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ByDesign12-Amethyst
12-Amethyst
November 27, 2024
Question

How do we tell Creo to leave the Drawing elements where I put them?

  • November 27, 2024
  • 2 replies
  • 893 views

I am working on some big drawings with several sheets.  As I work along - the drawing elements keep changing, and it is making me crazy.

 

  • For instance, the note boxes resize on their own (going to multiple lines) when I am moving an unrelated view.
  • The dimension lines keep jumping around (set them all perfect, then when I come back to the page they are extending to never-never land).  (For that matter, some of the dims move too.)
  • Views move, and sometimes overlap.  I make the page perfect, then go to another sheet, but when I come back, views have moved.
  • Extra leaders suddenly appear from notes pointing to nothing.
  • I keep getting these weird errors saying it can't regenerate some features - but in the model space and assembly space, they regenerate fine.
  • Sometimes the dimensions and notes look correct with respect to each other, but the model has moved, so the dims and notes are going to nothing.  It's like a refresh error, but it won't refresh back to where it belongs.

Is there any way to tell Creo to leave things alone?  I just want to finish these drawings without having to redo so many things over and over.

 

Here is a mild example.  Very mild example.  The main view was in the middle.  Now the view moved.  Most of the dimensions moved, one note became detached, and one dimension seems to have stayed where it was.  Looks kind-of like the model sized changed, but it did not.  I was working on later pages, then came back to this to add a note - but this is what I find.

 

Creo-Draw-Misbehave.png

 

Creo 9.0.7.  Working with a lot of Simplified Reps, sections, detailed views, and exploded views.  Mostly it is assembly models with details of how things go together.  Large size models, with small features to view.

 

Some limited success with regenerating.  Some limited success with regening the drawing.  Some limited success with closing it all, deleting the last version (of a part or subassembly), then restarting and loading it all again.

 

Of note, I did change the accuracy of one part and it caused a lot of the drawing things to blow up.  I have no idea what accuracy of one part has to do with a drawing of the assembly, but it did.  Seems like it might be the typical horrible Quality of Creo, but whatever, I still need to get the drawings done.

 

Thanks for any help you can offer.

    2 replies

    KenFarley
    KenFarley21-Topaz II
    21-Topaz II
    December 2, 2024

    One thing I use a lot to lock down dimensions and their layout is snap lines. I define them the default way, relative to the view boundaries, and they keep the spacing of my dims nice.

    Lots of times I'll see weird behavior if I've done something that causes the edge I used for a partial view reference or such to no longer be there. So I'll end up with a "view of nothing". Picking another reference, something I know is going to persist, usually fixes these.

    B
    ByDesign12-AmethystAuthor
    12-Amethyst
    December 2, 2024

    Thank you KenFarley.  I did not try Snap Lines.  I usually only go through those extra steps if I need to align a lot of things.

    I completely agree with the issues of edges or something going away.  I know the issue, but that is not what I am seeing here.  I have been done a lot of drawings in Creo, and while I have seen some of these issues, this drawing is MUCH worse.  Perhaps there is some hidden issue I just don't know about?

    S
    23-Emerald III
    StephenW23-Emerald III
    23-Emerald III
    December 2, 2024

    Your question is really broad and impossible to answer.  Most of the drawing moving I deal with is when something on the model changes that increases the drawing view boundary. Usually this is something that expands the boundary signficantly. But "significant" is very subjective, so it'll be different for each drawing based on your models and drawings. This isn't autocad, so when the model changes, the drawing changes.

     

    On your specific image, first thing I do is the regen the view so I know I have the lastest correct visual Then, if the move is unexpected (I didn't think I made any changes), I usually select the view  and see what the "view boundary" looks like, if it is extended in one direction, then I realize that something in the model did change. That's when I go investigate the model before making any drawing corrections. If I can eliminate the model change (rollback the model or control the model change in other ways) then the drawing will usually fix itself upon the next regen. If the model change was necessary, then I will go back to the drawing and see if I can fix the drawing by making the view a "partial view" and sketch the size of the view, sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. At that point, that's when I cuss a little and fix the drawing and hope I don't have to make more model changes.

     

    Other suggestions are to make sure you attach labels to be something that is relative to the label, that way the label moves when whatever it was attached to moves. I also like using "relate to object" or "relate to view" for things that need to be place near something but don't otherwise have a direct connection to the view/object.

    B
    ByDesign12-AmethystAuthor
    12-Amethyst
    December 2, 2024

    Yes, the question is broad, but like the description says, it involves a lot.  I probably should have highlighted the view boundary for the image, but it is right close to the geometry.  It is NOT a model size change  --  I've been in PTC products since ProE v.13, so I know that that looks like.  I have never seen so much "view shift", nor have I seen notes fail to update when regening the drawings.  (regen the view is the way you said it).  The references did not change or go away.

     

    The 2 big things that changed in the model are accuracy (for 2 parts) and number of digits shown in some dimensions.  Also, over the several hours of working, I replaced some parts with other ones of nearly the same size - all small compared to the bounding box, and none of which are near the edges, or extend beyond the bounding box.  I also changed a lot of hole diameters, and positions for assembly, and other massages to bring the design all together.  Just normal work like I do all the time.  There is no reason for such bad behavior  --  especially the massive shifts like in the image above.

     

    I am fully aware that notes to a replaced part will lose references and dims -- that is not a problem -- because it is logical and has a reason.  All this redoing is NOT acceptable.  I have a hunch, that issues with the accuracy are the real problem, though I don't understand why or how.  I have submitted SPR's on accuracy problems in the past, but PTC does not want to fix it because it has to do with using old parts.  Hey, I have a library of stuff built all through the years, and I'm actually quite angry with PTC for claiming compatibility but not being willing to put their money where their mouth is.

     

    Hopefully someone else has seen this kind of issue and knows a trick to bypass it.

     

     

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