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TTevolve

I am thinking you want concentric mates and not coincident ones. Lock in your pins with CONCENTRIC mates to connect the segments and the path mate to move one segment around the curve, the other one should follow.

TTevolve

You can do curves in other ways then the helix, it's just the fastest and easiest if you have a regular ramp shape to do it with a helix. you can use planes and sketch with reference geometry to make your curve image.png You just have to have a surface to either extrude or cut to to make the ramp so...

TTevolve

Why not have the properties in your default template...? Most of our properties are driven by CustomTools so in that sense programatically it wouldn't really be a necessity but it could certainly be an option to concider "replace CustomTools with a home-made solution", but I doubt we'd go...

TTevolve

Programming can be a huge time saver for repetitive task like Alex said. I have a bunch of macros that do certain things when I run them. My favorite is one that creates a list of custom properties in a model or assembly with default entries. This is much faster then having to enter each one by typi...

TTevolve

I did see something the other day about a wrap cut - here is the link to video for it.

TTevolve

Start with a circle the size of the OD or ID. Make a helix - you can use pitch and revolution or height and rev if you want (in picture below 0.25 of 4 " pitch is 1" overall height - do height/rev if you want the height fixed) Sketch a line and do a surface sweep along the helix image.png ...

TTevolve

I rarely use convert edges any more or add relationships to edges because of the issues with them changing. Surfaces change less frequently, but can still have the same issues. If I want things to move or grow/shrink I try to use master sketches in my parts connected to a master sketch in the assemb...

TTevolve

Circle with 2 flats like Fredrick said above, I would make the lines equal so they stay centered

TTevolve

Now for the future, I did a little experimenting.... If I created the 3 or 4 sheet metal parts that have to have aligned hole patterns as ONE multibody part I can use ONE sketch to cut holes through them all. It appears like it is possible, however each body has to unfolded and folded separately. A...

TTevolve

Mine is the second one

TTevolve

You might want to consider breaking that down to a distinct Part for each bolt size, with configurations for lengths. I've been doing that for around 15 years, and it's worked very well. Since they all started out as a single Part, when you do need to switch sides using the Replace Components funct...

TTevolve

I do not think you can do it since the numbers can change based on the BOM order and are not attached to the part But, you can attach a balloon to the part and set the balloon style to none (so the circle, square, trainagle, ect is gone). image.png Then double click on the cell and then single click...

TTevolve

We don't use PDM so I don't know what copy tree is. When I pack & go my assemblies I change the folder and renumber using the select/replace function to give the parts new part numbers (I do it from the drawing so the drawing sheets copy as well). Once I open the new assembly if I change a dimen...

TTevolve

I do this a lot, and usually it's the easiest way I have found to make assemblies that change size. One I did this on was for a door. I have a sketch in the top level assembly for the height and width of the opening the door must fit in. Using those 2 dimensions in that sketch everything else is der...

TTevolve

If you want actual holes in your flat pattern you will probably need to make them on the flat pattern you are cutting out. On tis part the holes are partially in the bend image.png Here is what our laser software produced for the flat image.png You can see because the holes is partially on the band ...

TTevolve

I always use the adobe PDF through the printer, it just gives you a lot more options then the save as PDF does. And I am dating myself, but when I started using solidworks save as PDF was not an option. If I have have excel sheet or other documents that need to be in the PDF's with drawings I usuall...

TTevolve

On my weldments I use configurations instead of display states do tho the weirdness that happens with them.

TTevolve

SPerman wrote: ↑Thu Mar 28, 2024 11:24 am Is that file 2023 or 2024? I'm upgrading to 2023 tomorrow, so hopefully I can check it out then.

It's 2023

TTevolve

You can use height/revolutions from the helix and your radius/diameter of the sketch to control everything on it in equations.

I prefer to make one surface and extrude up to it, then build from the solid verses making everything from surfaces.

Here is my take on it.

SPRING HELIX-2.SLDPRT: (189.27 KiB) Downloaded 18 times

TTevolve

That's not true. A guide curve change change the shape of the profile that was used to generate the sweep: image.png Sorry, I stand corrected. I have never done anything like that with a sweep. I might have to play around with that some. Most of what I have done in the past has been rectangle to ro...

TTevolve

The shape can not change on a sweep, it can rotate around the center and/or contort when using "keep normal constant" setting, but the shape never changes. To get it to jut out on the left side like your skecth shows you would most likely have to do a loft or a series of extrudes/cuts.

TTevolve

I had this kind of thing happen with a tube that was extruded up to an assembly surface (in context) by a co-worker. I could not figure out why it was not growing or shrinking in length like other parts were in the assembly. It is great now that I know that is what it is doing. When you do up to sur...

TTevolve

Only why I know this could work is by changing the model assembly/part references on the sheet.

TTevolve

you can do tabs and slots to interlock pieces and avoid some fasteners. Also depending on the size and how much scrap you want to make you can make a full size box from a single piece. image.png This is a corner of a door I made, it's a miter flange all the way around. Usually the limitations are ba...

TTevolve

I think this can differ depending on your MRP system. All of our standard bolts and screws are non-stock items, so I do what Glen said above, one part for each thread size, with configurations for each length. If I have a stock inventory item then it's 1 part file per part. Same think would go for i...

