picky if my assumption is correct, but we have to show the full workflow to have any ground to stand on when asking for an enhancement (trust me, I've been there - John Baker can testify to that).

Regardless, I do like the idea of being able to define an axis to avoid having to define the opposite side for reference when diameters are desired. Again, assuming that CATIA needs that axis curve to differentiate between a linear dimensional constraint (horizontal in your example) and a diametric constraint - I'd like to see NX sketcher to allow either an axis curve or the selection of a Datum Axis (single feature or within a Datum CSYS). Allowing for the selection of the Datum Axis would permit users to utilize a Datum CSYS that might also define the sketch plane and orientation without having to be forced to draw the axis curve in the sketch. Hope that makes sense.

Tim Flater
NX Designer
NX 9.0.3.4 Win7 Pro x64 SP1
Intel Xeon 2.53 GHz 6GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I'd just add an associative Datum CSYS for the center axis of the through hole. I don't worry about having everything linked/parametric to each other with dimensional constraints. I can move a Datum CSYS defining the through hole sketch just as easily as having a dimensional constraint for the PCD (the 3.43 dimension). Both work pretty much the same - see the attached. If you move DatumCSYS(0), DatumCSYS(1) will follow. Through hole location is controlled by the Offset CSYS values in DatumCSYS(1).

Either way, you get the same end result.

DatumCSYS_Axis_Example_NX9.prt

Tim Flater
NX Designer
NX 9.0.3.4 Win7 Pro x64 SP1
Intel Xeon 2.53 GHz 6GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Without having read the whole thread - what I miss most from other CAD systems (Solid Edge, SolidWorks, and Inventor):

1) The idea of flexible sub-assemblies
2) The always live sketch coloring of what lines are fully constrained or not
3) The simplicity and effectiveness of Solid Edge's constraints and user interfaces (this is the best all around CAD program I've used)
4) The simplicity and effectiveness of Inventors Drawing generation application (but the constraint solver was junk)
a) The manual ballooning in NX really needs to be tied to the auto parts list
5) The BOM structuring capabilities of Inventor
a) Being able to set levels as "phantom" or "purchased assembly" really cleaned up BOMs and item management
6) The quick view orientation keyboard controls of Solid Edge

A lot of the other things I think are lacking seem like they're being addressed in NX 11.0, so I'm excited to give that a try.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Sorry to say this but a better 2D dimensioning in drafting and/or 3D PMI. The new format is very slow with to many clicks.. Since we are comparing to other system AutoCAD, I-deas both have a better 2D dimensioning workflow than NX pre NX9 or post NX9.

Able to Make 3D PDF.

Balloons Tied back to parts list have 2X or quantity in front of the balloon.

Sweep Solid Body.

Span Configurations. Able to control suppression, location of a parts position in assembly arrangements. I-Deas had this. Not all or none.

Revolve with translation. Be able to make a section revolve and translate it along an axis. No Helix or sweep needed. Another I-Deas favorite.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Sweep Solid Body.

Coming in NX 11.0.

Span Configurations. Able to control suppression, location of a parts position in assembly arrangements. I-Deas had this. Not all or none.

Not sure what Ideas could do that Arrangements can't since Arrangements were developed to replace Configurations in Ideas. Please provide an example of what you mean.

Revolve with translation. Be able to make a section revolve and translate it along an axis. No Helix or sweep needed. Another I-Deas favorite.

NX has been able to do that for years, however, it might help to think of it as "Translation with Revolve" since you can do this with a Swept feature using an 'Orientation Method' controlled by an 'Angular Law', as shown in the image below (note that it consists of only a 'Line' to define an Axis, a 'Sketch' to define the profile and the 'Swept' feature. NO HELIX NEEDED.):

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Not sure what Ideas could do that Arrangements can't since Arrangements were developed to replace Configurations in Ideas. Please provide an example of what you mean.

Imagine you have 3 or more different arrangements. If You added another component to your assembly, you should be able to move this component to the exact same position in only two of the three arrangements with one or two clicks. In I-Deas you could move the component in arrangements 1 and 2 to the exact same position and not arrangement 3. In NX I do not think this is possible. I know you can move the component in each arrangement by its self or same position in all of the arrangement. There were some Great suppress and un-suppress features in this utility also. I think NX has these pretty much covered. Span Configurations the command was called in I-deas.

Sweep Solid Body.
Coming in NX 11.0.
I have heard this before HA J/K We are looking forward to this.

NX has been able to do that for years, however, it might help to think of it as "Translation with Revolve" since you can do this with a Swept feature using an 'Orientation Method' controlled by an 'Angular Law', as shown in the image below (note that it consists of only a 'Line' to define an Axis, a 'Sketch' to define the profile and the 'Swept' feature. NO HELIX NEEDED.):

This is still a sweep. In I-Deas it was all in the revolve tool. I-Deas also had Change in Radius with the translation inside the revolve. I forgot to add this. You could probably still do this as you describe. But it was user friendly for designers, not having them trying to figure out angular laws. This killed us when we converted Our I-Deas data to NX with the CMM (Content Migration Manager) There must be something not the same between the I-deas revolve and your method. After the CMM process all of these features became bodies.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (sathercs)


1) The idea of flexible sub-assemblies
Do you mean different positions in different occurences of the same subassembly? NX does that.

