Missing references - rounds, chamfers etc

Hi 
Are you asking for an option or tool that you used to have or are you asking for an enhancement ?
Any example model would be nice.

Never make references to round and chamfer feature and put them at the end of the model tree. Also use intent edges and/or surface to surface rounds to avoid edges going missing.

First - how do i select those edges using intent chain?

​@Michael_Bourque does raise a valid point in this context with the suggestion to use intent references during feature creation (or re-route). In the situations where intent refs are not available for selection you should be able to create a datum reference feature to realize the same benefits of using an intent reference. With datum reference features you are able to define the domain of intent references for use in feature creation. This enables the user to capture design intent through the creation of intent objects.

Refer to this chart for more details: About Intent Objects

This is NOT a solution or a valid route to take to avoid the issue i’m describing. What your describing above is additional work to compensate for a feature which PTC Creo is missing. What im describing is a basic feature and would enhance workflow and productivity, your asking is to create datum reference features which is additional work. Have a look at how SolidWorks behaves in the situation where rounds/ chamfers have lost references

I am not asking whether Creo works the same way as SolidWorks. I am specifically requesting an enhancement to Creo.

I am also not asking for Creo to automatically remove rounds or chamfers when their references are lost.

The enhancement I am requesting is this:

When a Round or Chamfer feature fails because one or more of its selected references no longer exist, I want to be able to Edit Definition of the failed feature and see the list of references originally selected to create it.

Within that reference list, there should be an option such as “Remove Missing References.”

Selecting this option would remove all references that are currently missing or invalid in one operation, while leaving all valid/intact references unchanged.

For example, if a Round feature contains 20 selected edges and a design change causes 8 of those edges to disappear, I should be able to:

1. Edit Definition of the failed Round feature.
2. Select Remove Missing References.
3. Creo removes the 8 missing references.
4. The remaining 12 valid references stay selected.
5. The Round feature regenerates using those remaining references.

Currently, removing these failed references individually can be unnecessarily time-consuming, particularly for Round or Chamfer features containing a large number of references.

The requested enhancement is therefore simply a one-click method of removing all missing references from an existing Round or Chamfer feature without affecting the references that are still valid.

While I’m on the subject of missing functionality, missing features and unnecessarily cumbersome workflows, here are a few more things PTC could introduce.

And yes, I’m sure many of these have already been suggested in the Enhancement Ideas section - I don’t care. I’m fed up with people blindly defending awkward workflows simply because they’ve never used anything better, or because they’ve found a workaround and therefore think the underlying workflow doesn’t need improving.

Model Tree

Model Tree with a drag handle
Give the Model Tree a drag handle to make resizing it easier. This is basic UI functionality.

Copy selected model name to clipboard
Select a part or assembly in the Model Tree and have a simple Copy Model Name command. I’ve created a Mapkey to do this, but it can be slow in large assemblies. Nobody wants to manually type part numbers (1000s of times) and filenames when the software could easily extract this.

Reassemble Component (not Repeat component)
Allow me to select an existing component in the Model Tree and click Reassemble. This should start placement of  that same component.

Yes, I know I can copy/paste or use Paste Special. That is not what I’m asking for. I want a dedicated Reassemble command directly from the selected component.

Drag components from the Model Tree into the graphics window to reassemble them
Allow an existing component to be dragged from the Model Tree into the graphics window to place another instance of it.

Take that further and allow components to be dragged from the Model Tree of one open Creo window into the graphics window of another assembly to assemble them there.

Rename parts directly from the Model Tree
Right-click a component in the Model Tree and rename it. I’ve created a Mapkey for this, but something this basic should be available out of the box.

Open Component in Position
Provide an option to open a component in position - select a component whilst in an assembly, select open in position and the component opens in the same orientation it was in the assembly it was opened from.

Patterning

Pattern multiple selected components at once
Allow me to Ctrl-select multiple components and create a single pattern containing those selected components.

Yes, I know components can be grouped and the group can then be patterned. That is not the functionality I’m asking for.

I want to select multiple components regardless of whether they are adjacent in the Model Tree, grouped, or separated by other components, and pattern that selection directly.

There may be components between them in the Model Tree because of parent/child dependencies which prevent me conveniently rearranging them into a group. I don’t care. If I can select the components, I should be able to tell Creo: pattern these selected components together.

Sketching

Edit Sketch directly from the feature
Select a  feature from the model tree and provide an Edit Sketch command directly.

Having to go:

Edit Definition → Edit Sketch

just to modify the sketch is an unnecessary extra step.

Click inside a closed sketch perimeter to select the complete loop
If I click inside the perimeter of a closed sketch, select the entire closed outline.

Allow simultaneous editing of sketches from two different parts
SolidWorks allows you to edit sketches from two different parts at the same time. This is particularly useful when comparing the sketch driving an existing feature of a part against a new sketch driving a feature in another part.

