Create GTOL perpendicular on surface with a leader

zmiller · ‎Dec 20, 2018

Add the ability to create a GTOL with leader where the leader is perpendicular to the selected surface. Currently this is possible when selecting an edge as a reference. Please refer to the attached images, there are two GTOLs, one is created by using an edge and one is created by using a surface reference. The edge reference GTOL is exactly perpendicular to the edge, in the same way, we would want a perpendicularity icon when creating the GTOL by using surface reference.

awei3 · ‎Mar 28, 2019

Noting that you can sort of work around this in two ways at the moment. One is inconsistent, and one doesn't make much sense from a referencing standpoint

Inconsistent way

- Add "Move Special" to the context menu that appears when you right click the leader of the GTOL (i.e. the bend in the GTOL leader, not the GTOL itself). If you get lucky, you will be able to snap the leader around to geometry. If you are unlucky, you will be snapping the part of the leader that attaches to the geometry, or snapping nothing at all.

Bad referencing way

- Make a section curve through the geometry, and align the GTOL to that.

Would really like to see an actual perpendicular option though. Tolerances like flatness should be attached to surfaces, not edges. Should not have to "hack" an edge onto it to get it to snap.

Fraulini_Giulio · ‎Mar 29, 2019

I do a little workaround: I make all the gtolls and the other items (like notes or surface finish) inside an annotation feature, that I put to tree bottom. So I make the GTOLL and, while you have the feature opened on the leader placement, I make a dattum point on the surface.

In this manner you have a double advantage: you place the leader on the surface (instead of the edge) and the datum point is automatically hidden within the Annotation Feature.

zmiller · ‎Mar 29, 2019

Thanks for the workaround ideas, I'll have to try those out.

zmiller · ‎Apr 02, 2019

@awei3 Your "Bad reference way" makes complete sense and while I would agree it is bad it does work. Your other method I can not get to work, in fact I can't even figure out how to get the "Move Special" command to be active when an annotation is selected, I can see it in the list but it's grayed out. Any hints or tricks? FYI I'm using Creo 4 (I tried in Creo 3 too but that doesn't even have the customizable right click menu).

zmiller · ‎Apr 02, 2019

@Fraulini_Giulio I really like your method, sadly it does not work in Creo 4 (at least I couldn't figure it out) since the GTOL interface and creation process is significantly changed. At least I'm assuming your doing that in Creo 3, since it worked exactly as described in Creo 3 for me. We are in the process of moving to Creo 4.

awei3 · ‎Apr 02, 2019

I am adding Move Special while clicking the bend in the leader, you may be clicking the end of the leader itself?

(The Move Special here is not here by default, it was added)

I am not actually advocating this method much to colleagues anymore, it is very frustrating to get right even with Move Special showing properly in the context menu. There are three items sitting on top of each other at this point that can be selected, and only one of them is the correct one that will move just that end of the leader.

Otherwise it may be a Creo 5 thing...we are on 5030 here.

zmiller · ‎Apr 02, 2019

@awei3 Thanks! I understand this now, although I don't think I can advocate it either.

Fraulini_Giulio · ‎Apr 03, 2019

@zmiller you're right. I do that in Creo 3. I've tried now in Creo 5 and it's different; it continues to work with Notes, but gtols have a different system and this workaround doesen't need anymore because now you have the possibility to attach wherever you want the leader.

But I don't see the possibility to change the leader type (eg: perpendicular)...

zmiller · ‎Apr 03, 2019

@Fraulini_Giulio thanks for the confirmation!