Reusing Cables in different positions

Hi John…

There is no formal strategy for this currently. This feature has been requested several times and is definitely on the radar for future development. I’d like to provide a more concrete answer – such as being able to tell you when we will be able to accommodate this feature. My best guess is Creo 5.0 – but budget constraints can always push that back.

I can emphatically state that it will not be available in Creo 4.0 (tentatively being released somewhere around Q4 of 2016). That means Creo 5.0 will be somewhere around 2018-ish.

There are ways around the limitations you’ve hit. One way would be to implement a cabling family table. The functionality for this at Wildfire 4.0 was atrocious and looked as though no one had bothered developing it since 1999. This is because, indeed, no one had bothered developing it since 1999. This means you end up with two or more instances (with two or more names) to display the same harness/cable in two or more different routings. You could do this by making separate cables to start with and avoid the family table nightmare altogether. Neither approach offers the solution you’re looking for.

One final way to achieve this kind of “one cable – multiple routings” effect is to create a cabling assembly using flexible components. This works best on simple cables with only two connectors (one at each end). In your case, this might work.

Flexible components are available at Wildfire 4.0 so you’re in luck there. You’d want to create a cabling assembly by placing your two connectors offset from a coordinate system. You just need to “float them in space” via coordinate system. Then, you’d either implement a very simple network – or you’d create a couple of control points (or coordinate systems) to lay out the coax line. I realize I’m not giving much detail here. The process is not at all fun.

Finally you should be able to achieve a simple routing in your cable assembly. This will just be two connectors floating in space with a coax line of the appropriate length between them. The next trick is to assemble this floating coax assembly into the appropriate next-level assembly making use of flexible components. You will select the X,Y, and Z dimensions of both connectors and any control points/csys to be flexible. You’ll vary those dimensions in order to move the connectors and coax routing such that the assembly appears to flex into multiple positions.

Obviously, this is a complex solution and not easily described in an email.

If you put some care into it, you’ll end up with a BOM listing one line item with the appropriate quantity of cable assemblies. You assembly itself will appear to have the same coax assembly placed in different positions. This is the effect you’re after – but until at least Creo 5.0, this is the only way to get there.

I’m sure that’s as clear as mud so please write back if you have additional questions.

Thanks and good luck!

-Brian

PS: I made sure to reply both HERE and on the PTC/User Exploder to eliminate the comparisons over which system is faster. Hopefully you received the same solution in both places simultaneously.