Creo Parametric Tips

Sep 29, 2016

Sep 22, 2016

Sep 16, 2016

Jul 10, 2016

Jun 17, 2016

PTC has improved Freestyle to allow users to split quad faces into n-sided faces. Click the command Add Edge to increase the number of edges per face. Each edge breaks the 4–sided face into smaller faces, providing better control to define the form. You can delete selected edges, which results in the automatic collapse of the faces and the deleted edge vertices. This gives you the flexibility to split the control mesh into any defined shape so you can create any type of geometry.

Jun 17, 2016

Hi everyone, Have you already checked out Creo Direct 4.0 Sneak Peek? If not, I can only recommend looking at it as it features many enhancements. For a complete enhancements list, please check out the document: Direct Modeling What New In addition, you might want to have a look at the attached video. It features many of the enhancements within a concept design workflow. The task at hand is to create a new design concept of the jigsaw foot so that the jigsaw can be equipped with a vacuum adapter and airflow channels to suck out the saw dust. We are going to do this by leveraging geometry from a different jigsaw model that already has a vacuum adapter and will use many of the new capabilities like boolean operations, mirror, attach etc to evolve the existing foot design so that it meets the requirement. Looking forward to your comments. Best regards..:Martin

Jun 14, 2016

I'm creating this blog to be the central home page for anyone interested in trying out the new functionality in Creo 4.0 Sneak Peek relating to Flexible Modeling in Sheet Metal and regular part mode. Below will be links to my other blog posts on specific detailed topics under the mentioned theme. I will update the links as I post more information. Ideally you might want to reply to this post so that we can keep the threads linked. Thanks and best regards…Martin FMX: Video - Exposure of Flexible Modeling tools in Sheet Metal FMX: Video - New Sheet Metal specific Flexible Modeling tools to modify Sheet Metal Design Objects

Jun 14, 2016

Attached please find a video showing new Flexible Modeling tools in Sheet Metal that allow to recognize Sheet Metal Design Objects such as bends, bend reliefs, corner reliefs, corner seams, forms from geometry and modify them with new dedicated tools. Note that you might want to use the respective recognition tools with the automatic option upfront to recognize all those objects on the model. The Design Object tree (secondary tree) will show the recognized objects. The new Edit tools (Edit Bend Relief, Edit Corner Relief, Edit Corner Seam, Edit Bend) then allow you modify those objects independent from how these features had been created and as such even on an imported model. Tools that are already quite stable in this sneak-peek version are: The new recognition tools (Recognize Bends, Bend Reliefs, Corner Reliefs, Corner Seams, Forms) Edit Bend Relief Edit Corner Relief Edit Corner Seam Tools are not fully stabilized yet in this version are: Edit Bend Pull Wall Even though not fully stable, we decided to keep them in the sneak-peek version to at least allow you to try them out in basic scenarios. Note that Edit Bend and Pull Wall actually handle the adjacent conditions (reliefs and corner seams) and recreate them after the operation. Both operations also automatically transform all geometry that is attached to the modified wall/bend. Looking forward to your feedback! Best regards…Martin

Jun 14, 2016

Attached please find a video on the exposure of Flexible Modeling tools in Sheet Metal. It focuses on selection and geometry modification tools that are available in regular part mode and had been adapted for the Sheet Metal environment to honor guidelines such as constant wall thickness and other specific rules. In particular note how Move and Remove refine the selection automatically and how other tools like substitute, offset, etc are only allowed for side surfaces. Pattern recognition and propagation are supported for operations such as move. Have fun! Looking forward to your feedback. Best regards..Martin

