part configuration

[Cazdebain]

How can i insert a part in an assembly with a different configuration then the same part already in this assembly? for exemple: one file for 3 different lenght of the same bolt....should i use a different configuration? i tried adding a MEMBER in FAMILLY OF PARTS tab, but when i select a different lenght, they all take that configuration in the sassambly.. Any tips?

THX

 

[swertel]

Family of parts in SE is not like configuration in other CAD packages. You create you FOP inside of a master part file, then you populate those "configurations" into their own part files. The new part files contain a single solid body feature linked to the master part.

Go back to the part file where you defined the different lengths of the bolts.
Click on the Family of Parts tab.
Click on the save icon (populate).
Make sure you give them a proper filename.
Then go back to your assembly and place the newly created part files.
YOU SHOULD NEVER PLACE A MASTER PART INTO AN ASSEMBLY!

A tip on file management. I have a folder for my design data, my catalog parts, and one specifically for hardware: screws, nuts, washers, etc. The hardware folder is divided into other folders based on the type of fastener. There is also one more folder called "master". That is where I keep all the master part models and when I populate the child parts, I put them into the proper subdirectory. By keeping the masters in their own folder, I'm less likely to accidentally place them in an assembly and it is also easier for me to find them when I need to add another configuration.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

 

[Cazdebain]

ok, so "configurations" are use after a created (or populated) a "familly af parts.right?

 

[KENAT]

Cazdebain, in SE the term configuration mainly applies to saved settings for Assemblies with certain components shown/hidden, different explodes etc. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

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

 

[swertel]

Caz, I think you're right. But the vernacular used by each CAD system is different to explain the same thing, so if you tell me your history I may be able to translate.

But yes, each part configuration, also known as family member, is defined within the master part but is populated, also known as saved as, its own file. That individual file is then used within assemblies. Why SE made parts their own files and assemblies (family of assemblies) have configurations, aka family members, stored within the one assembly file still confuses me. But that's the way it is.

Yes, Solidworks, Inventor, etc. etc. all store their family members as a configuration within one file. SE is unique in that regards when working with family of parts.

I got so fed up with family of parts that I ended up created a lot of my fasteners with a template. Change the dimensions, save as, change the dimension, save as. I get all the feature history, which is actually a minus in this case, but I still have all the same number of parts (less one if you count the master part file) and much less hassle with links.

--Scott

http://wertel.eng.pro

 

[beachcomber]

As I see it, you either have many small part files created from, and linked to, one master (the Solid Edge way); or one big file that contains all the confgurations of the part (the Solid Works way).
I've said this before, but at a previous company using Solid Works, one part file for a screw was just about 500kB, and that's a big file for such a simple thing.
As you add configurations the file size grows and grows.
Using the Solid Edge FOP method keeps the file size to a minimum as there is no intelligence in the file.
Does anyone know if loading many different small files into an assembly is better from a computer resource point of view than loading many instances of a larger file ?
Another point of the SE way is that your FOP member files can be created then locked - you do not have to modify and save them as you add members, which would possibly make any drawing that showed that part out of date.
I'm not saying the SE way is better - in fact I would like SE to have a better part configuration facility - but it may have some advantages.

bc