OK, I'm now running the production version of NX 9.0.1.3 (the MR which will be released in a few weeks) and I still see the issue with this behavior, depending on whether or NOT 'Partial Loading' is enabled in 'Assembly Load Options'. If 'Partial Loading' is toggled ON, then there is NO access to the Sketch when using the Feature Parameters Drafting function. However, if 'Partial Loading' is toggled OFF then I have NO problem whatsoever accessing the Sketch when using the Feature Parameter function.
That being said, I then decided to verify that this behavior had ACTUALLY changed in NX 9.0 and so I went back as far as I could, which at the moment is NX 5.0, tested this using a simple extruded part created from a sketch. And I discovered that NX 9.0 is behaving in EXACTLY the same manner as NX 5.0 (or for that matter, every version since at least NX 5.0), that is that IF 'Partial Loading' is toggled ON, you will NOT be able to access the Sketch using Feature Parameters. And it does NOT make any difference whether the Sketch is on the same layer as the extrude, whether the sketch has been made internal to the extrude and even if it had not and it was included in the Model Reference Set, it still will NOT be accessible by the Feature Parameters function IF the Master Model Drawing was opened with 'Partial Loading' toggled ON. This is just the way NX has ALWAYS worked (at least since NX 5.0). And when you realize what 'partial Loading' does, that is when toggled ON, Component feature parameters are NOT loaded when an Assembly is opened, you can understand why we're seeing what we are. The Feature Parameter Drafting function is, by definition, looking for the feature's 'parameters' but since they've not been loaded thry can't be accessed. Even if the Sketch itself is visible in a Drawing view, if 'Partial Loading' was toggled ON then the 'parameters' have not been loaded and therefore are not available to be inherited onto the Drawing.
So even if I did open a PR, it would come back "Working as intended."
Now as for the response that WAS given during the Beta testing, I suspect that the person who wrote that response did not fully understand what exactly was being asked. He was referring to the fact that annotating (i.e. dimensioning) Threaded Holes was now supported using a new explicit Hole Callout function which was added to NX 9.0 Drafting (as well as to PMI). However, even taking that into consideration, the response to the Beta testing PR was misleading since the Feature Parameter Drafting function STILL supports Holes, threaded or otherwise, just as it still does Sketch Parameters, AS LONG AS 'PARTITAL LOADING' IS TOGGLED OFF IN ASSEMBLY LOAD OTPTIONS. BTW, even the new NX 9.0 Hole Callout function is affected by the setting of the 'Partial Loading' option.
Anyway, I'm sorry that it has taken this long for me to come to the bottom of this issue since if I had followed-up when I first said that I would back in October, we all would have known what the status was then. As for the suggestion that this behavior was different in NX 8.5 verus NX 9.0, it would seem that if you went back and checked, I suspect that you will find that you were using NX 8.5 with 'Partial Loading' toggled OFF. And since out-of-the-box, NX 9.0 has 'Partial Loading' toggled ON, this is probably why you saw different behaviors between the two versions of NX. So, please check this out and let me know what you discover. Again, I'm sorry for not following-up when I first promised that I would.
John R. Baker, P.E.
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