Quote (sathercs)


4) The simplicity and effectiveness of Inventors Drawing generation application (but the constraint solver was junk)
Done loads of drawings both in NX and Inventor. Although it's true that Inventor had an edge over NX in the past, nowaydays NX drafting module is practically as robust as Inventor's.

Quote (sathercs)


a) The manual ballooning in NX really needs to be tied to the auto parts list
Manual balloning in NX is tied to the auto parts list.

Quote (sathercs)


6) The quick view orientation keyboard controls of Solid Edge
Not an expert in SE, but in NX the F8 button does the marvellous job of orienting the view.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Hi
6) The quick view orientation keyboard controls of Solid Edge
Not an expert in SE, but in NX the F8 button does the marvellous job of orienting the view.

You can also set up your own custom keyboard shortcuts. The default for Orient to the TOP is Crtl+Alt+T you can change it by:

F4, Click on keyboard, Go to View, Orient View Drop-Down, Type in your shortcut, close

RE: Features you wish NX had?

"A decent high performance roughing strategy - why should I have to pay a significant amount for a plug in like Volumill or the soon to be released iMachining for NX? Take a look outside the NX bubble and you'll see that this is included in nearly all your competitors.

A better tool library, again take a look at what others are doing - especially the ability to use a solid model."

x100

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Perhaps very pedantic, but I'd love to have a measuring tool that displayed results like everyone else (SolidWorks, Solid Edge, Creo) by showing the X Y and Z components of the measurement vector without having to drag up the "Info" window which is quite cluttered, old fashioned and generally in the way. Also, even in this info window the relevant information could be promoted and highlighted while the "delta" information (which I almost never use) could be pushed to the bottom of the pane which generally requires scrolling to reach. I know I could use the "projection" version of the tool, but that adds a click and prevents getting 2-3 bits of info in a single measurement operation, like XYZ dimensions of a block.

I also really miss the Strength Wizard and the Draft Analysis tools which were included in the basic Mach 1 license in NX 6 and earlier but somewhere along the line got "promoted" to some exorbitant package category requiring a near doubling in license fees. For our small startup, it was cheaper to buy an entire seat of Solid Edge to get these tools than it was to add them to our NX seats.

Please forgive any improprieties if this is not the correct place for these latter requests.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

What about an easy way to flip the orientation of an isometric or trimetric view around its primary axis when setting up a view in drafting ?

Currently using NX9, planning upgrade to 10

RE: Features you wish NX had?

MichaelPrichard when you say the "the X Y and Z components of the measurement vector" don't you mean the I,J,K vector parameters? While we do have the ability to display the X,Y,Z coordinates of a Point using the 'Measure Point' function from the Analysis Ribbon tab...



...it is true that there is no way, except using Info to find the vector parameters. I've asked that a 'Measure Vector' function be developed so if you would like something like that please call GTAC and them to open an ER (every little bit helps).

As for your comment about the 'Strength Wizard' that has been replaced with something called the 'NX CAE Stress Wizard' found on the 'Process Studio' Resource Bar tab which is available with all Design bundles:

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Lunar7 have you ever tried using the the dynamic X,Y,Z triad in the lower left corner of the display to limit the rotation axis of the display to one of those vectors using the Mouse while holding down the middle button? If you have, great, but note that this also works while editing the orientation of a Drawing view as shown in the video file attached below. Note that you can also select one of the direction arrows displayed in the middle of the display window to get the view normal to one of the primary X.Y,Z directions and from there it only takes a couple of moves using the X,Y,Z triad as mentioned above and you have a new custom oriented Isometric View.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

John,

Thank you very much, once again you pointed out the simple solution to a problem that was driving me Nuts

www.hella.co.nz
www.hellamarine.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Hello all

My 2 cents:
- Use the mouse wheel to increment values in input box (as in Solid Edge)
- Ability to redefine projected views in drafting
- Associative datums and notes in Drafting (Solid Edge did it in ST8, https://youtu.be/BxzRE72FINs?t=202)
- A better way to organize items in part list (cut and paste is tedious)
- Inherit hatching from materials assigned to parts!!!!!! (forget the other ones, just do this one)

2JL

RE: Features you wish NX had?

"Inherit hatching from materials assigned to parts!!!!!!"

Actually that has been supported since NX 9.0 when creating Lightweight Section views in PMI, which can then be inherited onto a Drawing.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (2JL)

- A better way to organize items in part list (cut and paste is tedious)

I agree that some improvement is needed in this department, however there is a technique that might help you to improve control over parts list.
Suggested to me by John some time ago: http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=345714.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

John,

Mia Culpa for not searching through other threads first; I was overjoyed to (re)find the Stress Wizard; Thanks! As for the measure tool, you are correct, I meant i,j,k values, not the absolute x,y,z ones. Solid Edge has a particularly nice view with colored axes. Also, their Smart Measure tool gives you relevant info even on your first click, as in; line length, edge radius, etc., changing to the appropriate measurement on the 2nd click. I'll fill out ER.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Thanks John and PrintScaffold !

