Workflow tips with lots of beams

Start with a macro.

1. Create offset plane (I am assuming your stringers are on parallel planes
2. Create intersection curve with hull
3. Pick end of intersection curve
4. Start sketch on endpoint and curve
5. Sketch "T"
6. Close sketch
7. Sweep sketch of T on sketch containing intersection curve.

There is a lot more to do than this, but it should get you started.

Well, yeah, I know I could sit down and write a whole bunch of macro code that does this. It would take longer, but be less boring ;-)

However, I cannot believe I am the first in history with this kind of design, so I was hoping for tips on how to use the available tools, or if there was an existing macros or 3rd party stuff that would be useful.

Cheers /C

T> Start with a macro.

Add the T-profile to your available Weldment profiles. You'll still have to draw the line to "sweep" the profile along, but at least you won't have to continually re-draw the sketch.

or

I don't use them, but maybe a Library Feature would work as well?

Ken

Looks like I was a little quick to hit the "Post" button. Instead of saying that you'd aviod having to "continually re-draw the sketch", what I should have said was that by designing with the Weldment tools you'd avoid the "Create Plane + Sketch, Insert Sketch Block, Sweep" methodology. So as a Weldment profile you'd only have to have to draw a line that each profile would be "swept" along (which could all be in one, probably 3D, sketch if you really wanted to do it that way), and then insert the T-shapes as weldment bodies (in one, but more likely multiple Structural Members).

All tho now that I think about it, I don't know if Weldment profiles can be swept along non-linear lines? I'll have to try that one out on Monday.

Ken

You almost got me all excited there.... I hade not thought about using weldments for a thing like this.

But alas, no love. "Selected segment is invalid, only linear and arc segments can be selected." Too bad, it would have been a beautiful trick!

/C

T> Looks like I was a little quick to hit the "Post" button. Instead of

Perhaps not. Can you make a derived sketch from the weldment profile? Or from a library sketch?

Well maybe not. But the macro way of doing things is giving me trouble too. I'd like the beam cross sections to be Sketch Blocks, so I can tweak dimensions in common. But the sketch block functionality apparently has no (or broken?) API support.

TOP skrev:

Did you consider either a library sketch or a macro that draws the profile with linked dimensions?

Sketch blocks are nice but perhaps don't contain all the functionality that you would hope for. A lot of new features in SW don't have comprehensive compatibility with SW in areas like API support. I've kind of learned that with SW if it isn't there by the so called popular vote that it doesn't pay to keep beating head against wall. Nihil est ab omni parte beatum.