Creo Unite & Import Data Doctor Tips n' Techniques

Webcast Q&A

Question from Anonymous:  Does PTC have any plans to support import/export of QIF format?

Answer:  QIF is not a native CAD file format.  We can import/export with the help of a 3rd party product called Capvidia for Creo.

Question from Anonymous:  In many cases, we have issues with geometry during translation.  This often makes the part/assembly look incorrect or incomplete.  Does working in this way with Unite technology provide a better chance that it will appear correct since we are not actually importing the file into Creo?

Answer:  It is possible but it depends on what looks different.  There could be a configuration issue.

Question from Anonymous:  Is there any icon or indicator that lets you know you have made a change to the SolidWorks model?  How do you know you have to update?  This would be in case one person manages the assembly and another may manage the change to the motor.

Answer:  Yes, Windchill flags the change in the Common space, the Workspace, and then in the Creo session.  Creo shows a "stopwatch" icon showing it is out of date.

Webcast Q&A

Question from Claudiu:  In our company we have VERY BIG CONCERNS in importing neutral files from customers.  There are end users (with less experience in Creo) and what they need is to open a file and calculate the volume.  Because of the files that are coming as surface, they cannot calculate the volume.  For this reason, that is complicated for IDD the end user prefers to request a different application as SolidWorks or Space Claim that appears it's automatically solidified.

Answer:  We should discuss this in detail.  Just because a model is solidified doesn't make it correct.  Other tools like to "fix" models by changing the geometry.  If this works, we can do certain things in Creo.  But you need to know that the automatically solidified model might not be the same as the original.  The point of today is to get users to not be afraid of IDD.  Lino will show that shortly.

Question from Claudiu:  I would like to import from SolidWorks a specific configuration (instance from SolidWorks) but I'm not able to open the configuration to open only the master (Generic file from SolidWorks).  Is it possible in Creo 7, Creo 8 to import on of the Configuration from the SolidWorks file?

Answer:  You need to activate the particular configuration one at a time and save the SW file.  Then, it can be opened in Creo.  Creo will not open all Configurations at once.

Webcast Q&A

Question from Dean:  When would you import as multibody instead of an assembly and why?

Answer:  If the model came from a CAD tool that used Multibody.  If not, you would only get one solidified object.

Webcast Q&A

Question from Neal:  Seems like under the hood, this is no different than Pro/E from 20 years ago but you have to find the button location in the GUI.

Answer:  Agreed, you can use the search command to find it.

Comment from Neal:  Thanks fellows, I learned/re-learned a few things.  Embed is a cool trick.

Webcast Q&A

Question from Wagner:  In the example used:  assuming this Creo-converted component is used in several assemblies, is it easy to run replace in other assemblies?

Answer:  The example he showed was not converting the file but placing it in the assembly.  The same thing can be done to place that same non-Creo object into another assembly.  An update should occur in both assemblies.