John: I wasn't aware it was possible with Lightweight Section views in PMI. So we are half way there! Would it be an herculean task to make it available to the regular drafting section views?

PrintScaffold: Thanks for the link! I will try it when I will have an opportunity.

2JL

RE: Features you wish NX had?

2JL, my understanding is that that is the plan, but it will not be NX 11.0.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Thanks John. I will just keep my fingers crossed until then.
2JL

RE: Features you wish NX had?

What are we going to do without you Mr. Baker?
Have you appointed your Product Evangelist successor?

RE: Features you wish NX had?

It was not up to me. I made my recommendations but in the end it was my boss who had the final say.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Using NX9

I can create a manual button through customize to execute files through NX Open. It would be good to be able to save that button somewhere so someone else can just load that same button on their computer as well.

The reason I would like this is because we have 50+ computers running NX9 and it is going to be a pain in the butt to log into each computer as that persons profile and create each button manually. Unfortunately the programs we need to execute are not working correctly when executed through a macro or journal. So a manual button may be our only option until these files get fixed. It just seems that if you can create a button in Unigraphics, you should be able to save it and load it to another computer.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Give us a way to turn Faceted bodies into a body we can actually work with.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Since even the Ribbon is defined using something similar to .men (menu) and .tbr (toolbar) files, tools like 'Menuscripts' can still be used to modify the content of the standard .rtb (ribbon) files.

You can find information about setting up 'Menuscripts' in the Programming Tools portion of the NX Help files (note that for the last couple of releases the Help files for the 'programming tools' are NOT installed automatically when you install the User Documentation but since you're talking about NX Open I assume that you already know that and have installed the optional material). Anyway, in the Programming Tools set of documents you will find a section titled 'Menuscript User's Guide'.


John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@Kenja824

I use the NXcustom scripts found on the programming section of the Siemens community site.
I only have 2 seats but I've found it very helpful even in out smaller user environment.Multiple users and multiple computers. same ribbons, toolbars, reuse libraries, etc..
very easy to setup.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Hi all

about "continuous auto dimensioning" in sketch environment and the concept behind it and why such functionality is not in drafting for dimensioning views
its intelligent and do the job correctly with some rules
but
_it do not get parameter for dimension
_in many case must change to input precise dimension
_don't constraint sketch
_it will not help in complicated sketches and is boring


in drafting if something like that exist for dimensioning views:
_it do not need parameter
_constraint is not the matter
_it will help to save big amount of boring manual dimensioning time.

so I hope a solution for faster dimensioning, arrangement, and alignment of them in drafting in next versions.


NX 10
Windows 10

RE: Features you wish NX had?

One of several reasons why it may not very useful in drafting is that auto-dimensioning does not take into account tolerance stack-ups.

"Know the rules well, so you can break them effectively."
-Dalai Lama XIV

RE: Features you wish NX had?

thanks
you right, but defining some rules can fix tolerance accumulation.

and what about arrangement and alignment of dimensions?

RE: Features you wish NX had?

In regards to auto arrangement and auto alignment, I'd be very interested to hear how you feel that could be accomplished. That seems like a monumental task considering how different a view and drawing sheet with views can appear given all our options with view settings, not to mention how a drafting component can be moved, which would in turn affect everything in the Drafting application.

Personally, I'm waiting for the day I can speak my wishes into the mouse and sit back and watch the software do what I tell it to do....

Tim Flater
NX Designer
NX 9.0.3.4 Win7 Pro x64 SP1
Intel Xeon 2.53 GHz 6GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (Xwheelguy)


I'm waiting for the day I can speak my wishes into the mouse...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hShY6xZWVGE

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I've done that on occasion and have had people stand there and wait for something to happen. thumbsup2

Tim Flater
NX Designer
NX 9.0.3.4 Win7 Pro x64 SP1
Intel Xeon 2.53 GHz 6GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB

RE: Features you wish NX had?

That's interesting because about 10 or 15 years ago we looked into using the 'Dragon' voice recognition software with, at the time, Unigraphics. We even had one very large customer who had done some work on this themselves and had a rudimentary version of UG running using voice recognition. While a lot of people expressed interest, the technology was too limited at the time and nothing ever really came of it.

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Sounds like the perfect final ER to submit before you go, John.

Tim Flater
NX Designer
NX 9.0.3.4 Win7 Pro x64 SP1
Intel Xeon 2.53 GHz 6GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (AlexLozoya (Aerospace))

diameter dimensioning..

like catia (look at the "D")

in solidworks also it can be done,
its in sketch
and needs a centerline for dimensioning, you select centerline and a point or line. then the position of mouse defines Radius or diameter. really cool capability.
i wish such like that for NX too.

i attached a video of that.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I don't write ER's, I only write PR's. But as an old development manager once told me, "If properly written, any ER can be turned into a PR."

