Firstly, (as least in WF4) in order to create Interchange groups, you
need to have the right options. AFAIK, you need Pro-Assy, Pro-Assy
Performance, Pro-Tooldesign, Pro-Mold, or versions of Pro-Manufacturing
to have the option to make an Interchange assy.
Once the Interchange assembly is created, you assemble unrelated parts
into the Interchange assembly, but you only have to fix the parts in
space in the assembly, no mates are required.
Then, you create a 'Reference pairing table' to associate like features
to be functional replacements. In WF 4, it can 'guess' like features
for you. Features like faces, planes, axes, holes, csys', etc can be
made functional equivalents for assembly purposes, although the parts
themselves are not 'family tabled' or related in any way.
Then, when replacing one of these components in a design assembly, you
have the option of Component/ Replace/ Unrelated: Family Table: or
Interchange.
Note; this really helps in manufacturing assemblies when replacing parts
in machining fixtures. Published geometry, groups of faces, etc... can
be associated through the Interchange assembly although the designed
parts have no family table history, or Inheritance features, or copy
geometry features, etc... in common at all.
FYI, you can use these assemblies to swap out imported customer models
that have been converted to Pro-E parts, even though the parts
themselves have no 'history tree'.
Do I like this feature?... very much.
Christopher Gosnell
TRIGON INC.
FPD Company
124 Hidden Valley Road
McMurray, PA 15317
PH: 724.941.5540
FX: 724.941.8322
www.fpdinc.com
