Pro/ASSEMBLY Terminology ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- *What is Automatic Regeneration? Automatic Regeneration will regenerate every part which has not been regenerated since the last modification of the assembly, or any part with references to a part which has been modified. Those parts needing regeneration will be selected automatically. To regenerate only selected parts, use Custom and select the parts to regenerate in the Regeneration Manager dialog box. ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- *What is a Bill of Materials? A Bill of Materials is a listing of all parts and part parameters in the current assembly. It is possible to customize the output format to produce a particular form of presentation and content. BOM's can be created for assemblies in Assembly mode, or from assembly drawings in Drawing mode. The Bill of Materials for an assembly can be displayed by selecting Info from the ASSEMBLY menu, and BOM from the INFO menu. The BOM will be displayed in an Information Window and will also be written to a file. For further informations, see the Suggested Technique for Creating a Customized Bill of Materials ------------------------------------------------------------ -------------------- *What is a Bulk Item? A Bulk Item can be used to represent any non-geometry item in an assembly that must be represented in the Bill of Materials. These items may include glue, paint, solder, etc. To create a Bulk Item: Select Component from the ASSEMBLY menu, followed by Create. 1
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Pro/ASSEMBLY Terminology--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is Automatic Regeneration?
Automatic Regeneration will regenerate every part which has not been regenerated since the last modification of the assembly, or any part with references to a part which has been modified. Those parts needing regeneration will be selected automatically. To regenerate only selected parts, use Custom and select the parts to regenerate in the Regeneration Manager dialog box. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What is a Bill of Materials?
A Bill of Materials is a listing of all parts and part parameters in the current assembly. It is possible to customize the output format to produce a particular form of presentation and content. BOM's can be created for assemblies in Assembly mode, or from assembly drawings in Drawing mode. The Bill of Materials for an assembly can be displayed by selecting Info from the ASSEMBLY menu, and BOM from the INFO menu. The BOM will be displayed in an Information Window and will also be written to a file. For further informations, see the Suggested Technique for Creating a Customized Bill of Materials --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What is a Bulk Item?
A Bulk Item can be used to represent any non-geometry item in an assembly that must be represented in the Bill of Materials. These items may include glue, paint, solder, etc. To create a Bulk Item: Select Component from the ASSEMBLY menu, followed by Create.
Select Bulk Item from the Component Create dialog box menu. In the same dialog box, enter the desired name of the Bulk Item.
A Coding Table displays the coding symbols for each component in the assembly. A coding symbol is a number placed after dimensions in the assembly (i.e. d25:8, where 8 is the coding symbol). This will allow relations using dimensions from more than one part to be written. The coding table is shown at the beginning of the relations file for components which have dimensions or parameters already used in relations.
A Merge operation adds the material from every one of the second set of parts selected into every one of the first set of parts selected. Depending on the additional options available, the features and relations of the second set of parts may be copied into each of the first set of parts, or they may be referenced by the first set of parts. This operation creates the feature called "merge" in every one of the first set of parts selected.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is a Cutout?
A Cutout subtracts the material of every one of the second sets of parts selected from every one of the first set of parts selected. Like the Merge function, depending on the additional options selected, the features and relations of the second parts may be copied into the first parts or may be referenced by the first parts. This operation creates the feature referred to as a "cut out" every one of the first set of parts selected.
Interchange Assemblies provide both a mechanism for relating functionally equivalent models, and a way to relate different visual representations of the same model. In other words, it allows replacing a component by an other. To create an Interchange Assembly perform File, New, and select Assembly and Interchange in the New dialog box, then enter the name of the Interchange assembly and select OK.
The Intersect List is the listing of components, which an assembly feature intersects. For example, if a hole is created as an assembly feature, and components "A" and "B" are intersected by this features, then both of those parts will appear on the Intersect List.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is Package?
The Package option provides a 3D layout capability for quickly visualizing and rearranging components in an assembly. When packaging a component, Pro/ENGINEER places it at a random default location in the assembly. Then performing Component, Package and using the mouse, the component can be repositioned by sliding it along planes, rotating it along axes, etc. Pro/ENGINEER remembers where the packaged parts are located. However, positioning is absolute, not relative to other parts. After the component has been moved to the correct location,the part's location can be finalized by specifying it's placement parametrically using the standard assembly placement constraints. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is a Placement Constraint?
A Placement Constraint specifies the relative position of a pair of surfaces, axes, edges or points. Placement constraints are specified when adding a component to an assembly and are used to position the component relative to
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the assembly in 3 dimensional space. Examples of assembly placement constraints include: Mate, Align, Insert, etc. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What are Reference Tags?