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

The ability to use a "Datum coordinate system" or preferably a MCS as the reference Coordinates of all point dialogue box's and line creation/edit dialog box's. This comes into play for me in many places, manual edit of toolpath, creating points, creating 3D lines to drive tools down.

Most all of the parts we build come in on the Airplane Coordinate system, ie. 900 inches from zero, and angled in both directions.
There are several good reasons we leave the part in this location. New Revs coming in, receiving point clouds for new hole locations or inspection.

Say i right click on an operation to edit the toolpath. The list of toolpath is from the MCS. Ie. say 2" in Z. When i goto edit the piece of toolpath, im brought to the point dialog, with a few choices of a reference coordinate system... all of which are 900" and crooked, meaningless numbers to me trying to edit anything.

The easiest thing i guess would be to in that pull down in the point dialog, to include all MCS? or Datum planes, Datum Coordinate systems? anything, even if i have to build something on top of, and aligned to my current MCS.

For me, this would come into play in many places, points, 3d lines, assembly locations for clamps. Basically every dialog that comes up only has the 900 inch, useless numbers and i have to roundaboutly get things where i want. "Rectangular Offset along vector" in the point dialog is a common fix. But many clicks.

Unless i'm missing something and this is solved another way?

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (MtnJunkie360)

Unless i'm missing something and this is solved another way?

In modeling, you can right click the datum csys and choose "set WCS to datum csys". The point/curve creation tools have an option to reference the WCS rather than the absolute csys. Also, the information functions give results in WCS as well as absolute coordinates.

www.nxjournaling.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

An MCS is not a modeling object, so I'm not sure how we would list them all as references.
I would define a Datum CSYS at each MCS location, and then reference it for each MCS, and move the WCS there when needed.

There is a Manufacturing Preference to always move the WCS to the active MCS. This is great when editing a CAM operation, but not when editing the tool path. I'll ask about that one...

Mark Rief
NX CAM Customer Success
Siemens PLM Software

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I want to completely turn off model view clipping planes.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

You would NOT like the consequences.

The reason for model view Clipping Planes is to limit the volume of graphics space that needs to be mapped and the impact that this has on the absolute 'tolerance' needed to assure that objects displayed appear to be both accurate and what was expected. If we just assumed an infinite volume of space how would we control the display 'tolerance' of very small objects versus very large objects if they both 'looked' the same 'size' when viewed on your monitor after doing a 'Fit' operation?

John R. Baker, P.E.
Product 'Evangelist'
Product Engineering Software
Siemens PLM Software Inc.
Digital Factory
Cypress, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

To an Engineer, the glass is twice as big as it needs to be.

RE: Features you wish NX had?


Auto scrolling would be pretty nice, especially in Drafting. I.e one drags something, a dimension, a view, a note, a..., and reach the edge of the screen. "All other software" will then autoscroll/ auto-pan the screen, but not NX.

Dave W., -Are you reading this ?

Regards,
Tomas

RE: Features you wish NX had?

A shortcut switch between NX Windows will be neat like Ctrl+Tab

RE: Features you wish NX had?

One of the things I liked about Catia v5 was you could have all the windows open, but small and copy/paste or drag and drop features or components between them.
I only trained on catia, i never used it for a job. we decided to stick with UG. but thats one of this things that stood out. some 10 years or so ago now



RE: Features you wish NX had?

A better external thread tool, and/or parametric external thread callout on drawings, like the hole callout for internal threads.

-Dave

NX 9, Teamcenter 10

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (fzrboy)


A shortcut switch between NX Windows will be neat like Ctrl+Tab

That'll be available in NX 11.0.

John R. Baker, P.E.
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Take PMI out of Mach 3 and move it to Mach 1 I cant justify the added cost for just that one benefit

Ryan Lee
Mechanical Project Engineer

NX 9.0.3.12
Aras 11 SP 5
If you can think it it can be modeled

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Better yet, just make PMI part of drafting or solid modeling license.
I wish I had a Mach bundle, my NX ADVDES bundles are getting old but my boss doesn't see a justification in updating them.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (robnewcomb)

Better yet, just make PMI part of drafting or solid modeling license.
I wish I had a Mach bundle, my NX ADVDES bundles are getting old but my boss doesn't see a justification in updating them.

I did that same project stand alone to mach 2 years ago I used the added functionality of sheet metal we only had one licenses and reduced maintenance cost to sell it but i have never been able to justify the 6k kick in price for PMI and Advance stuido the two functions i can see us using out of MACH 3

PM i am willing to share my ROI's and project if you want to try to get it done

Ryan Lee
Mechanical Project Engineer

NX 9.0.3.12
Aras 11 SP 5
If you can think it it can be modeled

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I would say...

New fully-associative “thread feature” (for bolts, screws...). Same as we have for “hole features”.