Jun 14, 2016

Welcome to the first edition of our new blog series “Fast Facts!” This content is intended to provide users with easy-to-use, actionable tips and tricks for how to use PTC Creo more effectively. Today, we will focus on a few commands to help you become more effective in part modeling mode. These tips come from Steve Meyers and Evan Winter, two PTC Creo experts in our training group. 1. Using Intent References You can increase the robustness of features using Intent References, which capture the intent of the feature when selecting resulting edges or surfaces (the edges bounding a surface of a feature, or a set of extruded vertices). 1. Query Select to Intent References, or use “Pick from List” in RMB while creating Rounds, Chamfers, Draft, etc. 2. Notice, there is no failure after base feature modification Learn more about Intent References in our Did You Know Blog Post 2. Showing Feature and Component Layers You can show layer placement and status for part features and assembly components Go to Settings then Tree Columns. Type = Layer “Layer Names and/or “Layer Status” > Add Column and click OK 3) Using Solidify to Trim Solid Geometry – Use the Solidify command to trim geometry from one side of a model (e.g. flat cuts at spring ends). 4) Getting Transform Measurements Using Vertices Vertices can be used to gather Delta X,Y and Z measurements. While measuring distance between vertices, add a CSYS feature to the Projection collector to see the transform distances. Stayed tuned as we cover more PTC Creo commands, features, and shortcuts designed to help you use the product faster! For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback!

Mar 19, 2015

With the release of PTC Creo 3.0, PTC Creo Parametric users now have access to an expanded library of standard parts and fasteners as well as an intuitive user interface to speed up the process of adding hardware to your assembly design. Jim Barrett Smith, Product Manager at PTC, gives an overview of the new capabilities: To define the position of a fastener, select the datum point, axis, or a hole. You can select two aligning surfaces to define a fastener connection with a thread. Or, you can select two opposing surfaces to define a fastener and nut connection. Next, select a fastener from the comprehensive library of fasteners. Choose the size of the thread or measure the thread size using an existing hole. Selecting a fastener from the standard parts library You have the option to set the length of the fastener yourself, or to have it set automatically. You can also control the hole tolerance and choose whether to have a counterbore on the top, the bottom, or both. Setting the length of the fastener There is a 2D preview in the dialog which updates with as you define the fastener details. Furthermore, you can click Preview to see a 3D view of the fastener in the graphics area. You can get a 3D view of the fastener by selecting Preview When you are satisfied, click OK to assemble the fastener. After a fastener is assembled, you have the ability to reassemble or redefine it. Furthermore, if you reassemble an existing fastener onto a pattern, you will have the option to pattern the fastener. This saves significant time and effort. If needed, you can choose to delete all patterned fasteners by simply selecting one and clicking Delete. Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange (“PTC Creo Intelligent Fastener (Lite)”) to learn more. Stay tuned to our “Did You Know” blog series as we cover all of the exciting, new enhancements in PTC Creo 3.0. For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback! In case you missed it, check out our recent Did You Know posts covering PTC Creo 3.0 enhancements: Flexible Pattern Tool in the PTC Creo Flexible Modeling Extension Aligning Freestyle Geometry

Dec 19, 2014

PTC Creo 3.0 introduces a new Align capability within Freestyle which allows PTC Creo Parametric users to create and drive freeform, stylized designs parametrically. Users can now connect their Freestyle geometry to other external geometry with positional, tangent, or normal conditions. Furthermore, any change made to this external geometry will be reflected in the Freestyle geometry during regeneration. Paul Sagar, Director of Product Management, gives us an introductory overview of the new Align feature: PTC Creo 3.0 introduces a new “Align” feature within Freestyle. With this capability, you can align the freestyle control mesh to external curves and edges and therefore parametrically control your freestyle geometry. In this example, we will be working on a bike model and building the surfaces around the pedal. These surfaces are defined parametrically by the neighboring geometry. We will start with a sphere, and build out the geometry to get it close to the neighboring surfaces. Building out geometry with Freestyle, it will be defined parametrically by the neighboring geometry In this case, the part is symmetrical, so we are able to mirror it. Next, you can select the faces you want to delete and leave open. You can then take the edges of the open loops and align them to the edges of the neighboring geometry. Aligning the edges of the part to the neighboring geometry After the loops and edges are aligned, you can specify the continuity between the Freestyle geometry and the surrounding geometry. In this example, we will create a normal connection. While we continue to refine the shape, we need to define the location for the pedals. Again, when the geometry is close, you can align the external edges of the geometry. Here is a look at the completed geometry: A look at the final geometry Finally, you can return to the top level assembly and make changes to the skeleton model that is driving the shape of the frame. When regenerated, the Freestyle geometry is also updated to maintain the connection and tangency to the surrounding geometry. Changes to the skeleton model will be automatically reflected in the Freestyle model during regeneration In conclusion, with the new Align capability you will be able to more effectively combine freeform, organic geometry with dimension based design intent. Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange (“Aligning Freestyle Geometry”) to learn more. Stay tuned to our “Did You Know” blog series as we cover all of the exciting, new enhancements in PTC Creo 3.0. For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback!