Automatically scale a sketch from the first dimension
It took until Creo 11 to get automatic sketch scaling when the first dimension is added.

Yes, I know that previously you could select the sketch and use Rotate/Resize to scale it. Again, that is precisely the point: it was additional work that shouldn't have been necessary.

Model Orientation / Navigation

Proper orientation cube in the graphics window
Give Creo a proper interactive orientation cube like SolidWorks and numerous other CAD systems.

In my start parts I’ve created my own surface cube with chamfered corners. Selecting Normal To on the chamfers gives true isometric orientations. I use a Mapkey to unhide the cube and zoom to it so I can select the required face.

I’ve also created custom named orientations and added corresponding graphical buttons to the ribbon, similar to the setup shown by 4K Side.

But why should users have to build all of this themselves? A proper interactive orientation control should be standard Creo functionality.

Drawings

Escape should go back one step when placing ordinate dimensions
When creating ordinate dimensions, pressing Esc should cancel the last selection/action and move back one stage this allows you to quickly cycle back through selections

Preview named drawing views before selecting them

The drawing workflow in Creo badly needs attention.

When choosing a named orientation for a drawing view, Creo should provide a preview of each named orientation before I select it. I should not have to select an orientation just to find out what that orientation actually looks like.

At present, if I have multiple named orientations, I have to select them one by one, wait for Creo to show me each orientation, decide it isn't the one I want, then select another. The preview comes after the selection, when the whole point of a preview is to help me make the selection.

Why am I effectively selecting named orientations blind when Creo is perfectly capable of displaying a preview?

PTC may be heavily focused on MBD, but drawings are still extensively used in real manufacturing and fabrication environments. The drawing workflow shouldn't be neglected simply because MBD is considered the future.

Multibody

Create drawings of individual bodies directly
I know PTC are a bit behind others because they only adopted proper multi-body modelling relatively recently but they’ve missed some basic, basic things!
Creo's multibody functionality needs a straightforward method of creating a drawing of an individual body on the same sheet as other bodies in that part without having to create a rep of each body first and then setting the desired rep when adding a drawing view -- this is unnecessary additional work!

If a model contains ten bodies, I should be able to tell the drawing:

Show Body 6

without first creating and maintaining another representation purely to achieve it.

That additional setup is unnecessary work and makes multibody less attractive for workflows where individual bodies require manufacturing drawings.

Sheet Metal

Part-level bend/fold count parameter
Creo 13 introduced reported sheet-metal parameters for sheet-metal bodies, including the number of bends/folds. Good.

But if I'm creating a conventional single-body sheet-metal part, I want that information available directly as a part-level reported parameter.

I should not have to put a relation in my start part purely to pull the bend count from the sheet-metal body up to the part level so that I can use it in a BOM, drawing table or downstream process.

PTC finally provides the bend count — and then exposes it at the wrong level for a very common workflow.

Initial Pattern State and Flat Pattern State
I can't believe it took until Creo 13 to provide proper Initial Pattern State and Flat Pattern State functionality.

This makes a significant difference to sheet-metal workflows. It isn't some cosmetic convenience.

DXF directly from the model
Likewise, I can't believe it took until Creo 13 to provide a proper workflow for creating DXFs directly from the model.

For sheet-metal manufacturing, this is fundamental functionality.

Failed References / Feature Repair

Remove all missing references from a failed feature
If geometry changes and a feature such as a Round or Chamfer loses several references, provide a command to:

REMOVE ALL MISSING REFERENCES

For example, I might change the profile of a part or add another cut. Ten edges previously referenced by a Round feature may disappear while twenty other valid references remain.

I should not have to remove the ten failed references individually.

I'm not asking Creo to automatically delete the feature or decide how to repair my model. I'm asking for a command which removes the references that Creo already knows are missing while leaving all valid references intact.

Sketcher Enhancement – Apply Horizontal/Vertical Constraints to Multiple Entities

When working in Sketcher, it should be possible to apply a horizontal or vertical constraint to multiple sketch entities in a single operation.

For example, if a sketch contains a large number of circles that need to be vertically or horizontally aligned:

1. Set the selection filter to Sketcher Geometry.
2. Fence-select all of the required circles.
3. Select Vertical or Horizontal constraint.
4. Creo automatically applies the appropriate constraint so that all selected circle centres are aligned vertically or horizontally.

Currently, this has to be done repeatedly: select the first circle and second circle, apply the constraint, then select the next circle along with one of the previously constrained circles, apply the constraint again, and continue until all circles are aligned.

No. There is no single button by which you can remove the failed edges. However, Creo gives you a way to remove / replace the failed edges with a changed edge and add new edges if necessary.