Thread feature is associated to faces, but if that face changes, and the feature becomes "broken" from its parent, you won´t be able to re-associate.
If only you have one of them... well is not that bad, but imagine this situation with 30 of them.
Hole feature works smoothly, and I think, something like that for thread feature is quite necessary.

By the way, drafting application: about hole callout, when we have threaded holes... is there any chance, we can display "thread size" without pitch??
For example if I have M12 x 1.5, just display "M12" (I don’t understand why we have to display thread size and pitch, we do can display pitch only, but can’t display thread size only).


THANKS!

RE: Features you wish NX had?

And have the external threads dimension, the same as the internal. No more hand typing.

-Dave

NX 9, Teamcenter 10

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Re : MR76
"By the way, drafting application: about hole callout, when we have threaded holes... is there any chance, we can display "thread size" without pitch??
For example if I have M12 x 1.5, just display "M12" (I don’t understand why we have to display thread size and pitch, we do can display pitch only, but can’t display thread size only). "


I think that the reason for the above is "poor survey" when somebody wrote the specs for the old thread and corresponding drafting annotation ,
In the imperial world, threads are normally/often annotated with pitch information.
In the metric world , the rule is that if you don't print the pitch, it's thread preference class 1/choice 1 and IF you print pitch, it's not Preference 1.
The specs are pretty obviously written for the Imperial system.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

  • Extrude tool on par with Solidworks (extrude up to offset surface and not being so fussy about extruding up to a surface)
  • Boolean operations should have an option to automatically interact with *any* intersecting body (and not force the user to select a body)
  • Different color for surfaces and solid bodies (to aid in determining which is which)
  • Visualization tools on par with 3DS Max/Maya/Cinema 4D:
  • Ability to create any type of realistic material
  • Intelligent UV unwrapping tools for applying materials (especially over multiple surface patches)
  • Ability to organize scenes (cameras, lighting, material sets)
  • The latest in realistic render technology (Real time, IPR, GPU, Raytracing)
  • Consistent, aesthetic interface over the entire package (Like Creo does)
  • Ability to customize the entire interface layout regarding panels/side bars etc. (similar to Adobe applications)
  • A smarter coordinate input cursor box that is more discreet and out of the way (especially when moving components)
That should give the developers something to work on.

NX10.0 Win8.1 64bit i7-3770K 16GB QuadroK2200

RE: Features you wish NX had?

RE: "Different color for surfaces and solid bodies (to aid in determining which is which)"

Doesn't this do that?

File, Utilities, Customer Defaults, Gateway, Object Solid Body tab and Sheet Body tab, both have a color option

I have not tested this.

-Dave

NX 9, Teamcenter 10

RE: Features you wish NX had?

NeilMGW:
"A decent high performance roughing strategy - why should I have to pay a significant amount for a plug in like Volumill or the soon to be released iMachining for NX? Take a look outside the NX bubble and you'll see that this is included in nearly all your competitors. A better tool library, again take a look at what others are doing - especially the ability to use a solid model.
NX 10.0.3 "

I second your opinion on wanting peel milling although, as for NX not having it, I have heard through the grapevine there are patent/licensing issues and lawsuit(s) going on.

NX can use solids for tool holders but I don't believe they are used in operations; just for simulation, which seems weird to me.
Perhaps Mark R can chime in on that...

NX 10.0.3

10.0.2

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I haven't read every post so maybe this has been mentioned already.

I would like to be able to group components in an assembly like I can group features in a part. I know I can use Layers/Categories to do something like this, but what I want to accomplish is to shorten the number of lines in the Assembly Navigator to make it easier to scroll through to find what I'm looking for.

For instance, when I'm for the most part done working on the front suspension, put everything in a group so while I'm working on the rear I don't have to scroll through all of those parts. Or all of the vehicle parts that are pretty much just there for reference. Once they're placed I don't need to do anything with them anymore.

It seems to me it should be pretty easy to do, and I was quite surprised it couldn't be done.

(NX 10)

Mike

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Grouping Components is possible BUT you need an Advanced Assembly License to be able to use that function...
Right-click on one of the Assembly Navigator's headers and activate "Show Component Groups".
From there you can create "Session" groups (temporary) or "In Part" groups (saved with the part) and manipulate them as you need.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Thanks daluigi, I didn't know about that. I can see how it might be useful, but it doesn't do what I want, which is collapse so I can make the AN list shorter.

Mike

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Right-click on the Assembly Navigator and pick "Filter Components". Unloaded or invisible components will be hidden.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Maybe I'm being unclear on what I'm wanting to do. I'm not talking about Show or Hide, or turning off or on layers.

Say I'm in Modeling working on a part. There are 100 features in the Part Navigator. If I take 50 of them and put them in a Feature Group, and check the Embed Feature Group Members box, the list of features in the PN gets shorter by 50 lines. Well, actually, 49 lines, because the Feature Group takes up a line. Fifty is easier to scroll through looking for something than 100 lines.

That's what I would like to be able to do in an assembly. With potentially hundreds of components it would be easier to scroll around if I could do with components the same thing you can do with features.