Reference tags are used in a functional interchange assembly. These tags are used to specify corresponding entities in each component in the interchange assembly, allowing automatic replacement to be possible. For example, the front mating plane of one component and the front mating plane of the other component would be assigned the same reference tag. A coordinate system of one component and the corresponding coordinate system of the other component would be assigned the same reference tag. To specify a reference that will be given a tag, select Reference Tag from the ASSEMBLY menu when in the Interchange Assembly, enter the reference tag name in the Reference Tags dialog box, select the reference tag name: the Assign button will be automatically selected. Now it`s also possible to use the AutoTag functionality.
Restructure allows components to be moved from one sub-assembly to another, or between the top-level assembly and the sub-assemblies. When Restructure is chosen, an Information Window displays the assembly's hierarchical tree structure, allowing the structure of the assembly to be changed without changing the appearance of the assembly in the graphics window.
For example, to move a part from the top level assembly to a sub-assembly: Select Restructure from the ASSEMBLY menu. Select the part either in the graphics window using the Pick command, or in the Model Tree window by picking the component listed in that window. Select SelectTarget to specify the sub-assembly to move the part into.
Simplified Representations provide a means of changing the view of a particular design. They allow control over which members of an assembly are retrieved into workstation memory and displayed. This allows the work environment to be tailored include only information of current interest. For example, a complex sub-assembly that is unrelated to the portions of the assembly which are currently being worked on can be temporarily removed. This functionality offers an increase in performance due to a reduction in regeneration and display time.
A Sub-assembly is any assembly which is used as a component in a higher level assembly. This sub-assembly can contain both parts and other sub-assemblies and can be retrieved and used independently of the top-level assembly that it is used in.
A Mate placement constraint causes two surfaces to be coincident. The outward normals of the surface will face in opposite directions. When selecting datum planes, the red or yellow side must be specified. Mate Offset can be used to cause two surfaces to be parallel and facing each other, but separated by a given distance.
An Align placement constraint causes two surfaces to be coincident. The outward normals of the surface will face in
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the same direction. When selecting datum planes, the red or yellow side must be specified. Align Offset can be used to cause two surfaces to be parallel, but separated by a given distance. The Align constraint can also be used to cause axes to be coaxial, or two points, vertices, or curve ends to be coincident.
An Orient placement constraint causes two surfaces to be parallel. The outward normals of the surfaces will face in the same direction, but no offset dimension is specified.
The Coord Sys placement constraint places a component into an assembly by aligning its coordinate system with a coordinate system in the assembly (both part and assembly coordinate systems may be used). The coordinate systems may either be selected on the screen, or chosen by name with Sel By Menu.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is a Tangent Placement Constraint?
The Tangent placement constraint is used to control the contact of two surfaces at their tangency.
The Pnt On Srf placement constraint is used to control the contact of two components at a point. A part or assembly datum point or vertex can be constrained to be in contact with a solid surface or datum plane. For an example of a Pnt On Srf placement constraint, refer to Using the Point On Surface Assembly Constraint.
The Pnt On Line placement constraint is used to control the contact of two components at a point. A part or assembly datum point or vertex can be constrained to be in contact with a solid edge, axis or datum curve.
The Edge On Srf placement constraint is used to control the contact of two components at a straight edge. The edge must be straight, and the surface must be planar. For an example of a Edge On Srf placement constraint, refer to Using the Edge On Surface Assembly Constraint.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- *What is an Default Placement Constraint?
Use the Default option to align the default, system-created coordinate system of the component to the default, system-created coordinate system of the assembly.
A UDF Library is a directory which contains User Defined Features, or UDFs. In Assembly mode, groups of components can be made to act as a single component when placed into the assembly. The Group command, found in the ADV UTILS menu can be selected to use the UDF in the assembly, and the UDF Library command, also found in the ADV UTILS menu is used to define, modify and manipulate the UDFs. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
*What is a Zone?
A zone is a region within an assembly which consists of a datum plane and a "half space" or of the volume detected by a closed surface (internal or external volume). A "half space" is everything in space on one side of the specified datum plane. Zones are used to make large assemblies more manageable. For more information on zones, refer to Using Zones to Create Simplified Representations. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is an Envelope?
An envelope a special type of part which consists of its own geometry and a list of parts which it represents. Envelopes can be substituted into a simplified representation in place of the components which it represents. Envelopes are used to make large assemblies more manageable. For more information on envelopes, refer to Using Envelopes to Create Simplified Representations.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is a Rule?
