Family Tables dismount and remount

Anonymous · ‎Nov 11, 2015

Recently I have been asked to cleanup my drawings ready for Windchill, delete all redundant developement sketches and dismount from family tables.

I have been experiencing that with every tidyup to internal sketches, that the sketches do not always copy true or accurately and when I come to the drawing nearly all the dimensions fall off.... This seems like a lot of extra work so that Windchill PLM can take them.

While I have been dismounting family tables in the assembly structures, I was wondering if anyone has ever got the basic assembly out of Windchill and re-mounted the empty prt free assembly back into Family tables?

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dmcclinton · ‎Nov 11, 2015

It sound like you have some very specific company rules regarding breaking parts from family tables, and doing something with sketches ?
There is not really any necessary from a Windchill standpoint to do this.

We use family tables and multiple external sketches all the time, and just check drawings into Windchill all the time.

So if this is your company standard practice... its just something you are going to haft to deal with and yes it going to be a bunch of extra time consuming work....

Anonymous · ‎Nov 12, 2015

Thank you David your answer is most revealing and interesting.

I have been in constant argument with my head office about the use of Family Tables and they say that they should not be used for anything but the most basic of things like a washer. Head office say that If Family Tables are used for anything more, they say Family Tables just do not work, however I have almost everything running off Family Tables.

I have Family Tables running assemblies and sub assemblies and I have the assemblies configuring themselves depending on the details left on the part model instances, all in the main with a green light, this is a superb development config tool to me and I am the only one in my company who knows how to use it.

Head office say that they are being advised by someone who is a PTC employee on this issue, who is reputed to be one of the best Creo-Windchill operators in the whole of Europe. I beg to differ on his views, but I have limited knowlege on Windchill to counter comment at this moment in time.

StephenW · ‎Nov 12, 2015

Here are my opinions on family tables based on your comments:

1. If you are the only one in your company who knows how to use family tables, I suggest you don't use family tables for anything other than "washers". The moment you are not available to do the work or make the change, your company will grind to a halt.

2. Depending on your use of windchill/pdmlink family tables may not be for you. If your company uses windchill to manage revisions and you control your creo parts with explicit revision control, any time you need to change one part in the family table, you may be required to revise all parts of the family table. Obviously this may or may not be a problem based on your use of windchill and how varying your family tables may be.

3. Occasionally you can have issues with family table modifications from within windchill. I usually assume this is user error but sometimes it seems to come out of nowhere and usually results in restarting the modifications you have already done on the family table, again, usually based on user error.

dmcclinton · ‎Nov 12, 2015

Stephen

These are all good valid points...

dmcclinton · ‎Nov 12, 2015

Francis

I do not totally disagree with the head office "family tabled" parts / assemblies should be limited in their use. that is all standard hardware parts should be family tabled "screws, nuts, bolts, washers, electrical connectors...etc." these type of parts will never change and are not controlled by revision or release level.

I do not advise create overly complicated family tables of parts, or multi level "nested family tables" of assemblies / sub-assemblies.

however other parts / assemblies can also fall into a category that should be "family tabled" parts / assemblies that are very similar to each other! that only vary in "length, material, or number of holes, or the size of holes in the parts...etc." and that are commonly interchanged in assemblies based on design criteria.

as for deleting external sketches used to create extrusions.... no I would not break them at all that is why your dimensions are losing their reference.

Good Luck

Dave

dschenken · ‎Nov 12, 2015

Any time an 'expert' has an opinion, it it likely that they are either not an expert or are being misquoted/misrepresented or the person claiming they talked to the expert is making it up to bolster their point.

An actual expert opinion would include a detailed white paper describing exactly why a situation exists. They would have this because they would have had to research the situation in great detail and that paper would be made available.

The only problems I've seen are from users who treat family tables carelessly; thinking that changing names in the table will automatically sync up with Windchill, for example.

Perhaps someone will publish a white paper that details why family tables should never be used. Til then, I'm still waiting.

Anonymous · ‎Nov 13, 2015

Hi David I entirely agree, as my collegue from head office claims the expert is not from PTC but an Independent, who has a history of advising companys the best way to implement Windchill with Creo. Between them they have been trying to do this for the last 6 years and have kept Creo on 1.0 and datecode M040, this being the most under-developed version of Creo which has a few well known issues especially regarding regeneration freezes, tho I know in the main how to deal with these now. I do not believe the expert opinion is really all that expert at all.

StephenW · ‎Nov 13, 2015

Uggghhh, If they are stuck on Creo 1 it's not looking good for the "expert". I found this quote:

"The Standard support end date for all of CREO1 Parametric, Direct, Simulate are Oct 5th 2012"

Anonymous · ‎Nov 13, 2015

Yes it gets better, the expert has assured head office that if they do as he says they will be PTC's number 1 customer in Spain. ..... and they are still on Creo 1... what world is he in?

dmcclinton · ‎Nov 13, 2015

What ? number 1 customer because ???? Nope I ain't buying it... PTC's Number 1 European customer is the customer who gives them the most Euro's Plain and simple.

but your going to be number 1 because you break up family tables and external sketches before checking projects into Windchill OK.... ?

Anonymous · ‎Nov 16, 2015

David I do not believe a word of it, but, yes that is what my Spanish collegue is telling me, and that is what "the consultant" has allegedly told my head office. I think it is his own personal dreamland coming out. If it is so then the 12 seats we have must be very expensive ones indeed. Also why should such an "esteemed customer still be on Creo 1.0.