Mike

RE: Features you wish NX had?

If you hide or unload components with "Filtered components" turned on, they will be taken away into the "More..." line, shortening the assembly tree.

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Ah, I see.

So I looked it up in the Help because I couldn't get it to do anything. You have to go into the properties of the AN and select what you want included to be filtered. I selected Hidden, and the Display More Indicators is selected. It worked and did what I wanted.

However, I unfiltered it and now I can't seem to get it refiltered. Is there a trick?

Mike

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Crocostimpy:
Have you never considered placing your components in subassemblies ?
- Do you use Assembly constraints ?
If no, you can drag-drop components from the top assembly to a sub assembly and back without loss. If there are constraints, they will be lost but the position in space will be the same.

Regards,
Tomas

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Toost, yes and yes. I almost always have sub-assemblies. Some can get quite big though. Right now this whole thing is in a prototype stage so everything is kind of thrown together in one big assembly, with subs wherever possible. Were it to go to production parts would be combined into more subs based on how we would offer replacement parts or kits. I haven't gotten to use it yet, but I imagine I would be using Create New Parent a lot when it comes time to break everything down.

I always use assembly constraints. Mostly because I make articulating assemblies and everything needs to stay together.

I may be able to make filtering work for me if I play around with it some more. So far it seems confusing because some parts don't get refiltered after they've gone back and forth.

Mike

RE: Features you wish NX had?

In drafting I have a few:

1. It would be nice for the auto-balloon function to not allow balloons leaders to cross over each other and be a minimum distance away from each other.
2. When you drag a balloon (or hole dimension callout) around a object that is circular/cylinder it would be nice if the arrow always pointed toward the center of the object. (NX copy code from Solid Edge)
3. It would be great to be able to insert word documents into drafting for the notes, (ideally notes would be editable by Word and tables (BOM) editable by Excel)
4. More characters shown (only 17 currently) for the table "edit cell" feature.

Windows 7
NX 10.0.3.5

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Vball85jb:
2. Try press the Shift key when dragging. does the trick ?
3. You do know that you can drag-drop a .txt file onto a drawing ?
4. ?


Regards,
Tomas

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Tomas,

Using the shift key with a dimension works great, I didn't know that trick. It didn't appear to work for a balloon though.
The txt file also works nicely until you have to edit it in NX, I just am not a fan of their text editor... I'd rather it launch a 3rd party software like Word that is built for documents.

Thanks!

Windows 7
NX 10.0.3.5

RE: Features you wish NX had?

How about being able to copy drawing views from one drawing to another, not just from sheet to sheet. Ex. I have a inspection pin that is used in multiple assemblies as a component but I have to document it in each assembly because each pin is custom finished to match the worst case out of tolerance position of the fixture it is used at. Ideally I could just copy and paste the component views into the new drawing.

Windows 7
NX 10.0.3.5

RE: Features you wish NX had?

We would like to have a 1:1 scale view on our monitors (obviously with freeze zoom, only pan)
and ability to set scale for presentation on projector
on tv monitor.

First: to have possibility to see the real size of a insert
or other parts. (we make moulds)

Second: to present the projects to our coustomers
and often they wanna have the perception of real size.

NX 7.5 64bit
NX 9.0.3.4 MP4 64bit
NX 10.0.3.5 MP3 64bit

www.studiotreccani.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

You can specify a precise zoom factor in View -> operation -> zoom... You will need to calibrate your display (preferences -> visualization -> view/screen) to get the size of the object on screen to match the real world dimensions.

When I want to keep the view on screen at a specific scale, I lock out the zoom function on my spaceball. This way only I don't inadvertently zoom the model when I'm trying to do a translation or rotation.

www.nxjournaling.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Modeling, Drafting, Assemblies, Advanced Assemblies, Sheet Metal Nesting, Mechanical/Electrical Routing functions all within a single license bundle AND with a total cost that is not that far from a mid range CAD package like SolidWorks Pro. Amen.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

StudioTreccani:
way back in time when we were running NX on 19 inch 4:3 "fat screen monitors" ( compared to todays flatscreen wide format screens) One could measure things on the screen !
I once had a group of people in a training class who had discovered that if they clicked View-operation-zoom ( Ctrl+Shift+Z) and entered "1", they could measure things on the screen with a ruler.
( They actually used this method to program a coordinate measuring machine to check car-dashboards!!!)
If you go Preferences - Visualization - view / screen - session settings-calibrate, you can with some trial and error adjust such that 1 = 1.

2) I think that you can disable zooming but keep rotate/ pan if you use a spaceball.

Regards,
Tomas

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (CNSZU)

  • Boolean operations should have an option to automatically interact with *any* intersecting body (and not force the user to select a body)
Default to all - able to deselect undesired body

Quote (CNSZU)

  • A smarter coordinate input cursor box that is more discreet and out of the way (especially when moving components)
Be able to place and lock out of way. I'm continuously moving these boxes out of the way and gets annoying real fast.

