Mass properties.

Well, I actually ran into this 3 months ago but cound not repeat it to confirm the incorrect value it reported (and btw, so I was not dreaming this, saved a screen capture of it because I knew it was incorrect).

I decided it was a corrupt session and ended SW and rebootted, opened the same asm and... nada, it shows the correct value.

So, I could never confirm why I got that bogus value? I even thought about some earlier steps I took and applied them to my best recollection but nothing would show the wrong value.

Anyhow, it's chalked up as a whatdahfukhapnd scenario.

..

Paul,

Thanks. This will help. The problem was repeatable within the session until we deleted all configurations and had to manually change each part to get the assembly MP to change. Didn't matter whether the MP were changed in the default config or any of the others, it was stuck.

I didn't th> Well, I actually ran into this 3 months ago but cound not repeat it to

If I might ask, how are you able to set different material properties for part configurations? I didn't think this was possible. If it is, I would love to know how to do it.

Greg Wedeking

It is pretty simple:

1. Create/activate configuration
2. Set mass property while that config is active.
3. goto 1 till done.

Since there is no documentation on this and no configuration control while setting material properties one could look at this as a serious bug or a feature. It is a serious bug in that a multi configuration part could have different and unintended mass properties in various configurations. It is a feature if you need different mass properties in different configurations.

SW2003 SP3.0

I couldn't find any mention of this one way or the other in the KB, online help or in the list of SPRs.

There are two big questions:

1. If a company is using this "functionality" and it gets "fixed" how is it to be handled?

1. If a company wants to check its assemblies with multi-configuration parts for the correct mass properties how do they do it?

And while we are at it, how are mass pr> If I might ask, how are you able to set different material properties for

I'm running SW2003 SP4.0 and cannot get it to do what you say. Does that mean I'm doing something wrong or that it was "fixed"? Hmmm

Jeff

I've noticed this for some time. My Toolbox parts have density of 0.0361273 lb/in^3 (1000 kg/m^3). But since I don't have a part template with this density, it looks like Toolbox is arbitrarily using this value.

I just created a PEM fastener that is explicitly aluminum, and it comes up with the same density. Just another case of kicking the product out the door? I thought that Toolbox was better supported back when Cimlogic owned it.

On a similar subject, I was surprised to find that the individual parts made with the split part command do not inherit the density of the parent part. In fairness, the user *is* prompted to choose a template for the child parts, but it would be much more intuitive if an option were available (or the default) to overwrite the parent part's document properties onto the child parts.

Art Woodbury

Greg,

We found a reference in the help to configuration specific mass properties. This is the only thing in the documentation that I have been able to find on the subject. Here is a quote from Summary Info ? Custom and Configuration Specific:

You can add system-defined, configuration-specific mass properties as a custom property, using either the Custom or Configuration Specific tabs. Use the Configuration Specific tab to display with other configuration-specific properties. Mass properties use the following, system-generated format:

SW@ @configuration@model

Further testing here is showing that the ability to set mass properties on a configuration specific basis is limited to setting mass properties through TOOLS/MASS PROPERTIES dialog box. Setting density in TOOLS/OPTIONS/DOCUMENT PROPERTIES/MATERIAL PROPERTIES or even viewing density there will globally set all densities to whatever value is displayed. This may explain some of the problems we have been having with assemblies showing incorrect mass properties.

If this thread has you confused 2004 can ice the cake. 2004 has a material editor in addition the other interfaces to setting density. Here is a list:

1. Density can be set/checked in TOOLS/OPTIONS/MATERIAL PROPERTIES. Doing so will set the density in all configurations to whatever value is displayed.
2. Density can be set/checked in TOOLS/MASS PROPERTIES/OPTIONS. Doing so will set the density only in the currently active configuration
3. Density can be set/checked by assigning a material in the new material editor. Doing so will set density across all configurations. In addition the editor does not display material properties in the currently set units, it is always SI.
4. Density can be checked throught the API. I have only looked into VB and have not found a way to set density. Someone else may know how to do this. As I recall the results were a bit sporadic across configurations.

Note: it would be nice to be able to access the correct density for a part and to set it through the API. We wanted to write a macro to enable checking large assemblies for correct density in all the parts and have been unable so far.

It would also be nice to have the typical dialog show up when setting density giving a choice of setting all configs, this config or selected configs. Especially in the design phase this is really helpful in testing different material choices.

These c> Greg,

The toolbox addin has to be activated.

There is an SPR on this now.

I think you can still set density (on a part-level basis) through setting user prefs:

swPart.SetUserPreferenceDoubleValue swMaterialPropertyDensity, dDensity

I'm also curious about whether SW2004 will give us access to setting density by configuration through the API, so I'll look a little further.

Regards, Brenda

----------------------------------------------- Brenda D. Bosley, PE CustomSolids

Clarification question-- You were actually able to change the density for only one configuration when you used tools-mass properties-options? When I try it (SW2004 sp0), I'm getting the density changes showing up in the other non-active configs as well.

In general it's seeming to me that the same paradigm still holds where most mass properties can change by configuration as the geometry/size changes, but material density is a constant for all configs. If this isn't the case, I'd love to learn more.

Regards, Brenda

----------------------------------------------- Brenda D. Bosley CustomSolids

There is one other prerequisite, the Toolbox addin must be activated. Without it, SW works as intended and as you experienced. I just learned that today.

As you can see, truly documenting a problem can take time and a lot of trouble.

We where actually us> Clarification question--