Multi-Stage Part Design

[TorsionalStress]

Using Catia V5R19;

I would like to know if Catia has the “configuration” feature like Solidworks has? I need to design a multi-stage part, that I would like to show on different sheets without having to activate/deactivate features between sheets.

Any response will be greatly appreciated!

 

[HGMorgan]

We don't know of any "configuration" features.
A couple of options:
Use of sub-assy's.
Use Overload Properties on a drafting view. Overload properties allows one to pick details and set them to be used (shown) or not (hidden). We use this a lot. You can copy a view multiple times, then on each view use Overload Properties to show what is desired.

Harold G. Morgan
CATIA, QA, CNC & CMM Programmer

 

[kirrer]

Another alternative if you're looking at design of a single part & don't want to use assemblies is to setup a design table with the 'Active' parameter for the features being set to 1 or 0 for the respective configurations. You would have to set one configuration active, generate a view on the drawing, lock the view to prevent updating, go back to the part & set the second configuration active, generate the second view, etc. It's a step above activating/deactivating different features because you can 'group' as many features together as you would like into a single configuration. Still it seems like more hassle than using configurations as in Solidworks.

Kevin Irrer
Northville, MI USA

 

[TorsionalStress]

Isn’t there anything automatic about this software? I want to get away from doing all of this work. I’ve realized that Catia does not work for the user, the user has to work for Catia. There’s nothing that I like about this software.

 

[PeterGuy]

CATIA follows an item based philophy, 1 part is 1 item. This is because its target market is OEMs that invaribly use item based PDM/PLM system. In these environments it makes no sense to have a document that represents multiple object at the same time, presumably only the final stage has the fit,form and function required in the finished component.
There are two ways you can get what you want, one would be to create a part that contained a body for each stage with each body being based on the preceeding stage, using paste with link (you will need to create technological objects if you are passing threads between bodies or parts). You can then create a drawing view based on an individual body. The down side to this method is all bodies must be visible for the drawing to visualise them, this can make an assembly very confusing. The other method is to have part for each body passing the previous body to the part via a paste with link. The down side of this method is you end up with lots of parts, but the assembly thing is solved. The best answer may be a combination of both methods where you have 1 part containing all the stages as seperate bodies and the final result is pasted with link into a seperate part for use in assemblies.

 

[TorsionalStress]

PeterGuy, I realized this last night. Catia provides no flexibility to the user and this is the frustrating part. Layers could have been a solution unfortunately it seems that features can’t be created under one body.

 

[gadkinsj]

Take a look at Scenes to see if that will help you out.

 

[TorsionalStress]

Aren’t scenes used only in assemblies? I need something that will control part features like pads, holes, pockets etc. in the part environment.

 

[PeterGuy]

CATIA provide plenty of flexability just not in the way you want it. I have never been completly stumped in CATIA, there is always a way to do something.