Revisions to Draft files vs. Models

[DominicG]

How are you other Solid Edge users out there handling revisions to Draft files? Specifically, how do you handle a revision to a Draft file that DOES NOT effect the model? Here at work we have a bunch of drawings that need format (border, dimension tolerance, etc.) changes, but no actual changes to the models.

My preference is to increment the Revision Level of the draft file itself, and not the model. That way I don't have to update the assembly every time.

We're trying to avoid having to Replace a part in an Assembly. We find that after we do this, we need to re-apply the constraints. Is this a normal occurrence? Or
are we doing something fundamentally wrong?

Thanks,
Dominic Greco

 

[kjoiner]

Dominic,

I assume you are talking about setting the status of the current draft file to "released" and upping the revision without having to set the entire assembly to released.

I've run into this with changes as simple as correcting a typo on a draft file.

Here's the solution:

There is a file called options.xml located in the program foler in the Solid Edge folder.

1. Copy this file to a new folder (name it what you want) and share the folder.

2. Run the file called SE Admin (you may need to copy from the CD and paste it in the Solid Edge folder)

3. Open the copy of options.xml and scroll down the page and look for "allow unreleased links". Set that to "yes" and "true"

4. Save the file.

5. In Solid Edge, go to tools, options, file locations. Set the "solid edge admin" path to your shared folder.

6. There is also a little program that modifies your registry. I think you can get it off the downloads page on the Solid Edge GTAC support site. If not, contact tech support and they will email the file to you.

Hope this helps,

Kyle

 

[ddeck]

If you making significant changes I would create a new DWG and would up the REV on the drawing so that your system (if you have one) will have the most up-to-date REV when people look for it. this will elimiante duplicate DWG out there. I see no reason to update the model REV, however I guess it depends on how your system is set-up. If the part # and the DWG # are the same, maybe you need to up the REV, however if the #s are different, I wouldn't.

Also, if you can foresee the part changing in the near future I would wait and do your new formating with the required part modifications.

 

[fredericmenage]

Hi,

In my experience (in a production context), we cared only about the draft file when it came to revisions. That was because people outside of the engineering department only referred to the draft file as a reference. So the critical revision number (shared with the whole company) was on the draft only.

If you are in that case as well, I see no problem with changing only the revision number of the draft in a situation where there is only a change in the draft. (your parts and asms can keep an older revision as long as they don't change)

NB: that's assuming you're keeping old 3D revisions. Some companies (I don't recommend it though) keep only an archive of the old draft revisions by breaking the link between the 2D views and the 3D models in the archived files (command 'convert to 2D view'. - be careful, there's no undo -)

On the other hand, if oher files are shared with the rest of the companies (exemple: par files used to machine the part on a CNC nmachine). Then, I think you ought to keep revisions consistent between dft and 3D files to avoid confusion (even if the 3D file is not modified).

my 2 cents,

Fred

 

[beachcomber]

Continuing from Freds excellent (as usual) post - if you do'nt need to maintain model revisions in the filename you could use the Revision property in the model File Properties, and a brief description of the revision in Comments or a custom property.
This way you could indicate what the history of a model has been.

bc.