Toggle between inch and metric within a prt file. We regularly download commercial hardware/parts/components and these are frequently in metric. We use work-arounds but how hard is it really to inbed this in the base code? Its a simple math conversion.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Rcass: You know that you can , with some hassle, convert files between mm <-> Inch ? ( ug_convert_part.exe )
You also know that you can enter values in Inches in metric files by entering say :"2.5in" ? ( there are quite a few of these conversion "names".)

Regards,
Tomas

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Toost,

Yeah, I know. It just seems ridiculous you can't toggle back and forth when that function is there in lesser cad packages.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I would like to see a spell checker.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I added the convert file into the windows context menu.

right click -> convert to inch
right click -> convert to MM

Seems to work fine. but yes, its not on the fly inside NX.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (hotrod1967)

I would like to see a spell checker.

Good suggestion and has been mentioned for over a decade and still not a priority (I guess). In the meantime, copy/paste your text into something that can spellcheck. When finished, copy/paste it back into the text dialog.

Tim Flater
NX Designer
NX 9.0.3.4 Win7 Pro x64 SP1
Intel Xeon 2.53 GHz 6GB RAM
NVIDIA Quadro 4000 2GB

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Go to this Eng-Tips thread…

http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=352828

…and scroll down to my entry dated 3 Oct 13 19:11 and you'll find a link to an 'app' that can be used with virtually any Windows application, including NX, that will automatically spellcheck any entry typed into a text widget.

John R. Baker, P.E.
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: Features you wish NX had?

2
I would love a feature where my ER's are reviewed. Still have ER's from 2014 with a Not Reviewed status.

I think the feature that irritates me the most is Divide Face. I can't define a vector to use when dividing faces, whilst still projecting to both sides.
Trim sheet can do this. You can't always use Normal to Face.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

With the spell checker checkmate has an option to check spelling. But it takes a checkmate license.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

A sketch button just like "create rectangle" or "create polygon" that lets you "Create Rounded Rectangle"




Also, I the perpendicular constraints and the parallel constraints are dysfunctional in the geometry solver.

They seem to be "soft" constraints" where horizontal, coincident, fixed and tangent seem to be "hard" constraints.



RE: Features you wish NX had?

I'm still on 7.5 so maybe this has been addressed in later versions, but bring back the ability to place a datum plane at an angle to another plane and through an axis not parallel to the other plane. At one time I could do this but now I get a message stating "Axis should be parallel." My current work around is to bring in a part file with a single plane in it, use assembly constraints to place as needed (aligned to an axis and at an angle to a plane or planar surface), then create a linked plane from that.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Hi dear friends
I didnt work with nx 11
Who knows about it?

This thread was very good and had great suggestions for nx
Is any of them applied to nx 11?

What about drafting?
Is any good news for Arranging dimensions?


Windows 10
NX 10

RE: Features you wish NX had?

After waiting 1 year 8 months I was hoping to see much more than
what we received on the CAM side. The software needs a real world
High speed roughing strategy with step up machining like volumill
and Imachine to make better use of the tool and reduce roughing time.
The current trochoidal roughing is dated and not very good, in
light of better strategies. We got a few minor updates, but no reason to
leave NX10.
Currently using NX10.03
Cncpro99

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Please keep in mind that significant CAM enhancements generally are delivered as part of the first maintenance release after a major CAD release. While I don't know this for sure (can someone like Mark Reif comment) but I would look to NX 11.0.1.x before I would suggest that there were no useful CAM updates in the new release or that there was no motivation to move from NX 10 to NX 11.

John R. Baker, P.E. (ret)
EX-Product 'Evangelist'
Irvine, CA
Siemens PLM:
UG/NX Museum:

The secret of life is not finding someone to live with
It's finding someone you can't live without

RE: Features you wish NX had?

The Lazarus thread....it just won't die!

Tim Flater
NX Designer
NX 9.0.3.4 Win7 Enterprise x64 SP1
Intel Core i7 2.5GHz 16GB RAM
4GB NVIDIA Quadro K3100M

RE: Features you wish NX had?

The amazing invisible CAM enhancements....requested by hundreds!

Proud Member of the Reality-Based Community..

To the Toolmaker, your nice little cartoon drawing of your glass looks cool, but your solid model sucks. Do you want me to fix it, or are you going to take all week to get it back to me so I can get some work done?

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (cncpro99)

After waiting 1 year 8 months I was hoping to see much more than
what we received on the CAM side. The software needs a real world
High speed roughing strategy with step up machining like volumill
and Imachine to make better use of the tool and reduce roughing time.
The current trochoidal roughing is dated and not very good, in
light of better strategies. We got a few minor updates, but no reason to
leave NX10.

There is no reason to wait that long. In CAM, most functionality is delivered as soon as possible using point releases - 10.0.1, 10,0.2, 10.0.3. We no longer save up all the new features for the next main release. So NX 11 contains everything from the three NX10 MRs, plus some new projects.