Oct 9, 2014

Apr 3, 2014

Our weekly Did You Know series focuses on providing users with informative, “how-to” tips to help them get the most out of PTC Creo. This week’s short post shows users how to create a square to round blend in PTC Creo Parametric, the source of inspiration for this tutorial originally came from a member of our PTC Creo Community. Users will learn how to create the blend in 3 steps. Step 1: Sketch a Square Section You have two options when creating a blend; you can either sketch the sections ahead of time and select them in the blend tool, or you can sketch the sections within the tool as you create the blend. In this example, you will create external sections and select them in the Blend tool. Begin by creating a square section on your first sketch plane with the Center Rectangle tool in Sketcher. Sketch a Square Section Step 2: Sketch a Circular Section and Divide it Create a second sketch plane offset from the one on which you sketched your square section. Sketch a circle on this sketch plane using the same center that you used for your center rectangle. Each section of the blend must have the same number of entities. You will tell PTC Creo how to blend the two sections together by splitting the circle into four segments to match the four segments of the square section. First, orient the sketching plane parallel to the screen with the Sketch View button. You will see the square section and the circular section together. Next, select the References command and select the corners of the square section as references for the sketch. Then create two centerlines diagonally across the square through the corner references, and use the Divide tool to split the circle where it is intersected by the centerlines. Divide the square and circle into an equal number of segments. This allows you to create the blend. Step 3: Create the blend. Create a blend with the Blend tool. Select “Selected Sections” under the Sections panel. Select the rectangular section as Section 1, then Insert, then the circular section as Section 2. If the blend is twisted, you can adjust the start point of either section by selecting the section in the collector and then dragging the vertex around the section. Here is an example of what the blend looks like: The final product: A square to round blend In conclusion, creating a square to round blend in PTC Creo Parametric can be accomplished in a few easy steps. Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange (“Creating a Square to Round Blend in PTC Creo Parametric 2.0”) to see this advice in action. We’d also love to hear your suggestions for working with blends in PTC Creo Parametric. For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback! In case you missed it, here are our recent Did You Know posts: 1) How to Create a Family Table 2) Tips and Tricks for Cable Design in PTC Creo Parametric Piping and Cabling Extension 3) Creating Helical Sweeps for Springs

