A few wIildfire questions

Hi All,

I have not used Pro/E in about 3 years (using I-DEAS and Solidworks) and have just got a job using Wildfire 2.0. I would have considered myself pretty knowledgeable on 2001 and have a few questions as to functionality that I think is missing / can't find / Think I seen on wildfire demos.

Q1. 3D sections? Has this functionality been added yet? Q2. Is it possible to extrude from a mid plane to 2 different surfaces as the extrude extents? Can't seem to get this to work. On 2001 you had the option of setting the extents of each side of the extrude from the midplane - very handy functionality!!!! Q3. I thought that they had added the ability to offset sketch entities in the normal sketcher, Not just sheetmetal. Can't find it? Q4. Why is there no ICON for a standard sweep. Am knowledgeable of the VAR Sec (They did change the terminology) Not always want to sweep with a tangent path. (Just a rant) Q5. How do you get Autobuildz to work? Q6. 3D annotation, Where are the menu's for it? Q7. On 2001 I had a colour map file. When added to the config.pro every time I started pro it loaded. This has been changed to an appearance file. Have made one, how do I get it to load automatically? Is there a config setting? Q8. Working directory -- Has anyone else experienced, a) set your working directory and b) open a file from another directory c) Start a new part d) save the new part ---- and it saves to the directory you have opened a file from in b. I have fixings library's set up using a search.pro file and anytime I import a fixing and start a new part it saves to the fixing directory. - Annoying. Q9. I am having difficulty in setting up the new mass properties relation. Can't get it to work. Q10. What is the PTC common name?? Q11. Has there been any huge changes to the BOM functionality?

Overall I do like the new interface, have done the standard get up to speed exercises.

I would appreciate it if anyone could help out with the above.

Regards

Steve

Reply to
yomoto
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A few hours of reading thru Help will answer most of your questions. Some of the easy (I might even know the answers) ones ...

Look at the Options pop-up

Use Edge tool flyout button for offsets

Add it to a toolbar (Tools, Customize Screen)

Not sure whatcha talkin about.

Insert, Datum, Annotation

Think pro_material_dir will fix you up.

Look at file_open_default_folder

Windchill related?

Reply to
Jeff Howard

Ok, think I see (didn't know it was there, don't know what it's for). Start VSS. Pick trajectory. Hold cursor over trajectory so preselect highlight color shows again (cyan?). RMB for shortcut menu.

I don't know, never having used pre-WF, but gather that there have been changes in the curve chains are built. Think there's even a (object selection techniques?) tutorial on PTC's site. Might meander around the site for a while. Think there is a customer resource section that has some stuff specifically targeting those transitioning to WF.

Reply to
Jeff Howard

Not sure what you mean by 3D sections. Often people mean what's called in Pro/e an offset section. It's been there for a while.

What Jeff said

It's a flyout of an icon that looks like a corner of a box highlighted.

WJS, but don't think you can tailor options of a sweep within an icon, i.e., pick an icon and it has your preferred options filled in. Also, whether icons are available somewhat depends on progress toward their conversion to Dashboard functionality. The converted stuff appears in a Menu bar menu with an icon next to the text.

Set the config options autobuildz_enabled to YES. After that, I'm not sure.

WJS or pro_colormap_path which you can Browse to

WJS and set it to working directory

1) assign a meterial in 'Edit>Setup>Material' or at least set density 2) in 'Tools>Relations, create a relation something like Weight=pro_mp_mass. You can confirm that these have values by going to the bottom, clicking the arrow for Local Parameters. You should have created a parameter called Weight that'll be listed in the local parameters and have a value assigned. If you want to see where it got the value, click the dropdown list that says MAIN and you'll get Alt and Report Mass Properties. Pro_mp_mass should be the first Reported mass prop and all the rest should have the values you'd see if you ran Model Analysis.

Don't think anything's been added or improved in 10 years, although PTC's made a faint stab at getting some OLE functionality with Access/Excel, but really crude, rudimentary. The way they generally work, they put some teaser functionality in the basic program then come up with an addon module that costs thousands extra that has all the neat, really functional stuff in it.

Reply to
David Janes

Hi david

What I mean is to display an isometric, trimetric or perspective section in the drawing.

I am aware of the offsetting of existing edges from solid or surface geometry. I thought I saw a demo when wildfire was going to be released that you could select a chain of sketch entities and offset them. Something like the AutoCAD offset command. You didn't need existing geometry to offset.

Having been out of the Pro/E world for a few years, Does anyone know when they plan to have all the other functionality on the dashboard?

I have all that set up and still no luck. I never had any problems with the old relation. I would say I am doing something stupid, and can't figure out what. I am getting a relation error "Invalid data type combination at right side of expression" This seems stupid as the pro_mp_mass is at the right side of the expression. I have pro_mp_mass in my reported mass properties at the top of the list. Can you post pictures on this group? I took some screen dumps of the relations/parameters dialog boxes.

Thanks for clearing these issues up for me.