Regarding CAM rough milling patterns, there has been a lot of discussion about this, including movies of our 11.0.1 release, in the Siemens Manufacturing Community. Start with Link



Mark Rief
NX CAM Customer Success
Siemens PLM Software

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@CCD429,
That's a nice PDF that you have put together; you need to submit it to GTAC so they can open PR's and potentially ER's. Posting it on this forum will not necessarily get the developer's attention. Contacting GTAC directly is the only sure way to get your voice heard by the developers.

For your feature requests, there is functionality in NX already that may help.
  • Rounded rectangle sketch tool: you can develop a sketch template and put it in a reuse library. See the 2D section library that ships with NX for examples (in the reuse palette tab).
  • Layer manager: you can open the layer manager and set layer settings without quitting out of the current command. When you close the layer manager, the other command dialog will still be open and waiting for your input. If you have found a situation where the layer manager cancels the current command, report it to GTAC.
  • Command shortcuts: open a dialog and set it up with your commonly used settings then click the gear icon (upper left corner) and choose "save favorite". The next time you start the command, you can click the gear icon and pick your saved favorite to quickly access those settings.

www.nxjournaling.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?



Thanks for responding Mark
I understand their are incremental improvements in the MR's, but I haven't seen any changes in roughing in several years. You have added
many new features and improved finishing routines which have been very good, but roughing has been at a standstill. I pay attention to what is going
on with advancements in other products and see what I need to produce my parts quicker. Step up machine roughing reduces cycle time and allows for
more flute on the tool to be used. Trochoidal motion, that does not have faster feed rate for the air cutting portion, of the return move, could
be improved and adaptive spiraling patterns (to shape of the area being cut) would greatly improve tool life and save time.
I work with extruded stock most of the time, not investment castings, so the best place to save time is in roughing. I think NX is the best
overall program for design & machining and after having used it, would never consider using any other program. The only area I see for much needed
improvement, I just mentioned.

cncpro99

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@cncpro99, you can speed up the air cutting in trochoidal by optimizing the feed. It will go to your max setting on the back side of the loops.

Mark Rief
NX CAM Customer Success
Siemens PLM Software

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@cowski
Regarding- " Contacting GTAC directly is the only sure way to get your voice heard by the developers."

I sent a very important enhancement request to GTAC back in 2008. I sent sample files with desired tool-path using "Sequential Mill". All I requested to have an option for multi-level nested loops. Basically I wanted to loop two Sequential Mill OPs in another top level Sequential Mill OP.

For example, I had a part with 1.00" deep walls/ribs and only .100" thick. I would split the walls in three sections along its length, say among points A, B, C, and D. And the section between B and C would require long tool-length because of some inefficiently designed fillets in the wall. As we all know that one of the best strategy is to cut such thin walls/ribs is to continually have some good support in the cutting action. So we cut it in small steps while going around the rib. In order to use the small tool-length, I would finish this small section between point B and C using kellering motion and then continue the rest of it using flank milling. And once cutter goes on the other side of the wall and reaches the section BC then the cutter would switch back to the 3-axis kellering mode again and then back to 5-axis swarfing.

I spoke with someone at GTAC and asked if we could do this in Sequential mill op, they told me that it wasn't possible. It was a reprogramming job that someone else had done it in NCL/APT.

RE: Features you wish NX had?

I'd be pretty partial to a "frame generator" or "weldment" functionality. If its in NX, i can't find it! Its the one thing that NX severely lacks!

As an avid user of both NX and SW... it is painful not being able to do such a common task in NX.

Am i missing something? I was going to open a new thread on this to see how others do it...

Oh and another thing i'd like to be more "modern" and less convolution is being able to use more file properties in the attributes. for example.. i can't just enter a code for "file created date" or "file created time" or "last saved date" or "last saved time" and have them automatically fill out. I'm sure its possible with some custom code, but if i was a developer i'd not be requesting functionality now would i!

RE: Features you wish NX had?

Quote (HercalloY)

I'd be pretty partial to a "frame generator" or "weldment" functionality. If its in NX, i can't find it! Its the one thing that NX severely lacks!

Switch to Modeling and Menu > Insert > Weld Assistant will give you access to the weldment.

Switch to Routing and Menu > Preferences > Routing > Disciplines > Steelwork will give you ability to use steel profile stock.
Having said that, I must admit that steelwork routing fucntionality is far from great - at least as of NX10. Maybe NX11 finally imporves it?

www.cadroad.com

RE: Features you wish NX had?

@cnc07,
In this case you should ask GTAC to convert your incident report (IR) into an enhancement request (ER). It may not get immediate attention, but at least it will be on the official list.

www.nxjournaling.com

Red Flag This Post

Please let us know here why this post is inappropriate. Reasons such as off-topic, duplicates, flames, illegal, vulgar, or students posting their homework.

Red Flag Submitted

Thank you for helping keep Eng-Tips Forums free from inappropriate posts.
The Eng-Tips staff will check this out and take appropriate action.

Reply To This Thread

Posting in the Eng-Tips forums is a member-only feature.

Click Here to join Eng-Tips and talk with other members!


Resources