Rendering multiple configurations

[SilasH]

I have an assembly that contains multiple configurations of the same part. I have the "display PhotoWorks materials in SolidWorks" box checked, so I can see that all the materials are registering correctly before I render. However, when I render, only those with the most recently used configuration render correctly, and the others use the assembly's default material. I can test this by opening the part and changing configurations, and going back to assembly, and the correctly rendering parts will have changed. In the Render Manager Tab, only the correctly rendering material is listed.
There was a brief period when it was all rendering correctly, and then I changed a material on another part in the assembly, and now I've got the same problem all over again. I can't apply the material at the assembly level, because it's a 2D material and won't apply to individual faces for me to orient correctly (wood grain). I'm running SW 2007, SP 2.0. Any suggestions? Should I just make another part and replace the ones that won't render? Isn't the point of configurations to save work?

 

[Theophilus]

Your configs aren't set to Use Configuration Specific Color or anything, is it? (I don't know if this would be a problem, but could be.)



Jeff Mowry

http://www.industrialdesignhaus.com

Reason trumps all. And awe transcends reason.

 

[SilasH]

Under the materials FeatureManager, I have the "all configurations" button checked. I don't see anywhere else where it would limit it to the current configuration. Especially since it worked briefly.

 

[rockguy]

This is a problem with configurations and rendering in 2007. It came up a couple of times at SolidWorks world.

This is how I work around it. Open your assembly and all the parts that have configurations. I then go to the part file and render every configurations in the part file. If I have 2 configurations I render the first configuration then switch to the second configration and render. Don't close the part, keep it open. I do this for every part and yes its is a real PAIN IN THE A$$. Once you've done this for every part and left them open go back to the assembly and render. If the assembly doesn't render correctly do a "control Q" on the assembly and try again. Your assembly should render correctly now. If you change anything or even breath on the screen you need to do what I just desribed again.

It's a very large PAIN IN THE A$$ but it does work.

Rob Rodriguez CSWP

http://www.axiscadsolutions.com

http://www.robrodriguez.com

http://designsmarter.typepad.com/rob_rodriguez/

President:

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SW 2007 SP 2.0

 

[SilasH]

Wow, that is a royal pain. I'm following those instructions to the letter and still getting the same results. It's time to cut the losses and just make a new part. I suspected from the beginning it would be faster, but wanted too much to know what was wrong. In addition, I've come across a couple other little things. Since it's wood, I'm using the unfinished pine 2d and unfinished pine endgrain materials. When mapping and using the "fit to height" or "fit to width" option on a part with multiple configurations, it fits to the width or height of the original config used with it, and doesn't adapt for other configurations. (Does it have to? No. Would it be nice? Yes.) The configuration selection tab within the materials property manager does nothing and always defaults to "all configurations." Here's another abnormality: I applied a 2d material to one of the faces, then closed it accidentally, then opened the texture back up, added a face, and rotated the mapping 90 degrees. The end result was that the material did not show up at all. It all left a bad taste in my mouth.

 

[overkill04]

I'm having the same issue.

I have several configurations all with the same materials. Some decide they want to render with their materials and some like to use the default material. Perhaps there is an option somewhere to use the sub-assemblies material setup??

At least I have a little bit of reasoning as to why this might be happening. I'll post again once I have utilized the pain in the ass technique.

Cheers


Specs, Intel Pentium M 2.16 Mhz
SW 2007 R2.2
1.5 Gb Ram
NVidia GE Force GO 6800 256Mb

 

[manxJim]

This is a well know problem (SPR 343227 - due to be fixed in 2008) I have just spent 3 days fighting with this, there are a couple of other work a rounds I found
1 apply the PW material at the assembly level
2 save the assembly with a new name
Nether of the above are guaranteed to work in all cases I have hade to use a combination of these and the method posted by Rockguy