newbie question: updating when dragging using mechanism...

Hi NG.

When I´ve made a mechanism and try to drag in a part, some white circles appear and I have to regenerate the picture if I want the motion to change... Somewhere I saw something with "dynamic" update, I think... I don´t know why I have to press regenerate now, each time I want to update the screen, but it´s very annoying and in the beginning everything was okay and fine (no problem in the beginning, when I used proe)...

Since I now have messed up some settings (I think), I hope that someone, please could help me solve my problem...

Best regards, Martin Jorgensen.

Reply to
Martin Jorgensen
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Sometime I have enough information from one of these message to kind of tell what's going on. But mechanism is complicated, not really something for a self-described newbie to be messing with minus a book in front of him. So, could we back up? A couple of questions: * Did you recently upgrade to a new rev of Pro/e and accidentally overwrite a configuration file, containing all your favorite settings, with the new version? * What rev Pro/e are you using, as this bears on how Mech Design works? * In your rev, do you bring the part in to assemble into the assembly model and manipulate it there? And do you also, there, in the assembly, apply mechanism type constraints (pin, slider, bearing, etc) or do you do this in the separate Mechanism Design module (Pre i-squared)? * Are you referring to the movement during assembly (ctrl-LMB to move, ctrl-MMB to spin, etc.)? Or to the package type move of the assembly inside Mech Des where everythng attached to a pin connection, for example, will spin?

David Janes

Reply to
David Janes

Martin, nice to see someone learning from a tutorial. Mechanisms especially needs it. But there are some things that they leave out or skip over which can be confusing. Apparently you have some kind of cranking mechanism, so you should be able to tell if it is, in fact, moving. Often times, a simple shaft, due to graphics, will move but not appear to without some kind of visual reference like a keyway. It also appears you've correctly used the 'connection' type constraints which allow a degree of freedom of movement. If you have gotten your assembly so that each connection says at the bottom 'Connection fully defined' and can rotate the shaft with a drag move in assembly mode, you should also be able to do it in MD. Good so far. As to options you might have changed which would affect a drag/move, I can't think of any. True, Pro/e is thick with worthless check boxes making you click the box before it will dynamically update, as if you want to change some values or move something around blindly. But, no, there are no such silly boxes in Mechanism Design.

Your problem may be that you are picking the wrong thing or have selected the wrong type of move operation in 'Drag component'. First, I've had the best results using 'Drag point' as opposed to 'Drag component', especially for rotating components; so select that icon, just to start. Then click somewhere on a component that is part of the assembly you want to move, but not an axis. You should see a circle or box showing the drag point. Now, just move the mouse cursor and the parts should follow. Often, I've forgotten how this function works and have depressed and held down the left mouse button, thinking that Pro/e is a Windows program and drag in Windows in usually LMB drag. In this drag function, you just click to get the circle or square. Don't hold down the mouse button. Just another example of PTC's deviation from accepted GUI standards which gives it's programs all that goofy charm. This one, in particular, is one of the functions of Pro/GOOFY, the secret joke module in Pro/e. They figure your life is too dull, why not raise your blood pressure a little. And when you finally 'get' some trivial, assininely simple little technique, you'll feel like you accomplished so much and be so relieved that you'll probably thank them for torturing you ~ the Stockholm syndrome, beginning to identify with the enemy. Hope you've been spared that embarassment.

Yes, by all means, keep looking for a good tutorial for this module. If you find it, let me know.

David Janes

Actually, PTC has put out one good product so far. It easily rivals SolidWorks in value, functionality and ease of use. It is called Pro/DESKTOP and a free version (missing stuff like rendering) is available on PTC's website, available for download. It is very slick, has very nice graphics, better than SolidWorks and is a real Windows program. Nothing goofy that I've seen so far. And for the grand that it costs, it should give not only SW but also Mechanical Desktop a run for their money.

instance...

regenerate...

Reply to
David Janes

Hi David.

Thank you very much for your answers:

"David Janes" wrote in news:QnCNa.609016$ snipped-for-privacy@news1.central.cox.net...

In fact it says: "Connection Definition Complete" for each of my 4 parts, but that´ll be the same I guess.

I also use "Drag point" because it´s better than "Drag component".

Exactly... And now, after I went into some option menu´s and suddenly everything seems fine again. (don´t know what I´ve messed up)...

The problem was that the circle you mention (that showed/shows the drag point) just keeped rotating and made white circles 360 degrees around my shaft (pistonshaft). And that the picture on my screen didn´t update, nor rotated until I did a "regenerate".... Annoying... But now the problem is gone and I don´t know why :-) (I hope it doesn´t come back again)... Now I can drag around my shaft and see a piston movement, realtime...

The parts follow now... They didn´t before... :-( Perhaps anyone experienced the same thing? (i.e. had to regenerate to make the parts follow)?

Ok, yeah I know.

Hehe.. you´re right...

I have a couple from my school, but they are very big and I don´t know if they´re what I´m looking for... Anyway, I´ll try some out and see if anyone has any recommendations here.

I´m downloading it right now, so thanks a lot for the tip. I don´t know anything about solidworks.

Really? Cool... I´m looking forward to try it :-) Mechanical Desktop is also being used at my school (Technical University of Denmark).

And again: thanks a lot for your answers they were helpfully.

Best regards, Martin Jorgensen.

Reply to
Martin Jorgensen

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