Moving fully constrained components

The easy way is to make another config, this allows the original config to stay constrained, whilst you can suppress the constraints on the other config as much as you like, then in the assembly above this, you just change config to suit by RMB, properties on the sub-assembly.

"pete" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@pipex.net:

In many cases, the situation is simple enough that the constraints can be suppressed/unsuppressed without having to change configurations. To the original question: there is no way to suspend mates other than suppressing them.

Thanks for the replies. It's a pain to have to suppress mates, particularly if different ones are active in different configs, as you have to remember which ones need to be unsupressed again.

Maybe a useful enhancement would be an option on the Move command to "over-ride mates". In I-DEAS, you could either disable constraints for a config, or just drag a component to one side (or rotate it) and it wouldn't snap back until you did an update. I recall Pro/E working that way too.

Regards, John H

That's why I suggested adding another config. You can suppress parts constraints etc.. but still keep your original intact, then switch between the two configs for comparison.

You can make a folder, to move the suppressed constraints too, so that you can find them again.

Also if you are only moving a few parts or a sub assembly, then do everything that you want to do, suppress mates etc.. But do not save, (make sure automatic backup is set to zero or off), close everything without saving, shut Solidworks, restart Solidworks, then when you re-open the assembly, it will be back to how you first started.

Your last comment reminds me of "rubber banding", used in circuit board layout design, wow!, that was a long time ago for me, lol Now that would be a great enhancement!

I like to use folders to hold all the mates that control the position of a particular component. I definitely use the checkbox at the bottom of the mates property manager that moves mates into a folder after your done with the mate tool. Generally, I insert a component, fully constrain it with mates, then name the folder just created. That way I can always go to the folders and know which mates control the position of a component.

That sounds like a good idea. Another possibility is to ctrl-drag a new instance of the component into the assembly, then hide the original. Just don't forget to delete it before you make the BOM. I thought about using an exploded view, but that is probably too cumbersome for what you're trying ot do. But maybe not, so I'll throw that idea out there too.

"Dale Dunn" wrote >

Surely SWX does this already? If you expand the Feature Manager tree, there is a mates folder below each component - does this not give the same effect? OK, not all the mates folders are together in one place. This is certainly one area where the SWX interface is rubbish.

I'm thinking of the scenario where someone (maybe the boss!) comes and stands behind you and says "what would it look like if you just rotated the component through 90deg" or "how about sticking it on the other face", at which point you have to fart around for a few minutes to achieve a very simple request.

John H

You just say to them, "make up your bloody mind!!" lol

Now what you could do, is to add constraints to the parts that you would like to move.

Have a look at smart mates, it's not perfect, but it can save time for what you require.

The mates folder under each component in the tree shows all of the mates that the component is involved in. My method of adding folders in the list of mates at the bottom of the tree is for the mates that I created to position that component only, not the mates that connect other components to the first one.

Yes, bosses can be a pain in the neck, and SW doesn't always help. I often find myself doing things to models in meetings that I absolutely will not save, because I have to cut so many corners to show people how bad their ideas are. (See? it won't fit there!) Hack and slash modeling, extra components, careless suppression of mates, etc. If you're really comfortable with the tools SW does have, you can move pretty quickly tot show things. But bosses also need to understand that sometimes they ask to see something that is not easy to show. Bosses who say things like "I thought you could just press a button and make the whole drawing package dual dimensioned. This shouldn't take all afternoon." need to be smacked and sent to manage something they understand.

Anyhow, I think we've hashed out all the workarounds for not being able to temporarily suspend assembly mates. Robust and well-organized models are the only other thing that can help.

Using the mate folder at the beginning of each component's feature tree I can suppress all the mates in a less than 10 seconds for just about any component. You can folderize the mates from there so that you can find them in the mate tree too. From there it should be pretty easy to back track.

TOP

I find it even easier to just click on the part in the graphic area (or in tree if it's a subassy) and change to Property Manager where I have only the mates for this specific part/component.

// Krister

I liked Dale's comments about well organized assemblies (boy does that save time, even though when you are doing it it feels like the exact opposite of saving time) and the point that sometimes when you are in a meeting you have to move stuff around in a way that you would never do in the deliberate march towards a design solution. We have all been there.

What I do in the heat of the moment is Ctrl click the component to drag out a copy of it, and then hide the original version of it (especially if there are in-context features - the in context stuff only applys to 'component prime' - any other 'instances' are free to move wherever you want them to move and won't change shape) This eliminates any thought about dependencies - in-context, other mating components, etc. And at the end of the meeting you just delete the copy. Ed

I should have been more clear: Ctrl+click+drag to make a copy of the component.