Skip to main content
P
pkelly1-Visitor
1-Visitor
January 28, 2016
Solved

Is there a simple way of only showing a few planes in assembly mode.

  • January 28, 2016
  • 6 replies
  • 21821 views

HI all, I have being using Creo 2/3 now for 2 years, Is there a simple way of only showing a few planes in assembly mode. I tried the layers but I have to go into each part and hide them form there, its a lot of clicking, I mean every part has 3 planes and 3 axis min, some of my assemblies have 50 + parts with lots of construction planes/axis. As an example, In solidworks/Inventor, all planes are off by default and you click the ones you want to show from the model tree. something like that would be nice and save lots of time /mistakes assembling to the wrong plane.

Thanks in advance.

Pat.

    Best answer by dgschaefer

    I think the visibility controls in Creo are both extremely powerful and versatile and too hard to implement.  They aren't getting any attention from PTC, however, so you have to make the most of what you've got.  Thankfully, with some planning in implementing rule based layers, you can control the visibility of items on a very fine grained level.

    You don't want to be creating layer rules all the time.  This is something you set up in your templates and then they just do their job for you.  I have a set of rule based layers that allow everything "hidable' to be hidden even when the global datum toggles on.  I can then use my layers to show only what I want to see.  I can also create other new layers with groups of items to make them all visible at once.

    On your original question, if you have the datum features on their master layers and hidden, you can then put individual datum features on an additional layer to control them independently.  You would then use the isolate command to force that layer to be visible.  Maddeningly, the isolate command is only available in the drop down menu in the layer tree:

    Capture.JPG

    Again, it's more complex than it needs to be, but it works well once you've mastered it.

    I've attached a PDF that I created some time ago that explains how we use rule based layers here which may be of help to you.  There's also an old blog post here:


    Understanding Layers in Pro/ENGINEER - Design Central Inc.

    6 replies

    R
    RonSt.Pierre12-Amethyst
    12-Amethyst
    January 28, 2016

    try adding rules.

    see this thread  Layer Rules

    and this presentation   https://www.ptcusercommunity.com/servlet/JiveServlet/download/257650-73319/Take%20Time%20to%20Obey%20The%20Rules.ppt

    (this is in the last post of the layer rules thread)

    This should give you a better understanding of how to automate.

    You could even create mapkeys to help you move these items to the proper layers.

    P
    pkelly1-VisitorAuthor
    1-Visitor
    January 29, 2016

    Thanks Ron for the reply and link to the pdf. this looks like a days work, I don't believe this is Creo's simplest way of showing /hiding the planes. wow, create rules, could it get any harder, maybe this is something PTC should look at, I find it very time consuming for what should be a simple operation, Can the planes be hidden by default? that way I could show the one's I want on the fly.

    Thanks

    pat.

    R
    RonSt.Pierre12-Amethyst
    12-Amethyst
    January 29, 2016

    It will be hard from your current perspective/position because of legacy, but once set up, it becomes automatic.

    The simplest way is to select and hide.

    The smartest way is to use rules.

    I think the attachments will answer the questions regarding simple operations and hiding by default.

    I too am in the midst of a change like you an have been implementing these fundamentals.

    I have attached some examples of what has been done.  Everyone working with it at first cried about it because it was not how they did things which was mostly OOTB.

    They are crying a different tune now because when they do hit the legacy stuff, it's not a happy sight.

    Hope this helps.

    ron

    kdirth
    21-Topaz I
    kdirth21-Topaz I
    21-Topaz I
    January 29, 2016

    With layers in use, if you only want to see items from a specific part or assembly, select that file from the drop down at the top of the layer tree to isolate the layers for that object.  You can then unhide the layers for that object.


    layers.png

    There is always more to learn.
    P
    pkelly1-VisitorAuthor
    1-Visitor
    February 5, 2016

    Thanks for the Help. I am a little stuck as I am working with files that I did not create and will continue that way. The start part is a good option but I wont be able to get the People that create the models that I am working with to use that, I will try once I understand it fully myself, however I can implement a start part for my own work which should cut own on the mess of planes, the models I am working have 80+ planes/axis, its hard to describe, they are moulded parts so there is a good bit of work gone into them. I am making the tooling that holds the parts in position for assembly, stuff like that. What makes it a little more difficult is they are locked down/released in windchill and I cant release them to myself.

    I will soldier on. I think a solution would be to default all planes off in the software and I can pick the ones I want, I don't see an option for this, start part perhaps for my files but for Vendor parts I am kind of stuck. Cheers for the pdf presentations/files. I never saw any of this on the PTC training.

    Thanks

    Pat.

    L
    lkerila1-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    February 5, 2016

    Another thing I constantly preach to our users here, is to ALWAYS resize the datum planes and axis to suit the feature they are meant for. I have always done this, and it makes it so much easier to pick the correct datum when you turn on all the datums, both at the part level as well as the assembly level.

    However, it's a constant struggle, as most folks are either too lazy or don't care.

    Patriot_1776
    Patriot_177622-Sapphire II
    22-Sapphire II
    February 10, 2016

    I'd say rules-based layers, but then that'd be redundant for many reasons....... 

    J
    jdoe1-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    February 14, 2016

    I always turn off the visibility of planes & coordinates. I constrain everything by part & put it together like you would in the real world. Just a hobbyist.

    HamsterNL
    HamsterNL18-Opal
    18-Opal
    October 19, 2017

    Our models used to show all the Datum Planes(*) when the user would toggle the Plane Display on. It was driving me crazy because in a large assembly dozens, maybe a few hundred Datum Planes would become visible.

     

    So I started to hide all the Datum Planes by default. I hid those layers and used "Save Status" to keep them hidden. Now when a user would toggle the Plane Display to on...nothing would show.

     

    Next step was to only show the datums a user would need. So I created a mapkey that would toggle the layer status of a selected component on/off. Now a user could selectively show/hide Datum Planes of the components he needs to constrain.

     

    Some more mapkeys were created to toggle certain layers on/off (by name).

     

    Last but not least, a little trick I use when I need to constrain a component when I know how the component will be constrained...

    1. I first select the "assembly item", for example a coord system. Most likely I can use the Model Tree.
    2. Then I switch to the Layer Tree
    3. In the dropdown I select the component I am placing
    4. Then I "browse" to the coord system to select the "component item"

    Voila, without even showing and hiding any layers I have placed/constrained my component. (who needs those stinky layers anyway ;-))

     

    (*) I say Datum Planes, but this also applies to Datum Axis, Datum Points and Coord Sys.

    C
    Chris321-Topaz I
    21-Topaz I
    October 23, 2017

    We also hide all datums via layers by default. The user can then turn on the layers for just the parts they need to see or use the find tool to get the datums they need.

    V
    vrpatel11-Visitor
    1-Visitor
    April 30, 2020

    Dear Sir,

    I had opened one .step file to a assembly file.

    In a Assembly there are two plane, which I want to hide or delete it. I can select those planes but I am enable to hide or delete it. Can you guide me in this subject.

     

    Terms & ConditionsCookie settingsAccessibility statement