Steve

Reply to
yomoto

Still clear as mud. Never heard of it. Maybe you could give a little more than a superabbreviated, 12 word title to the manual describing what you're trying to do, you know, at least some descriptive chapter headings. Maybe what it looks like, where you've seen one before, how it was created, an interesting, entertaining story for the poor dolts who work here. We're easily amused!! And we live for facts and numbers. Ummm, numbers, precious numbers. We love any story with numbers in it. Or, as the immortal Jerry McGuire put it: "Help us help you." Or as someone from the early days of computing said: "Garbage in, garbage out (GIGO)", you get what you pay for: you think not enough of your question, your dilemma to invest some time in explaining it, you'll get as much in return.

Since Pro/e has substituted the sketch for the sketched curve, geometry created as sketches can be used for a lot of stuff, including for sketch offset references. So, you do a sketch of something, just planar sketched geometry. Then you want to create a feature. You start an extrusion, pick the internal Placement icon and Define. Pick some plane that's parallel to the sketch you just created and some references. When you get into sketcher, do 'Offset entities', and pick the sketch entities you just created. Sketches can be used the same as other geometry. Maybe this is what you were thinking of.

I think they either have no plan or will drag it out to Slowburn 10 or Barelyglowingember 20, however much milking the market will bear. They could have done all this in one swell foop, when Wildfire was introduced, or some years before that, when 20 started the current interface change. Now Dashboard is getting mixed with "intermediate", modified Menu Manager functionality and new 'interfaces' are being introduced, as time goes on. Pro/e currently has about half a dozen interfaces (including the keyboard entry one of a decade ago that still accepts old style mapkeys) and no abatement in their creation. IOW, your guess is as good as mine and PTC ain't sayin'. There are no more closely guarded secrets in the world of government and industry than PTC's plans for Pro/e.

Weight=pro_mp_mass.

I think we could stand some pictures, unless someone thinks this might bring USENET to its knees. But I wouldn't be surprised if USENET or your service provider filtered it out. If that bombs, send them to me. I'll take a look.

Reply to
David Janes

Hi David,

Can you send me your e-mail address. I have a drawing done that will explain the 3D section in complete detail. I can then send you the weight issue pics as well.

Thought the weight relation may have been something I carried over in my 2001 start part. So tried to set it up completely from scratch in wildfire. Didn't work either. If you can send me your e-mail address, or send a blank mail to " snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com" I can reply to you.

Thanks

Steve

Reply to
yomoto

Hi David,

What I had done in the past was create a map key to close a model / drawing in pro/e. The map key would regen the model, calculate mass properties, regen again (this would update the weight), and close the model. This ment that any time you opened the model the correct weight would be displayed. This does however not work with wildfire. I think adding the analysis feature is the way forward. I have created the analysis feature and called it MASS_PROPERTIES. Set the mass create yes in the result param and regen request to always. Used the relation WEIGHT=MASS:FID_MASS_PROPERTIES. This works but doesn't seem to update automatically when the geometry changes. If I go to window activate it then updates. Is there a variable somewhere to tell Pro/e to always update parameters?

On the 3d section view, No worries worked a treat. The red X was putting me off I think. Didn't think it would work so didn't try. A lesson I learned many years ago but forgot when dealing with PTC.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Steve

David Janes wrote: On relations question, this is pretty easy. You're at the point of having done everything right and are about to create a relationship to capture a mass property calculation so it can be reported in a parametric note. So, in relations, you do wate=pro_mp_mass and it bombs, tells you something's wrong. The problem is this: there's nothing to report as a value of pro_mp_mass. For some reason, PTC's decided not to fill this system parameter with a value upon its first being referenced or even, automatically, upon geometry being created and the part regenerated. Instead, you've got this special, cute, secret, cultish hoop (only the real insiders know about this one: dumbass trivia to separate the "men" from the "boys", IOW, a program written by juveniles) to jump through. Back in 'Edit>Setup', go to Mass Props and at the bottom, click Generate Report. This stupid thing triggers the filling of a bunch of parameters with values. The worst of this is that it's reactive and only holds/reports the values from the last such report gen. It is possible (haven't confirmed this) that going to the bottom where is says Initial and setting this to Post Regen will make it more current. Problem is, even when it does this, it's telling you the value, not from this regen, but what it picked up but didn't show in the wate variable at the LAST regen. IOW, it's always a regen behind. Forget this method and do Analysis features ('Insert>Model Datum>Analysis') and move them to the Footer which makes their value always current.

David Janes ----- Original Message ----- From: stephen farrrell To: David Janes Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 6:37 AM Subject: Re: A few wIildfire questions

Hi David,

Thanks for the mail. Pictures attached.

Steve

David Janes wrote: For the email address, just remooge the munging at the end. I'll take a look this evening. David Janes ----- Original Message ----- From: yomoto Newsgroups: comp.cad.pro-engineer Sent: Tuesday, February 07, 2006 3:15 AM Subject: Re: A few wIildfire questions

Hi David,

Can you send me your e-mail address. I have a drawing done that will explain the 3D section in complete detail. I can then send you the weight issue pics as well.

Thought the weight relation may have been something I carried over in my 2001 start part. So tried to set it up completely from scratch in wildfire. Didn't work either. If you can send me your e-mail address, or send a blank mail to " snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com" I can reply to you.

Thanks

Steve

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Reply to
David Janes

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