Rules are methods of specifying components which will have actions performed on them in a simplified representation. Components can be selected By Rule on the basis of their relative or absolute size, their location within an assembly, their model name, or any designated parameters within the component. For more information on rules, refer to Using Rules to Create Simplified Representations.
The Reintersect option allows assembly features created prior to Release 15.0 to be updated. In Release 15.0, assembly features are stored at the level at which they are created, whereas previously, they were stored at the part level. Reintersect is only available if the config.pro option "allow_redo_intersections" is set to "yes." For more information on using Reintersect, refer to Converting Pre-15.0 Assembly Features to 15.0 Style Assembly Features.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is Display Mode?
Display Mode allows for control of which components are shown in the Component Editor while using simplified representations or envelopes. All components may be shown by using Show All, or only those components which have been set to something other than the default rule may be shown by using Marked Comps.
The Model Tree displays information about the current assembly. The first column in the Model Tree window has an assembly tree showing the structure of the top-level assembly, sub-assemblies, and part files. The information in this window can be controlled by the selections under View, Model Tree Setup. Assemblies, subassemblies, and parts can all be expanded or collapsed. Assembly features or suppressed components, can be controlled through the Item Display menu selection. The assembly tree can be used to highlight components in the main Pro/ENGINEER window by selecting the part or sub-assembly name. Commonly used component and feature operations can be accessed through the model tree. After highlighting the component or feature with the left mouse button, press the right mouse button. A menu will pop up with the available operations that can be performed on the highlighted object.
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The second column in the Model Tree can be customized to include specific information about the component in the first column. This can be done by selecting View, Model Tree Setup, Column Display. In this dialog box options such as Status, Feat#, Feat Type, or Feat Name can be added or removed from the model tree. The size of the columns can also be adjusted.
Under the Info menu option, the information in the Model Tree can be saved in a text format or can have the current settings saved to a file.
A search tool is also available in the model tree. This gives the ability to search through the model tree to find items that match a specified set of criteria. For an example of using the search tool, refer to Suggested Technique for Searching with the Model Tree. For more information on using the Model Tree refer to Suggested Technique for Using the Model Tree in Assembly Mode.
Global Clearance will find any pairs of parts or sub-assemblies which are separated by less than a specified clearance distance. Global clearance can be checked by selecting Analysis, Model Analysis, and Global Clearance from the drill-down menu in the Model Analysis dialog box.
Global Interference will find any pairs of parts or sub-assemblies which interfere, or overlap. Global interference can be checked by selecting Analysis, Model Analysis, and Global Interference from the drill-down menu in the Model Analysis dialog box.
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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is a Layout?
A layout is a two-dimensional conceptual sketch which is used to begin the design process and maintain design intent in solid models as they are developed. Layouts can be used to establish parameters and relations, and automate the assembly process. Layouts are not precision scaled drawings, and are not associative with three-dimensional model geometry. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What is a Case Study?
A case study is a two-dimensional parametric sketch, much like one created in Sketcher mode. Unlike a regular section, however, a case study can contain global relations associated with the layout in addition to relations associated with the sketch.
The functionality of Package Move is very similar to Package except it is available in the COMPONENT PLACEMENT menu when Assembly is checked. It gives the ability to dynamically move a component. It can be selected at any point while a component is being constrained. However, the component will only move in directions that do not violate already defined constraints. This can be very helpful in determining how a component should be constrained or why a component is not fully constrained since, by selecting Move in the Component Placement dialog box it will be easy to see where the final degree of freedom is.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*What are Preferences?
Preferences are available when modifying an exploded assembly or when using Package Move. Preferences gives the ability to change the drag options.
When performing a Custom assembly regeneration, the Regeneration Manager allows selection of components to "Skip Regeneration" in order to save on long and/or unnecessary regeneration time.
The Global Reference Viewer clarifies the external relationships made among models in an assembly. It allows identification of features in a model that have external references and the chain of dependencies from the feature to the referenced entity, and obtaining information about the models that have external references to a specified model. For more information on reference control, refer to Suggested Technique for Using the Reference Viewer to Manage External References.
Ref Control controls the creation of external references. Ref Control specifies four different options: All, Subassembly, Skeleton, and None, to control which models can be externally referenced in an assembly. So, it allows definition of the scope in which to create external references to other models in the context of an assembly, definition of the system behavior upon attempting to create an external referencing a defined scope. It can be actived from the DESIGN MGR menu by selecting Ref Control or by the UTILITIES menu by selecting Reference Control.... In this case the Selection Feedback Settings could be modified. For
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more information on reference control, refer to Suggested Technique for Controlling the Scope of External References.
