Layer settings. 1

[cobaltred]

Hi, Win7 64 bit NX 8.5. When I open layer settings and delete all categories and then create say five new categories named ONE,TWO,THREE,FOUR,FIVE and the I
add layer 1 to ONE and layer 2 to TWO and so fourth all is fine but when I open layer settings again I would expect to see the names in order top-down or down-top
depending on the arrow toggle at the top of the layers settings window but instead the categories names are random, Why I assigned the layer numerals to the category name?
If I un check the list by category box the layers are listed from 1-256 why when I check the category box do the names display random.
Also how can I make my custom role that I created the default role when I create a new model?

Thanks, Buddy

 

[JohnRBaker]

The list of Category names is NOT random, but rather alphbetical.

As far as your question concerning 'Roles', I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Roles have nothing to do with parts. And the last role that you select will be what's in effect until you change to a different role or until you perform some sort of customization of the menus and toolbars but you don't update your role, then these changes will be lost if you were to change roles. Anyway, could you please rephrase your question about roles?

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

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

 

[cobaltred]

Yeah, I guess I figured that out soon after I posted this. I am coming from a Rhino environment and I hate to say it but I prefer Rhino layer handling over NX.
Alphabetical under categories and numerical when un checked and a arrow symbol to make it top down organization or bottom up organization. So all I was originally really trying to do was
find a way to name my layers and organize them in a ordered way that makes sense to me. Rhino has two small arrows so that you can move up or down in the list.It seems to me the only
way for me to "name" my layers is in the description and I have to mentally remember what numbers I want my geometry to go on. In short I think the layer settings dialog window could use some improvement
not very intuitive in my opinion.
That is fine on the roles, if you are telling me that the last role I use will be the role that in effect going forward I like that, I thought somewhere in preferences or customer defaults there was a check box to set the default role and yes, I am aware that roles do not have anything to do with model drawing or assembly.
In the extrude command is there or are there any moves to add up to vertex or point in the end of extrude condition. Solidworks has a up to vertex choice that I have used often thought it would be there?
Last but not least I have said it before and I will say it again in sketch mode maybe one day I will get a split command and a divide command for curves.

Thanks for listening to all I can work around these things of course but, small changes can make a real difference.

Buddy.

 

[JohnRBaker]

First off, layers are a bit 'old-fashioned' and other schemes have been put in place over the years so as to where many people have all but stopped using them. Granted, in the days of wireframe modeling only it was more useful to use something like layers to segregate items but with the move to sketches and solid models the number of independent objects have been drastically reduced. And with such things as imbedded sketches and automatic Hide/Show options, the 'managing' of referenced objects is becoming more automatic and therefore less dependent on something like a layering scheme.

As for the Roles issue, yes, whatever the status of your menu/toolbar change are at the end of one sesssion of NX, it will be restored when you launch your next session.

As for the rest of your questions, it would be better is you started a separate thread for each item. It gets very confusing and hard to follow the responses if there are multiple threads of comments being made under a single topic heading. Besides, many people go back and review thread titles looking for similar topics when they have a question that might have already been addressed and so having specific threads for each item is critical.

So if you'll separate those questions, I'll be glad to comment on them and provide you some ideas on how to address your needs.

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

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

 

[cobaltred]

I will try to stick to the topic of Layer settings. Yes I understand what you are saying. I am coming from a surfacing background and I design primarily small carburetors
and the workflow I was trying to achieve is to start in history free mode and have layers all set up for different components such as plumbing fixtures and regulators and so on, Then
lay out the preliminary design of the main throttle body(without having to create a complicated tree structure)with surfaces and some solid bodies and when I am done manipulating where everything needs to be then unite into the base solid, then I would like to switch to history mode and finish the design with solid features fillets holes threads and so on. What I would really like to see is a layers window that has no numbers
and let the software use the numbers in the background and instead be able to add a new layer or delete a layer and yes arrange them as needed and if you wanted to group a number of layer into a
category then create a category after you have added the layer you want. At a minimum if they would let you arrange the categories that would help because as it is you can arrange them how you want
in categories or numbers but you can't really have both make sense when you switch the categories toggle switch at least in my opinion.

Thanks Buddy.

 

[JohnRBaker]

I'm not saying that layers and the use of descriptive category names are not useful for some situations, after all, we still provide full support for layers and have even recently updated the dialogs and options so that it's fully supported by journalization which can provide the foundation for user-implemented automation and customization.

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

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