problem with multiple surfaces-2

What I have is an impeller part modelled in 3-d with ACAD. I took a dwg file of a simplified version of the part and ran it through the dwg editor and was able to output an sat file which I then imported to SW2006, sp2.

This is a disk .0315" thick. It has 2 spiral cuts on each side in the simplified version. In order to complete the part I need to do a circular pattern of these 50x.

I was able to get features of this part with FeatureWorks (?!?). I thought that meant that I would be able to pattern the cut features easily. However, my workstation locks up every time I try. Even though the geometry is fairly simple, just the sheer volume of it brings SW of it's knees. I also tried re-modeling the part by importing surfaces of the cuts and using those to re-create the part. I cannot pattern either version.

What is interesting is that there is a dwg file from the customer of the complete part, so ACAD was able to do this. SW cannot. I was able to generate an sat file of the total part with the dwg editor, but SW locks up when importing it. I get the message that SW is processing 51,750 trimmed surfaces, but it never completes it without locking up(not responding).

My machine is a 2-year old AMD 3400+ with 2gb ram, running Win2k. nVidia fx1100 card. This machine has been fine for all of my other work, but can't handle this part.

I have spoken to the mold-maker and all he needs are 5 copies in my mold design and he can generate what he needs for cutting the electrode. I can do that with no problem. However, the molder wants to run Moldflow on the total part, and I can't get one for him.

Anybody know any memory tricks I can try to get past this roadblock. I have read about the 3gb switch, but seem to recall that it's for XP, not Win2k.

Thanks.

jk

Reply to
John Kreutzberger
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jk,

Did you look to see if the spirals are importing as a bunch of straight lines or arcs? If so, I would try to do a fit spline over them, deleting the originals, and then recreating the geometry with the splines instead of the bunches of straight lines.

If that's not the issue, you might try doing a pattern directly from the imported part, but pattern the faces of the spiral. Try just doing a few instead of all 50 just to see if it works.

By the way, Ray sent me a copy of your "Wild Thing" performance. Simply Brilliant!

Matt

Reply to
matt

Patterning can run your machine out of memory. Watch taskmanager while the pattern runs. If it turns out to be the case then you might be looking at the 3GB switch and if that doesn't do it a 64 bit machine with more RAM (8GB?).

Reply to
TOP

yes-they are lines and arcs.

If so, I would try to do a fit spline over them,

I'll try that-thanks for the idea.

Already tried that. Selecting all of the tiny faces is really tedious-plus it didn't work........

Oh my- I didn't know he was going to distribute that. My wife almost died laughing..........

jk

Reply to
John Kreutzberger

Fit spline didn't work. I kept playing with the tolerances, but whatever I do, I get the message that the operation failed due to geometric conditions.

I think the geometry is just too much for SW. Each of the cuts has about 320 arcs and 4 lines.

Good thing for the customer that he had ACAD-SW cannot handle it................-:)

jk

Reply to
John Kreutzberger

OK, this was really bugging me. As I mentioned the fit spline resulted in the generic error message about geometric blah-blah-blah.

This came to me as a 3-d dwg file. One thing that I neglected to mention in my original post was that upon importing the acis file generated by the dwg editor, I noticed that it was a really large part. I questioned my customer and his reply was the classic: "oh yeah-I forgot to tell you that the geometry needs to be scaled down to .001 of what it imports at."

Well I dutifully did this and then proceeded to try and create the total part at the correct scale. The arcs and lines wouldn't pattern for me and the fit spline wouldn't work, so I was at a dead end. Today the light finally came on and I went back and suppressed the scale feature. Then the fit spline worked and I was able to pattern the cuts-takes about 6 minutes. I now have my total part. Scaling it back down took some time, but I now can output an stl file to the molder.

Matt-what I need to get used to is the idea that creating the spline simplified the geometry so that the circular pattern would work. I always thought of going the other way. Taking splines and turning them into arcs and lines is what I always used to think of as simplifying. In cases like this it results in way too many faces, though.

Anyway-thanks for the tip.

jk

Reply to
John Kreutzberger

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