A Skeleton Model is a property of an assembly that defines skeletal, space claim, and other physical properties that can be used to define geometry of components. It is the behind-the-scenes backbone of the assembly. You can use skeleton models to manage the references of their respective assemblies, or to represent space claims for them.
Using the Copy Geom feature allows copying of geometric and datum references from any other skeleton or part onto a selected skeleton or part being modified, while preserving names, colors, line styles, and other properties assigned to the original parent entities. Each Copy Geom feature may only copy references from a single skeleton or part, but can create any number of these features in a model.
*Why are all parts and sub-assemblies being saved to the current working directory, rather than only those which have been modified?
The config.pro option "save_objects" controls whether all objects will be saved or only those which have been modified since the last save. To save all objects, set this option to "all". To save only those objects which have been modified, set this option to "changed". The default value for this config.pro option is "changed_and_specified". This will always save the top-level object, plus any dependent objects that have been modified.
*Why do parts intersected by assembly features at the part level require renaming before they can be copied?
Assembly features which intersect assembly components alter the geometry of the original object. When the assembly is in session, the component exists in memory in two different states. When Pro/ENGINEER attempts to save the assembly, it is unclear which state of the component should be saved.
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Pro/ENGINEER will prompt the user to save the object with a new name. This will create a copy of the object which includes the geometry of the assembly feature.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------*Why are some library parts copied to the local directory while saving an assembly?
If a library part is intersected by an assembly feature, it can be saved to the current working directory. Since the library part is intersected by an assembly feature, it has been changed and must be saved; however, the directories where the library parts are located are read-only. The library part will be saved in the current directory, because the current directory has the appropriate write permissions. For this to happen, the config.pro options "override_store_back" and "save_object_in_current" must be set to "yes."
*Why does the message "Error in storage - check disk space and write permission" appear when there is enough available disk space to store the objects, and the user has proper permissions to the directory?
Check to see if there is an assembly feature intersecting a library or write protected part. If so, either copy the library part to the local working directory, change the permissions on the part so that it is no longer write protected, or set the config.pro options "override_store_back" and "save_object_in_current" to "yes."
*Why might Pro/ENGINEER not be able to retrieve a part that has been renamed while retrieving an assembly?
When renaming a part that is a member of an assembly, the assembly must be in memory so that the part's references can be updated. To correct the problem, rename the part back to it's original name, then retrieve the assembly and rename the part again to the desired name, then save the assembly.
*How can an assembly and all of its related members be copied to a new directory?
To copy an assembly and all of it's related parts and sub-assemblies to a new directory, use the File, Backup command. When the assembly is stored to the directory specified, all parts and sub-assemblies referenced by the assembly will also be copied.
*How can a top level assembly be copied to a new name without copying all of the dependent parts and sub-assemblies, such that the new assembly references the same components as the old assembly?
The File, Save As command can be used to copy a top level assembly to a new name. When prompted to select which components to copy and rename, select Done rather than picking assembly components.
*Why are underscores added to the end of the file names in Pro/TABLE while copying and renaming parts during a Save As?
An underscore is the default template for renaming parts during a Save As. This means that any file which is being renamed will automatically have an underscore appended to the end of the file name. This template can be customized by
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adding the option "model_rename_template" to the config.pro. For more information on using this option, refer to Suggested Technique for Copying an Assembly.
*Why would an assembly not be able to be erased from session?
If a higher level assembly which uses the current assembly as a sub-assembly or a drawing of the current assembly is in active memory, a message which says "Cannot delete from memory; Being used in current session" will appear. The higher level assembly or drawing must be erased from session before the current assembly can be erased.
*Can all components not currently displayed in the window be erased from session?
As of Release 16.0, all components which are not being used in the current window can be erased from memory by selecting EraseNotDisp from the File menu. All objects which are in session, but not displayed, will be erased from session, unless they are being used in another window. This is especially useful while managing large assemblies. Retrieving an assembly and creating a simplified representation by excluding certain components will not free up memory, because the excluded components had to be brought into session when the assembly was initially retrieved. EraseNotDisp will allow the components which were just excluded to be erased from memory.
Circular references indicate an assembling error in which a component refers to one of its children. For example, in an assembly with two parts, if an assembly coordinate system was created that references the second part, and then the second part was moved with respect to the coordinate system, a circular reference would be created. The second part was used to locate the coordinate system, and the coordinate system was used to locate the second part. This constitutes a circular reference, which can and should be removed.
