Allow sheetmetal bodies to merge into regular part bodies

[jwagh]

There are times when we may need to work in our model and use sheetmetal features for our regular parts. Either we are designing a model and a sheetmetal feature would help get the right design intent, or we are working on an imported features and would like to manipulate, adjust or fix them using a sheetmetal feature. I understand that a non-sheetmetal body shouldn't merge into a sheetmetal body. However, we should allow a sheetmetal body to merge into a non-sheetmetal body.

Below is an imported component that is a solid (non-sheetmetal body). If any of the flanges imported with an issue, one approach could be to recreate the flange with a flange tool. 

Here is just a random model I threw together showing a flange being used in a non-sheetmetal part. I've had better examples in the past, where we have wanted to use a sheetmetal feature in a non-sheetmetal part, but I can't recall what they were. 

Thanks

@mneumueller 

[mneumueller]

In Creo 7.0 & 8.0 you can copy/paste the Sheetmetal body into a regular body that you can then use for the Boolean merge into another regular body.

Wouldn't that be easily covering the above need?

Also note that we are currently working on supporting multiple sheetmetal bodies...

[jwagh]

@mneumueller 

That works! Thanks! This and the quilt-form capability for bodies are nice hidden gems and should probably be included in the help "What's New" for Creo 7. The only sheetmetal 'New' item was the edge shearing with forms. In my opinion, the other two topics are much more of a 'game changer'.

Thanks again!

[mneumueller]

Great to hear that this works for you.

And yes, allowing the quilt-form for bodies was a valuable addition in the context of the new multibody capabilities to Sheet Metal in Creo 7.0.

[jwagh]

@mneumueller I believe this feature is now more useful as a body form vs a quilt form. I vote for a rename of the feature ;).