Mar 19, 2014

Our weekly Did You Know series focuses on providing users with informative, “how-to” tips to help them get the most out of PTC Creo. This week’s post, provided by Director of Product Management Paul Sagar, shows users how to create family tables in PTC Creo Parametric. Users will learn how family tables enable you to create a large number of common parts quickly, based upon a generic design model. Family tables are a collection of parts or assemblies which are similar, but deviate slightly in some aspect – such as size or included features. Bolts are a common example because they look similar and perform the same function regardless of their properties. It’s helpful to think of them as a family of part models. Parts in family tables are also known as table driven parts. In PTC Creo Parametric, you can create family tables in three easy steps. Step 1: Identify Features Which Will Vary First, you must identify which dimensions or features will vary for your family of parts. Click on the Model Intent overflow menu and select Switch Symbols. This will show you the symbolic name of the features dimensions in your generic part (such as size or depth). From here, you will know which dimension will be altered in your family of parts. Click on the Switch Symbols command under the Model Intent drop down to understand the names of the dimensions in your part. This will help you identify what you need to change. Step 2: Create the Family Table Go back into the Model Intent overflow and select Family Table. Click Add Columns in the family table dialog box. With Dimension selected in the Add Item section, click on a feature in the model, and then select the dimension you wish to add to the family table. From the Family table command, we can choose which parameters we want to alter in each of the instances we create. We can also add parameters into our family table (such as descriptions). In the Add Items section, click Parameter, then choose what you want to add (description for instance), and click Insert Selected. You can see the parameter has been added to the table. Parameters added to the table can be edited in each of the part instances. You can also add features from the model tree, which can be included or excluded in the part instances. Step 3: Edit Instances After choosing the parameters, we can chose the number of instances we want in our family table. Simply click Add Instances until you have the desired quantity. You can edit the parameters for each specific instance. To finish the table, click Verify instances. This will tell you if your changes can be regenerated. Finally, you can preview or open each instance by selecting the appropriate row and picking Open. In the family table menu you can edit and verify the specifications on each instance you will create. You can also preview each part. In the family table menu you can edit and verify the specifications on each instance you will create. You can also preview each part. In conclusion, family tables give you an easy systematic approach to creating a large number of related models. Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange (“Creating a Family Table”) to see this advice in action. We’d also love to hear your suggestions for working with family tables in PTC Creo Parametric. For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback! In case you missed it, here are our recent Did You Know posts: 1) Tips and Tricks for Cable Design in PTC Creo Parametric Piping and Cabling Extension 2) Creating Helical Sweeps for Springs 3) How to Use Motion Skeletons to Quickly Design Mechanisms

Mar 5, 2014

Our weekly Did You Know series focuses on providing users with informative, “how-to” tips to help them get the most out of PTC Creo. This week’s post, provided by Product Management Director Jim Barrett-Smith, is a brief, introductory overview of routing cables inside the PTC Creo Parametric Piping and Cabling Extension. Users will learn how to filter logical cables, add locations to axis, and understand how the next location in a wire segment will be created. Tip 1: Filtering Logical Cables First, select Route Cables under the Cabling section of the user interface. In the Route Cables dialog you will notice there is a Find tool. This will find all the wires and cables with logical references. If this is a very large list, you can refine it by simply selecting a designated component from the graphics area. When you select a designated component, the wires that attach to it are added to the Route Cables dialog. If you hold control and left click, you can select multiple components When selecting individual components, the wires which attach to them are automatically added to the Route cables dialog Tip 2: Adding Locations to an Axis After you place your simple route, you can start adding locations. In Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0, the system would automatically place a location onto each end of the axis. If the axis was very short, the cable would form loops in order to satisfy the minimum bend radius. In PTC Creo, the default behavior is to add a location on the axis at the selection point. If you want the old Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 behavior you can right click and choose Along or you can change the configuration option default_cable_axis_location from On to Along and the system will then place a location at each end of the axis. Note: The configuration option is from PTC Creo 2.0 M090 onwards. When adding locations to an axis, you can revert back to the old Pro/ENGINEER Wildfire 4.0 behavior by right clicking and selecting Along. This places locations at each end of the axis. Tip 3: Choosing Next Locations When you’re adding locations, take notice that half of the wire is orange while the other half is red. The red segments are where you’re going to add your next location. When you choose the next location and click, you’ll see that it has been added in the red segment. If you want to add a location in the orange segment then simply choose Reverse Direction from Location tab. When choosing your next location, follow the red segments. When you choose the next location and click, it will be added to the red segment. Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange (“Cabling Design Routing Cables Tips and Tricks”) to see this advice in action. We’d also love to hear your suggestions for working with cables in PTC Creo Parametric Piping and Cabling. For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback! In case you missed it, here are our recent Did You Know posts: 1) Creating Helical Sweeps for Springs 2) How to Use Motion Skeletons to Quickly Design Mechanisms 3) Tips for Fewer Model Failures with Intent References

