Automating the creation of multiple similar parts 2

[NTedford]

Hi all,

I have an application question that I was wondering about. I'm fairly new to SolidEdge (and this community) and have a job in which there is the possibility of having to model a lot (hundreds) of fairly simple parts ( pipes with a vertical leg and a radiused bend at the top) that have very similar dimensions. I was wondering if there is any way to automate this task somewhat. What would be ideal would be to outline in Excel or a similar program the dimensions and/or locations of the parts (either relative to each other or constrained to another reference dimension) and then have SolidEdge read in the database and create the parts. Minor editing of the parts once read in would be acceptable. I've looked at a few things outlining Macro capability with Excel, but am not sure whether this would be possible. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for you time.
Nathan

 

[KENAT]

Check out families of parts. I'm not sure that by itself it does everything you say but may build a foundation on which you can achieve it.

KENAT, probably the least qualified checker you'll ever meet...

 

[HDS]

I have not done it but you can link families of parts to an excel file. Help describes how.

I would get the family of parts work without excel first then create the link.

Get familiar with how families of parts work. They are different in SE than other packages. (I find it effective but cumbersome to use the exported files and keep the linsk up to date. However, it does not have the issues with performance that Pro/E does because they regenerate the part every time it is opened.)

 

[NTedford]

Thanks to both for your replies. I think what you've suggested should work well in my situation.