Dimensioning Spline Length

As I understand it, you can do this with the Routing package from SolidWorks, but there is not a way to set a length of a spline in regular SolidWorks. You can measure a spline, but cannot constrain it to a particular length.

Matt, I'm still trying to learn how to use the routing package properly, but I think that you can only apply a slack factor (say 10%) which as far as I can tell works a bit like rounding up when tolerancing dimensions. You can redimension the drawing view of a flattened spline, but this is not associative (I think), and does not drive the model to change its length. Some of our wire assemblies, we make as a standard sub-assembly and use in many different top-level assemblies. The path that these wires take is often different, and sometimes we coil up the slack, instead of using a shorter wire. If we could predefine the total length of the wire, then we could just bend it around the assembly in the correct path to see if it would fit. Just thought that maybe the flex command will do this better. Will give it a try now and post my results.

Using the flex tool does seem to work, however, it is a bit cumbersome. I'm having trouble fixing the start of the bend, but I think this can be overcome when I learn how to use this tool properly. I did a quick check of the resultant length of the bent wire, using the area of the surface it created, which was near spot on, if you take the tolerance fine enough. The only problem, is I would have to create a configuration in the part for every assembly that it appears in to define the flex features. If I could nest these features inside the top level assembly it would be perfect(like holes, and cut extrudes can be). It would be cool if I could just grab and drag the wire at different points around the assembly with some predefined limitation on minimum bend radius, etc.

I'm pretty sure I saw the ability to specify a particular length for a spline in a demo. I've actually got a training book here, although I've never been through training on it, and there is a picture on pg 16 if you've got the manual that shows the Cable Definition property manager. At the bottom of the dialog is an area to key in a length, in addition to the slack you were talking about.

Matt (American without a television)

I'll have another look at this. It is early days yet with the routing software and I'm really struggling to learn how to make it do what I want, which from related posts seem normal for using the routing add-in. Thanks for the tip.