How do you define a VSS trajectory as flexible?

[David_M]

I would like to have a flexible part which is a simple rectangle swept along a curve, but in such a way that when assembled the trajectory can be defined as a pre-existing three dimensional curve in the assembly?

Does anyone have any ideas on how to do this?

Thanks.

[Patriot_1776]

Congratulations, that is about THE most vague question I've ever seen here, and this from someone who's 1st language IS English.

Care to elaborate with pics?

[RandyJones]

I don't think it is possible to swap out feature references in a flexible component however a possible work around would be to create a feature group for each assembly this is used in. Each feature group would include a rectangular sketch, an external copy geom of the relevant asm curve, and a vss sweep:

GroupX

• rectangular sketch
• external copy geom of relevant curve from relevant asm
• vss using the sketch and curve

These groups would normally be suppressed in the part and then resume the appropriate one for the flexible part at the asm level.

[DaveMartin]

That sounds like a Circular Reference waiting to happen.

It sounds like you should be using Top Down Design rather than Component Flexibility.

[RandyJones]

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@DaveMartin wrote:

That sounds like a Circular Reference waiting to happen.

Could be. However I don't think so. The external copy geom is located in the prt via a csys from asm to csys in the prt so there is no ambiguity there. Anyways I just tried a quicky experiment and didn't have any Circular references. One item to note is Creo Parametric 3.0 (M150) would not let me create a group that contains an external copy geom feature. Creo Parametric 4.0 (M040) happily allows that.

It sounds like you should be using Top Down Design rather than Component Flexibility.

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 Sometimes with flexible components ie think flexible hoses, hydraulic hoses, etc the only place the routing is available is from the top level asm. That kind of detail is generally not in a skeleton.

[dschenken · Accepted solution]

Flexibility alters values within the part or subassembly. It can set values or resume or suppress features in the item an so forth, but it cannot substitute feature references.The reason is that flexibility uses Family Tables to create on-the-fly instances and there is no function in Family Tables to link construction elements within features to other features.

Which is a shame.There are times when such substitution would be handy.

I believe you can use UDFs (user defined features) to more rapidly create parts in the context of the assembly.

[Patriot_1776]

If the trajectory at the assy level was done using points relative to a coord sys (etc.) to define the trajectory, it would probably be possible to use those values to drive the part to be flat at the part level, then follow the trajectory at the assy level.  But, for a spline defined by only 3 points, that would be 9 distances (X, Y, Z for each point) you'd need to have as flexible.  And even then, since it's a rectangle instead of round, rotational alignment is now an issue.

With the question being this vague, who knows?

Although, that makes me wonder about something else......

[TomD.inPDX]

Just activate the part within the assembly and use your external reference to sketch the trajectory (origin) curve within the part.