TTevolve

Every part and sub-assembly in an assembly has a "Date" custom property. When I do a pack & Go to make a new version they do not update, and they can be different vales (ie. The screenshot below has 11/17/2023 as the date on one part, but the other part has 12/01/2023). I want the macr...

TTevolve

https://cadforum.net/viewtopic.php?t=2578 I use that one all the time and it works great, the difference is I just want to enter the date, say 03/07/2024 and it changes all of them to that date. The issue I have is sometimes the dates are not all the same if I did different parts on different days,...

TTevolve

Date anyone have a macro that will change the date custom property for all parts in an assembly?

I love doing pack and go to copy an assembly and renumber it, but all the date custom properties need to get updated to the current date. I was hoping someone else has a macro that would update them all.

TTevolve

I think the setting is session-associated but I am not sure. The reason I believe it is is because we toggle it back and forth around here for different needs. If you print your drawing template with the settings you want to default to and then save the template then when you load and use the templ...

TTevolve

I think it's controlled by the setting Alex posted above. image.png If you have it set to "use this document settings" it can be done in the template. When I created my templates I did a PDF print from them useing Tabloid size and sale of 100% as shown above. That is my default when I try ...

TTevolve

AlexB wrote: ↑Fri Feb 09, 2024 9:33 am I think you'll want to check this section of the Performance options
image.png

It was this one, not sure how it got checked. Thanks

TTevolve

In the last couple of week I have noticed when I open an assembly the part are opening lightweight. I know there is the setting under System options\assemblies where you can set the component threshold for opening lightweight, but I have it set to 1000 and the assemblies I am opening only have 30 to...

TTevolve

If you have dims used in the equation and the item is suppressed it will show as an error since it can't fine the dimension

TTevolve

My issue was if I showed the BOM as Top level only I would not be able to see sub assembly parts on anything, if I did indented or parts only I would see the leafs on the hinge even though it is a single part in our system (the brought hinge comes assembled, but I needed it as a sub assembly to be a...

TTevolve

Is it possible to have a assembly show as a single item on top level BOM? My issue is I have some hinges that are made as an assembly so I can move the leafs and show the movement of the door opening and closing to make sure there are no clearance issues. The issue I have is when I do a BOM on my do...

TTevolve

Most of the time I usually ask here or look up issues on my own rather than creating a ticket with our VAR for most everything other than install issues. My experience anymore is that even for something easy they want system specs, copies of what you were working on and your first born child before ...

TTevolve

You can have a configuration with the only difference being custom property.

TTevolve

mattpeneguy wrote: ↑Fri Oct 27, 2023 10:06 am Foreshadowing?
image.png

To bad I am going to get a colonoscopy that day.

TTevolve

Better yet, I would not have even done the shell, I would have just extruded the bottom your 0.135 thickness and then added edge flages.

bend_relief_test-2.SLDPRT: (157.82 KiB) Downloaded 37 times

TTevolve

because you manually did the cut in the corners it won't change when you use the convert to sheet metal. You can change the cut you made to make it larger. image.png Or don't do those corner cuts at all. After your shell operation do the "convert to sheet metal" operation, pick the bottom ...

TTevolve

When you program a CNC machine your depth on the drill commands goes to the tip point. I assume that is why people wish to see it that way on the prints. I made a chart of all the standard tip point sizes for 82 deg drill bits so our shop guys could add that to the depth on the standard note to get ...

TTevolve

Create a drawing with the flat pattern view and save that as your DWG file. You can delete all the title block so your DWG file will only have the flat view and bend lines/notes

TTevolve

Now, if they would just fix the highlighting text when you dynamically drag the edge flange length on creation so you can type the length on the fly....broke in 2019...still broke in 2023. Yea, that would be nice! On the whole constrained vs. unconstrained sketches; if you use the software long eno...

TTevolve

For a simple box I wouldn't bother going into the sketches to constrain them fully, if you don't move the sketch lines of the edge flange they stay linked to the flange length valve in the feature creation box, so if you have to modify them all at the same time you can. I rarely do simple edge flang...

TTevolve

For simple parts with an edge flange it's kind of annoying, but if you do enough complicated parts where you have to go in and edit the flange anyways, it's kind of nice that is does it that way so you don't have to remove it. Kind of like glass half full or half empty, all depends on your perspecti...

TTevolve

If it has to be a linkage you start with your fixed points and draw circles to represent the bar connections. If the circles don't overlap then it's impossible and you need to make them longer/shorter.

TTevolve

len_1962 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 28, 2023 11:17 am Manual machining really teaches more as you are the "CNC", when students are in the shop and I am showing them how to run a knee mill I tell them I am using LennyCAM

lol, not sure can you even find totally manual machines anymore? ....even our Bridgeport has a controller on it now.

TTevolve

Agree 100% with Len_1962, don't show threads unless you have to. Machine shops use the call out to make the threads, all they need is the locations. I think all designers should program a CNC at least once or make some parts on a manual mill/lathe before doing drawings. You figure out things like to...

TTevolve

Did that used to be the default and then it got changed in a newer version where the don't delete them is now the default (unchecked)?

TTevolve

We would 3D print solid oversize and then machine the treads, dependent on what filament we were using. Trying to get 3D printed threads is tough because of the shrinkage rates of plastic when you have thick and thin areas, which you naturally have on threads. I also did it a few times where I would...

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