Feb 26, 2014

This week’s Did You Know, provided by our Director of Product Management Paul Sagar, teaches users how to create helical sweeps for springs using the sweep tool in PTC Creo Parametric. With this tool and its dashboard interface, creating springs is quick and easy. Paul shows us how to do so in three easy steps: Step 1: Start Sketching the Spring’s Profile The helical sweep tool is located in the Shapes group of the modeling tab, under the Sweep Type drop down. The sweep type drop down menu After the helical sweep dashboard opens, go into the References tab and click Define to begin sketching the profile of the spring. In this example, we’re going to sketch the spring’s profile on the FRONT datum plane in a 2D orientation. Step 2: Define Spring Properties First, define the spring center line. This will be the center axis of the spring (the axis of revolution). Defining the axis of revolution on the center line Next, add a vertical line to the left of the center line to represent the profile of the spring. This will be the diameter of the spring defined through the center of the spring’s wire. Complete the profile sketch. Now define the Helix section by choosing Create or Edit Sweep Section in the dashboard. The diameter of the wire will be sketched at the start point of the profile, using a circle. But you can use any shape you need. Step 3: Add Relations The helical sweep dashboard makes it easy to edit the pitch value of the spring, or toggle the spring from a right hand to left hand turn. The finished helical sweep will be seen dynamically on the screen. Complete the feature. To finish the spring however, we want to make sure the spring maintains six coils no matter how much it’s expanded or compressed. To do this, we’ll need to add a relation to the part. Adding relations to ensure this spring has six coils This relation will be used to control the spring’s pitch as it expands and contracts. Go to the Tools tab and open the Relations Dialog box. We can see that the height of the spring is D1, the pitch is D2, and the diameter is D0. We need to write a relation that says the pitch equals the height of the profile divided by 6. This will ensure that the spring always has 6 coils. Now we can test it by editing the height dimension to compress and expand the spring. The final product: We can continue to compress and expand the spring without changing the number of coils Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange (“Creating Helical Sweeps for Springs”) to see this advice in action. We’d also love to hear your suggestions for working with helical sweeps below. For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback! In case you missed it, here are our recent Did You Know posts: 1) How to Use Motion Skeletons to Quickly Design Mechanisms 2) Tips for Fewer Model Failures with Intent References 3) Tips for Creating Advanced Round Geometry in PTC Creo Parametric

Feb 19, 2014

The first edition of our new “Did You Know” series featured advice for creating advanced round geometry in PTC Creo Parametric. This week Don Breda, Product Manager at PTC, shows us how to use intent references in PTC Creo Parametric to avoid model failures. Here is the situation we are trying to avoid: let’s say you are trying to change a square interface into a hexagonal interface. You redefine the extrusion and delete the square. Now, the system says you are deleting entities that are referenced by other features. Hence, we’re left with feature failures. In this particular instance both a draft and round have failed when we changed the section that is used to define the extrusion. What causes this failure? Both the draft and round were referenced to the individual surfaces and edges of the extrusion. How do I avoid this problem? Change the way these features are created by using intent references. Edit the Definition of the Draft feature, and remove the individual surface references. Next, “query select” by clicking the right mouse button until all the sides of the extrusion are pre-selected - the tooltip will say IntentSrf. Click the left mouse button to select the intent reference. Instead of picking geometry explicitly to reference, you are telling the system to reference the surfaces of the sides created by the extrusion. This is the intent reference. After editing the definition of the draft feature so that it uses intent references to always reference the side surfaces of the extrusion, we can make changes to the extrusion’s section without problems. We can also use intent references to redefine the rounds, removing references to explicit geometry, and substituting intent edges at the end of the extrude feature. The draft and round features no longer reference the individual surfaces and edges of the extrude feature. Instead, the draft uses an intent reference that consists of all side surfaces of the extrude, while the round feature uses an intent reference that consists of all edges at the end of the extrude. Now we can go ahead and delete the square interface and replace it with the hexagonal interface. With Intent References, we’re able to delete the square interface and replace it with a hexagonal interface without failures occurring. This time everything has updated properly. The draft is applied to the side surfaces of the extrude, while the rounds are applied to the end profile of the extrude. The bottom line is whatever we change the profile to, we’ve ensured the draft and rounds will be created properly. Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange (“Intent References”) to see this advice in action. We’d also love to hear your suggestions for working with intent references below. For more in-depth product feature explanations, visit our Tech Tips area. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment below and we’ll write up the best ideas from the community. Thanks for reading, looking forward to all of your feedback!

