Relocate dimension view to view

[mark528]

Is there a way to relocate a dimension from one view to another view? I'm using V5 R13 P1

 

[solid7]

Yes.

You need to make active the view that you want to take the dimension from, select what you want to take, and then "copy," by using "Ctrl+C."

Next, you right click on the dashed border of the view in which you wish the dimensions to go to, and make the view active. (you can also double-click on it, or select it from the tree) Then you "paste" by using "Ctrl+V."

Then, you re-associate using this icon: (it's called "re-route dimensions")

Please note: You CANNOT move associative dimensions using this method. To get around the associativity, you need to either ISOLATE the view first, OR copy and isolate the view before copying/cutting and pasting.

I know this will help you greatly to save time and effort.




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[1oldcaduser]

Somebody explain to me why you would want to move a dimension to another view? Surely it would be quicker to recreate it in the new view?

 

[mark528]

1oldcaduser

well, there are a lot of reasons. in the case where you have more than one dimension and you have to create another view and delete the original view it's easier to do a copy and paste rather than recreate them all over again. in the case where you have tolerences or other text associated with the dimension it's a lot quicker to be able to copy and paste. i could continue listing reasons and most, i'm sure, would make no sense to you because your not working with the particular product, standards, or systems that i am working with. If you have a better way that suits your needs great, it seems you have plenty of time on your hands so maybe recreating each one over again is best for you.

 

[1oldcaduser]

No I do not have plenty of time on my hands. The reason for my comment was that I would worry that if the new view was not identical to the old view the dimensions would not be correct. I get the impression from your response that what you would do is recreate the same view. If that is the case then yes copy and paste would be good. Although would you have to reroute all dimensions after transferring??

 

[solid7]

That's absolutely right.

Consider also, that I design a particular product for one company, that's *basically* the same part, over and over again. The major changes are in surfaic features, that the eye really can't see.

This company insists (rightfully, I believe) in doing a new drawing for every part number. So, as mark528 says, instead of spending an hour on a new drawing, adding annotations, GD&T, tolerances, etc, it takes me about 10 minutes to isolate the old views, cut and paste the dimensions and text into the new view, and then re-associate.

However,if you are doing individual dimensions, there's usually no pay-off in doing it this way. This is best for batches.

Your dimensions can also be re-sized upon being re-associated, but the dimension must be based on the same number and type of parameters as the original. (in other words, you can't re-assign a diameter dimension to a length or angle)




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[mark528]

Well like any shortcut it has it's pros and cons. since the dimension is linked to the generated geometry it will relink it's self to the appropriate generated geometry in the next view.

a dimension that you couldn't copy and paste would be say a height dimension in a front view pasted into a top view, that would definintly break (just an example). if it doesn't relink then yes you would have to reroute it. in some instances copy and pasting could be more trouble than it's worth, and then it might just be easier to recreate the dimension.

i intially asked the question hopeing that there was a command for this procedure.

to give you an idea of why this is necessary for my purposes: We have a "configured" assemble, ie it's not an assemble that could actually be built, but one that contains all options, it's not discrete. Long story short, sales creates a list of user defined codes (customer specs) which are run through a configurator that takes away, part swabs, etc. until the "base template" is configured to be what the customer wants, ie makes the assemble discrete and assigns a new number to the assembly. being that the drawing workbench isn't as parametric as we would like for it to be there are some cases when the drawing of the assembly updates it becomes a little fubar. hence a view here or there might need to be recreated. I apologize for my rudeness earlier 1oldcaduser, I wrongly got the impression that you were discouraging my original post.

 

[solid7]

Just a correction, mark528 - I'm not sure what you mean when you talk about "relink itself," but there is no automatic relinking. As I posted earlier, it's totally manual, albeit quicker when you a collection of dimensions. You MUST isolate any geometry that is generated by a view. Draw geometry will still copy from one view to another with no problem. If it is view generated, you will not even be able to get the dimension to appear in the new view. (because of the logical link, it is impossible)

And your example of taking a height dimension from a front view and putting it into a top view - there is no problem, whatsoever, with doing this. It will not break. The only qualifications, as I just pointed out in the last post, are that the number and type of parameters used to create the dimension must match the new geometry, and the view geometry must be isolated.

So, in reality, unless I've misunderstood you, your first 2 paragraphs are not at all accurate.






