Tolerance Analysis Help

[TractorGuy]

I am trying to learn how to use the Tolerance Analysis tool since I just realized my company has a floating license for it. So far I have been unable to understand how to use this tool and I can't find any good tutorials to point me in the right direction.

Just for reference, I am trying to analyze the stackup in 3 plates that are bolted together in a non-symetric pattern so I need to take into account the hole tolerances and the placement tolerances. I have tried to use the axis for each hole to define the chain/loop for the stackup, but it doesn't work as expected.

Can anyone point me to a tutorial that could help (other than the electric motor analysis)?

[TractorGuy]

After fighting with it for more than 6 hours and running through all the documentation/videos I can find, I have come to the conclusion that the tolerance tool simply doesn't work well. I end up with duplicate dimensions, holes stacked on each other when they are on opposite sides of the part, and the inability to define a hole as a starting refeference. Am I just doing something wrong or is this the whole reason nobody uses it?

[ptc-4580596]

Try setting up a full loop with 3d annotation dimensions, don't forget to put in the tolerances. I always enjoyed using it when I had access to it. (current company uses SW) It sure beats the excell sheets people make...

[TractorGuy]

Unfortunately the 3D annotation dimensions are not a valid dimension type. Also I'm still running into th problem that my first feature is a hole that it keeps putting on the opposite side of the part from where it is actually located. At this point I have basically given up and moved on to using the vector loop method in a spreadsheet since it actually works. Unless someone can actually show me that this software works, I'm going to just forget it exists.