*How can circular references be found and removed?
When a circular reference is encountered, a file containing information is written to disk with the naming convention of "assembly_name.crc." This file provides information about the circular loop of references in the assembly. Assembly tools such as Redefine, Reroute and Comp Info can be used to remove the circular references.
*How can the time needed to regenerate a large assembly be reduced?
Some methods of reducing regeneration time include suppressing components that are not necessary to the current work that is being done, setting component features to read only, and creating simplified representations.
*Why is Pro/ENGINEER unable to locate library parts when retrieving an assembly?
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The directories in which the library parts reside must be included in the search paths. To place these directories in the search path, either use config.pro option "search_path" to define the path to the directories containing the library parts, or use the "search_path_file" option to specify a file which contains the paths to the desired directories. For more information on search paths, refer to the Pro/ENGINEER Fundamentals Guide, Appendix D.
Pro/ENGINEER will freeze an assembly component if the component is unable to be placed into the assembly due to missing references. References may be lost if a part is modified without the assembly in session. If surfaces or edges which were used to place a component were altered or deleted, the component will have missing references. Frozen components will be placed in its last known location until Reroute or Redefine is used to create new references for the component.
*What could cause a part or assembly file to become an invalid Pro/ENGINEER file?
Pro/ENGINEER files are only forward compatible. This means that files which were created in a specific major release of Pro/ENGINEER may be retrieved in any later Release of Pro/ENGINEER, but not in any earlier Release. For example, if a part file was last saved in Release 2000i, the file would be considered an invalid Pro/ENGINEER file by Releases 20.0 and earlier.
*What can cause a component to not be found while retrieving an assembly?
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Pro/ENGINEER may be unable to retrieve an assembly component if the component was renamed without having the top level assembly active in memory. Assemblies must be in session when renaming any of its dependent objects.
The assembly component may not be found if it resides in a different directory. If so, the config.pro option "search_path" must be specified to enable Pro/ENGINEER to search this directory for objects.
*Why does the RESOLVE FEAT menu appear for a frozen component every time the assembly with the frozen component is retrieved?
Freezing a component is only temporary. All failing components can be frozen automatically upon retrieval by having the config.pro option "freeze_failed_assy_comp" set to "yes," If this config.pro option is set to "no", then the component will fail placement during retrieval and the RESOLVE FEATURE menu will appear.
*How can the placement constraints of the top-level assembly be regenerated without regenerating any of the components?
Pick Select from the PRT TO REGEN menu instead of Automatic, and do not select any parts, but pick Done from the SELECT PARTS menu. This will only regenerate assembly placement constraints and datum features.
*Can the mass properties of an individual part be changed from Assembly mode?
Mass properties of parts can not be modified at the assembly level. Retrieve the parts in Part mode, change the mass properties, and return to Assembly mode.
*Is it possible to calculate the mass properties for a certain combination of parts in the assembly?
Mass property calculations can be done on a combination of assembly components by creating a simplified representation of the assembly and using it for the mass property calculations.
*Why is one component not cross hatched when creating a cross section through an assembly?
It is possible that there are geometry errors in the part in the area where the cross section passes. Use Geom Check from the INFO menu to investigate. If there are errors in that location, they must be addressed in order to allow the cross section to be created successfully.
*Why is the surface area calculation of an assembly equal to the sum of the part surface areas instead of only the outside surface area?
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The surface area of an assembly is calculated this way in order to save calculation time. In order to find only the external surface area of the assembly, merge the components together, and then perform a mass property calculation on the merged part.
*How can a part be removed from an assembly cross section?
Modify the cross section by selecting Hatching from the XSEC MODIFY menu. Toggle through the components that are intersected by the cross section by selecting either Next XSec or Prev XSec from the CROSS XHATCH menu. When the component that is to be removed from the cross section is highlighted, pick Excl Comp to remove the cross hatching. Use Restore Comp to bring the cross hatching back.
*Is there a way to check for global interference between sub-assemblies while ignoring the interference within those sub-assemblies?
To only consider sub-assemblies while performing a global interference check, select Subasms Only in the MODEL ANALYSIS dialog box. This will ignore any interference which is encountered within those sub-assemblies.
*Is there any way to apply an assembly x-section to only one component?
Yes, this is accomplished by selecting Setup, X-Section, Create, One Part, Done, select the part for the cross section to intersect, Done Sel, name the cross section, then create the assembly datum for cross section placement.