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[solid7]

No I do not have plenty of time on my hands. The reason for my comment was that I would worry that if the new view was not identical to the old view the dimensions would not be correct.

Yes, that's correct. But you don't have to worry about it, because there is no associativity. I believe that point may have been overlooked by all reading my response. YOU MUST isolate VIEW GENERATED geometry before you are EVEN ABLE to cut and paste the dimensions. And to put it another way, the pasted dimensions are dumb and useless until you DO re-route them.

I get the impression from your response that what you would do is recreate the same view. If that is the case then yes copy and paste would be good. Although would you have to reroute all dimensions after transferring??

It's true - you DO have to re-route them. But I can't tell you strongly enough - unless you actually try it, it may remain silly in concept to you.

Imagine this:

identical dimensions on 2 drawings, only changes that you can't see, or minor changes. The whole view must be dimensioned on both drawings.

Solution: Dimension 1 view, and then make a copy of it. Isolate the copied view. Select all dimensions, and Copy them to the clipboard. Paste them into the new view. Double click on the "re-route" dimensions icon, (to make it a "running" command) and go to town. Remember, the copy and paste will also retain the standard in which the dimensions were formatted, so you don't always have to select the text type, size, or decimal precision! None of these are high-level tasks.

Try the experiment. Use a drawing view that has no less than, let's say, 30 dimensions, with a mixture of tolerance and text attached to them. Then, come back to the forum, and post your results.

I know what my results are, and I've been doing this for quite some time, now...




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[mark528]

solid7

I think you might have misunderstood my post, the information in it is completly accurate as i've done all of the above that i mention and it works. the comment about the front view hight dimension pasting into a top view is totally impossible (as far as relinking) becuase the dimension pasted into the top view would be going into the page. I don't understand when you say that there is no associativity and that the dimension won't relink, there is associativity and the dimension can and will relink in most cases. Also i don't have to isolate any views to perform this operation, nor do i have to activate any particular one either. I curious, what version of catia are you running? i'm running CATIA P1 V5R13.

 

[solid7]

I've been running every version of Catia since R7.

You may be getting this to work if you paste into a view with the VERY SAME element (ID) from the projection. (same 3D geometry)

However, there's just simply no way that it works if you try to paste the dimensions into a view with either a) *new geometry*, or b) a *different 3D* model. That violates the logic of the function, and is an operational impossibility.

What do you mean, "going into the page?"

Did you try the method, specifically as I outlined it? (taking dimensions from one, totally unrelated part, and pasting them onto another unrelated, albeit similar, part, and re-linkiing)






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[solid7]

By the way - to clarify my previous...

Every version of V5 since R7
Every version of Catia since V2.? (still running V4.2.4)




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[mark528]

ok, i see where were misinterpreting each other. I'm coping and pasting dimensions to and from views from the same model, not two views that are unrelated.

what i mean by "going into the page". say you have a flat piece of sheet metal, let say the front view mesuares 5" high by 10" long. going with the methodology that i'm pasting between views of the same model hence the dimensions relink. THEORECTICALLY if you take the 5" height dimension and past it in a top view (of which your looking at the thickness of the sheetmetal now) the dimension line of the 5" height would in effect be a point on the page (ie, you'll be looking at the end point of the line that's going into the page). but if you take that dimension and past it into the right or left views it would relink to top and bottom. i hope that makes sense, it's really hard to describe what i''m talking about, i almost need to show you.

I do see what you mean now when you say the dimesions will "unlink" themselves if you are pasting to a view in a different model.

 

[mark528]

i think we have beat this topic to death, i got the answer i needed. obviously there are different applications that my question could have referred to but i got what i needed. Thanks

 

[catiajim]

Have you considered doing a New From of the original drawing, and then re-linking the views to the new part. Then when you update the views, the dimensions should re-rounte automatically whenever possible. If you have your Dimension Diagnostics turned on, the dimensions that were not re-linked will turn a different color. Then you only need to re-create those.

 

[mark528]

Yes and no. Yes i know about that, i use that method frequently when creating a slew of similar parts.

No this would not be the method to use in this case because I’m not creating a new part.

The copying and pasting of the dimensions is what is best for my purposes and this particular application.

My original post was in questioning whether or not there was a command button for this that just simply said "hey, take this dimension and move it here for me." Obviously there isn't one for this, it's just good old fashion cut and past.

Thanks,
Mark