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16-Pearl
July 12, 2021
Question

color to holes

  • July 12, 2021
  • 9 replies
  • 12524 views

In many companies, and even in industries, there are some "rules" to apply colors to some features, and specially to holes.

Now I paint holes with mapkeys. But if the pattern adds a new instance, the newly created hole needs to be repainted.

 

T_F_0-1626080032157.png

Any one knows how to replicate the colors of the newly created holes? Any app? Any workflow?

9 replies

21-Topaz II
July 12, 2021

As far as I know when I apply appearances to a specific surface that appearance designation is "attached" to a specific surface ID only. If I want that appearance to apply to more surfaces I have to pick all the individual surfaces added to modify them, too. Regrettably, I can't see any way to apply appearances to a feature, which would be pretty nice.

So it seems your only option is the tedious one. Unless someone else knows a cool trick to do this kind of thing...

T_F16-PearlAuthor
16-Pearl
July 12, 2021

I'm afraid of this... Perhaps anyone as a specific toolkit app! Anyone?

 

23-Emerald IV
July 12, 2021

Many of us have been asking for something like this for a long time without having to resort to a 3rd party product.  Unfortunately there is still nothing from PTC.  The only solution that I'm currently aware of is SMARTColor by B&W.

T_F16-PearlAuthor
16-Pearl
July 12, 2021

Maybe PTC can add this to CREO like did with other apps, like ifx

19-Tanzanite
July 12, 2021

Yes.

 

Searching for surfaces by feature(s), then applying your colors to the returned selection set.

Not automatic, but way less tedious than picking-by-clicking...

T_F16-PearlAuthor
16-Pearl
July 12, 2021

True, but if I design in top down assemblies, if I add a hole in this part, the plate that has the threaded holes, will add a hole also. So I need to repaint the holes of this plates, and at the same time the threaded holes of the plate, so double tedious work. And if I forgot the holes of the plate, it will be a mistake made by me. It should be parametric

19-Tanzanite
July 13, 2021

Of course it should be parametric - so publish your gripes on the product idea forums.

This forum is about work-arounds, not about how things should be 🙂

 

I notice you have the latest version with multi-body functionality.  I wonder if you could get the colors to stay with the body?  I guess I'm thinking of a work-around where the volume of the holes is modelled in a body that is subtracted away from the main body.  Does that operation preserve the surface colors?

Patriot_1776
22-Sapphire II
July 13, 2021

You can apply a color to "surfaces" by "feature" using the search tool.  Depending on things, you can also apply color by "intent surfaces".

T_F16-PearlAuthor
16-Pearl
July 13, 2021

But if the feature add surfaces, the original color will appear on those surfaces

Patriot_1776
22-Sapphire II
July 13, 2021

So, repeat the process then when you add surfaces.  Simple.  Using the "intent surfaces" SHOULD do what you want, haven't had a chance to test it, not really a priority.

24-Ruby III
July 13, 2021

Hi,

I assume the following trick is not the solution to your problem ...

  • assign magenta color to part
  • assign grey color to all solid surfaces of the part
  • create a hole ... magenta color appears on hole surfaces

Unfortunatelly any material removal displays newly created surfaces in magenta color.

T_F16-PearlAuthor
16-Pearl
July 13, 2021

That's true!

 

But I will have a mix a of counterbored holes and pin holes! One is pink another is blue!

T_F16-PearlAuthor
16-Pearl
July 13, 2021

I invite you to vote the idea for this enhancement. Maybe if PTC see a lot of votes, can convert this to an enhancment!

 

https://community.ptc.com/t5/Creo-Parametric-Ideas/To-paint-threaded-holes-with-some-color/idi-p/575190#M14481

 

23-Emerald III
July 13, 2021

Is this an industry standard or a company requirement?

What other CAD systems do this automatically?

15-Moonstone
July 14, 2021

I also work in the molds industry, and this is not only a requirment of all our clients for the parts to be machined, but it's also something that makes us waste a lot of time painting those holes manually, and having to check every time we change a hole number in a pattern, to open at least two parts just to repaint those added holes.

 

I do not know Catia very much, but as someone here already shown, it makes that process fully automated. I have tried a Top Solid 7 demo a few year ago, and it was miles ahed of Creo in this kind of automation. Not only in transferring colors, but also in the process of making "negative bodies" in general for assembled parts. I think this could be replicated with the multibodies that were implemented in Creo 7, but not much was added in Creo 8, and I do hope that PTC @mneumueller have something to improve this usage case of the multibodies and "negative holes", ie, letting the hole command to generate the "negative body" (usually the threaded portion) to be joined with a component negtative body. Then, like Catia seems to have, and Top Solid definately has, make the assembly process of a component or of an assembly take into consideration any "negative" geometry to be subtracted uppon the selected components in one step. Meaning, there is currently only one flag in the multibody methology, signalling it's a construction body. I propose to add another flag to indicate that a body is intented to be  acutout (negative geometry) to be subtracted when a part is assembled. Since we have this flag, when assembling the part the user interface should present the user a selection list of bodies with the "cutout" flag assigned, to allow a user with a simple cliick assemble the component and automatically aftrwards make a boolean subtraction on the automatically or manually selected components's bodies. If there is a single body with the "cutout" flag activated, this body suhould be automatically selected to be subtracted on the selected (intersected parts) uppon assembling the component.

 

Also, with the "cutout" or "negative geometry" should automatically give a "tip" to the hole command that any hole on one of it's faces should generate a "protrusion" instead of a "hole", ie, if selecting a face of a prism to be used as a box cutout to start a threaded hole, the hole instead of being cut in the body, it's extruded out of the cutout body, with an external thread insteadd of an internal thread. I cannot do it with multibodies, but almost can do it using different parts and boolean operations between parts. It transfers colors, axis, and threads, which the multibody booleans operations do not do (but should be improved to allow). The only problem with this approach is that we have to manage lots of parts for the cutouts with a filename (I'm using Creo 7 and not 8, so, this would not be a problem if using embedded components). Even if we can do it with this approach, there is missing the auto-cutout uppon assembly that other CAD packages allow, for us not to forget to apply the threaded holes, or cut the space that will be occupied by the assembled component.

T_F16-PearlAuthor
16-Pearl
July 19, 2021

I everyone.

I've been working on this.

I found a workaround to have the holes painted, even the ones added after hole creation.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHo9Cg1fskc

If you are interested I can share the files.

 

As I said, it's a workaround, the files become more heavier. @TomU , the idea is similar to what CATIA does with negative copy.

In my opinion, PTC Should deliver color on holes, and the negative copy of hole, and as well, thread transfer between parts. It would be a lot easier to do it! @mneumueller it would be possible to do something in multibody?

Patriot_1776
22-Sapphire II
July 27, 2021

Just looks like they're using the search tool to me, manually, as I mentioned.  I played around with it a little (since it doesn't affect me at all), and also came to the conclusion there's no easy way.  I was HOPING that "Intent Surfaces" would do it, like intent USUALLY works for, say, adding rounds, but it doesn't.

 

Now that I see it's a thing for you guys, it would make sense for PTC to make this enhancement.  But, we're STILL waiting for the solid-body sweeps that we've been asking for for years, so....