EFX: Adding new Tube Profiles

Title

How to add custom profile / beams to Expert Framework Extension (EFX)

Description

• How to add custom profile / beams
• How to customize EFX library (insert custom profiles)

Applies To

• Expert Framework Extension 4.0 - 7.0
• Advanced Framework Extension 2.0

Cause

Resolution

Currently this procedure supports for straight beams only.

Library directory structure

Notice ‘custom_start_beams‘ folder and ‘custom_start_beams.gif‘ at <efx loadpoint>\parts\profiles directory. Open ‘sel_list.txt‘ file <efx loadpoint>\parts\profiles directory and add the following line custom_start_beams dir

Similarly, create new subdirectory, make subdirectory_name.gif picture of company logo, add line to sel_list.txt

Make custom beams by using start parts

In <efx loadpoint>\parts\profiles\custom_start_beams directory find two start beams (one for mm and other inch), Use these as templates for custom beams. The directory contains a file called sel_list.txt, a content list of the directory. This directory contains 2 beams called efx_start_beam_mm and efx_start_beam_inch, so the file lists two lines for them plus one line ‘dir_up dir‘.

For each beam user needs,

• A picture named <beam_name>.gif
• A Pro/ENGINEER model <beam_name>.prt or <beam_name>.prt.1 (EFX takes always .prt or for .prt.1, remove the number from the file name end)
• Optional a file <beam_name>.txt which lists different sizes and their dimensions if available

User can rename the custom_start_beam to your custom directory, make a .gif picture which shows the beam-x-section, copy and rename the file custom_start_beam.txt file if the beam has different sizes copy and modify sel_list.txt.

Modify beam model

Open the model custom_start_beam_mm or custom_start_beam_inch and make it a custom beam to modify the following,

Modify the section of the feature ‘BASIC_SHAPE‘, try to keep the four lines (do not delete, just trim them) if there is somehow a rectangular basic shape in the section. Deleting one of the four lines, the joint functionality will not detect automatically the correct attachment surface), however, one can use the joint type ‘sel_surface‘. After modifying the sections change the symbols of the important dimensions with dim-cosmetics

Modify the parameter BUW_NAME to the name of your beam

• Add other parameters modify views, layers etc.
• If user likes to see internal cuts only in detailed level of representation add a feature parameter named ‘BUW_REP_LEVEL‘ to the cut feature, the value is ‘MEDIUM_DETAIL‘ (the feature should be visible in medium and detailed at rep level) or ‘DETAIL‘ (the feature should be visible in detailed rep-level)

Modify size table file

Open the size table file. The first column shows the name of the size instance (it shows up in the selection interface), the following columns list the dimension values. The first column must have 25 characters (fill up with spaces at the beginning), the columns are separated by tabs. The headline lists the symbolic dimension names (also list model text parameters there).