Assembly with only inherited parts and constraints

[jhansson]

Hi!

I am going to use Creo Simulate on an assembly model that contains parts that will change slightly during the design process but still not change in such ways that it will affect anything in the simulation model like boundary constraints and so on.

Therefore I would like to create an assembly that only contains inherited parts so that I can create a simulation model of the assembly and then when the parts are changed I only have to update the parts and run the simulation again to se what effects the changes have had.

Is this possible? I have only found ways of doing it for parts and not whole assemblies.

Regards

Jimmie

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[KenFarley]

If I understand the question correctly, I think you can do what you want with a family table in the assembly.

(1) Set up the family table via the "Tools->Family Table", then add some instances via "Insert->Instance Row".

(2) Name the instance(s) something that makes sense.

(3) Add the components you want to be able to change in and out via "Insert->Columns", and selecting the "Component" radio button.

(4) Pick the parts you want to switch around. Note that if you have more than one of a part, it asks you if you want to identify "All" of them or the "Single" one you selected.

(5) The table will contain a "*" for the components selected. Most times, you just want either "Y" or "N" in these columns. To put a specific family table instance from the part in a specific instance of the assembly, you put the name of the desired instance in, replacing the "*". Make sure you spell the instance name exactly right, or it won't work.

(6) If you find you want a new configuration to run, just add an instance, and put in the proper names for all the components.

Trickiest part is knowing you can put the instance names in there instead of the "Y" or "N" they imply are the only options.

[jhansson]

Hi!

Thanks for the input. I have no familiarity with family tables but read up on them and it seems that they could probably have done what I wanted. However it wasn't I who were redesigning the part but another person and I only did calculations on it so then I would have to convince him to do all changes by the use of a family table which maybe wouldn't be impossible.

However I figured out a workaround where I created a "dummy" part for each part that only contained an inheritance from an original part and then I remade the assembly.

But thanks for the help, I might start to do some minor design work myself soon and then family tables are good to know.

Kind Regards

[ChrisKaswer]

Jimmie,

What is the goal of separating the analysis model from the "real", or active model? Is it because it is controlled and released in Windchill and you can't allow any modifications to be made without causing a revision? Family tables won't do that for you, but inheritance will. We use inheritance models for this reason - when we can't make ANY changes to the model because they have already been released. Another way to make a simulation model of a sub-assembly of your top-level is to make a Simplified Rep and include just the parts you need to analyze. Of course this will modify your "primary", top-level assembly, so this may not be an option for you if you're "Windchill-bound".

Cheers,

Chris

[KenFarley]

I've often needed to analyze a simplified model because the actual real-world model had features that caused immense problems, like very small, relatively speaking, fillets, or chamfers, almost-but-not-quite touching faces in assemblies, etc. I may also do so to put weld fillets in that are important. And, of course, there is the very powerful use of symmetry to reduce the model size by half, or three quarters, or sometimes even more.

[jhansson]

We use Windchill but changes can be made without causing new revisions. We are still in early development stages and are changing frequently.

The reason I wanted to use inheritance is because I am not responsible for the design of the part but instead that falls under a dedicated designer which gets inputs from a lot of different persons (me for mechanical input but then also electrical input, general design and so on). Therefore I would have liked to have a simulation model ready which changes when the original is changed but that still have suppressed the features I want suppressed. I realize this will be limited and maybe not work if entire features are removed but if smaller changes are performed it should be possible as it is when using inheritance for a part.

Cheers