Feb 5, 2014

We’re happy to announce the first edition of our “Did You Know?” series here on the PTC Creo Community, providing you with informative, “how-to” tips to help our members get the most out of PTC Creo Parametric. Today we’re sharing three expert tips, provided by our Director of Product Management Paul Sagar, on creating advanced round geometry inside PTC Creo Parametric: Putting a Round on 3 Edges – You can control the specific geometry at the transition of 3 edges. Go to the main dashboard and click on the “Pieces” menu. From here you can hover over each individual piece and the software will highlight the geometry created. You can “include” or “exclude” specific pieces to control the overall geometry. See Image 1 below: Image 1: Rounds on 3 edges Creating a Blended Transition Between two different rounds – By default, when you select an edge it automatically rounds the tangent chain. By holding shift, you can create a round on just one specific edge. The transition between each edge is automatically blended. See Image 2 below: Image 2: Blended transition How to Make a Round Disappear - You can make rounds disappear into a single vertex. Go back to the “Pieces” menu and click on the single piece. This will create a drag handle. By selecting the drag handle and moving it down, you will cause it to automatically snap into the next transition. This allows you the ability to create surface-to-surface rounds, edge-to-surface rounds, or edge-to-edge rounds. See Image 3 below: Image 3: Rounds disappear Check out our video tutorial on the PTC University Learning Exchange ("Round Tips") to see these tips in action. We'd also love to hear your tips for creating rounds in PTC Creo Parametric in the comments below. Have some ideas about what PTC Creo product features you’d like to learn more about? Send me a message or leave a comment and we’ll write up the best ones from the community. Thanks for reading and I look forward to all of your feedback!

Jan 23, 2014

Jan 25, 2012

Creo Parametric Tips

Creating repeat regions to display family table information

Creating an animation using an explode state in Creo Parametric

Using the Align command in the Freestyle feature in Creo Parametric

Did You Know? Hyperlinks to Combination States

Import and Export Wavefront (*.obj) files directly in Freestyle

Support for N-Sided Faces (N-Gons) in Freestyle

Creo Direct 4.0 - Video of new enhancements showing concept design

Creo 4.0: Start here! for Flexible Modeling (in Sheet Metal)

FMX: Video - New Sheet Metal specific Flexible Modeling tools to modify Sheet Metal Design Objects

FMX: Video - Exposure of Flexible Modeling tools in Sheet Metal

Fast Facts! Quick Tips for Using PTC Creo - Part Modeling

Did You Know? PTC Creo 3.0 Enhancements: Standard Hardware and Fasteners

Did You Know? PTC Creo 3.0 Enhancements: Aligning Freestyle Geometry

RV减速机

Did You Know? Creating a Square to Round Blend in PTC Creo Parametric

Did You Know? How to Create a Family Table

Did You Know? Tips and Tricks for Cable Design in PTC Creo Parametric Piping and Cabling Extension

Did You Know? Creating Helical Sweeps for Springs

Did You Know? Tips for Fewer Model Failures with Intent References

Did You Know? Tips for Creating Advanced Round Geometry in PTC Creo Parametric

Creating a relationship between parameters and dimensions.

Creo Tips and Techniques Webcast Series (West)

Creo Tips & Techniques Webcast Series (East)