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Charted Detail Drawings in SW.

I am looking for some opinions.

We manufacture products that come in various configurations (sizes and color combinations).

I work in Product Development and I started using SW about 2 years ago to design and document new products.

Our Product Engineering group has not yet evolved from AutoCAD to SW so they still support our existing products in AutoCAD.

Rather than save the new drawings I create in SW into AutoCAD .dwg, I convert them into PDF's for the rest of the company to use.

The problem is that our Product Engineering group thinks I should chart the sizes, colors, etc, on the SW component drawings like they used to do in AutoCAD to save on the number of drawings created.

I argue that creating a charted drawing on CAD defeats the purpose of CAD. When I was on AutoCAD and I wanted to use an existing part on a new product, I always ran into a wall when the existing part was on a charted drawing. I had to draw it from scratch to use it in an assembly. To me charted drawings are a quick and dirty way to get the job done, but it ends up biting someone in the ass down the road.

I also argue that to chart components on drawings in SW is an addition step and that changes made to the part would not be associative, therefore defeating one purpose of SW.

Buy the way, we do use the SW BOM table for assembly drawings and have no problems.

I guess I'm looking for ammo to get the PE group to use individual drawings for the components and charted BOM drawings for assemblies.

Any opinions?

Thanks, Scot

Reply to
scota
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You can use a Design Table to make configurations and insert the design table into a drawing, thus creating an associative, charted, detail drawing. The SWX help has an example on how to do this. I also remember either Wayne Tiffany or Lee Bell writing up a nice little how- to article on doing this (and getting it to look good).

Sorry, I am giving you advice on how to make tabulated drawings instead of giving ammunition to convince others not to use them.

We use tabulated drawings all the time and they work well for us.

Reply to
Arlin

Hallo-

It sound what your are want to make of them convincing not use of autocad forwith.

Because of new the cad, they are resist. But drawing of charts used both to work in cads of autocad and soldwork.

But making of chartsted drawings much too easy upon solidworks- for it needs only to make table of design withing the part and alas there it is for also the drawing there too.

Mostlike reasons are made of not to change by they avoiding the new techiques.

Sincerefully -

Habib

Reply to
Habib

Arlin and Habib,

Thanks for your input.

I followed the SW help and inserted a design table into a drawing and is worked fine.

(I see the light.)

I plan to use them on the next project.

(I still have to convince PE to stop using charts in AutoCAD)

Thanks Again,

Scot

Reply to
scota

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